scholarly journals ElyC and Cyclic Enterobacterial Common Antigen Regulate Synthesis of Phosphoglyceride-Linked Enterobacterial Common Antigen

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashutosh K. Rai ◽  
Joseph F. Carr ◽  
David E. Bautista ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Angela M. Mitchell

Enterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a conserved polysaccharide present on the surface of the outer membrane (OM) and in the periplasm of the many pathogenic bacteria belonging to Enterobacterales , including Klebsiella pneumoniae , Salmonella enterica , and Yersinia pestis . As the OM is a permeability barrier that excludes many antibiotics, synthesis pathways for OM molecules are promising targets for antimicrobial discovery.

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela M. Mitchell ◽  
Tharan Srikumar ◽  
Thomas J. Silhavy

ABSTRACTGram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane (OM) impermeable to many toxic compounds that can be further strengthened during stress. InEnterobacteriaceae, the envelope contains enterobacterial common antigen (ECA), a carbohydrate-derived moiety conserved throughoutEnterobacteriaceae, the function of which is poorly understood. Previously, we identified several genes inEscherichia coliK-12 responsible for an RpoS-dependent decrease in envelope permeability during carbon-limited stationary phase. For one of these,yhdP, a gene of unknown function, deletion causes high levels of both vancomycin and detergent sensitivity, independent of growth phase. We isolated spontaneous suppressor mutants ofyhdPwith loss-of-function mutations in the ECA biosynthesis operon. ECA biosynthesis gene deletions suppressed envelope permeability fromyhdPdeletion independently of envelope stress responses and interactions with other biosynthesis pathways, demonstrating suppression is caused directly by removing ECA. Furthermore,yhdPdeletion changed cellular ECA levels andyhdPwas found to co-occur phylogenetically with the ECA biosynthesis operon. Cells make three forms of ECA: ECA lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an ECA chain linked to LPS core; ECA phosphatidylglycerol, a surface-exposed ECA chain linked to phosphatidylglycerol; and cyclic ECA, a cyclized soluble ECA molecule found in the periplasm. We determined that the suppression of envelope permeability withyhdPdeletion is caused specifically by the loss of cyclic ECA, despite lowered levels of this molecule found withyhdPdeletion. Furthermore, removing cyclic ECA from wild-type cells also caused changes to OM permeability. Our data demonstrate cyclic ECA acts to maintain the OM permeability barrier in a manner controlled by YhdP.IMPORTANCEEnterobacterial common antigen (ECA) is a surface antigen made by all members ofEnterobacteriaceae, including many clinically relevant genera (e.g.,Escherichia,Klebsiella,Yersinia). Although this surface-exposed molecule is conserved throughoutEnterobacteriaceae, very few functions have been ascribed to it. Here, we have determined that the periplasmic form of ECA, cyclic ECA, plays a role in maintaining the outer membrane permeability barrier. This activity is controlled by a protein of unknown function, YhdP, and deletion ofyhdPdamages the OM permeability barrier in a cyclic ECA-dependent manner, allowing harmful molecules such as antibiotics into the cell. This role in maintenance of the envelope permeability barrier is the first time a phenotype has been described for cyclic ECA. As the Gram-negative envelope is generally impermeable to antibiotics, understanding the mechanisms through which the barrier is maintained and antibiotics are excluded may lead to improved antibiotic delivery.


mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey S. Westfall

ABSTRACTAlthough discovered over 50 years ago, the physiological role of enterobacterial common antigen, a surface antigen produced by all members of theEnterobacteriaceae, has been poorly understood. In the work of Mitchell et al. (mBio 9:e01321-18, 2018,https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01321-18), the cyclized version of enterobacterial common antigen has been shown to play a role in maintaining the outer membrane permeability barrier, possibly through the inner membrane protein YhdP. This work also provides the tests needed to separate true effects from the numerous possible artifacts possible with mutations in enterobacterial common antigen synthesis.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Rocker ◽  
Jake A. Lacey ◽  
Matthew J. Belousoff ◽  
Jonathan J. Wilksch ◽  
Richard A. Strugnell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In Gram-negative bacteria, the permeability of the outer membrane governs rates of antibiotic uptake and thus the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment. Hydrophilic drugs like β-lactam antibiotics depend on diffusion through pore-forming outer membrane proteins to reach their intracellular targets. In this study, we investigated the distribution of porin genes in more than 2,700 Klebsiella isolates and found a widespread loss of OmpK35 functionality, particularly in those strains isolated from clinical environments. Using a defined set of outer-membrane-remodeled mutants, the major porin OmpK35 was shown to be largely responsible for β-lactam permeation. Sequence similarity network analysis characterized the porin protein subfamilies and led to discovery of a new porin family member, OmpK38. Structure-based comparisons of OmpK35, OmpK36, OmpK37, OmpK38, and PhoE showed near-identical pore frameworks but defining differences in the sequence characteristics of the extracellular loops. Antibiotic sensitivity profiles of isogenic Klebsiella pneumoniae strains, each expressing a different porin as its dominant pore, revealed striking differences in the antibiotic permeability characteristics of each channel in a physiological context. Since K. pneumoniae is a nosocomial pathogen with high rates of antimicrobial resistance and concurrent mortality, these experiments elucidate the role of porins in conferring specific drug-resistant phenotypes in a global context, informing future research to combat antimicrobial resistance in K. pneumoniae. IMPORTANCE Klebsiella pneumoniae is a pathogen of humans with high rates of mortality and a recognized global rise in incidence of carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP). The outer membrane of K. pneumoniae forms a permeability barrier that modulates the ability of antibiotics to reach their intracellular target. OmpK35, OmpK36, OmpK37, OmpK38, PhoE, and OmpK26 are porins in the outer membrane of K. pneumoniae, demonstrated here to have a causative relationship to drug resistance phenotypes in a physiological context. The data highlight that currently trialed combination treatments with a carbapenem and β-lactamase inhibitors could be effective on porin-deficient K. pneumoniae. Together with structural data, the results reveal the role of outer membrane proteome remodeling in antimicrobial resistance of K. pneumoniae and point to the role of extracellular loops, not channel parameters, in drug permeation. This significant finding warrants care in the development of phage therapies for K. pneumoniae infections, given the way porin expression will be modulated to confer phage-resistant—and collateral drug-resistant—phenotypes in K. pneumoniae.


2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 441-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy J. Gilbreath ◽  
Jennifer Colvocoresses Dodds ◽  
Paul D. Rick ◽  
Mark J. Soloski ◽  
D. Scott Merrell ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInfection withSalmonellaspp. is a significant source of disease globally. A substantial proportion of these infections are caused bySalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium. Here, we characterize the role of the enterobacterial common antigen (ECA), a surface glycolipid ubiquitous among enteric bacteria, inS.Typhimurium pathogenesis. Construction of a defined mutation in the UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase gene,wecA, in two clinically relevant strains ofS.Typhimurium, TML and SL1344, resulted in strains that were unable to produce ECA. Loss of ECA did not affect the gross cell surface ultrastructure, production of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), flagella, or motility. However, thewecAmutant strains were attenuated in both oral and intraperitoneal mouse models of infection (P< 0.001 for both routes of infection; log rank test), and virulence could be restored by complementation of thewecAgene intrans. Despite the avirulence of the ECA-deficient strains, thewecAmutant strains were able to persistently colonize systemic sites (spleen and liver) at moderate levels for up to 70 days postinfection. Moreover, immunization with thewecAmutant strains provided protection against a subsequent lethal oral or intraperitoneal challenge with wild-typeS.Typhimurium. Thus,wecAmutant (ECA-negative) strains ofSalmonellamay be useful as live attenuated vaccine strains or as vehicles for heterologous antigen expression.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (7) ◽  
pp. 2454-2463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Forbes ◽  
Daniel Martinelli ◽  
Chyongere Hsieh ◽  
Jeffrey G. Ault ◽  
Michael Marko ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTInvasion of intestinal epithelial cells bySalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium is an energetically demanding process, involving the transfer of effector proteins from invading bacteria into host cells via a specialized organelle known as theSalmonellapathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) type 3 secretion system (T3SS). By a mechanism that remains poorly understood, entry ofS. Typhimurium into epithelial cells is inhibited by Sal4, a monoclonal, polymeric IgA antibody that binds an immunodominant epitope within the O-antigen (O-Ag) component of lipopolysaccharide. In this study, we investigated how the binding of Sal4 to the surface ofS. Typhimurium influences T3SS activity, bacterial energetics, and outer membrane integrity. We found that Sal4 treatment impaired T3SS-mediated translocon formation and attenuated the delivery of tagged effector proteins into epithelial cells. Sal4 treatment coincided with a partial reduction in membrane energetics and intracellular ATP levels, possibly explaining the impairment in T3SS activity. Sal4's effects on bacterial secretion and energetics occurred concurrently with an increase in O-Ag levels in culture supernatants, alterations in outer membrane permeability, and changes in surface ultrastructure, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy. We propose that Sal4, by virtue of its ability to bind and cross-link the O-Ag, induces a form of outer membrane stress that compromises the integrity of theS. Typhimurium cell envelope and temporarily renders the bacterium avirulent.


2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. e02567-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Bart van den Berg van Saparoea ◽  
Diane Houben ◽  
Marien I. de Jonge ◽  
Wouter S. P. Jong ◽  
Joen Luirink

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli virulence factor hemoglobin protease (Hbp) has been engineered into a surface display system that can be expressed to high density on live E. coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium cells or derived outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Multiple antigenic sequences can be genetically fused into the Hbp core structure for optimal exposure to the immune system. Although the Hbp display platform is relatively tolerant, increasing the number, size, and complexity of integrated sequences generally lowers the expression of the fused constructs and limits the density of display. This is due to the intricate mechanism of Hbp secretion across the outer membrane and the efficient quality control of translocation-incompetent chimeric Hbp molecules in the periplasm. To address this shortcoming, we explored the coupling of purified proteins to the Hbp carrier after its translocation across the outer membrane using the recently developed SpyTag/SpyCatcher protein ligation system. As expected, fusion of the small SpyTag to Hbp did not hamper display on OMVs. Subsequent addition of purified proteins fused to the SpyCatcher domain resulted in efficient covalent coupling to Hbp-SpyTag. Using in addition the orthogonal SnoopTag/SnoopCatcher system, multiple antigen modules could be coupled to Hbp in a sequential ligation strategy. Not only antigens proved suitable for Spy-mediated ligation but also nanobodies. Addition of this functionality to the platform might allow the targeting of live bacterial or OMV vaccines to certain tissues or immune cells to tailor immune responses.IMPORTANCE Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Gram-negative bacteria attract increasing interest in the development of vaccines and therapeutic agents. We aim to construct a semisynthetic OMV platform for recombinant antigen presentation on OMVs derived from attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium cells displaying an adapted Escherichia coli autotransporter, Hbp, at the surface. Although this autotransporter accepts substantial modifications, its capacity with respect to the number, size, and structural complexity of the antigens genetically fused to the Hbp carrier is restricted. Here we describe the application of SpyCatcher/SpyTag protein ligation technology to enzymatically link antigens to Hbp present at high density in OMVs. Protein ligation was apparently unobstructed by the membrane environment and allowed a high surface density of coupled antigens, a property we have shown to be important for vaccine efficacy. The OMV coupling procedure appears versatile and robust, allowing fast production of experimental vaccines and therapeutic agents through a modular plug-and-display procedure.


2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (18) ◽  
pp. 6599-6600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Tan ◽  
Creg Darby

ABSTRACT Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the major outer membrane component of gram-negative bacteria. The minimal LPS structure for viability of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is lipid A glycosylated with 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) residues. Here we show that another member of the Enterobacteriaceae, Yersinia pestis, can survive without Kdo in its LPS.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ganesh Krishnamoorthy ◽  
Jon W. Weeks ◽  
Zhen Zhang ◽  
Courtney E. Chandler ◽  
Haotian Xue ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Burkholderia comprises species that are significant biothreat agents and common contaminants of pharmaceutical production facilities. Their extreme antibiotic resistance affects all classes of antibiotics, including polycationic polymyxins and aminoglycosides. The major underlying mechanism is the presence of two permeability barriers, the outer membrane with modified lipid A moieties and active drug efflux pumps. The two barriers are thought to be mechanistically independent and act synergistically to reduce the intracellular concentrations of antibiotics. In this study, we analyzed the interplay between active efflux pumps and the permeability barrier of the outer membrane in Burkholderia thailandensis. We found that three efflux pumps, AmrAB-OprA, BpeEF-OprC, and BpeAB-OprB, of B. thailandensis are expressed under standard laboratory conditions and provide protection against multiple antibiotics, including polycationic polymyxins. Our results further suggest that the inactivation of AmrAB-OprA or BpeAB-OprB potentiates the antibacterial activities of antibiotics not only by reducing their efflux, but also by increasing their uptake into cells. Mass spectrometry analyses showed that in efflux-deficient B. thailandensis cells, lipid A species modified with 4-amino-4-deoxy-l-aminoarabinose are significantly less abundant than in the parent strain. Taken together, our results suggest that changes in the outer membrane permeability due to alterations in lipid A structure could be contributing factors in antibiotic hypersusceptibilities of B. thailandensis cells lacking AmrAB-OprA and BpeAB-OprB efflux pumps.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Ayelén Carabajal ◽  
Christopher R. M. Asquith ◽  
Tuomo Laitinen ◽  
Graham J. Tizzard ◽  
Lucía Yim ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The rapid emergence of multidrug resistance among bacterial pathogens has become a significant challenge to human health in our century. Therefore, development of next-generation antibacterial compounds is an urgent need. Two-component signal transduction systems (TCS) are stimulus-response coupling devices that allow bacteria to sense and elaborate adaptive responses to changing environmental conditions, including the challenges that pathogenic bacteria face inside the host. The differential presence of TCS, present in bacteria but absent in the animal kingdom, makes them attractive targets in the search for new antibacterial compounds. In Salmonella enterica, the PhoP/PhoQ two-component system controls the expression of crucial phenotypes that define the ability of the pathogen to establish infection in the host. We now report the screening of 686 compounds from a GlaxoSmithKline published kinase inhibitor set in a high-throughput whole-cell assay that targets Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium PhoP/PhoQ. We identified a series of quinazoline compounds that showed selective and potent downregulation of PhoP/PhoQ-activated genes and define structural attributes required for their efficacy. We demonstrate that their bioactivity is due to repression of the PhoQ sensor autokinase activity mediated by interaction with its catalytic domain, acting as competitive inhibitors of ATP binding. While noncytotoxic, the hit molecules exhibit antivirulence effect by blockage of S. Typhimurium intramacrophage replication. Together, these features make these quinazoline compounds stand out as exciting leads to develop a therapeutic intervention to fight salmonellosis.


2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 366-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hwa Hui Shin ◽  
Byeong Hee Hwang ◽  
Jeong Hyun Seo ◽  
Hyung Joon Cha

ABSTRACTIt is important to rapidly and selectively detect and analyze pathogenicSalmonella entericasubsp.entericain contaminated food to reduce the morbidity and mortality ofSalmonellainfection and to guarantee food safety. In the present work, we developed an oligonucleotide microarray containing duplicate specific capture probes based on thecarBgene, which encodes the carbamoyl phosphate synthetase large subunit, as a competent biomarker evaluated by genetic analysis to selectively and efficiently detect and discriminate threeS. entericasubsp.entericaserotypes: Choleraesuis, Enteritidis, and Typhimurium. Using the developed microarray system, three serotype targets were successfully analyzed in a range as low as 1.6 to 3.1 nM and were specifically discriminated from each other without nonspecific signals. In addition, the constructed microarray did not have cross-reactivity with other common pathogenic bacteria and even enabled the clear discrimination of the targetSalmonellaserotype from a bacterial mixture. Therefore, these results demonstrated that our novelcarB-based oligonucleotide microarray can be used as an effective and specific detection system forS. entericasubsp.entericaserotypes.


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