scholarly journals Bile Salts Modulate Expression of the CmeABC Multidrug Efflux Pump in Campylobacter jejuni

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (21) ◽  
pp. 7417-7424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Lin ◽  
Cédric Cagliero ◽  
Baoqing Guo ◽  
Yi-Wen Barton ◽  
Marie-Christine Maurel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CmeABC, a multidrug efflux pump, is involved in the resistance of Campylobacter jejuni to a broad spectrum of antimicrobial agents and is essential for Campylobacter colonization in animal intestine by mediating bile resistance. Previously, we have shown that expression of this efflux pump is under the control of a transcriptional repressor named CmeR. Inactivation of CmeR or mutation in the cmeABC promoter (P cmeABC ) region derepresses cmeABC, leading to overexpression of this efflux pump. However, it is unknown if the expression of cmeABC can be conditionally induced by the substrates it extrudes. In this study, we examined the expression of cmeABC in the presence of various antimicrobial compounds. Although the majority of the antimicrobials tested did not affect the expression of cmeABC, bile salts drastically elevated the expression of this efflux operon. The induction was observed with both conjugated and unconjugated bile salts and was in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Experiments using surface plasmon resonance demonstrated that bile salts inhibited the binding of CmeR to P cmeABC , suggesting that bile compounds are inducing ligands of CmeR. The interaction between bile salts and CmeR likely triggers conformational changes in CmeR, resulting in reduced binding affinity of CmeR to P cmeABC . Bile did not affect the transcription of cmeR, indicating that altered expression of cmeR is not a factor in bile-induced overexpression of cmeABC. In addition to the CmeR-dependent induction, some bile salts (e.g., taurocholate) also activated the expression of cmeABC by a CmeR-independent pathway. Consistent with the elevated production of CmeABC, the presence of bile salts in culture media resulted in increased resistance of Campylobacter to multiple antimicrobials. These findings reveal a new mechanism that modulates the expression of cmeABC and further support the notion that bile resistance is a natural function of CmeABC.

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 2124-2131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Lin ◽  
Linda Overbye Michel ◽  
Qijing Zhang

ABSTRACT Campylobacter jejuni, a gram-negative organism causing gastroenteritis in humans, is increasingly resistant to antibiotics. However, little is known about the drug efflux mechanisms in this pathogen. Here we characterized an efflux pump encoded by a three-gene operon (designated cmeABC) that contributes to multidrug resistance in C. jejuni 81-176. CmeABC shares significant sequence and structural homology with known tripartite multidrug efflux pumps in other gram-negative bacteria, and it consists of a periplasmic fusion protein (CmeA), an inner membrane efflux transporter belonging to the resistance-nodulation-cell division superfamily (CmeB), and an outer membrane protein (CmeC). Immunoblotting using CmeABC-specific antibodies demonstrated that cmeABC was expressed in wild-type 81-176; however, an isogenic mutant (9B6) with a transposon insertion in the cmeB gene showed impaired production of CmeB and CmeC. Compared to wild-type 81-176, 9B6 showed a 2- to 4,000-fold decrease in resistance to a range of antibiotics, heavy metals, bile salts, and other antimicrobial agents. Accumulation assays demonstrated that significantly more ethidium bromide and ciprofloxacin accumulated in mutant 9B6 than in wild-type 81-176. Addition of carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, an efflux pump inhibitor, increased the accumulation of ciprofloxacin in wild-type 81-176 to the level of mutant 9B6. PCR and immunoblotting analysis also showed that cmeABC was broadly distributed in various C. jejuni isolates and constitutively expressed in wild-type strains. Together, these findings formally establish that CmeABC functions as a tripartite multidrug efflux pump that contributes to the intrinsic resistance of C. jejuni to a broad range of structurally unrelated antimicrobial agents.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meinan Lyu ◽  
Mitchell A. Moseng ◽  
Jennifer L. Reimche ◽  
Concerta L. Holley ◽  
Vijaya Dhulipala ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen and causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea. The most predominant and clinically important multidrug efflux system in N. gonorrhoeae is the multiple transferrable resistance (Mtr) pump, which mediates resistance to a number of different classes of structurally diverse antimicrobial agents, including clinically used antibiotics (e.g., β-lactams and macrolides), dyes, detergents and host-derived antimicrobials (e.g., cationic antimicrobial peptides and bile salts). Recently, it has been found that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the mtrD gene can result in amino acid changes that increase the MtrD multidrug efflux pump activity, probably by influencing antimicrobial recognition and/or extrusion to elevate the level of antibiotic resistance. Here, we report drug-bound solution structures of the MtrD multidrug efflux pump carrying a mosaic-like sequence using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, with the antibiotics bound deeply inside the periplasmic domain of the pump. Through this structural approach coupled with genetic studies, we identify critical amino acids that are important for drug resistance and propose a mechanism for proton translocation. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae has become a highly antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative pathogen. Multidrug efflux is a major mechanism that N. gonorrhoeae uses to counteract the action of multiple classes of antibiotics. It appears that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the gene mtrD, encoding the most predominant and clinically important transporter of any gonococcal multidrug efflux pump, significantly elevate drug resistance and enhance transport function. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy (EM) structures of N. gonorrhoeae MtrD carrying a mosaic-like sequence that allow us to understand the mechanism of drug recognition. Our work will ultimately inform structure-guided drug design for inhibiting these critical multidrug efflux pumps.


2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 3733-3738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Woo Lee ◽  
M. Nazmul Huda ◽  
Teruo Kuroda ◽  
Tohru Mizushima ◽  
Tomofusa Tsuchiya

ABSTRACT A DNA fragment responsible for resistance to antimicrobial agents was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 by using drug-hypersensitive mutant Escherichia coli KAM32 as a host cell. Cells of E. coli KAM32 harboring a recombinant plasmid (pAEF82) carrying the DNA fragment became resistant to many structurally unrelated antimicrobial agents, such as norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, acriflavine, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, tetraphenylphosphonium chloride, daunorubicin, and doxorubicin. Since the sequence of the whole genome of E. faecalis is known, we sequenced several portions of the DNA insert in plasmid pAEF82 and identified two open reading frames within the insert. We designated the genes efrA and efrB. A search of the deduced amino acid sequences of EfrA and EfrB revealed that they are similar to each other and that they belong to the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) family of multidrug efflux transporters. Transformed E. coli KAM32 cells harboring efrAB showed energy-dependent efflux of acriflavine. The efflux activity was inhibited by reserpine, verapamil, and sodium-o-vanadate, known inhibitors of ABC efflux pumps.


2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (6) ◽  
pp. 1879-1890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baoqing Guo ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Feng Shi ◽  
Yi-Wen Barton ◽  
Paul Plummer ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CmeR functions as a transcriptional repressor modulating the expression of the multidrug efflux pump CmeABC in Campylobacter jejuni. To determine if CmeR also regulates other genes in C. jejuni, we compared the transcriptome of the cmeR mutant with that of the wild-type strain using a DNA microarray. This comparison identified 28 genes that showed a ≥2-fold change in expression in the cmeR mutant. Independent real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR experiments confirmed 27 of the 28 differentially expressed genes. The CmeR-regulated genes encode membrane transporters, proteins involved in C4-dicarboxylate transport and utilization, enzymes for biosynthesis of capsular polysaccharide, and hypothetical proteins with unknown functions. Among the genes whose expression was upregulated in the cmeR mutant, Cj0561c (encoding a putative periplasmic protein) showed the greatest increase in expression. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that this gene is strongly repressed by CmeR. The presence of the known CmeR-binding site, an inverted repeat of TGTAAT, in the promoter region of Cj0561c suggests that CmeR directly inhibits the transcription of Cj0561c. Similar to expression of cmeABC, transcription of Cj0561c is strongly induced by bile compounds, which are normally present in the intestinal tracts of animals. Inactivation of Cj0561c did not affect the susceptibility of C. jejuni to antimicrobial compounds in vitro but reduced the fitness of C. jejuni in chickens. Loss-of-function mutation of cmeR severely reduced the ability of C. jejuni to colonize chickens. Together, these findings indicate that CmeR governs the expression of multiple genes with diverse functions and is required for Campylobacter adaptation in the chicken host.


2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 648-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taira Matsuo ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Yusuke Minato ◽  
Wakano Ogawa ◽  
Tohru Mizushima ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We cloned genes, designated smdAB, that encode a multidrug efflux pump from the chromosomal DNA of clinically isolated Serratia marcescens NUSM8906. For cells of the drug-hypersensitive strain Escherichia coli KAM32 harboring a recombinant plasmid carrying smdAB, structurally unrelated antimicrobial agents such as norfloxacin, tetracycline, 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and Hoechst 33342 showed elevated MICs. The deduced amino acid sequences of both SmdA and SmdB exhibited similarities to the sequences of ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-type multidrug efflux pumps. The efflux of DAPI and Hoechst 33342 from E. coli cells expressing SmdAB was observed, and the efflux activities were inhibited by sodium o-vanadate, which is a well-known ATPase inhibitor. The introduction of smdA or smdB alone into E. coli KAM32 did not elevate the MIC of DAPI; thus, both SmdA and SmdB were required for function. These results indicate that SmdAB is probably a heterodimeric multidrug efflux pump of the ABC family in S. marcescens.


Author(s):  
Hong Yao ◽  
Wenbo Zhao ◽  
Dian Jiao ◽  
Stefan Schwarz ◽  
Rongmin Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives To investigate the global distribution, dissemination and overexpression of RE-CmeABC in Campylobacter jejuni. Methods WGS information for 433 RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni isolates (including 18 isolates sequenced in this study and 415 isolates from GenBank) was used for the generation of minimum-spanning trees with STs. WGS information for 95 representative RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni isolates was used for phylogenetic analysis. RT–PCR was conducted to evaluate the association between inverted repeat (IR) sequence diversity in the RE-CmeABC promoter region and RE-cmeABC gene expression. Results WGS analysis revealed the global distribution of RE-cmeABC among C. jejuni from more than 10 countries. MLST results indicated that various STs were involved in the dissemination of RE-cmeABC, with ST2109 being the most predominant ST. Phylogenetic analysis revealed the close relationship between RE-cmeABC-carrying C. jejuni isolates from poultry and humans. The IR polymorphism in the RE-CmeABC promoter region is associated with the overexpression of RE-cmeABC, which was demonstrated experimentally by RT–PCR. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, our analysis represents the first view of the global distribution of RE-CmeABC, which is horizontally transferable and diffused regionally in a clonal manner. The close relationship of RE-cmeABC-positive C. jejuni from poultry and humans supports the potential of these isolates for zoonotic transmission. Overexpressed RE-CmeABC in C. jejuni will increase the fitness of the corresponding bacteria and be of advantage under antimicrobial selection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace A. Beggs ◽  
Yaramah M. Zalucki ◽  
Nicholas Gene Brown ◽  
Sheila Rastegari ◽  
Rebecca K. Phillips ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae responds to host-derived antimicrobials by inducing the expression of the mtrCDE-encoded multidrug efflux pump, which expels microbicides, such as bile salts, fatty acids, and multiple extrinsically administered drugs, from the cell. In the absence of these cytotoxins, the TetR family member MtrR represses the mtrCDE genes. Although antimicrobial-dependent derepression of mtrCDE is clear, the physiological inducers of MtrR are unknown. Here, we report the crystal structure of an induced form of MtrR. In the binding pocket of MtrR, we observed electron density that we hypothesized was N-cyclohexyl-3-aminopropanesulfonic acid (CAPS), a component of the crystallization reagent. Using the MtrR-CAPS structure as an inducer-bound template, we hypothesized that bile salts, which bear significant chemical resemblance to CAPS, are physiologically relevant inducers. Indeed, characterization of MtrR-chenodeoxycholate and MtrR-taurodeoxycholate interactions, both in vitro and in vivo, revealed that these bile salts, but not glyocholate or taurocholate, bind MtrR tightly and can act as bona fide inducers. Furthermore, two residues, W136 and R176, were shown to be important in binding chenodeoxycholate but not taurodeoxycholate, suggesting different binding modes of the bile salts. These data provide insight into a crucial mechanism utilized by the pathogen to overcome innate human defenses. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes a significant disease burden worldwide, and a meteoric rise in its multidrug resistance has reduced the efficacy of antibiotics previously or currently approved for therapy of gonorrheal infections. The multidrug efflux pump MtrCDE transports multiple drugs and host-derived antimicrobials from the bacterial cell and confers survival advantage on the pathogen within the host. Transcription of the pump is repressed by MtrR but relieved by the cytosolic influx of antimicrobials. Here, we describe the structure of induced MtrR and use this structure to identify bile salts as physiological inducers of MtrR. These findings provide a mechanistic basis for antimicrobial sensing and gonococcal protection by MtrR through the derepression of mtrCDE expression after exposure to intrinsic and clinically applied antimicrobials.


2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (15) ◽  
pp. 4264-4267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen I. Zgurskaya ◽  
Hiroshi Nikaido

ABSTRACT In Escherichia coli, the intrinsic levels of resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents are produced through expression of the three-component multidrug efflux system AcrAB-TolC. AcrB is a proton-motive-force-dependent transporter located in the inner membrane, and AcrA and TolC are accessory proteins located in the periplasm and the outer membrane, respectively. In this study, these three proteins were expressed separately, and the interactions between them were analyzed by chemical cross-linking in intact cells. We show that AcrA protein forms oligomers, most probably trimers. In this oligomeric form, AcrA interacts specifically with AcrB transporter independently of substrate and TolC.


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