scholarly journals Loss of Ethanolamine Utilization in Enterococcus faecalis Increases Gastrointestinal Tract Colonization

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Gautam Kaval ◽  
Kavindra V. Singh ◽  
Melissa R. Cruz ◽  
Sruti DebRoy ◽  
Wade C. Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Opposite Effect ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Food Poisoning ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gi Tract ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
High Concentrations

ABSTRACT Enterococcus faecalis is paradoxically a dangerous nosocomial pathogen and a normal constituent of the human gut microbiome, an environment rich in ethanolamine. E. faecalis carries the eut (ethanolamine utilization) genes, which enable the catabolism of ethanolamine (EA) as a valuable source of carbon and/or nitrogen. EA catabolism was previously shown to contribute to the colonization and growth of enteric pathogens, such as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), in the gut environment. We tested the ability of eut mutants of E. faecalis to colonize the gut using a murine model of gastrointestinal (GI) tract competition and report the surprising observation that these mutants outcompete the wild-type strain. IMPORTANCE Some bacteria that are normal, harmless colonizers of the human body can cause disease in immunocompromised patients, particularly those that have been heavily treated with antibiotics. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that promote or negate these organisms’ ability to colonize. Previously, ethanolamine, found in high concentrations in the GI tract, was shown to promote the colonization and growth of bacteria associated with food poisoning. Here, we report the surprising, opposite effect of ethanolamine utilization on the commensal colonizer E. faecalis , namely, that loss of this metabolic capacity made it a better colonizer.

Identification of Crp as a novel regulator of the Std fimbrial expression in Salmonella

Microbiology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Dufresne ◽  
France Daigle
Keyword(s):  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Distal Region ◽  
Transcriptional Factor ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Metabolic Regulators

The Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi genome contains 14 putative fimbrial systems. The Std fimbriae belong to the chaperone-usher family and its regulation has not been investigated in S. Typhi. Several regulators of Std were previously identified in the closely related serovar Typhimurium. We hypothesize that regulators of S. Typhimurium may be shared with S. Typhi, but that several other regulators remain to be discovered. Here, we describe the role of more than 50 different candidate regulators on std expression. Three types of regulators were investigated: known regulators in S. Typhimurium, in silico predicted regulators and virulence/metabolic regulators. Expression of std was determined in the regulator mutants and compared with the wild-type strain. Overall, 21 regulator mutations affect std promoter expression. The role of Crp, a newly identified factor for std expression, was further investigated. Crp acted as an activator of std expression on a distal region of the std promoter region. Together, our results demonstrate the major influence of Crp as a novel transcriptional factor on std promoter expression and later production of Std fimbriae in Salmonella .

scholarly journals The Homolog of the Gene bstA of the BTP1 Phage from Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium ST313 Is an Antivirulence Gene in Salmonella enterica Serovar Dublin

2017 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Herrero-Fresno ◽  
Irene Cartas Espinel ◽  
Malene Roed Spiegelhauer ◽  
Priscila Regina Guerra ◽  
Karsten Wiber Andersen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Luria Bertani ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Cattle Blood

ABSTRACTIn a previous study, a novel virulence gene,bstA, identified in aSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium sequence type 313 (ST313) strain was found to be conserved in all publishedSalmonella entericaserovar Dublin genomes. In order to analyze the role of this gene in the host-pathogen interaction inS. Dublin, a mutant where this gene was deleted (S. Dublin ΔbstA) and a mutant which was further genetically complemented withbstA(S. Dublin 3246-C) were constructed and tested in models ofin vitroandin vivoinfection as well as during growth competition assays in M9 medium, Luria-Bertani broth, and cattle blood. In contrast to the results obtained for a strain ofS. Typhimurium ST313, the lack ofbstAwas found to be associated with increased virulence inS. Dublin. Thus,S. Dublin ΔbstAshowed higher levels of uptake than the wild-type strain during infection of mouse and cattle macrophages and higher net replication within human THP-1 cells. Furthermore, during mouse infections,S. Dublin ΔbstAwas more virulent than the wild type following a single intraperitoneal infection and showed an increased competitive index during competitive infection assays. Deletion ofbstAdid not affect either the amount of cytokines released by THP-1 macrophages or the cytotoxicity toward these cells. The histology of the livers and spleens of mice infected with the wild-type strain and theS. Dublin ΔbstAmutant revealed similar levels of inflammation between the two groups. The gene was not important for adherence to or invasion of human epithelial cells and did not influence bacterial growth in rich medium, minimal medium, or cattle blood. In conclusion, a lack ofbstAaffects the pathogenicity ofS. Dublin by decreasing its virulence. Therefore, it might be regarded as an antivirulence gene in this serovar.

scholarly journals A Novel CO-Responsive Transcriptional Regulator and Enhanced H2Production by an Engineered Thermococcus onnurineus NA1 Strain

2014 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 1708-1714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min-Sik Kim ◽  
Ae Ran Choi ◽  
Seong Hyuk Lee ◽  
Hae-Chang Jung ◽  
Seung Seob Bae ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production Rate ◽  
Gene Cluster ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Transcriptional Regulator ◽  
Bioreactor Culture ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory

ABSTRACTGenome analysis revealed the existence of a putative transcriptional regulatory system governing CO metabolism inThermococcus onnurineusNA1, a carboxydotrophic hydrogenogenic archaeon. The regulatory system is composed of CorQ with a 4-vinyl reductase domain and CorR with a DNA-binding domain of the LysR-type transcriptional regulator family in close proximity to the CO dehydrogenase (CODH) gene cluster. Homologous genes of the CorQR pair were also found in the genomes ofThermococcusspecies and “CandidatusKorarchaeum cryptofilum” OPF8. In-frame deletion of eithercorQorcorRcaused a severe impairment in CO-dependent growth and H2production. WhencorQandcorRdeletion mutants were complemented by introducing thecorQRgenes under the control of a strong promoter, the mRNA and protein levels of the CODH gene were significantly increased in a ΔCorR strain complemented with integratedcorQR(ΔCorR/corQR↑) compared with those in the wild-type strain. In addition, the ΔCorR/corQR↑strain exhibited a much higher H2production rate (5.8-fold) than the wild-type strain in a bioreactor culture. The H2production rate (191.9 mmol liter−1h−1) and the specific H2production rate (249.6 mmol g−1h−1) of this strain were extremely high compared with those of CO-dependent H2-producing prokaryotes reported so far. These results suggest that thecorQRgenes encode a positive regulatory protein pair for the expression of a CODH gene cluster. The study also illustrates that manipulation of the transcriptional regulatory system can improve biological H2production.

scholarly journals Activation of 2,4-Diaminoquinazoline in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Rv3161c, a Putative Dioxygenase

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduard Melief ◽  
Shilah A. Bonnett ◽  
Edison S. Zuniga ◽  
Tanya Parish
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Mutant Strain ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Type A ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Metabolite Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Support ◽  
In The Wild

ABSTRACT The diaminoquinazoline series has good potency against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Resistant isolates have mutations in Rv3161c, a putative dioxygenase. We carried out metabolite analysis on a wild-type strain and an Rv3161c mutant strain after exposure to a diaminoquinazoline. The parental compound was found in intracellular extracts from the mutant but not the wild type. A metabolite consistent with a monohydroxylated form was identified in the wild type. These data support the hypothesis that Rv3161c metabolizes diaminoquinazolines in M. tuberculosis.

scholarly journals Regulatory Effect of SlyA onrcsBExpression inSalmonella entericaSerovar Typhimurium

2018 ◽  
Vol 201 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
María F. Ballesteros ◽  
Mónica F. Torrez Lamberti ◽  
Juan V. Farizano ◽  
María M. Pescaretti ◽  
Mónica A. Delgado
Keyword(s):  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Antagonistic Behavior ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Direct Binding ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Encoding Genes ◽  
Different Levels

ABSTRACTTheSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium RcsCDB system regulates the synthesis of colanic acid and the flagellum as well as the expression of virulence genes. We previously demonstrated that thercsC11mutant, which constitutively activates the RcsB regulator, attenuatesSalmonellavirulence in an animal model. This attenuated phenotype was also produced by deletion of theslyAgene. In this work, we investigated if this antagonistic behavior is produced by modulating the expression of both regulator-encoding genes. We demonstrated that SlyA overproduction negatively regulatesrcsBtranscription. A bioinformatics analysis enabled us to identify putative SlyA binding sites on both promoters, PrcsDBand PrcsB, which controlrcsBtranscriptional levels. We also determined that SlyA is able to recognize and bind to these predicted sites to modulate the activity of bothrcsBpromoters. According to these results, SlyA repressesrcsBtranscription by direct binding to specific sites located on thercsBpromoters, thus accounting for the attenuated/virulence antagonistic behaviors. Moreover, we showed that the opposite effect between both regulators also physiologically affects theSalmonellamotility phenotype. In this sense, we observed that under SlyA overproduction, PrcsBis repressed, and consequently, bacterial motility is increased. On the basis of these results, we suggest that during infection, the different RcsB levels produced act as a switch between the virulent and attenuated forms ofSalmonella. Thereby, we propose that higher concentrations of RcsB tilt the balance toward the attenuated form, while absence or low concentrations resulting from SlyA overproduction tilt the balance toward the virulent form.IMPORTANCEThe antagonistic behavior of RcsB and SlyA on virulence gene expression led us to hypothesize that there is interplay between both regulators in a regulatory network and these could be considered coordinators of this process. Here, we report that the SlyA virulence factor influences motility behavior by controllingrcsBtranscription from the PrcsBpromoter. We also demonstrate that SlyA negatively affects the expression of thercsBgene by direct binding to PrcsDBand PrcsBpromoters. We suggest that different levels of RcsB act as a switch between the virulent and attenuated forms ofSalmonella, where high concentrations of the regulator tend to tilt the balance toward the attenuated form and low concentrations or its absence tilt it toward the virulent form.

scholarly journals Draft Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2, an Exopolysaccharide-Producing Strain Isolated from Argentine Cheese

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh M. B. Harris ◽  
Elisa C. Ale ◽  
Jorge A. Reinheimer ◽  
Ana G. Binetti ◽  
Paul W. O’Toole
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Draft Genome ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
Lactobacillus Fermentum ◽  
Draft Genome Sequence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
High Concentrations

Lactobacillus fermentum Lf2, an Argentine cheese isolate, can produce high concentrations of exopolysaccharides (EPS). These EPS were shown to improve the texture and rheology of yogurt, as well as to play a protective role in mice exposed to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

scholarly journals The Riemerella anatipestiferAS87_01735Gene Encodes Nicotinamidase PncA, an Important Virulence Factor

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (19) ◽  
pp. 5815-5823 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaolan Wang ◽  
Beibei Liu ◽  
Yafeng Dou ◽  
Hongjie Fan ◽  
Shaohui Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Vaccine Candidate ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Salvage Pathway ◽  
Effective Protection ◽  
Domestic Ducks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Key Enzyme ◽  
Important Virulence Factor

ABSTRACTRiemerella anatipestiferis a major bacterial pathogen that causes septicemic and exudative diseases in domestic ducks. In our previous study, we found that deletion of theAS87_01735gene significantly decreased the bacterial virulence ofR. anatipestiferstrain Yb2 (mutant RA625). TheAS87_01735gene was predicted to encode a nicotinamidase (PncA), a key enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of nicotinamide to nicotinic acid, which is an important reaction in the NAD+salvage pathway. In this study, theAS87_01735gene was expressed and identified as the PncA-encoding gene, using an enzymatic assay. Western blot analysis demonstrated thatR. anatipestiferPncA was localized to the cytoplasm. The mutant strain RA625 (named Yb2ΔpncAin this study) showed a similar growth rate but decreased NAD+quantities in both the exponential and stationary phases in tryptic soy broth culture, compared with the wild-type strain Yb2. In addition, Yb2ΔpncA-infected ducks showed much lower bacterial loads in their blood, and no visible histological changes were observed in the heart, liver, and spleen. Furthermore, Yb2ΔpncAimmunization of ducks conferred effective protection against challenge with the virulent wild-type strain Yb2. Our results suggest that theR. anatipestiferAS87_01735gene encodes PncA, which is an important virulence factor, and that the Yb2ΔpncAmutant can be used as a novel live vaccine candidate.IMPORTANCERiemerella anatipestiferis reported worldwide as a cause of septicemic and exudative diseases of domestic ducks. ThepncAgene encodes a nicotinamidase (PncA), a key enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of nicotinamide to nicotinic acid, which is an important reaction in the NAD+salvage pathway. In this study, we identified and characterized thepncA-homologous geneAS87_01735inR. anatipestiferstrain Yb2.R. anatipestiferPncA is a cytoplasmic protein that possesses similar PncA activity, compared with other organisms. Generation of thepncAmutant Yb2ΔpncAled to a decrease in the NAD+content, which was associated with decreased capacity for invasion and attenuated virulence in ducks. Furthermore, Yb2ΔpncAimmunization of ducks conferred effective protection against challenge with the virulent wild-type strain Yb2. Altogether, these results suggest that PncA contributes to the virulence ofR. anatipestiferand that the Yb2ΔpncAmutant can be used as a novel live vaccine candidate.

scholarly journals Influence of Chemotaxis and Swimming Patterns on the Virulence of the Coral PathogenVibrio coralliilyticus

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake Ushijima ◽  
Claudia C. Häse
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Coral Mucus ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Swimming Pattern ◽  
Vibrio Coralliilyticus ◽  
Insight Into

ABSTRACTChemotaxis, the directed movement toward or away from a chemical signal, can be essential to bacterial pathogens for locating hosts or avoiding hostile environments. The coral pathogenVibrio coralliilyticuschemotaxes toward coral mucus; however, chemotaxis has not been experimentally demonstrated to be important for virulence. To further examine this, in-frame mutations were constructed in genes predicted to be important forV. coralliilyticuschemotaxis. MostVibriogenomes contain multiple homologs of various chemotaxis-related genes, and two paralogs of each forcheB,cheR, andcheAwere identified. Based on single mutant analyses, the paralogscheB2,cheR2, andcheA1were essential for chemotaxis in laboratory assays. As predicted, the ΔcheA1and ΔcheR2strains had a smooth-swimming pattern, while the ΔcheB2strain displayed a zigzag pattern when observed under light microscopy. However, these mutants, unlike the parent strain, were unable to chemotax toward the known attractants coral mucus, dimethylsulfoniopropionate, andN-acetyl-d-glucosamine. The ΔcheB2strain and an aflagellate ΔfliG1strain were avirulent to coral, while the ΔcheA1and ΔcheR2strains were hypervirulent (90 to 100% infection within 14 h on average) compared to the wild-type strain (66% infection within 36 h on average). Additionally, the ΔcheA1and ΔcheR2strains appeared to better colonize coral fragments than the wild-type strain. These results suggest that although chemotaxis may be involved with infection (the ΔcheB2strain was avirulent), a smooth-swimming phenotype is important for bacterial colonization and infection. This study provides valuable insight into understandingV. coralliilyticuspathogenesis and how this pathogen may be transmitted between hosts.IMPORTANCECorals are responsible for creating the immense structures that are essential to reef ecosystems; unfortunately, pathogens like the bacteriumVibrio coralliilyticuscan cause fatal infections of reef-building coral species. However, compared to related human pathogens, the mechanisms by whichV. coralliilyticusinitiates infections and locates new coral hosts are poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of chemotaxis, the directional swimming in response to chemical signals, and bacterial swimming patterns on infection of the coralMontipora capitata. Infection experiments with different mutant strains suggested that a smooth-swimming pattern resulted in hypervirulence. These results demonstrate that the role of chemotaxis in coral infection may not be as straightforward as previously hypothesized and provide valuable insight intoV. coralliilyticuspathogenesis.

scholarly journals Ethanolamine Utilization and Bacterial Microcompartment Formation Are Subject to Carbon Catabolite Repression

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karan Gautam Kaval ◽  
Margo Gebbie ◽  
Jonathan R. Goodson ◽  
Melissa R. Cruz ◽  
Wade C. Winkler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Enterococcus Faecalis ◽  
Small Rna ◽  
Catabolite Repression ◽  
Carbon Catabolite Repression ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Gi Tract ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulatory Factors

ABSTRACT Ethanolamine (EA) is a compound prevalent in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that can be used as a carbon, nitrogen, and/or energy source. Enterococcus faecalis, a GI commensal and opportunistic pathogen, contains approximately 20 ethanolamine utilization (eut) genes encoding the necessary regulatory, enzymatic, and structural proteins for this process. Here, using a chemically defined medium, two regulatory factors that affect EA utilization were examined. First, the functional consequences of loss of the small RNA (sRNA) EutX on the efficacy of EA utilization were investigated. One effect observed, as loss of this negative regulator causes an increase in eut gene expression, was a concomitant increase in the number of catabolic bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) formed. However, despite this increase, the growth of the strain was repressed, suggesting that the overall efficacy of EA utilization was negatively affected. Second, utilizing a deletion mutant and a complement, carbon catabolite control protein A (CcpA) was shown to be responsible for the repression of EA utilization in the presence of glucose. A predicted cre site in one of the three EA-inducible promoters, PeutS, was identified as the target of CcpA. However, CcpA was shown to affect the activation of all the promoters indirectly through the two-component system EutV and EutW, whose genes are under the control of the PeutS promoter. Moreover, a bioinformatics analysis of bacteria predicted to contain CcpA and cre sites revealed that a preponderance of BMC-containing operons are likely regulated by carbon catabolite repression (CCR). IMPORTANCE Ethanolamine (EA) is a compound commonly found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that can affect the behavior of human pathogens that can sense and utilize it, such as Enterococcus faecalis and Salmonella. Therefore, it is important to understand how the genes that govern EA utilization are regulated. In this work, we investigated two regulatory factors that control this process. One factor, a small RNA (sRNA), is shown to be important for generating the right levels of gene expression for maximum efficiency. The second factor, a transcriptional repressor, is important for preventing expression when other preferred sources of energy are available. Furthermore, a global bioinformatics analysis revealed that this second mechanism of transcriptional regulation likely operates on similar genes in related bacteria.

scholarly journals The Ser/Thr Kinase PrkC Participates in Cell Wall Homeostasis and Antimicrobial Resistance inClostridium difficile

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elodie Cuenot ◽  
Transito Garcia-Garcia ◽  
Thibaut Douche ◽  
Olivier Gorgette ◽  
Pascal Courtin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Signal Transduction Networks ◽  
Mean Size

ABSTRACTClostridium difficileis the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in adults. During infection,C. difficilemust detect the host environment and induce an appropriate survival strategy. Signal transduction networks involving serine/threonine kinases (STKs) play key roles in adaptation, as they regulate numerous physiological processes. PrkC ofC. difficileis an STK with two PASTA domains. We showed that PrkC is membrane associated and is found at the septum. We observed that deletion ofprkCaffects cell morphology with an increase in mean size, cell length heterogeneity, and presence of abnormal septa. A ΔprkCmutant was able to sporulate and germinate but was less motile and formed more biofilm than the wild-type strain. Moreover, a ΔprkCmutant was more sensitive to antimicrobial compounds that target the cell envelope, such as the secondary bile salt deoxycholate, cephalosporins, cationic antimicrobial peptides, and lysozyme. This increased susceptibility was not associated with differences in peptidoglycan or polysaccharide II composition. However, the ΔprkCmutant had less peptidoglycan and released more polysaccharide II into the supernatant. A proteomic analysis showed that the majority ofC. difficileproteins associated with the cell wall were less abundant in the ΔprkCmutant than the wild-type strain. Finally, in a hamster model of infection, the ΔprkCmutant had a colonization delay that did not significantly affect overall virulence.

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