A Primed Subpopulation of Bacteria Enables Rapid Expression of the Type 3 Secretion System in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The expression of specific virulence traits is strongly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa ’s success in establishing acute infections but is thought to carry a cost for bacteria. Producing multiprotein secretion systems or motility organelles is metabolically expensive and can target a cell for recognition by innate immune system receptors that recognize structural components of the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) or flagellum.

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Complete Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa CMC-115, a Clinical Strain from an Acute Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia Patient

Microbiology Resource Announcements ◽

10.1128/mra.00595-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (30) ◽

Author(s):

Adenike Adenikinju ◽

Roderick V. Jensen ◽

Thomas M. Kerkering ◽

Dorothy C. Garner ◽

Jayasimha Rao

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Complete Genome ◽

Secretion System ◽

Clinical Strain ◽

Ventilator Associated Pneumonia ◽

Circular Chromosome ◽

Content Type ◽

Pneumonia Patient ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACT We report the complete genome of clinical strain Pseudomonas aeruginosa CMC-115, which was isolated from an acute ventilator-associated pneumonia patient. Illumina sequencing reads were assembled using Geneious to yield a 6,375,262-bp circular chromosome that exhibited an unusual ferrichrome receptor in the pyoverdine synthesis locus and the absence of type 3 secretion system genes.

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Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the Innate Immune System-Derived Oxidants Hypochlorous Acid and Hypothiocyanous Acid

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00300-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 203 (2) ◽

pp. e00300-20

Author(s):

Katie V. Farrant ◽

Livia Spiga ◽

Jane C. Davies ◽

Huw D. Williams

Keyword(s):

Cystic Fibrosis ◽

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Immune System ◽

Hypochlorous Acid ◽

Secretion System ◽

Content Type ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Lung Infections ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosa is a significant nosocomial pathogen and is associated with lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). Once established, P. aeruginosa infections persist and are rarely eradicated despite host immune cells producing antimicrobial oxidants, including hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN). There is limited knowledge as to how P. aeruginosa senses, responds to, and protects itself against HOCl and HOSCN and the contribution of such responses to its success as a CF pathogen. To investigate the P. aeruginosa response to these oxidants, we screened 707 transposon mutants, with mutations in regulatory genes, for altered growth following HOCl exposure. We identified regulators of antibiotic resistance, methionine biosynthesis, catabolite repression, and PA14_07340, the homologue of the Escherichia coli HOCl-sensor RclR (30% identical), which are required for protection against HOCl. We have shown that RclR (PA14_07340) protects specifically against HOCl and HOSCN stress and responds to both oxidants by upregulating the expression of a putative peroxiredoxin, rclX (PA14_07355). Transcriptional analysis revealed that while there was specificity in the response to HOCl (231 genes upregulated) and HOSCN (105 genes upregulated), there was considerable overlap, with 74 genes upregulated by both oxidants. These included genes encoding the type 3 secretion system, sulfur and taurine transport, and the MexEF-OprN efflux pump. RclR coordinates part of the response to both oxidants, including upregulation of pyocyanin biosynthesis genes, and, in the presence of HOSCN, downregulation of chaperone genes. These data indicate that the P. aeruginosa response to HOCl and HOSCN is multifaceted, with RclR playing an essential role.IMPORTANCE The bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes devastating infections in immunocompromised hosts, including chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients. To combat infection, the host’s immune system produces the antimicrobial oxidants hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN). Little is known about how P. aeruginosa responds to and survives attack from these oxidants. To address this, we carried out two approaches: a mutant screen and transcriptional study. We identified the P. aeruginosa transcriptional regulator, RclR, which responds specifically to HOCl and HOSCN stress and is essential for protection against both oxidants. We uncovered a link between the P. aeruginosa transcriptional response to these oxidants and physiological processes associated with pathogenicity, including antibiotic resistance and the type 3 secretion system.

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Type-3 Secretion System–induced pyroptosis protects Pseudomonas against cell-autonomous immunity

10.1101/650333 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Elif Eren ◽

Rémi Planès ◽

Julien Buyck ◽

Pierre-Jean Bordignon ◽

André Colom ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Bacterial Pathogen ◽

Secretion System ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Immune Functions ◽

Cell Structures ◽

Microbial Infections ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Type 3

AbstractInflammasome-induced pyroptosis comprises a key cell-autonomous immune process against intracellular bacteria, namely the generation of dying cell structures. These so-called pore-induced intracellular traps (PITs) entrap and weaken intracellular microbes. However, the immune importance of pyroptosis against extracellular pathogens remains unclear. Here, we report that Type-3 secretion system (T3SS)-expressing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) escaped PIT immunity by inducing a NLRC4 inflammasome-dependent macrophage pyroptosis response in the extracellular environment. To the contrary, phagocytosis of Salmonella Typhimurium promoted NLRC4-dependent PIT formation and the subsequent bacterial caging. Remarkably, T3SS-deficient Pseudomonas were efficiently sequestered within PIT-dependent caging, which favored exposure to neutrophils. Conversely, both NLRC4 and caspase-11 deficient mice presented increased susceptibility to T3SS-deficient P. aeruginosa challenge, but not to T3SS-expressing P. aeruginosa. Overall, our results uncovered that P. aeruginosa uses its T3SS to overcome inflammasome-triggered pyroptosis, which is primarily effective against intracellular invaders.ImportanceAlthough innate immune components confer host protection against infections, the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) exploits the inflammatory reaction to thrive. Specifically the NLRC4 inflammasome, a crucial immune complex, triggers an Interleukin (IL)-1β and -18 deleterious host response to P. aeruginosa. Here, we provide evidence that, in addition to IL-1 cytokines, P. aeruginosa also exploits the NLRC4 inflammasome-induced pro-inflammatory cell death, namely pyroptosis, to avoid efficient uptake and killing by macrophages. Therefore, our study reveals that pyroptosis-driven immune effectiveness mainly depends on P. aeruginosa localization. This paves the way toward our comprehension of the mechanistic requirements for pyroptosis effectiveness upon microbial infections and may initiate targeted approaches in order to ameliorate the innate immune functions to infections.Graphical abstractMacrophages infected with T3SS-expressing P. aeruginosa die in a NLRC4-dependent manner, which allows bacterial escape from PIT-mediated cell-autonomous immunity and neutrophil efferocytosis. However, T3SS-deficient P. aeruginosa is detected by both NLRC4 and caspase-11 inflammasomes, which promotes bacterial trapping and subsequent efferocytosis of P. aeruginosa-containing-PITs by neutrophils.

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Genomic Avenue to Avian Colisepticemia

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.01681-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Sagi Huja ◽

Yaara Oren ◽

Eva Trost ◽

Elzbieta Brzuszkiewicz ◽

Dvora Biran ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Genetic Analysis ◽

Virulence Factors ◽

Iron Uptake ◽

Secretion System ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Content Type ◽

E Coli ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACTHere we present an extensive genomic and genetic analysis of Escherichia coli strains of serotype O78 that represent the major cause of avian colisepticemia, an invasive infection caused by avian pathogenicEscherichia coli(APEC) strains. It is associated with high mortality and morbidity, resulting in significant economic consequences for the poultry industry. To understand the genetic basis of the virulence of avian septicemic E. coli, we sequenced the entire genome of a clinical isolate of serotype O78—O78:H19 ST88 isolate 789 (O78-9)—and compared it with three publicly available APEC O78 sequences and one complete genome of APEC serotype O1 strain. Although there was a large variability in genome content between the APEC strains, several genes were conserved, which are potentially critical for colisepticemia. Some of these genes are present in multiple copies per genome or code for gene products with overlapping function, signifying their importance. A systematic deletion of each of these virulence-related genes identified three systems that are conserved in all septicemic strains examined and are critical for serum survival, a prerequisite for septicemia. These are the plasmid-encoded protein, the defective ETT2 (E. colitype 3 secretion system 2) type 3 secretion system ETT2sepsis, and iron uptake systems. Strain O78-9 is the only APEC O78 strain that also carried the regulon coding for yersiniabactin, the iron binding system of theYersiniahigh-pathogenicity island. Interestingly, this system is the only one that cannot be complemented by other iron uptake systems under iron limitation and in serum.IMPORTANCEAvian colisepticemia is a severe systemic disease of birds causing high morbidity and mortality and resulting in severe economic losses. The bacteria associated with avian colisepticemia are highly antibiotic resistant, making antibiotic treatment ineffective, and there is no effective vaccine due to the multitude of serotypes involved. To understand the disease and work out strategies to combat it, we performed an extensive genomic and genetic analysis of Escherichia coli strains of serotype O78, the major cause of the disease. We identified several potential virulence factors, conserved in all the colisepticemic strains examined, and determined their contribution to growth in serum, an absolute requirement for septicemia. These findings raise the possibility that specific vaccines or drugs can be developed against these critical virulence factors to help combat this economically important disease.

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In Vivo Discrimination of Type 3 Secretion System-Positive and -Negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa via a Caspase-1-Dependent Pathway

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00744-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

pp. 4744-4753 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Tamding Wangdi ◽

Lilia A. Mijares ◽

Barbara I. Kazmierczak

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Immune System ◽

Innate Immune System ◽

Interleukin 1 ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Secretion Systems ◽

Caspase 1 ◽

Molecular Patterns ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACT Microbe-associated molecular patterns are recognized by Toll-like receptors of the innate immune system. This recognition enables a rapid response to potential pathogens but does not clearly provide a way for the innate immune system to discriminate between virulent and avirulent microbes. We find that pulmonary infection of mice with type 3 translocation-competent Pseudomonas aeruginosa triggers a rapid inflammatory response, while infection with isogenic translocation-deficient mutants does not. Discrimination between translocon-positive and -negative bacteria requires caspase-1 activity in bone marrow-derived cells and interleukin-1 receptor signaling. Thus, the activation of caspase-1 by bacteria expressing type 3 secretion systems allows for rapid recognition of bacteria expressing conserved functions associated with virulence.

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Regulation by ToxR-Like Proteins Converges onvttRBExpression To Control Type 3 Secretion System-Dependent Caco2-BBE Cytotoxicity in Vibrio cholerae

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00130-16 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 198 (11) ◽

pp. 1675-1682 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kelly A. Miller ◽

Madeline K. Sofia ◽

Jacob W. A. Weaver ◽

Christopher H. Seward ◽

Michelle Dziejman

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cell Death ◽

Vibrio Cholerae ◽

Secretion System ◽

Content Type ◽

Transcriptional Regulatory ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACTGenes carried on the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) pathogenicity island ofVibrio choleraenon-O1/non-O139 serogroup strain AM-19226 must be precisely regulated in order for bacteria to cause disease. Previously reported results showed that both T3SS function and the presence of bile are required to cause Caco2-BBE cell cytotoxicity during coculture with strain AM-19226. We therefore investigated additional parameters affectingin vitrocell death, including bacterial load and the role of three transmembrane transcriptional regulatory proteins, VttRA, VttRB, and ToxR. VttRAand VttRBare encoded on the horizontally acquired T3SS genomic island, whereas ToxR is encoded on the ancestral chromosome. While strains carrying deletions in any one of the three transcriptional regulatory genes are unable to cause eukaryotic cell death, the results of complementation studies point to a hierarchy of regulatory control that converges onvttRBexpression. The data suggest both that ToxR and VttRAact upstream of VttRBand that modifying the level of eithervttRAorvttRBexpression can strongly influence T3SS gene expression. We therefore propose a model whereby T3SS activity and, hence,in vitrocytotoxicity are ultimately regulated byvttRBexpression.IMPORTANCEIn contrast to O1 and O139 serogroupV. choleraestrains that cause cholera using two main virulence factors (toxin-coregulated pilus [TCP] and cholera toxin [CT]), O39 serogroup strain AM-19226 uses a type 3 secretion system as its principal virulence mechanism. Although the regulatory network governing TCP and CT expression is well understood, the factors influencing T3SS-associated virulence are not. Using anin vitromammalian cell model to investigate the role of three ToxR-like transmembrane transcriptional activators in causing T3SS-dependent cytotoxicity, we found that expression levels and a hierarchical organization were important for promoting T3SS gene expression. Furthermore, our results suggest that horizontally acquired, ToxR-like proteins act in concert with the ancestral ToxR protein to orchestrate T3SS-mediated pathogenicity.

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Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium SPI-1 and SPI-2 Shape the Global Transcriptional Landscape in a Human Intestinal Organoid Model System

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00399-21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Anna-Lisa E. Lawrence ◽

Basel H. Abuaita ◽

Ryan P. Berger ◽

David R. Hill ◽

Sha Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Cell Cycle ◽

Intestinal Epithelium ◽

Salmonella Enterica ◽

Secretion System ◽

Host Responses ◽

Secretion Systems ◽

Content Type ◽

Serovar Typhimurium ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACT The intestinal epithelium is a primary interface for engagement of the host response by foodborne pathogens, like Salmonella enterica Typhimurium. While the interaction of S. Typhimurium with the mammalian host has been well studied in transformed epithelial cell lines or in the complex intestinal environment in vivo, few tractable models recapitulate key features of the intestine. Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) contain a polarized epithelium with functionally differentiated cell subtypes, including enterocytes and goblet cells and a supporting mesenchymal cell layer. HIOs contain luminal space that supports bacterial replication, are more amenable to experimental manipulation than animals and are more reflective of physiological host responses. Here, we use the HIO model to define host transcriptional responses to S. Typhimurium infection, also determining host pathways dependent on Salmonella pathogenicity island-1 (SPI-1)- and -2 (SPI-2)-encoded type 3 secretion systems (T3SS). Consistent with prior findings, we find that S. Typhimurium strongly stimulates proinflammatory gene expression. Infection-induced cytokine gene expression was rapid, transient, and largely independent of SPI-1 T3SS-mediated invasion, likely due to continued luminal stimulation. Notably, S. Typhimurium infection led to significant downregulation of host genes associated with cell cycle and DNA repair, leading to a reduction in cellular proliferation, dependent on SPI-1 and SPI-2 T3SS. The transcriptional profile of cell cycle-associated target genes implicates multiple miRNAs as mediators of S. Typhimurium-dependent cell cycle suppression. These findings from Salmonella-infected HIOs delineate common and distinct contributions of SPI-1 and SPI-2 T3SSs in inducing early host responses during enteric infection and reinforce host cell proliferation as a process targeted by Salmonella. IMPORTANCE Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) causes a significant health burden worldwide, yet host responses to initial stages of intestinal infection remain poorly understood. Due to differences in infection outcome between mice and humans, physiological human host responses driven by major virulence determinants of Salmonella have been more challenging to evaluate. Here, we use the three-dimensional human intestinal organoid model to define early responses to infection with wild-type S. Typhimurium and mutants defective in the SPI-1 or SPI-2 type-3 secretion systems. While both secretion system mutants show defects in mouse models of oral Salmonella infection, the specific contributions of each secretion system are less well understood. We show that S. Typhimurium upregulates proinflammatory pathways independently of either secretion system, while the downregulation of the host cell cycle pathways relies on both SPI-1 and SPI-2. These findings lay the groundwork for future studies investigating how SPI-1- and SPI-2-driven host responses affect infection outcome and show the potential of this model to study host-pathogen interactions with other serovars to understand how initial interactions with the intestinal epithelium may affect pathogenesis.

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Glutamate Limitation, BvgAS Activation, and (p)ppGpp Regulate the Expression of the Bordetella pertussis Type 3 Secretion System

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.00596-15 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 198 (2) ◽

pp. 343-351 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Tomoko Hanawa ◽

Kazunari Kamachi ◽

Hideo Yonezawa ◽

Toshiyuki Fukutomi ◽

Hayato Kawakami ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bordetella Pertussis ◽

Protein Profile ◽

Secretion System ◽

Transcriptional Level ◽

Content Type ◽

Bacterial Physiology ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Type 3 Secretion System ◽

Type 3

ABSTRACTBordetella pertussisis a bacterium that is considered to be highly adapted to humans, and it has not been isolated from the environment. As this bacterium does not utilize sugars, the abundant supply of glutamate in Stainer Scholte (SS) medium enablesB. pertussisto grow efficiently in liquid culturein vitro, and as such, SS medium is a popular choice for laboratory experiments. However, the concentration of glutamate in thein vivoniche ofB. pertussisis quite low. We investigated the bacterial response to low concentrations of glutamate to elucidate bacterial physiology via the expression of the type 3 secretion system (T3SS), and we discuss its relationship to the Bvg mode in which the two-component regulator of pathogenesis (BvgAS) is activated. Glutamate limitation induced the expression of both the T3SS apparatus and effector genes at the transcriptional level. (p)ppGpp, a modulator of the stringent response, was necessary for maximum expression of the T3SS genes. These observations indicate that the expression of the T3SS is managed by nutrient starvation. In addition, the autoaggregation ability was high in the absence of glutamate and no autoaggregation was observed in glutamate-replete medium. Taken together, glutamate-limited conditions in Bvg+mode elicit the high expression of T3SS genes inB. pertussisand promotes its sessile form.IMPORTANCEBordetella pertussisis a highly contagious pathogen that causes respiratory infectious disease. In spite of the increasing use of vaccination, the number of patients with pertussis is increasing. The proteins producedin vivooften are different from the protein profile under laboratory conditions; therefore, the development of conditions reflecting the host environment is important to understand native bacterial behavior. In the present study, we examined the effect of glutamate limitation, as its concentrationin vivois much lower than that in the culture medium currently used forB. pertussisexperiments. As predicted, the T3SS was induced by glutamate limitation. These results are suggestive of the importance of regulation by nutrient conditions and in the pathogenicity ofB. pertussis.

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