scholarly journals The Fatty Acid Regulator FadR Influences the Expression of the Virulence Cascade in the El Tor Biotype of Vibrio cholerae by Modulating the Levels of ToxT via Two Different Mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Kovacikova ◽  
Wei Lin ◽  
Ronald K. Taylor ◽  
Karen Skorupski
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Enteric Bacteria ◽  
Posttranslational Regulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
El Tor ◽  
Virulence Regulator

ABSTRACT FadR is a master regulator of fatty acid (FA) metabolism that coordinates the pathways of FA degradation and biosynthesis in enteric bacteria. We show here that a ΔfadR mutation in the El Tor biotype of Vibrio cholerae prevents the expression of the virulence cascade by influencing both the transcription and the posttranslational regulation of the master virulence regulator ToxT. FadR is a transcriptional regulator that represses the expression of genes involved in FA degradation, activates the expression of genes involved in unsaturated FA (UFA) biosynthesis, and also activates the expression of two operons involved in saturated FA (SFA) biosynthesis. Since FadR does not bind directly to the toxT promoter, we determined whether the regulation of any of its target genes indirectly influenced ToxT. This was accomplished by individually inserting a double point mutation into the FadR-binding site in the promoter of each target gene, thereby preventing their activation or repression. Although preventing FadR-mediated activation of fabA, which encodes the enzyme that carries out the first step in UFA biosynthesis, did not significantly influence either the transcription or the translation of ToxT, it reduced its levels and prevented virulence gene expression. In the mutant strain unable to carry out FadR-mediated activation of fabA, expressing fabA ectopically restored the levels of ToxT and virulence gene expression. Taken together, the results presented here indicate that V. cholerae FadR influences the virulence cascade in the El Tor biotype by modulating the levels of ToxT via two different mechanisms. IMPORTANCE Fatty acids (FAs) play important roles in membrane lipid homeostasis and energy metabolism in all organisms. In Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of the acute intestinal disease cholera, they also influence virulence by binding into an N-terminal pocket of the master virulence regulator, ToxT, and modulating its activity. FadR is a transcription factor that coordinately controls the pathways of FA degradation and biosynthesis in enteric bacteria. This study identifies a new link between FA metabolism and virulence in the El Tor biotype by showing that FadR influences both the transcription and posttranslational regulation of the master virulence regulator ToxT by two distinct mechanisms.

scholarly journals Vibrio cholerae ToxR Downregulates Virulence Factor Production in Response to Cyclo(Phe-Pro)

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Renee Bina ◽  
Dawn L. Taylor ◽  
Amit Vikram ◽  
Vanessa M. Ante ◽  
James E. Bina
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Factor ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Enteric Bacteria ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Factor Production ◽  
Virulence Regulator ◽  
Virulence Factor Production

ABSTRACTVibrio choleraeis an aquatic organism that causes the severe acute diarrheal disease cholera. The ability ofV. choleraeto cause disease is dependent upon the production of two critical virulence determinants, cholera toxin (CT) and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). The expression of the genes that encode for CT and TCP production is under the control of a hierarchical regulatory system called the ToxR regulon, which functions to activate virulence gene expression in response toin vivostimuli. Cyclic dipeptides have been found to be produced by numerous bacteria, yet their biological function remains unknown.V. choleraehas been shown to produce cyclo(Phe-Pro). Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibitedV. choleraevirulence factor production. For this study, we report on the mechanism by which cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibited virulence factor production. We have demonstrated that exogenous cyclo(Phe-Pro) activated the expression ofleuO, a LysR-family regulator that had not been previously associated withV. choleraevirulence. IncreasedleuOexpression repressedaphAtranscription, which resulted in downregulation of the ToxR regulon and attenuated CT and TCP production. The cyclo(Phe-Pro)-dependent induction ofleuOexpression was found to be dependent upon the virulence regulator ToxR. Cyclo(Phe-Pro) did not affecttoxRtranscription or ToxR protein levels but appeared to enhance the ToxR-dependent transcription ofleuO. These results have identifiedleuOas a new component of the ToxR regulon and demonstrate for the first time that ToxR is capable of downregulating virulence gene expression in response to an environmental cue.IMPORTANCEThe ToxR regulon has been a focus of cholera research for more than three decades. During this time, a model has emerged wherein ToxR functions to activate the expression ofVibrio choleraevirulence factors upon host entry.V. choleraeand other enteric bacteria produce cyclo(Phe-Pro), a cyclic dipeptide that we identified as an inhibitor ofV. choleraevirulence factor production. This finding suggested that cyclo(Phe-Pro) was a negative effector of virulence factor production and represented a molecule that could potentially be exploited for therapeutic development. In this work, we investigated the mechanism by which cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibited virulence factor production. We found that cyclo(Phe-Pro) signaled through ToxR to activate the expression ofleuO, a new virulence regulator that functioned to repress virulence factor production. Our results have identified a new arm of the ToxR regulon and suggest that ToxR may play a broader role in pathogenesis than previously known.

scholarly journals Use of a Phosphorylation Site Mutant To Identify Distinct Modes of Gene Repression by the Control of Virulence Regulator (CovR) in Streptococcus pyogenes

2017 ◽  
Vol 199 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Horstmann ◽  
Pranoti Sahasrabhojane ◽  
Hui Yao ◽  
Xiaoping Su ◽  
Samuel A. Shelburne
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Phosphorylation Site ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Superficial Skin ◽  
Virulence Regulator ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Control of the virulence regulator/sensor kinase (CovRS) two-component system (TCS) serves as a model for investigating the impact of signaling pathways on the pathogenesis of Gram-positive bacteria. However, the molecular mechanisms by which CovR, an OmpR/PhoB family response regulator, controls virulence gene expression are poorly defined, partly due to the labile nature of its aspartate phosphorylation site. To better understand the regulatory effect of phosphorylated CovR, we generated the phosphorylation site mutant strain 10870-CovR-D53E, which we predicted to have a constitutive CovR phosphorylation phenotype. Interestingly, this strain showed CovR activity only for a subset of the CovR regulon, which allowed for classification of CovR-influenced genes into D53E-regulated and D53E-nonregulated groups. Inspection of the promoter sequences of genes belonging to each group revealed distinct promoter architectures with respect to the location and number of putative CovR-binding sites. Electrophoretic mobility shift analysis demonstrated that recombinant CovR-D53E protein retains its ability to bind promoter DNA from both CovR-D53E-regulated and -nonregulated groups, implying that factors other than mere DNA binding are crucial for gene regulation. In fact, we found that CovR-D53E is incapable of dimerization, a process thought to be critical to OmpR/PhoB family regulator function. Thus, our global analysis of CovR-D53E indicates dimerization-dependent and dimerization-independent modes of CovR-mediated repression, thereby establishing distinct mechanisms by which this critical regulator coordinates virulence gene expression. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pyogenes causes a wide variety of diseases, ranging from superficial skin and throat infections to life-threatening invasive infections. To establish these various disease manifestations, Streptococcus pyogenes requires tightly coordinated production of its virulence factor repertoire. Here, the response regulator CovR plays a crucial role. As an OmpR/PhoB family member, CovR is activated by phosphorylation on a conserved aspartate residue, leading to protein dimerization and subsequent binding to operator sites. Our transcriptome analysis using the monomeric phosphorylation mimic mutant CovR-D53E broadens this general notion by revealing dimerization-independent repression of a subset of CovR-regulated genes. Combined with promoter analyses, these data suggest distinct mechanisms of CovR transcriptional control, which allow for differential expression of virulence genes in response to environmental cues.

scholarly journals The Cpx System Regulates Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 2396-2408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Acosta ◽  
Stefan Pukatzki ◽  
Tracy L. Raivio
Keyword(s):  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Envelope Stress ◽  
El Tor

Bacteria possess signal transduction pathways capable of sensing and responding to a wide variety of signals. The Cpx envelope stress response, composed of the sensor histidine kinase CpxA and the response regulator CpxR, senses and mediates adaptation to insults to the bacterial envelope. The Cpx response has been implicated in the regulation of a number of envelope-localized virulence determinants across bacterial species. Here, we show that activation of the Cpx pathway inVibrio choleraeEl Tor strain C6706 leads to a decrease in expression of the major virulence factors in this organism, cholera toxin (CT) and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). Our results indicate that this occurs through the repression of production of the ToxT regulator and an additional upstream transcription factor, TcpP. The effect of the Cpx response on CT and TCP expression is mostly abrogated in a cyclic AMP receptor protein (CRP) mutant, although expression of thecrpgene is unaltered. Since TcpP production is controlled by CRP, our data suggest a model whereby the Cpx response affects CRP function, which leads to diminished TcpP, ToxT, CT, and TCP production.

scholarly journals A Genome-Wide Screen Reveals that the Vibrio cholerae Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System Modulates Virulence Gene Expression

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 3381-3395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiyao Wang ◽  
Yves A. Millet ◽  
Michael C. Chao ◽  
Jumpei Sasabe ◽  
Brigid M. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cholera Toxin ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Insertion Site ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
A Genome

Diverse environmental stimuli and a complex network of regulatory factors are known to modulate expression ofVibrio cholerae's principal virulence factors. However, there is relatively little known about how metabolic factors impinge upon the pathogen's well-characterized cascade of transcription factors that induce expression of cholera toxin and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). Here, we used a transposon insertion site (TIS) sequencing-based strategy to identify new factors required for expression oftcpA, which encodes the major subunit of TCP, the organism's chief intestinal colonization factor. Besides identifying most of the genes known to modulatetcpAexpression, the screen yieldedptsIandptsH, which encode the enzyme I (EI) and Hpr components of theV. choleraephosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS). In addition to reduced expression of TcpA, strains lacking EI, Hpr, or the associated EIIAGlcprotein produced less cholera toxin (CT) and had a diminished capacity to colonize the infant mouse intestine. The PTS modulates virulence gene expression by regulating expression oftcpPHandaphAB, which themselves control expression oftoxT, the central activator of virulence gene expression. One mechanism by which PTS promotes virulence gene expression appears to be by modulating the amounts of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP). Our findings reveal that theV. choleraePTS is an additional modulator of the ToxT regulon and demonstrate the potency of loss-of-function TIS sequencing screens for defining regulatory networks.

scholarly journals Bicarbonate Induces Vibrio cholerae Virulence Gene Expression by Enhancing ToxT Activity

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 4111-4120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basel H. Abuaita ◽  
Jeffrey H. Withey
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Carbonic Anhydrase ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Chemical Stimulus ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Regulatory Cascade ◽  
El Tor

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae is a gram-negative bacterium that is the causative agent of cholera, a severe diarrheal illness. The two biotypes of V. cholerae O1 capable of causing cholera, classical and El Tor, require different in vitro growth conditions for induction of virulence gene expression. Growth under the inducing conditions or infection of a host initiates a complex regulatory cascade that results in production of ToxT, a regulatory protein that directly activates transcription of the genes encoding cholera toxin (CT), toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), and other virulence genes. Previous studies have shown that sodium bicarbonate induces CT expression in the V. cholerae El Tor biotype. However, the mechanism for bicarbonate-mediated CT induction has not been defined. In this study, we demonstrate that bicarbonate stimulates virulence gene expression by enhancing ToxT activity. Both the classical and El Tor biotypes produce inactive ToxT protein when they are cultured statically in the absence of bicarbonate. Addition of bicarbonate to the culture medium does not affect ToxT production but causes a significant increase in CT and TCP expression in both biotypes. Ethoxyzolamide, a potent carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, inhibits bicarbonate-mediated virulence induction, suggesting that conversion of CO2 into bicarbonate by carbonic anhydrase plays a role in virulence induction. Thus, bicarbonate is the first positive effector for ToxT activity to be identified. Given that bicarbonate is present at high concentration in the upper small intestine where V. cholerae colonizes, bicarbonate is likely an important chemical stimulus that V. cholerae senses and that induces virulence during the natural course of infection.

scholarly journals Cytochromec551and the CytochromecMaturation Pathway Affect Virulence Gene Expression in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579

2014 ◽  
Vol 197 (3) ◽  
pp. 626-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesong Han ◽  
Thomas Sullivan ◽  
Adam C. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Bacillus Cereus ◽  
Virulence Factor ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Virulence Regulation ◽  
Enterotoxin Genes ◽  
Sporulation Efficiency ◽  
Virulence Regulator

Loss of the cytochromecmaturation system inBacillus cereusresults in increased transcription of the major enterotoxin genesnhe,hbl, andcytKand the virulence regulatorplcR. Increased virulence factor production occurs at 37°C under aerobic conditions, similar to previous findings inBacillus anthracis. UnlikeB. anthracis, much of the increased virulence gene expression can be attributed to loss of onlyc551, one of the two smallc-type cytochromes. Additional virulence factor expression occurs with loss ofresBC, encoding cytochromecmaturation proteins, independently of the presence of thec-type cytochrome genes. Hemolytic activity of strains missing eithercccBorresBCis increased relative to that in the parental strain, while sporulation efficiency is unaffected in the mutants. Increased virulence gene expression in the ΔcccBand ΔresBCmutants occurs only in the presence of an intactplcRgene, indicating that this process is PlcR dependent. These findings suggest a new mode of regulation ofB. cereusvirulence and reveal intriguing similarities and differences in virulence regulation betweenB. cereusandB. anthracis.

scholarly journals Differential Transcription of the tcpPHOperon Confers Biotype-Specific Control of the Vibrio cholerae ToxR Virulence Regulon

1999 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 5117-5123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette M. Murley ◽  
Patricia A. Carroll ◽  
Karen Skorupski ◽  
Ronald K. Taylor ◽  
Stephen B. Calderwood
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Response To Temperature ◽  
El Tor ◽  
Differential Transcription

ABSTRACT Epidemic strains of Vibrio cholerae O1 are divided into two biotypes, classical and El Tor. In both biotypes, regulation of virulence gene expression depends on a cascade in which ToxR activates expression of ToxT, and ToxT activates expression of cholera toxin and other virulence genes. In the classical biotype, maximal expression of this ToxR regulon in vitro occurs at 30°C at pH 6.5 (ToxR-inducing conditions), whereas in the El Tor biotype, production of these virulence genes only occurs under very limited conditions and not in response to temperature and pH; this difference between biotypes is mediated at the level of toxT transcription. In the classical biotype, two other proteins, TcpP and TcpH, are needed for maximal toxT transcription. Transcription oftcpPH in the classical biotype is regulated by pH and temperature independently of ToxR or ToxT, suggesting that TcpP and TcpH couple environmental signals to transcription of toxT. In this study, we show a near absence of tcpPH message in the El Tor biotype under ToxR-inducing conditions of temperature and pH. However, once expressed, El Tor TcpP and TcpH appear to be as effective as classical TcpP and TcpH in activating toxTtranscription. These results suggest that differences in regulation of virulence gene expression between the biotypes of V. cholerae primarily result from differences in expression oftcpPH message in response to environmental signals. We present an updated model for control of the ToxR virulence regulon inV. cholerae.

scholarly journals Differences in Gene Expression between the Classical and El Tor Biotypes of Vibrio cholerae O1

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 3633-3642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinem Beyhan ◽  
Anna D. Tischler ◽  
Andrew Camilli ◽  
Fitnat H. Yildiz
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Deletion Mutant ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Differentially Expressed ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
El Tor

ABSTRACT Differences in whole-genome expression patterns between the classical and El Tor biotypes of Vibrio cholerae O1 were determined under conditions that induce virulence gene expression in the classical biotype. A total of 524 genes (13.5% of the genome) were found to be differentially expressed in the two biotypes. The expression of genes encoding proteins required for biofilm formation, chemotaxis, and transport of amino acids, peptides, and iron was higher in the El Tor biotype. These gene expression differences may contribute to the enhanced survival capacity of the El Tor biotype in environmental reservoirs. The expression of genes encoding virulence factors was higher in the classical than in the El Tor biotype. In addition, the vieSAB genes, which were originally identified as regulators of ctxA transcription, were expressed at a fivefold higher level in the classical biotype. We determined the VieA regulon in both biotypes by transcriptome comparison of wild-type and vieA deletion mutant strains. VieA predominantly regulates gene expression in the classical biotype; 401 genes (10.3% of the genome), including those encoding proteins required for virulence, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, and flagellum production as well as those regulated by σE, are differentially expressed in the classical vieA deletion mutant. In contrast, only five genes were regulated by VieA in the El Tor biotype. A large fraction (20.8%) of the genes that are differentially expressed in the classical versus the El Tor biotype are controlled by VieA in the classical biotype. Thus, VieA is a major regulator of genes in the classical biotype under virulence gene-inducing conditions.

scholarly journals Mechanism for Inhibition of Vibrio cholerae ToxT Activity by the Unsaturated Fatty Acid Components of Bile

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (10) ◽  
pp. 1716-1725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C. Plecha ◽  
Jeffrey H. Withey
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Linoleic Acid ◽  
Dna Binding ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acid ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

ABSTRACTThe Gram-negative curved bacillusVibrio choleraecauses the severe diarrheal illness cholera. During host infection, a complex regulatory cascade results in production of ToxT, a DNA-binding protein that activates the transcription of major virulence genes that encode cholera toxin (CT) and toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). Previous studies have shown that bile and its unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) components reduce virulence gene expression and therefore are likely important signals upon entering the host. However, the mechanism for the bile-mediated reduction of TCP and CT expression has not been clearly defined. There are two likely hypotheses to explain this reduction: (i) UFAs decrease DNA binding by ToxT, or (ii) UFAs decrease dimerization of ToxT. The work presented here elucidates that bile or UFAs directly affect DNA binding by ToxT. UFAs, specifically linoleic acid, can enterV. choleraewhen added exogenously and are present in the cytoplasm, where they can then interact with ToxT. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) with ToxT and various virulence promoters in the presence or absence of UFAs showed a direct reduction in ToxT binding to DNA, even in promoters with only one ToxT binding site. Virstatin, a synthetic ToxT inhibitor, was previously shown to reduce ToxT dimerization. Here we show that virstatin affects DNA binding only at ToxT promoters with two binding sites, unlike linoleic acid, which affects ToxT binding promoters having either one or two ToxT binding sites. This suggests a mechanism in which UFAs, unlike virstatin, do not affect dimerization but affect monomeric ToxT binding to DNA.IMPORTANCEVibrio choleraemust produce the major virulence factors cholera toxin (CT) and toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) to cause cholera. CT and TCP production depends on ToxT, the major virulence transcription activator. ToxT activity is negatively regulated by unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) present in the lumen of the upper small intestine. This study investigated the mechanism for inhibition of ToxT activity by UFAs and found that UFAs directly reduce specific ToxT binding to DNA at virulence promoters and subsequently reduce virulence gene expression. UFAs inhibit ToxT monomers from binding DNA. This differs from the inhibitory mechanism of a synthetic ToxT inhibitor, virstatin, which inhibits ToxT dimerization. Understanding the mechanisms for inhibition of virulence could lead to better cholera therapeutics.

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