scholarly journals The Cpx Envelope Stress Response Affects Expression of the Type IV Bundle-Forming Pili of Enteropathogenic Escherichiacoli

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (2) ◽  
pp. 672-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Z. Nevesinjac ◽  
Tracy L. Raivio

ABSTRACT The Cpx envelope stress response mediates adaptation to potentially lethal envelope stresses in Escherichia coli. The two-component regulatory system consisting of the sensor kinase CpxA and the response regulator CpxR senses and mediates adaptation to envelope insults believed to result in protein misfolding in this compartment. Recently, a role was demonstrated for the Cpx response in the biogenesis of P pili, attachment organelles expressed by uropathogenic E. coli. CpxA senses misfolded P pilus assembly intermediates and initiates increased expression of both assembly and regulatory factors required for P pilus elaboration. In this report, we demonstrate that the Cpx response is also involved in the expression of the type IV bundle-forming pili of enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC). Bundle-forming pili were not elaborated from an exogenous promoter in E. coli laboratory strain MC4100 unless the Cpx pathway was constitutively activated. Further, an EPEC cpxR mutant synthesized diminished levels of bundle-forming pili and was significantly affected in adherence to epithelial cells. Since type IV bundle-forming pili are very different from chaperone-usher-type P pili in both form and biogenesis, our results suggest that the Cpx envelope stress response plays a general role in the expression of envelope-localized organelles with diverse structures and assembly pathways.

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (17) ◽  
pp. 5263-5272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Raivio ◽  
Daniel L. Popkin ◽  
Thomas J. Silhavy

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, the Cpx two-component regulatory system activates expression of protein folding and degrading factors in response to misfolded proteins in the bacterial envelope (inner membrane, periplasm, and outer membrane). It is comprised of the histidine kinase CpxA and the response regulator CpxR. This response plays a role in protection from stresses, such as elevated pH, as well as in the biogenesis of virulence factors. Here, we show that the Cpx periplasmic stress response is subject to amplification and repression through positive and negative autofeedback mechanisms. Western blot and operon fusion analyses demonstrated that the cpxRA operon is autoactivated. Conditions that lead to elevated levels of phosphorylated CpxR cause a concomitant increase in transcription ofcpxRA. Conversely, overproduction of CpxP, a small, Cpx-regulated protein of previously unknown function, represses the regulon and can block activation of the pathway. This repression is dependent on an intact CpxA sensing domain. The ability to autoactivate and then subsequently repress allows for a temporary amplification of the Cpx response that may be important in rescuing cells from transitory stresses and cueing the appropriately timed elaboration of virulence factors.


2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4779-4791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Labandeira-Rey ◽  
Chad A. Brautigam ◽  
Eric J. Hansen

ABSTRACT The H aemophilus ducreyi 35000HP genome encodes a homolog of the CpxRA two-component cell envelope stress response system originally characterized in E scherichia coli. CpxR, the cytoplasmic response regulator, was shown previously to be involved in repression of the expression of the lspB-lspA2 operon (M. Labandeira-Rey, J. R. Mock, and E. J. Hansen, Infect. Immun. 77:3402-3411, 2009). In the present study, the H. ducreyi CpxR and CpxA proteins were shown to closely resemble those of other well-studied bacterial species. A cpxA deletion mutant and a CpxR-overexpressing strain were used to explore the extent of the CpxRA regulon. DNA microarray and real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR analyses indicated several potential regulatory targets for the H. ducreyi CpxRA two-component regulatory system. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) were used to prove that H. ducreyi CpxR interacted with the promoter regions of genes encoding both known and putative virulence factors of H. ducreyi, including the lspB-lspA2 operon, the flp operon, and dsrA. Interestingly, the use of EMSAs also indicated that H. ducreyi CpxR did not bind to the promoter regions of several genes predicted to encode factors involved in the cell envelope stress response. Taken together, these data suggest that the CpxRA system in H. ducreyi, in contrast to that in E. coli, may be involved primarily in controlling expression of genes not involved in the cell envelope stress response.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S281-S281
Author(s):  
Laura C Ortiz-Velez ◽  
Sandra L Rincon ◽  
Jesse Degani ◽  
Yousif Shamoo ◽  
Truc T Tran ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Daptomycin (DAP) is a key first-line agent for the treatment of vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections. Resistance to DAP in enterococci is regulated by the liaFSR three-component regulatory system that consists of a histidine kinase sensor (LiaS), a response regulator (LiaR) and a transmembrane protein of unknown function (LiaF). Previous studies indicate that deletion of isoleucine in position 177 of LiaF results in DAP tolerance and is sufficient to change membrane architecture. Here, we dissect the role of LiaF in DAP resistance Methods We generated three liaF mutants in OG1RF, a DAP-susceptible laboratory strain of Efs (DAP MIC = 2 µg/mL): (i) a non-polar, C-terminal truncation of liaF (OG1RFliaF∆152), (ii) a null liaF mutant with a premature stop-codon (OG1RFliaF*11), and (iii) an isoleucine deletion at position 177 (OG1RFliaF177). We determined DAP MIC by Etest and characterized the localization of anionic phospholipids microdomains using 10-nonyl-acridine-orange (NAO). The expression of the liaXYZ (the main target of LiaR) and liaFSR clusters were evaluated by qRT-PCR and relative expression ratios (Log2 fold change) were calculated by normalizing to gyrB expression. We assessed activation of LiaFSR by evaluating surface exposure of LiaX by ELISA. We used the bacterial adenylate cyclase two-hybrid system (BACTH) to evaluate the protein-protein interaction between LiaF and LiaS. Results Full deletion of liaF or the C-terminal truncation of LiaF did not have any effect on DAP MICs, membrane architecture or a significant increase in LiaX surface exposure compared with parental strain OG1RF. In contrast, deletion of the codon encoding isoleucine in position 177 of LiaF caused a major increase (8-fold) in LiaX exposure and redistribution of anionic phospholipid microdomains away from the septum without changes in the actual DAP MIC. Transcriptional analyses indicated upregulation (>2 log2-fold) in the liaXYZ gene cluster indicating activation of the stress response. We also observed a positive interaction between LiaF and LiaS. Conclusion LiaF is likely a key activator of the LiaFSR stress response and the critical regulatory domain appears to be located in a stretch of four isoleucines toward the C-terminal of the protein. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Meng ◽  
Glenn Young ◽  
Jingyu Chen

The bacterial cell envelope is a protective barrier at the frontline of bacterial interaction with the environment, and its integrity is regulated by various stress response systems. The Rcs (regulator of capsule synthesis) system, a non-orthodox two-component regulatory system (TCS) found in many members of the Enterobacteriaceae family, is one of the envelope stress response pathways. The Rcs system can sense envelope damage or defects and regulate the transcriptome to counteract stress, which is particularly important for the survival and virulence of pathogenic bacteria. In this review, we summarize the roles of the Rcs system in envelope stress responses (ESRs) and virulence regulation. We discuss the environmental and intrinsic sources of envelope stress that cause activation of the Rcs system with an emphasis on the role of RcsF in detection of envelope stress and signal transduction. Finally, the different regulation mechanisms governing the Rcs system’s control of virulence in several common pathogens are introduced. This review highlights the important role of the Rcs system in the environmental adaptation of bacteria and provides a theoretical basis for the development of new strategies for control, prevention, and treatment of bacterial infections.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 635
Author(s):  
Hidetada Hirakawa ◽  
Jun Kurushima ◽  
Yusuke Hashimoto ◽  
Haruyoshi Tomita

Bacteria adapt to changes in their environment using a mechanism known as the two-component regulatory system (TCS) (also called “two-component signal transduction system” or “two-component system”). It comprises a pair of at least two proteins, namely the sensor kinase and the response regulator. The former senses external stimuli while the latter alters the expression profile of bacterial genes for survival and adaptation. Although the first TCS was discovered and characterized in a non-pathogenic laboratory strain of Escherichia coli, it has been recognized that all bacteria, including pathogens, use this mechanism. Some TCSs are essential for cell growth and fitness, while others are associated with the induction of virulence and drug resistance/tolerance. Therefore, the TCS is proposed as a potential target for antimicrobial chemotherapy. This concept is based on the inhibition of bacterial growth with the substances acting like conventional antibiotics in some cases. Alternatively, TCS targeting may reduce the burden of bacterial virulence and drug resistance/tolerance, without causing cell death. Therefore, this approach may aid in the development of antimicrobial therapeutic strategies for refractory infections caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. Herein, we review the progress of TCS inhibitors based on natural and synthetic compounds.


1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (4) ◽  
pp. 1126-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodger Novak ◽  
Anje Cauwels ◽  
Emmanuelle Charpentier ◽  
Elaine Tuomanen

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli Pst system belongs to the family of ABC transporters. It is part of a phosphate (PHO) regulon which is regulated by extracellular phosphate. Under conditions of phosphate limitation, the response regulator PhoB is phosphorylated by the histidine kinase PhoR and binds to promoters that share a consensus PHO box. Under conditions of phosphate excess, PhoR, Pst, and PhoU downregulate the PHO regulon. Screening of a library of pneumococcal mutants with defects in exported proteins revealed a putative two-component regulatory system, PnpR-PnpS, and a downstream ABC transporter, similar to the Pst system in E. coli including a gene encoding a PhoU protein. Similar to E. coli, mutagenesis of the ATP-binding cassette gene, pstB, resulted in decreased uptake of phosphate. The effects of the loss of the pneumococcal Pst system extended to decreased transformation and lysis. Withdrawal of phosphate led to transformation deficiency in the parent strain R6x but not to penicillin tolerance, suggesting that reduced bacterial death was independent of phosphate. None of these phenotypes was observed in the pneumococcal loss-of-function mutantphoU. By using a lacZ reporter construct, it was demonstrated that expression of the two-component regulatory system PnpR-PnpS was not influenced by different concentrations of phosphate. These results suggest a more complex role of the Pst system in pneumococcal physiology than in that of E. coli.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kota Kera ◽  
Yuichiro Yoshizawa ◽  
Takehiro Shigehara ◽  
Tatsuya Nagayama ◽  
Masaru Tsujii ◽  
...  

Abstract In response to environmental stress the model cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 can switch from a planktonic state to autoaggregation and biofilm formation. The precise mechanism of this transition remains unknown. Here we investigated the role of a candidate two-component regulatory system (TCS) in controlling morphological changes, as a way to understand the intermediate molecular steps that are part of the signaling pathway. A bacterial two-hybrid assay showed that the response regulator Rre6 formed a TCS together with a split histidine kinase consisting of Hik36 and Hik43. Individual disruption mutants displayed autoaggregation in a static culture. In contrast, unlike in the wild type, high salinity did not induce biofilm formation in Δhik36, Δhik43 and Δrre6. The expression levels of exopolysaccharide (EPS) production genes were higher in Δhik36 and Δhik43, compared with the wild type, but lower in Δrre6, suggesting that the TCS regulated EPS production in Synechocystis. Rre6 interacted physically with the motor protein PilT2, that is a component of the type IV pilus system. This interaction was enhanced in a phosphomimic version of Rre6. Taken together, Hik36–Hik43–Rre6 function as an upstream component of the pili-related signal transduction cascade and control the prevention of cell adhesion and biofilm formation.


mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin Grabowicz ◽  
Daria Koren ◽  
Thomas J. Silhavy

ABSTRACT The promoter most strongly induced upon activation of the Cpx two-component envelope stress response is the cpxP promoter. The 3′ untranscribed region (UTR) of the cpxP transcript is shown to produce a small RNA (sRNA), CpxQ. We investigated the role of CpxQ in combating envelope stress. Remarkably, the two effectors specified by the transcript are deployed to combat distinct stresses in different cellular compartments. CpxP acts in both a regulatory negative-feedback loop and as an effector that combats periplasmic protein misfolding. We find that CpxQ combats toxicity at the inner membrane (IM) by downregulating the synthesis of the periplasmic chaperone Skp. Our data indicate that this regulation prevents Skp from inserting β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) into the IM, a lethal event that likely collapses the proton motive force. Our findings suggest that Skp can fold and directly insert OMPs into a lipid bilayer in vivo without the aid of the Bam complex. IMPORTANCE Skp is a well-characterized periplasmic chaperone that binds unfolded OMPs. Surprisingly, we find that Skp can catalyze the folding and mistargeting of OMPs into the inner membrane without the aid of the other cellular proteins that normally assemble OMPs. Several OMPs function as diffusion pores. Accordingly, their mistargeting is lethal because it depolarizes the inner membrane. We show that the most highly expressed transcript of the Cpx stress response produces an sRNA from the 3′ UTR, CpxQ, which combats this potential toxicity by downregulating Skp production. Defects in OMP assembly trigger the σ E response to upregulate factors, including Skp, that promote OMP folding. The Cpx response downregulates σ E . Our findings reveal that this heretofore puzzling hierarchy exists to protect the inner membrane.


1998 ◽  
Vol 180 (20) ◽  
pp. 5421-5425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn Zientz ◽  
Johannes Bongaerts ◽  
Gottfried Unden

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli the genes encoding the anaerobic fumarate respiratory system are transcriptionally regulated by C4-dicarboxylates. The regulation is effected by a two-component regulatory system, DcuSR, consisting of a sensory histidine kinase (DcuS) and a response regulator (DcuR). DcuS and DcuR are encoded by the dcuSR genes (previouslyyjdHG) at 93.7 min on the calculated E. coli map. Inactivation of the dcuR anddcuS genes caused the loss of C4-dicarboxylate-stimulated synthesis of fumarate reductase (frdABCD genes) and of the anaerobic fumarate-succinate antiporter DcuB (dcuB gene). DcuS is predicted to contain a large periplasmic domain as the supposed site for C4-dicarboxylate sensing. Regulation by DcuR and DcuS responded to the presence of the C4-dicarboxylates fumarate, succinate, malate, aspartate, tartrate, and maleate. Since maleate is not taken up by the bacteria under these conditions, the carboxylates presumably act from without. Genes of the aerobic C4-dicarboxylate pathway encoding succinate dehydrogenase (sdhCDAB) and the aerobic succinate carrier (dctA) are only marginally or negatively regulated by the DcuSR system. The CitAB two-component regulatory system, which is highly similar to DcuSR, had no effect on C4-dicarboxylate regulation of any of the genes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney L. Klaips ◽  
Michael H. M. Gropp ◽  
Mark S. Hipp ◽  
F. Ulrich Hartl

AbstractCells adapt to conditions that compromise protein conformational stability by activating various stress response pathways, but the mechanisms used in sensing misfolded proteins remain unclear. Moreover, aggregates of disease proteins often fail to induce a productive stress response. Here, using a yeast model of polyQ protein aggregation, we identified Sis1, an essential Hsp40 co-chaperone of Hsp70, as a critical sensor of proteotoxic stress. At elevated levels, Sis1 prevented the formation of dense polyQ inclusions and directed soluble polyQ oligomers towards the formation of permeable condensates. Hsp70 accumulated in a liquid-like state within this polyQ meshwork, resulting in a potent activation of the HSF1 dependent stress response. Sis1, and the homologous DnaJB6 in mammalian cells, also regulated the magnitude of the cellular heat stress response, suggesting a general role in sensing protein misfolding. Sis1/DnaJB6 functions as a limiting regulator to enable a dynamic stress response and avoid hypersensitivity to environmental changes.


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