Influence of RpoS, cAMP-receptor protein, and ppGpp on expression of the opgGH operon and osmoregulated periplasmic glucan content of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

2009 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
pp. 1284-1293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina S. Costa ◽  
Ramón A. Pizarro ◽  
Dora N. Antón

A transcriptional fusion (opgG1::MudJ) to the opgGH operon of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) LT2, isolated by resistance to mecillinam, was used to study the influence of global regulators RpoS, ppGpp, and cAMP/cAMP-receptor protein (CRP) on expression of the opgGH operon and osmoregulated periplasmic glucan (OPG) content. Neither high growth medium osmolarity nor absence of ppGpp or CRP had important effects on opgG1::MudJ expression in exponential cultures. However, under the same conditions, OPG content was strongly decreased by high osmolarity or cAMP/CRP defectiveness, and reduced to a half by lack of ppGpp. In stationary cultures, high osmolarity as well as CRP loss caused significant descents in opgG1::MudJ expression that were compensated by inactivation of RpoS σ factor. No effect of RpoS inactivation on OPG content was observed. It is concluded that opgGH expression in S. Typhimurium is only slightly affected by high osmolarity, but is inversely modulated by RpoS level. On the other hand, osmolarity and the cAMP/CRP global regulatory system appear to control OPG content, either directly or indirectly, mainly at the post-transcriptional level.

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy L. Turnbull ◽  
Wook Kim ◽  
Michael G. Surette

The sdiA gene encodes for a LuxR-type transcription factor, which is active when bound to N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs). Because Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium does not produce AHLs, SdiA senses signals produced by other organisms. SdiA is not expressed constitutively, and response is limited to conditions in which elevated expression occurs, but little is known about the regulation of sdiA expression. Here we map the sdiA promoter and define several regulators that directly or indirectly act on the promoter. The major activator of sdiA expression is cAMP-receptor protein (CRP), and we define the CRP operator in the sdiA promoter using promoter and crp mutants. LeuO activates sdiA expression to a lesser extent than does CRP. We demonstrate that LeuO directly binds the sdiA promoter and the Rcs phosphorelay represses sdiA expression. In this study, NhaR, IlvY, and Fur affected sdiA expression indirectly and weakly. Expression in late-stationary phase depended on RpoS. AHL-dependent expression of the SdiA-regulated gene rck correlated to the observed sdiA transcriptional changes in regulator mutants. The data demonstrate that regulation of sdiA involves integration of multiple environmental and metabolic signals.


2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 2298-2305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Sun ◽  
Aurel Negrea ◽  
Mikael Rhen ◽  
Dan I. Andersson

ABSTRACT Colistin is a cyclic cationic peptide that kills gram-negative bacteria by interacting with and disrupting the outer membrane. We isolated 44 independent mutants in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium with reduced susceptibility to colistin and identified 27 different missense mutations located in the pmrA and pmrB genes (encoding the regulator and sensor of a two-component regulatory system) that conferred increased resistance. By comparison of the two homologous sensor kinases, PmrB and EnvZ, the 22 missense mutations identified in pmrB were shown to be located in four different structural domains of the protein. All five pmrA mutations were located in the phosphate receiver domain of the regulator protein. The mutants appeared at a mutation rate of 0.6 × 10−6 per cell per generation. The MICs of colistin for the mutants increased 2- to 35-fold, and the extent of killing was reduced several orders of magnitude compared to the susceptible strain. The growth rates of the mutants were slightly reduced in both rich medium and M9-glycerol minimal medium, whereas growth in mice appeared unaffected by the pmrA and pmrB mutations. The low fitness costs and the high mutation rate suggest that mutants with reduced susceptibility to colistin could emerge in clinical settings.


2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (6) ◽  
pp. 2417-2425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Heon Lee ◽  
Bae Hoon Kim ◽  
Ji Hye Kim ◽  
Won Suck Yoon ◽  
Seong Ho Bang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, the membrane-localized CadC is a transcriptional activator of the cadBA operon, which contributes to the acid tolerance response. Unlike in Escherichia coli, in which transcription of cadC is constitutive, in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium cadC expression is induced by low pH and lysine. Inactivation of cadC suppresses the acid-sensitive phenotype of a cadA mutation, suggesting the existence of other CadC-dependent genes in addition to the cadBA operon. Using a proteomic approach, we identified 8 of the putative CadC-induced proteins and 15 of the putative CadC-repressed proteins. The former include porin proteins OmpC and OmpF. The latter include proteins involved in glycolysis, energy production, and stress tolerance. To better understand the altered levels of OmpC and OmpF, we compared expression of ompR in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium wild-type and cadC mutant strains and determined that CadC exerted a negative influence on ompR transcription. Taken together, our findings strongly suggest that CadC may be a global regulator involved in the OmpR regulatory system during acid adaptation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (7) ◽  
pp. 5002-5012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuda Anriany ◽  
Surashri N. Sahu ◽  
Kimberly R. Wessels ◽  
Lindsay M. McCann ◽  
Sam W. Joseph

ABSTRACT The rugose (also known as wrinkled or rdar) phenotype in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 Rv has been associated with cell aggregation and the ability, at low temperature under low-osmolarity conditions, to form pellicles and biofilms. Two Tn5 insertion mutations in genes that are involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) synthesis, ddhC (A1-8) and waaG (A1-9), of Rv resulted in diminished expression of colony rugosity. Scanning electron micrographs revealed that the ddhC mutant showed reduced amounts of extracellular matrix, while there was relatively more, profuse matrix production in the waaG mutant, compared to Rv. Both mutants appeared to produce decreased levels of curli, as judged by Western blot assays probed with anti-AgfA (curli) antibodies but, surprisingly, were observed to have increased amounts of cellulose relative to Rv. Comparison with a non-curli-producing mutant suggested that the alteration in curli production may have engendered the increased presence of cellulose. While both mutants had impaired biofilm formation when grown in rich medium with low osmolarity, they constitutively formed larger amounts of biofilms when the growth medium was supplemented with either glucose or a combination of glucose and NaCl. These observations indicated that LPS alterations may have opposing effects on biofilm formation in these mutants, depending upon either the presence or the absence of these osmolytes. The phenotypes of the waaG mutant were further confirmed in a constructed, nonpolar deletion mutant of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2, where restoration to the wild-type phenotypes was accomplished by complementation. These results highlight the importance of an integral LPS, at both the O-antigen and core polysaccharide levels, in the modulation of curli protein and cellulose production, as well as in biofilm formation, thereby adding another potential component to the complex regulatory system which governs multicellular behaviors in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 3159-3166 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Kehres ◽  
Anuradha Janakiraman ◽  
James M. Slauch ◽  
Michael E. Maguire

ABSTRACT MntH, a bacterial homolog of the mammalian natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1 (Nramp1), is a primary Mn2+ transporter of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Escherichia coli. S. enterica serovar Typhimurium MntH expression is important for full virulence; however, strains carrying an mntH deletion are only partially attenuated and display no obvious signs of Mn2+ deficiency. We noted that promoter sequences for mntH and for the putative Fe2+ transporter sitABCD appeared to have the same regulatory element responsive to Mn2+ and so hypothesized that sitABCD could transport Mn2+ with high affinity. We have now characterized transport by SitABCD in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium using 54Mn2+ and 55Fe2+ and compared its properties to those of MntH. SitABCD mediates the influx of Mn2+ with an apparent affinity (Ka ) identical to that of MntH, 0.1 μM. It also transports Fe2+ but with a Ka 30 to 100 times lower, 3 to 10 μM. Inhibition of 54Mn2+ transport by Fe2+ and of 55Fe2+ transport by Mn2+ gave inhibition constants comparable to each cation's Ka for influx. Since micromolar concentrations of free Fe2+ are improbable in a biological system, we conclude that SitABCD functions physiologically as a Mn2+ transporter. The cation inhibition profiles of SitABCD and MntH are surprisingly similar for two structurally and energetically unrelated transporters, with a Cd2+ Ki of ≈1 μM and a Co2+ Ki of ≈20 μM and with Ni2+, Cu2+, and Fe3+ inhibiting both transporters only at concentrations of >0.1 mM. The one difference is that Zn2+ exhibits potent inhibition of SitABCD (Ki = 1 to 3 μM) but inhibits MntH weakly (Ki > 50 μM). We have previously shown that MntH transports Mn2+ most effectively under acidic conditions. In sharp contrast, SitABCD has almost no transport capacity at acid pHs and optimally transports Mn2+ at slightly alkaline pHs. Overall, coupled with evidence that each transporter is multiply but distinctly regulated at the transcriptional level, the distinct transport properties of MntH versus SitABCD suggest that each transporter may be specialized for Mn2+ uptake in different physiological environments.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mesa ◽  
H. Hennecke ◽  
H.-M. Fischer

In Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the nitrogen-fixing soya bean endosymbiont and facultative denitrifier, three CRP (cAMP receptor protein)/FNR (fumarate and nitrate reductase regulatory protein)-type transcription factors [FixK1, FixK2 and NnrR (nitrite and nitric oxide reductase regulator)] have been studied previously in the context of the regulation of nitrogen fixation and denitrification. The gene expression of both fixK1 and nnrR depends on FixK2, which acts as a key distributor of the ‘low-oxygen’ signal perceived by the two-component regulatory system FixLJ. While the targets for FixK1 are not known, NnrR transduces the nitrogen oxide signal to the level of denitrification gene expression. Besides these three regulators, the complete genome sequence of this organism has revealed the existence of 13 additional CRP/FNR-type proteins whose functions have not yet been studied. Based on sequence similarity and phylogenetic analysis, we discuss in this paper the peculiarities of these additional factors.


Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (7) ◽  
pp. 2084-2093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica A. Thompson ◽  
Mei Liu ◽  
Sophie Helaine ◽  
David W. Holden

The ability of serovars of Salmonella enterica to cause systemic disease is dependent upon their survival and replication within macrophages. To do this, bacteria must withstand or surmount bacteriostatic and bactericidal responses by the host cell, including the delivery of hydrolytic enzymes from lysosomes to the phagosome. The bacterial two-component regulatory system PhoP/Q has been implicated in avoidance of phagolysosomal fusion by S. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in murine macrophages. In this study, the involvement of PhoP/Q-activated genes in avoidance of phagolysosomal fusion was analysed: of all the S. Typhimurium mutant strains tested, only an mgtC mutant strain partially reproduced the phenotype of the phoP mutant strain. As this gene is required for bacterial growth in magnesium-depleted conditions in vitro, the contributions of PhoP/Q to intramacrophage replication and survival were reappraised. Although PhoP/Q was required for both replication and survival of S. Typhimurium within murine macrophages, subsequent analysis of the kinetics of phagolysosomal fusion, taking account of differences in the replication rates of wild-type and phoP mutant strains, provided no evidence for a PhoP/Q-dependent role in this process. PhoP/Q appeared to act subsequent to the process of phagolysosomal avoidance and to promote replication of those bacteria that had already escaped a phagolysosomal fate. Therefore, we conclude that the PhoP/Q regulon enables S. Typhimurium to adapt to intramacrophage stresses other than phagolysosomal fusion.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (22) ◽  
pp. 7853-7861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yekaterina A. Golubeva ◽  
James M. Slauch

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium replicates within host macrophages during the systemic stage of infection. In the macrophage, the bacteria must survive the respiratory burst that produces superoxide. Serovar Typhimurium strain 14028 produces two periplasmic superoxide dismutases, SodCI and SodCII, but only SodCI contributes to virulence. Although we have shown that this is primarily due to differences in the two proteins, evidence suggests differential regulation of the two genes. Using transcriptional sodCI- and sodCII-lac fusions, we show that sodCII is under the control of the RpoS sigma factor, as was known for the Escherichia coli ortholog, sodC. In contrast, we show that sodCI is transcriptionally controlled by the PhoPQ two-component regulatory system, which regulates an array of virulence genes required for macrophage survival. Introduction of a phoP-null mutation into the sodCI fusion strain resulted in a decrease in transcription and loss of regulation. The sodCI-lac fusion showed high-level expression in a background containing a phoQ constitutive allele. The sodCI gene is induced 15-fold in bacteria recovered from either the tissue culture macrophages or the spleens of infected mice. Induction in macrophages is dependent on PhoP. The sodCII fusion was induced three- to fourfold in macrophages and animals; this induction was unaffected by loss of PhoP. Thus, sodCI, which is horizontally transferred by the Gifsy-2 phage, is regulated by PhoPQ such that it is induced at the appropriate time and place to combat phagocytic superoxide.


2001 ◽  
Vol 183 (5) ◽  
pp. 1784-1786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher A. Conlin ◽  
Seng L. Tan ◽  
Huajun Hu ◽  
Todd Segar

ABSTRACT Mutations in apeR, a regulatory locus of the outer membrane esterase apeE from Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium, were shown to be alleles of thepstSCAB-phoU high-affinity phosphate transport operon. Expression of apeE was induced by phosphate limitation, and this induction required the phoBR phosphate regulatory system.


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