scholarly journals FimW Is a Negative Regulator Affecting Type 1 Fimbrial Expression in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette K. Tinker ◽  
Lisa S. Hancox ◽  
Steven Clegg

ABSTRACT Type 1 fimbriae are proteinaceous surface appendages that carry adhesins specific for mannosylated glycoproteins. These fimbriae are found on most members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and are known to facilitate binding to a variety of eukaryotic cells, including those found on the mucosal surfaces of the alimentary tract. We have shown that the regulation of type 1 fimbrial expression in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is controlled, in part, by the products of four genes found within the fimgene cluster: fimZ, fimY, fimW, andfimU. To better understand the specific role of FimW in fimbrial expression, a mutation was constructed in this gene by the insertion of a kanamycin resistance DNA cassette into the chromosome. The resulting fimW mutation was characterized by mannose-sensitive hemagglutination and agglutination with fimbria-specific antiserum. Assays suggested that this mutant was more strongly fimbriate than the parental strain, exhibiting a four- to eightfold increase in fimbrial production. The fimWmutation was introduced into a second strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and this mutant was also found to be strongly fimbriate compared to the parental strain. Consistent with the role of this protein as a negative regulator, fimA-lacZexpression in serovar Typhimurium, as well as in Escherichia coli, was increased twofold in the absence of functional FimW. Primer extension analysis determined that fimWtranscription is initiated from its own promoter 31 bp upstream of the translation start site. Analysis using a fimW-lacZ reporter indicated that fimW expression in serovar Typhimurium was increased under conditions that select for poorly fimbriate bacteria and low fimA expression. FimW also appears to act as an autoregulator, since expression from the fimW-lacZ reporter was increased in a fimW mutant. FimW was partially purified by fusion with the E. coli maltose-binding protein. Use of this FimW protein extract, as well as others, in DNA-binding assays was unable to identify a specific binding site for FimW in thefimA, fimZ, fimY, orfimW promoter regions. To analyze protein-protein interactions, FimW was expressed in a LexA-based two-hybrid system inE. coli. A significant interaction between FimW and the DNA-binding activator protein, FimZ, was detected using this system. These results indicate that FimW is a negative regulator of serovar Typhimurium type 1 fimbrial expression and may function by interfering with FimZ-mediated activation of fimA expression.

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1377-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aaron Baxter ◽  
Bradley D. Jones

ABSTRACT An important step in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium virulence is the ability to invade the intestinal epithelium. The invasion process requires a large number of genes encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) at centisome 63 as well as genes located in other positions throughout the chromosome. Expression of the invasive phenotype is tightly regulated by environmental cues that are processed by a complex regulatory scheme. A central player in the invasion regulatory pathway is the HilA protein, which is transcriptional activator belonging to the OmpR/ToxR family. A number of positive regulators (hilC, hilD, fis, sirA/barA, csrAB, phoBR, fadD, envZ/ompR, and fliZ) and negative regulators (hha, hilE, lon, ams, phoP c and pag) have been identified that are able to alter expression of hilA transcription. Recent work has found that hilA transcription requires the HilD protein for activation. Other work has emphasized the importance of HilE as a negative regulator of hilA. Overexpression of hilE superrepresses hilA transcription, as well as the invasive phenotype. Two-hybrid experiments suggest that HilE exerts its regulatory influence on hilA through protein-protein interactions with HilD as the protein does not bind to the hilA promoter nor does it affect hilD transcription. As it seems likely that hilE plays an important role in translating environmental signals into invasion gene regulation, we have attempted to identify how the hilE gene itself is regulated. Our results indicate that the fimYZ genes, response regulatory proteins involved in type 1 fimbrial gene expression and recently implicated in motility gene regulation, are important activators of hilE expression. These findings indicate that invasion gene expression is coregulated with motility and adherence and provide experimental evidence that the expression of these virulence phenotypes is a subset of the overall regulation of bacterial physiology.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 3305-3313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette K. Tinker ◽  
Steven Clegg

ABSTRACT Type 1 fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium are surface appendages that carry adhesins specific for mannosylated host glycoconjugates. Regulation of the major fimbrial subunit is thought to be controlled by a number of ancillaryfim genes, including fimZ, fimY,fimW, and fimU. Previous studies using a FimZ mutant have indicated that this protein is necessary forfimA expression, and in vitro DNA binding assays determined that FimZ is a transcriptional activator that binds directly to thefimA promoter. To determine the role of FimY as a potential regulator of fimbrial expression, a fimY mutant of serovar Typhimurium was generated by allelic exchange. This mutant was found to be phenotypically nonfimbriate. No transcription from thefimA promoter was detected in a fimY mutant containing a fimA-lacZ reporter construct located on the chromosome. In addition, transcription from the cloned fimYpromoter was not detected in Escherichia coli unless both FimZ and FimY were present, indicating that these proteins also act as coactivators of fimY expression. Consistent with these results, there is no transcription from a fimY-lacZreporter construct within a serovar Typhimurium fimY orfimZ mutant. Studies using the fimY-lacZconstruct reveal that expression of this gene varies with environmental conditions in a manner similar to fimA expression. Extensive in vitro DNA binding assays using extracts from E. coli that overexpress FimY, as well as partially purified FimY, were unable to identify a specific interaction between FimY and thefimA or fimY promoter. The results indicate that FimY is a positive regulator of fimbrial expression and that this protein acts in cooperation with FimZ to regulate the expression ofSalmonella type 1 fimbrial appendages.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (15) ◽  
pp. 5650-5653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasper Kieboom ◽  
Tjakko Abee

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium does not survive a pH 2.5 acid challenge under conditions similar to those used for Escherichia coli (J. W. Foster, Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 2:898-907, 2004). Here, we provide evidence that S. enterica serovar Typhimurium can display arginine-dependent acid resistance (AR) provided the cells are grown under anoxic conditions and not under the microaerobic conditions used for assessment of AR in E. coli. The role of the arginine decarboxylase pathway in Salmonella AR was shown by the loss of AR in mutants lacking adiA, which encodes arginine decarboxylase; adiC, which encodes the arginine-agmatine antiporter; or adiY, which encodes an AraC-like regulator. Transcription of adiA and adiC was found to be dependent on AdiY, anaerobiosis, and acidic pH.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (9) ◽  
pp. 3289-3296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Zeiner ◽  
Brett E. Dwyer ◽  
Steven Clegg

ABSTRACTSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium is a Gram-negative member of the familyEnterobacteriaceaeand is a common cause of bacterial food poisoning in humans. The fimbrial appendages are found on the surface of many enteric bacteria and enable the bacteria to bind to eukaryotic cells.S. Typhimurium type 1 fimbriae are characterized by mannose-sensitive hemagglutination and are assembled via the chaperone/usher pathway.S. Typhimurium type 1 fimbrial proteins are encoded by thefimgene cluster (fimAICDHFZYW), withfimAICDHFexpressed as a single transcriptional unit. The structural components of the fimbriae are FimA (major subunit), FimI, FimH (adhesin), and FimF (adaptor). In order to determine which components are required for fimbrial formation inS. Typhimurium, mutations infimA,fimI,fimH, andfimFwere constructed and examined for their ability to produce surface-assembled fimbriae.S. Typhimurium SL1344ΔfimA, -ΔfimH, and -ΔfimFmutants were unable to assemble fimbriae, indicating that these genes are necessary for fimbrial production inS. Typhimurium. However, SL1344ΔfimIwas able to assemble fimbriae. InEscherichia colitype 1 and Pap fimbriae, at least two adaptors are expressed in addition to the adhesins. However,E. colitype 1 and Pap fimbriae have been reported to be able to assemble fimbriae in the absence of these proteins. These results suggest differences between theS. Typhimurium type 1 fimbrial system and theE. colitype 1 and Pap fimbrial systems.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (6) ◽  
pp. 2262-2273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan C. Fink ◽  
Matthew R. Evans ◽  
Steffen Porwollik ◽  
Andres Vazquez-Torres ◽  
Jessica Jones-Carson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium must successfully transition the broad fluctuations in oxygen concentrations encountered in the host. In Escherichia coli, FNR is one of the main regulatory proteins involved in O2 sensing. To assess the role of FNR in serovar Typhimurium, we constructed an isogenic fnr mutant in the virulent wild-type strain (ATCC 14028s) and compared their transcriptional profiles and pathogenicities in mice. Here, we report that, under anaerobic conditions, 311 genes (6.80% of the genome) are regulated directly or indirectly by FNR; of these, 87 genes (28%) are poorly characterized. Regulation by FNR in serovar Typhimurium is similar to, but distinct from, that in E. coli. Thus, genes/operons involved in aerobic metabolism, NO· detoxification, flagellar biosynthesis, motility, chemotaxis, and anaerobic carbon utilization are regulated by FNR in a fashion similar to that in E. coli. However, genes/operons existing in E. coli but regulated by FNR only in serovar Typhimurium include those coding for ethanolamine utilization, a universal stress protein, a ferritin-like protein, and a phosphotransacetylase. Interestingly, Salmonella-specific genes/operons regulated by FNR include numerous virulence genes within Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), newly identified flagellar genes (mcpAC, cheV), and the virulence operon (srfABC). Furthermore, the role of FNR as a positive regulator of motility, flagellar biosynthesis, and pathogenesis was confirmed by showing that the mutant is nonmotile, lacks flagella, is attenuated in mice, and does not survive inside macrophages. The inability of the mutant to survive inside macrophages is likely due to its sensitivity to the reactive oxygen species generated by NADPH phagocyte oxidase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Ślaska-Kiss ◽  
Nikolett Zsibrita ◽  
Mihály Koncz ◽  
Pál Albert ◽  
Ákos Csábrádi ◽  
...  

AbstractTargeted DNA methylation is a technique that aims to methylate cytosines in selected genomic loci. In the most widely used approach a CG-specific DNA methyltransferase (MTase) is fused to a sequence specific DNA binding protein, which binds in the vicinity of the targeted CG site(s). Although the technique has high potential for studying the role of DNA methylation in higher eukaryotes, its usefulness is hampered by insufficient methylation specificity. One of the approaches proposed to suppress methylation at unwanted sites is to use MTase variants with reduced DNA binding affinity. In this work we investigated how methylation specificity of chimeric MTases containing variants of the CG-specific prokaryotic MTase M.SssI fused to zinc finger or dCas9 targeting domains is influenced by mutations affecting catalytic activity and/or DNA binding affinity of the MTase domain. Specificity of targeted DNA methylation was assayed in E. coli harboring a plasmid with the target site. Digestions of the isolated plasmids with methylation sensitive restriction enzymes revealed that specificity of targeted DNA methylation was dependent on the activity but not on the DNA binding affinity of the MTase. These results have implications for the design of strategies of targeted DNA methylation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lili Li ◽  
Rikke Heidemann Olsen ◽  
Anhua Song ◽  
Jian Xiao ◽  
Chong Wang ◽  
...  

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) production and (fluoro)quinolone (FQ) resistance among Salmonella pose a public health threat. The objective of this study was the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of an ESBL-producing and nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Gloucester isolate (serotype 4:i:l,w) of sequence type 34 (ST34) from ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products in China. Whole-genome short and long read sequencing (HiSeq and MinION) results showed that it contained blaCTX–M–55, qnrS1, and tetB genes, with blaCTX–M–55 and qnrS1 located in chromosomal IS26-mediated composite transposon (IS26–qnrS1–IS3–Tn3–orf–blaCTX–M–55–ISEcp1–IS26). The same genetic structure was found in the chromosome of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium strain and in several plasmids of Escherichia coli, indicating that the IS26-mediated composite transposon in the chromosome of S. Gloucester may originate from plasmids of E. coli and possess the ability to disseminate to Salmonella and other bacterial species. Besides, the structural unit qnrS1–IS3–Tn3–orf–blaCTX–M–55 was also observed to be linked with ISKpn19 in both the chromosomes and plasmids of various bacteria species, highlighting the contribution of the insertion sequences (IS26 and ISKpn19) to the co-dissemination of blaCTX–M–55 and qnrS1. To our knowledge, this is the first description of chromosomal blaCTX–M–55 and qnrS in S. Gloucester from RTE meat products. Our work expands the host range and provides additional evidence of the co-transfer of blaCTX–M–55 and qnrS1 among different species of Salmonella through the food chain.


2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (9) ◽  
pp. 4873-4882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Li ◽  
Bobby J. Cherayil

ABSTRACT Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an important role in the innate immune response, particularly in the initial interaction between the infecting microorganism and phagocytic cells, such as macrophages. We investigated the role of TLR4 during infection of primary murine peritoneal macrophages with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We found that macrophages from the C3H/HeJ mouse strain, which carries a functionally inactive Tlr4 gene, exhibit marked impairment of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) secretion in response to S. enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. However, activation of extracellular growth factor-regulated kinase and NF-κB signaling pathways was relatively unaffected, as was increased expression of TNF-α mRNA. Furthermore, macrophage tolerance, which is associated with increased expression of the NF-κB p50 and p52 subunits, was induced by S. enterica serovar Typhimurium even in the absence of functional TLR4. These results indicate that during infection of macrophages by S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, TLR4 signals are required at a posttranscriptional step to maximize secretion of TNF-α. Signals delivered by pattern recognition receptors other than TLR4 are sufficient for the increased expression of the TNF-α transcript and at least some genes associated with macrophage tolerance.


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