scholarly journals Type VII Secretion Substrates of Pathogenic Mycobacteria Are Processed by a Surface Protease

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maroeska J. Burggraaf ◽  
Alexander Speer ◽  
Aniek S. Meijers ◽  
Roy Ummels ◽  
Astrid M. van der Sar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspartic Protease ◽  
Mycobacterial Species ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Aspartic Proteases ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Zebrafish Larvae ◽  
Type Vii Secretion ◽  
Unique Cell

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis, one of the world’s most severe infectious diseases, is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A major weapon of this pathogen is a unique cell wall that protects the pathogen from eradication by the immune system. Mycobacteria have specialized secretion systems, e.g., type VII secretion or ESX systems, to transport substrates across this cell wall. The largest group of proteins that are secreted by these ESX systems are the PE proteins. Previously, it was shown that the N-terminal PE domain of about 100 amino acids is required for secretion. Here, we describe the identification of an aspartic protease, designated PecA, that removes (part of) this PE domain at the cell surface. Nearly all of the observed PE_PGRS proteins are processed by PecA. Interestingly, the protease itself is also a secreted PE protein and subject to self-cleavage. Furthermore, a defect in surface processing has no effect on the activity of the PE lipase protein LipY but does seem to affect the functioning of other virulence factors, as a pecA mutant strain of Mycobacterium marinum shows moderate attenuation in zebrafish larvae. In conclusion, our results reveal the presence of a functional aspartic acid protease in M. marinum that cleaves LipY, itself as well as other members of the PE_PGRS family. Finally, mutants lacking PecA show growth attenuation in vivo, suggesting that PecA plays a role during infection. IMPORTANCE Aspartic proteases are common in eukaryotes and retroviruses but are relatively rare among bacteria (N. D. Rawlings and A. Bateman, BMC Genomics 10:437, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-10-437). In contrast to eukaryotic aspartic proteases, bacterial aspartic proteases are generally located in the cytoplasm. We have identified a surface-associated mycobacterial aspartic protease, PecA, which cleaves itself and many other type VII secretion substrates of the PE_PGRS family. PecA is present in most pathogenic mycobacterial species, including M. tuberculosis. In addition, pathogenicity of M. marinum is reduced in the ΔpecA mutant, indicating that PecA contributes to virulence.

scholarly journals The Prophage and Plasmid Mobilome as a Likely Driver of Mycobacterium abscessus Diversity

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah M. Dedrick ◽  
Haley G. Aull ◽  
Deborah Jacobs-Sera ◽  
Rebecca A. Garlena ◽  
Daniel A. Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Abscessus ◽  
Genomic Variation ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Genetic Constitution ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Emerging Pathogen ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Vii Secretion

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium abscessus is an emerging pathogen that is often refractory to antibiotic control. Treatment is further complicated by considerable variation among clinical isolates in both their genetic constitution and their clinical manifestations. Here, we show that the prophage and plasmid mobilome is a likely contributor to this variation. Prophages and plasmids are common, abundant, and highly diverse, and code for large repertoires of genes influencing virulence, antibiotic susceptibility, and defense against viral infection. At least 85% of the strains we describe carry one or more prophages, representing at least 17 distinct and diverse sequence “clusters,” integrated at 18 different attB locations. The prophages code for 19 distinct configurations of polymorphic toxin and toxin-immunity systems, each with WXG-100 motifs for export through type VII secretion systems. These are located adjacent to attachment junctions, are lysogenically expressed, and are implicated in promoting growth in infected host cells. Although the plethora of prophages and plasmids confounds the understanding of M. abscessus pathogenicity, they also provide an abundance of tools for M. abscessus engineering. IMPORTANCE Mycobacterium abscessus is an important emerging pathogen that is challenging to treat with current antibiotic regimens. There is substantial genomic variation in M. abscessus clinical isolates, but little is known about how this influences pathogenicity and in vivo growth. Much of the genomic variation is likely due to the large and varied mobilome, especially a large and diverse array of prophages and plasmids. The prophages are unrelated to previously characterized phages of mycobacteria and code for a diverse array of genes implicated in both viral defense and in vivo growth. Prophage-encoded polymorphic toxin proteins secreted via the type VII secretion system are common and highly varied and likely contribute to strain-specific pathogenesis.

scholarly journals In VivoStudies Suggest that Induction of VanS-Dependent Vancomycin Resistance Requires Binding of the Drug to d-Ala-d-Ala Termini in the Peptidoglycan Cell Wall

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 4470-4480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Jung Kwun ◽  
Gabriela Novotna ◽  
Andrew R. Hesketh ◽  
Lionel Hill ◽  
Hee-Jeon Hong
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Streptomyces Coelicolor ◽  
Constitutive Expression ◽  
Transcriptional Response ◽  
Vancomycin Resistance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Peptidoglycan Cell Wall

ABSTRACTVanRS two-component regulatory systems are key elements required for the transcriptional activation of inducible vancomycin resistance genes in bacteria, but the precise nature of the ligand signal that activates these systems has remained undefined. Using the resistance system inStreptomyces coelicoloras a model, we have undertaken a series ofin vivostudies which indicate that the VanS sensor kinase in VanB-type resistance systems is activated by vancomycin in complex with thed-alanyl-d-alanine (d-Ala-d-Ala) termini of cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) precursors. Complementation of an essentiald-Ala-d-Ala ligase activity by constitutive expression ofvanAencoding a bifunctionald-Ala-d-Ala andd-alanyl-d-lactate (d-Ala-d-Lac) ligase activity allowed construction of strains that synthesized variable amounts of PG precursors containingd-Ala-d-Ala. Assays quantifying the expression of genes under VanRS control showed that the response to vancomycin in these strains correlated with the abundance ofd-Ala-d-Ala-containing PG precursors; strains producing a lower proportion of PG precursors terminating ind-Ala-d-Ala consistently exhibited a lower response to vancomycin. Pretreatment of wild-type cells with vancomycin or teicoplanin to saturate and mask thed-Ala-d-Ala binding sites in nascent PG also blocked the transcriptional response to subsequent vancomycin exposure, and desleucyl vancomycin, a vancomycin analogue incapable of interacting withd-Ala-d-Ala residues, failed to inducevangene expression. Activation of resistance by a vancomycin–d-Ala-d-Ala PG complex predicts a limit to the proportion of PG that can be derived from precursors terminating ind-Ala-d-Lac, a restriction also enforced by the bifunctional activity of the VanA ligase.

scholarly journals Two Functional Type VI Secretion Systems in Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli Are Involved in Different Pathogenic Pathways

2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 3867-3879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiale Ma ◽  
Yinli Bao ◽  
Min Sun ◽  
Wenyang Dong ◽  
Zihao Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Chicken Embryo Fibroblast ◽  
Microvascular Endothelial Cell ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Tail Fiber ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Vi Secretion

ABSTRACTType VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are involved in the pathogenicity of several Gram-negative bacteria. The VgrG protein, a core component and effector of T6SS, has been demonstrated to perform diverse functions. The N-terminal domain of VgrG protein is a homologue of tail fiber protein gp27 of phage T4, which performs a receptor binding function and determines the host specificity. Based on sequence analysis, we found that two putative T6SS loci exist in the genome of the avian pathogenicEscherichia coli(APEC) strain TW-XM. To assess the contribution of these two T6SSs to TW-XM pathogenesis, the crucialclpVclusters of these two T6SS loci and theirvgrGgenes were deleted to generate a series of mutants. Consequently, T6SS1-associated mutants presented diminished adherence to and invasion of several host cell lines culturedin vitro, decreased pathogenicity in duck and mouse infection modelsin vivo, and decreased biofilm formation and bacterial competitive advantage. In contrast, T6SS2-associated mutants presented a significant decrease only in the adherence to and invasion of mouse brain microvascular endothelial cell (BMEC) line bEnd.3 and brain tissue of the duck infection model. These results suggested that T6SS1 was involved in the proliferation of APEC in systemic infection, whereas VgrG-T6SS2 was responsible only for cerebral infection. Further study demonstrated that VgrG-T6SS2 was able to bind to the surface of bEnd.3 cells, whereas it did not bind to DF-1 (chicken embryo fibroblast) cells, which further proved the interaction of VgrG-T6SS2 with the surface of BMECs.

scholarly journals Mycobacterial Esx-3 Requires Multiple Components for Iron Acquisition

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sloan Siegrist ◽  
Magnus Steigedal ◽  
Rushdy Ahmad ◽  
Alka Mehra ◽  
Marte S. Dragset ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Multiple Reaction Monitoring ◽  
Protein Export ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Vii Secretion ◽  
Wide Range

ABSTRACT The type VII secretion systems are conserved across mycobacterial species and in many Gram-positive bacteria. While the well-characterized Esx-1 pathway is required for the virulence of pathogenic mycobacteria and conjugation in the model organism Mycobacterium smegmatis, Esx-3 contributes to mycobactin-mediated iron acquisition in these bacteria. Here we show that several Esx-3 components are individually required for function under low-iron conditions but that at least one, the membrane-bound protease MycP3 of M. smegmatis, is partially expendable. All of the esx-3 mutants tested, including the ΔmycP 3ms mutant, failed to export the native Esx-3 substrates EsxH ms and EsxG ms to quantifiable levels, as determined by targeted mass spectrometry. Although we were able to restore low-iron growth to the esx-3 mutants by genetic complementation, we found a wide range of complementation levels for protein export. Indeed, minute quantities of extracellular EsxH ms and EsxG ms were sufficient for iron acquisition under our experimental conditions. The apparent separation of Esx-3 function in iron acquisition from robust EsxG ms and EsxH ms secretion in the ΔmycP 3ms mutant and in some of the complemented esx-3 mutants compels reexamination of the structure-function relationships for type VII secretion systems. IMPORTANCE Mycobacteria have several paralogous type VII secretion systems, Esx-1 through Esx-5. Whereas Esx-1 is required for pathogenic mycobacteria to grow within an infected host, Esx-3 is essential for growth in vitro. We and others have shown that Esx-3 is required for siderophore-mediated iron acquisition. In this work, we identify individual Esx-3 components that contribute to this process. As in the Esx-1 system, most mutations that abolish Esx-3 protein export also disrupt its function. Unexpectedly, however, ultrasensitive quantitation of Esx-3 secretion by multiple-reaction-monitoring mass spectrometry (MRM-MS) revealed that very low levels of export were sufficient for iron acquisition under similar conditions. Although protein export clearly contributes to type VII function, the relationship is not absolute.

scholarly journals Dormant Intracellular Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Discriminates among Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 Effectors To Persist inside Fibroblasts

2013 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Núñez-Hernández ◽  
Ana Alonso ◽  
M. Graciela Pucciarelli ◽  
Josep Casadesús ◽  
Francisco García-del Portillo
Keyword(s):  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Pathogenicity Island ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Intracellular Bacteria ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Cultured Fibroblasts ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Iii Secretion Systems ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACTSalmonella entericauses effector proteins delivered by type III secretion systems (TTSS) to colonize eukaryotic cells. Recentin vivostudies have shown that intracellular bacteria activate the TTSS encoded bySalmonellapathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2) to restrain growth inside phagocytes. Growth attenuation is also observedin vivoin bacteria colonizing nonphagocytic stromal cells of the intestinal lamina propria and in cultured fibroblasts. SPI-2 is required for survival of nongrowing bacteria persisting inside fibroblasts, but its induction mode and the effectors involved remain unknown. Here, we show that nongrowing dormant intracellular bacteria use the two-component system OmpR-EnvZ to induce SPI-2 expression and the PhoP-PhoQ system to regulate the time at which induction takes place, 2 h postentry. Dormant bacteria were shown to discriminate the usage of SPI-2 effectors. Among the effectors tested, SseF, SseG, and SseJ were required for survival, while others, such as SifA and SifB, were not. SifA and SifB dispensability correlated with the inability of intracellular bacteria to secrete these effectors even when overexpressed. Conversely, SseJ overproduction resulted in augmented secretion and exacerbated bacterial growth. Dormant bacteria produced other effectors, such as PipB and PipB2, that, unlike what was reported for epithelial cells, did not to traffic outside the phagosomal compartment. Therefore, permissiveness for secreting only a subset of SPI-2 effectors may be instrumental for dormancy. We propose that theS. entericaserovar Typhimurium nonproliferative intracellular lifestyle is sustained by selection of SPI-2 effectors that are produced in tightly defined amounts and delivered to phagosome-confined locations.

scholarly journals Synthetic Lethality Reveals Mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Resistance to β-Lactams

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shichun Lun ◽  
David Miranda ◽  
Andre Kubler ◽  
Haidan Guo ◽  
Mariama C. Maiga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Cell Wall Biosynthesis ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innate Resistance ◽  
Extensively Drug Resistant

ABSTRACT Most β-lactam antibiotics are ineffective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis due to the microbe’s innate resistance. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains has prompted interest to repurpose this class of drugs. To identify the genetic determinants of innate β-lactam resistance, we carried out a synthetic lethality screen on a transposon mutant library for susceptibility to imipenem, a carbapenem β-lactam antibiotic. Mutations in 74 unique genes demonstrated synthetic lethality. The majority of mutations were in genes associated with cell wall biosynthesis. A second quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR)-based synthetic lethality screen of randomly selected mutants confirmed the role of cell wall biosynthesis in β-lactam resistance. The global transcriptional response of the bacterium to β-lactams was investigated, and changes in levels of expression of cell wall biosynthetic genes were identified. Finally, we validated these screens in vivo using the MT1616 transposon mutant, which lacks a functional acyl-transferase gene. Mice infected with the mutant responded to β-lactam treatment with a 100-fold decrease in bacillary lung burden over 4 weeks, while the numbers of organisms in the lungs of mice infected with wild-type bacilli proliferated. These findings reveal a road map of genes required for β-lactam resistance and validate synthetic lethality screening as a promising tool for repurposing existing classes of licensed, safe, well-characterized antimicrobials against tuberculosis. IMPORTANCE The global emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains has threatened public health worldwide, yet the pipeline of new tuberculosis drugs under development remains limited. One strategy to cope with the urgent need for new antituberculosis agents is to repurpose existing, approved antibiotics. The carbapenem class of β-lactam antibiotics has been proposed as one such class of drugs. Our study identifies molecular determinants of innate resistance to β-lactam drugs in M. tuberculosis, and we demonstrate that functional loss of one of these genes enables successful treatment of M. tuberculosis with β-lactams in the mouse model.

scholarly journals Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium abscessus Phage phiT46-1

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth D. Amarh ◽  
Rebekah M. Dedrick ◽  
Rebecca A. Garlena ◽  
Daniel A. Russell ◽  
Deborah Jacobs-Sera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Mycobacterium Abscessus ◽  
Spontaneous Release ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Type Vii Secretion

ABSTRACT Mycobacteriophage phiT46-1 is a newly isolated Mycobacterium phage that was isolated by spontaneous release from Mycobacterium abscessus strain Taiwan-46 and infects M. abscessus strain BWH-C. Phage phiT46-1 is unrelated to previously described mycobacteriophages, has a 52,849-bp genome, and includes a polymorphic toxin-immunity cassette associated with type VII secretion systems.

scholarly journals The C Terminus of Substrates Is Critical but Not Sufficient for Their Degradation by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa CtpA Protease

2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammi Chung ◽  
Andrew J. Darwin
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Content Type ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Outer Membrane Lipoprotein ◽  
Membrane Lipoprotein ◽  
Carboxyl Terminal

ABSTRACT Bacterial carboxyl-terminal processing proteases (CTPs) are widely conserved and have been linked to important processes, including signal transduction, cell wall metabolism, and virulence. However, the features that target proteins for CTP-dependent cleavage are unclear. Studies of the Escherichia coli CTP Prc suggested that it cleaves proteins with nonpolar and/or structurally unconstrained C termini, but it is not clear if this applies broadly. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a divergent CTP, CtpA, which is required for virulence. CtpA works in complex with the outer membrane lipoprotein LbcA to degrade cell wall hydrolases. In this study, we investigated if the C termini of two nonhomologous CtpA substrates are important for their degradation. We determined that these substrates have extended C termini compared to those of their closest E. coli homologs. Removing 7 amino acids from these extensions was sufficient to reduce their degradation by CtpA both in vivo and in vitro. Degradation of one truncated substrate was restored by adding the C terminus from the other but not by adding an unrelated sequence. However, modification of the C termini of nonsubstrates, by adding the C-terminal amino acids from a substrate, did not cause their degradation by CtpA. Therefore, the C termini of CtpA substrates are required but not sufficient for their efficient degradation. Although C-terminal truncated substrates were protected from degradation, they still associated with the LbcA-CtpA complex in vivo. Therefore, degradation of a protein by CtpA requires a C terminus-independent interaction with the LbcA-CtpA complex, followed by C terminus-dependent degradation, perhaps because CtpA normally initiates cleavage at a C-terminal site. IMPORTANCE Carboxyl-terminal processing proteases (CTPs) are found in all three domains of life, but exactly how they work is poorly understood, including how they recognize substrates. Bacterial CTPs have been associated with virulence, including CtpA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which works in complex with the outer membrane lipoprotein LbcA to degrade potentially dangerous peptidoglycan hydrolases. We report an important advance by revealing that efficient degradation by CtpA requires at least two separable phenomena and that one of them depends on information encoded in the substrate C terminus. A C terminus-independent association with the LbcA-CtpA complex is followed by C terminus-dependent cleavage by CtpA. Increased understanding of how CTPs target proteins is significant, due to their links to virulence, peptidoglycan remodeling, and other important processes.

scholarly journals Elevated Cell Wall Chitin in Candida albicans Confers Echinocandin ResistanceIn Vivo

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 208-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keunsook K. Lee ◽  
Donna M. MacCallum ◽  
Mette D. Jacobsen ◽  
Louise A. Walker ◽  
Frank C. Odds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Candida Albicans ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Normal Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Echinocandin Resistance

ABSTRACTCandida albicanscells with increased cell wall chitin have reduced echinocandin susceptibilityin vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate whetherC. albicanscells with elevated chitin levels have reduced echinocandin susceptibilityin vivo. BALB/c mice were infected withC. albicanscells with normal chitin levels and compared to mice infected with high-chitin cells. Caspofungin therapy was initiated at 24 h postinfection. Mice infected with chitin-normal cells were successfully treated with caspofungin, as indicated by reduced kidney fungal burdens, reduced weight loss, and decreasedC. albicansdensity in kidney lesions. In contrast, mice infected with high-chitinC. albicanscells were less susceptible to caspofungin, as they had higher kidney fungal burdens and greater weight loss during early infection. Cells recovered from mouse kidneys at 24 h postinfection with high-chitin cells had 1.6-fold higher chitin levels than cells from mice infected with chitin-normal cells and maintained a significantly reduced susceptibility to caspofungin when testedin vitro. At 48 h postinfection, caspofungin treatment induced a further increase in chitin content ofC. albicanscells harvested from kidneys compared to saline treatment. Some of the recovered clones had acquired, at a low frequency, a point mutation inFKS1resulting in a S645Y amino acid substitution, a mutation known to confer echinocandin resistance. This occurred even in cells that had not been exposed to caspofungin. Our results suggest that the efficacy of caspofungin againstC. albicanswas reducedin vivodue to either elevation of chitin levels in the cell wall or acquisition ofFKS1point mutations.

scholarly journals The Clostridium difficile Dlt Pathway Is Controlled by the Extracytoplasmic Function Sigma Factor σVin Response to Lysozyme

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 1902-1916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily C. Woods ◽  
Kathryn L. Nawrocki ◽  
Jose M. Suárez ◽  
Shonna M. McBride
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Clostridium Difficile ◽  
Sigma Factor ◽  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Hamster Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rapid Amplification ◽  
Extracytoplasmic Function Sigma Factor

Clostridium difficile(also known asPeptoclostridium difficile) is a major nosocomial pathogen and a leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea throughout the world. Colonization of the intestinal tract is necessary forC. difficileto cause disease. Host-produced antimicrobial proteins (AMPs), such as lysozyme, are present in the intestinal tract and can deter colonization by many bacterial pathogens, and yetC. difficileis able to survive in the colon in the presence of these AMPs. Our prior studies established that the Dlt pathway, which increases the surface charge of the bacterium by addition ofd-alanine to teichoic acids, is important forC. difficileresistance to a variety of AMPs. We sought to determine what genetic mechanisms regulate expression of the Dlt pathway. In this study, we show that adltnull mutant is severely attenuated for growth in lysozyme and that expression of thedltDABCoperon is induced in response to lysozyme. Moreover, we found that a mutant lacking the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor σVdoes not inducedltexpression in response to lysozyme, indicating that σVis required for regulation of lysozyme-dependentd-alanylation of the cell wall. Using reporter gene fusions and 5′ RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA ends) analysis, we identified promoter elements necessary for lysozyme-dependent and lysozyme-independentdltexpression. In addition, we observed that both asigVmutant and adltmutant are more virulent in a hamster model of infection. These findings demonstrate that cell walld-alanylation inC. difficileis induced by lysozyme in a σV-dependent manner and that this pathway impacts virulencein vivo.

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