A bistable switch and anatomical site control Vibrio cholerae virulence gene expression in the intestine

Antibacterial activity of silver and zinc nanoparticles against Vibrio cholerae and enterotoxic Escherichia coli

Vibrio cholerae and enterotoxic Escherichia coli (ETEC) remain two dominant bacterial causes of severe secretory diarrhea and still a significant cause of death, especially in developing countries. In order to investigate new effective and inexpensive therapeutic approaches, we analyzed nanoparticles synthesized by a green approach using corresponding salt (silver or zinc nitrate) with aqueous extract of Caltropis procera fruit or leaves. We characterized the quantity and quality of nanoparticles by UV-visible wavelength scans and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Nanoparticles could be synthesized in reproducible yields of approximately 10(8) particles/ml with mode particles sizes of approx. 90-100 nm. Antibacterial activity against two pathogens was assessed by minimal inhibitory concentration assays and survival curves. Both pathogens exhibited similar resistance profiles with minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging between 5×10(5) and 10(7) particles/ml. Interestingly, zinc nanoparticles showed a slightly higher efficacy, but sublethal concentrations caused adverse effects and resulted in increased biofilm formation of V. cholerae. Using the expression levels of the outer membrane porin OmpT as an indicator for cAMP levels, our results suggest that zinc nanoparticles inhibit adenylyl cyclase activity. This consequently deceases the levels of this second messenger, which is a known inhibitor of biofilm formation. Finally, we demonstrated that a single oral administration of silver nanoparticles to infant mice colonized with V. cholerae or ETEC significantly reduces the colonization rates of the pathogens by 75- or 100-fold, respectively.

Regulatory elements involved in the expression of competence genes in naturally transformable Vibrio cholerae

Background

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae normally enters the developmental program of natural competence for transformation after colonizing chitinous surfaces. Natural competence is regulated by at least three pathways in this organism: chitin sensing/degradation, quorum sensing and carbon catabolite repression (CCR). The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) receptor protein CRP, which is the global regulator of CCR, binds to regulatory DNA elements called CRP sites when in complex with cAMP. Previous studies in Haemophilus influenzae suggested that the CRP protein binds competence-specific CRP-S sites under competence-inducing conditions, most likely in concert with the master regulator of transformation Sxy/TfoX.

Results

In this study, we investigated the regulation of the competence genes qstR and comEA as an example of the complex process that controls competence gene activation in V. cholerae. We identified previously unrecognized putative CRP-S sites upstream of both genes. Deletion of these motifs significantly impaired natural transformability. Moreover, site-directed mutagenesis of these sites resulted in altered gene expression. This altered gene expression also correlated directly with protein levels, bacterial capacity for DNA uptake, and natural transformability.

Conclusions

Based on the data provided in this study we suggest that the identified sites are important for the expression of the competence genes qstR and comEA and therefore for natural transformability of V. cholerae even though the motifs might not reflect bona fide CRP-S sites.

Glucose- but not rice-based oral rehydration therapy enhances the production of virulence determinants in the human pathogen Vibrio cholerae

Despite major attempts to prevent cholera transmission, millions of people worldwide still must address this devastating disease. Cholera research has so far mainly focused on the causative agent, the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, or on disease treatment, but rarely were results from both fields interconnected. Indeed, the treatment of this severe diarrheal disease is mostly accomplished by oral rehydration therapy (ORT), whereby water and electrolytes are replenished. Commonly distributed oral rehydration salts also contain glucose. Here, we analyzed the effects of glucose and alternative carbon sources on the production of virulence determinants in the causative agent of cholera, the bacterium Vibrio cholerae during in vitro experimentation. We demonstrate that virulence gene expression and the production of cholera toxin are enhanced in the presence of glucose or similarly transported sugars in a ToxR-, TcpP- and ToxT-dependent manner. The virulence genes were significantly less expressed if alternative non-PTS carbon sources, including rice-based starch, were utilized. Notably, even though glucose-based ORT is commonly used, field studies indicated that rice-based ORT performs better. We therefore used a spatially explicit epidemiological model to demonstrate that the better performing rice-based ORT could have a significant impact on epidemic progression based on the recent outbreak of cholera in Haiti. Our results strongly support a change of carbon source for the treatment of cholera, especially in epidemic settings.

Cholera research has so far mainly focused on the causative agent, the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, or on disease treatment, but rarely were results from both fields interconnected. Indeed, the treatment of this severe diarrheal disease is mostly accomplished by oral rehydration therapy (ORT). ORT aims at rehydrating patients through the provision of water and oral rehydration salts; the latter being composed of electrolytes as well as glucose as a carbon source. Although glucose-based ORS is commonly used to treat diarrheal diseases and is recommended by the WHO, field studies on cholera indicated that rice-based ORT performs better than glucose-based ORT. Here, we investigated the impact that glucose, starch, or other carbon sources exert on V. cholerae. We demonstrated that glucose leads to an increased expression of the major virulence genes in the pathogen and, accordingly, to an enhanced production of cholera toxin during in vitro experimentation. Because the cholera toxin is primarily responsible for the severe symptoms that are associated with the disease, our study highlights the negative effects of glucose-based ORT. Next, we used a spatially explicit epidemiological model to demonstrate that the better performing rice-based ORS could have a significant impact on epidemic progression based on the recent outbreak of cholera in Haiti.

On the interactions between virulent bacteriophages and bacteria in the gut

We recently described the targeting of O104:H4 Escherichia coli in mouse gut by several virulent bacteriophages, highlighting several issues relating to virus-host interactions, which we discuss further in this addendum to the original publication.

Tracking bacterial pathogens with genetically-encoded reporters

During the infectious process, bacterial pathogens are subject to changes in environmental conditions such as nutrient availability, immune response challenges, bacterial density and physical contacts with targeted host cells. These conditions occur in the colonized organs, in diverse regions within infected tissues or even at the subcellular level for intracellular pathogens. Integration of environmental cues leads to measurable biological responses in the bacterium required for adaptation. Recent progress in technology enabled the study of bacterial adaptation in situ using genetically encoded reporters that allow single cell analysis or whole body imaging based on fluorescent proteins, alternative fluorescent assays or luciferases. This review presents a historical perspective and technical details on the methods used to develop transcriptional reporters, protein-protein interaction assays and secretion detection assays to study pathogenic bacteria adaptation in situ. Finally, studies published in the last 5 years on gram positive and gram negative bacterial adaptation to the host during infection are discussed. However, the methods described here could easily be extended to study complex microbial communities within host tissue and in the environment.

Proteomic analysis of Vibrio cholerae outer membrane vesicles

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) produced by Gram-negative bacteria provide an interesting research material for defining cell-envelope proteins without experimental cell disruption. OMVs are also promising immunogenic platforms and may play important roles in bacterial survival and pathogenesis. We used in-solution trypsin digestion coupled to mass spectrometry to identify 90 proteins present in OMVs of Vibrio cholerae when grown under conditions that activate the TCP pilus virulence regulatory protein (ToxT) virulence regulon. The ToxT expression profile and potential contribution to virulence of these proteins were assessed using ToxT and in vivo RNA-seq, Tn-seq, and cholera stool proteomic and other genome-wide data sets. Thirteen OMV-associated proteins appear to be essential for cell growth, and therefore may represent antibacterial drug targets. Another 12 nonessential OMV proteins, including DegP protease, were required for intestinal colonization in rabbits. Comparative proteomics of a degP mutant revealed the importance of DegP in the incorporation of nine proteins into OMVs, including ones involved in biofilm matrix formation and various substrates of the type II secretion system. Taken together, these results suggest that DegP plays an important role in determining the content of OMVs and also affects phenotypes such as intestinal colonization, proper function of the type II secretion system, and formation of biofilm matrix.

Identification of in vivo regulators of the Vibrio cholerae xds gene using a high-throughput genetic selection

Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, remains a threat to public health in areas with inadequate sanitation. As a waterborne pathogen, V. cholerae moves between two dissimilar environments, aquatic reservoirs and the intestinal tract of humans. Accordingly, this pathogen undergoes adaptive shifts in gene expression throughout the different stages of its lifecycle. One particular gene, xds, encodes a secreted exonuclease that was previously identified as being induced during infection. Here we sought to identify regulators responsible for the in vivo-specific induction of xds. A transcriptional fusion of xds to two consecutive antibiotic resistance genes was used to select transposon mutants that had inserted within or adjacent to regulatory genes and thereby caused increased expression of the xds fusion under non-inducing conditions. Large pools of selected insertion sites were sequenced in a high throughput manner using Tn-seq to identify potential mechanisms of xds regulation. Our selection identified the two-component system PhoB/R as the dominant activator of xds expression. In vitro validation confirmed that PhoB, a protein which is only active during phosphate limitation, was responsible for xds activation. Using xds expression as a biosensor of the extracellular phosphate level, we observed that the mouse small intestine is a phosphate-limited environment.

The superintegron integrase and the cassette promoters are co-regulated in Vibrio cholerae

Chromosome 2 of Vibrio cholerae carries a chromosomal superintegron, composed of an integrase, a cassette integration site (attI) and an array of mostly promoterless gene cassettes. We determined the precise location of the promoter, Pc, which drives the transcription of the first cassettes of the V. cholerae superintegron. We found that cassette mRNA starts 65 bp upstream of the attI site, so that the inversely oriented promoters Pc and Pint (integrase promoter) partly overlap, allowing for their potential co-regulation. Pint was previously shown to be induced during the SOS response and is further controlled by the catabolite repression cAMP-CRP complex. We found that cassette expression from Pc was also controlled by the cAMP-CRP complex, but is not part of the SOS regulon. Pint and Pc promoters were both found to be induced in rich medium, at high temperature, high salinity and at the end of exponential growth phase, although at very different levels and independently of sigma factor RpoS. All these results show that expression from the integrase and cassette promoters can take place at the same time, thus leading to coordinated excisions and integrations within the superintegron and potentially coupling cassette shuffling to immediate selective advantage.

Spatial segregation of virulence gene expression during acute enteric infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

To establish a replicative niche during its infectious cycle between the intestinal lumen and tissue, the enteric pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium requires numerous virulence genes, including genes for two type III secretion systems (T3SS) and their cognate effectors. To better understand the host-pathogen relationship, including early infection dynamics and induction kinetics of the bacterial virulence program in the context of a natural host, we monitored the subcellular localization and temporal expression of T3SS-1 and T3SS-2 using fluorescent single-cell reporters in a bovine, ligated ileal loop model of infection. We observed that the majority of bacteria at 2 h postinfection are flagellated, express T3SS-1 but not T3SS-2, and are associated with the epithelium or with extruding enterocytes. In epithelial cells, S. Typhimurium cells were surrounded by intact vacuolar membranes or present within membrane-compromised vacuoles that typically contained numerous vesicular structures. By 8 h postinfection, T3SS-2-expressing bacteria were detected in the lamina propria and in the underlying mucosa, while T3SS-1-expressing bacteria were in the lumen. Our work identifies for the first time the temporal and spatial regulation of T3SS-1 and -2 expression during an enteric infection in a natural host and provides further support for the concept of cytosolic S. Typhimurium in extruding epithelium as a mechanism for reseeding the lumen.

The pathogenic bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium invades and persists within host cells using distinct sets of virulence genes. Genes from Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) are used to initiate contact and facilitate uptake into nonphagocytic host cells, while genes within SPI-2 allow the pathogen to colonize host cells. While many studies have identified bacterial virulence determinants in animal models of infection, very few have focused on virulence gene expression at the single-cell level during an in vivo infection. To better understand when and where bacterial virulence factors are expressed during an acute enteric infection of a natural host, we infected bovine jejunal-ileal loops with S. Typhimurium cells harboring fluorescent transcriptional reporters for SPI-1 and -2 (PinvF and PssaG, respectively). After a prescribed time of infection, tissue and luminal fluid were collected and analyzed by microscopy. During early infection (≤2 h), bacteria within both intact and compromised membrane-bound vacuoles were observed within the epithelium, with the majority expressing SPI-1. As the infection progressed, S. Typhimurium displayed differential expression of the SPI-1 and SPI-2 regulons, with the majority of tissue-associated bacteria expressing SPI-2 and the majority of lumen-associated bacteria expressing SPI-1. This underscores the finding that Salmonella virulence gene expression changes as the pathogen transitions from one anatomical location to the next.

Efficient responses to host and bacterial signals during Vibrio cholerae colonization

Vibrio cholerae, the microorganism responsible for the diarrheal disease cholera, is able to sense and respond to a variety of changing stimuli in both its aquatic and human gastrointestinal environments. Here we present a review of research efforts aimed toward understanding the signals this organism senses in the human host. V. cholerae's ability to sense and respond to temperature and pH, bile, osmolarity, oxygen and catabolite levels, nitric oxide, and mucus, as well as the quorum sensing signals produced in response to these factors will be discussed. We also review the known quorum sensing regulatory pathways and discuss their importance with regard to the regulation of virulence and colonization during infection.

Gene fitness landscapes of Vibrio cholerae at important stages of its life cycle

Vibrio cholerae has evolved to adeptly transition between the human small intestine and aquatic environments, leading to water-borne spread and transmission of the lethal diarrheal disease cholera. Using a host model that mimics the pathology of human cholera, we applied high density transposon mutagenesis combined with massively parallel sequencing (Tn-seq) to determine the fitness contribution of >90% of all non-essential genes of V. cholerae both during host infection and dissemination. Targeted mutagenesis and validation of 35 genes confirmed our results for the selective conditions with a total false positive rate of 4%. We identified 165 genes never before implicated for roles in dissemination that reside within pathways controlling many metabolic, catabolic and protective processes, from which a central role for glycogen metabolism was revealed. We additionally identified 76 new pathogenicity factors and 414 putatively essential genes for V. cholerae growth. Our results provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the biology of V. cholerae as it colonizes the small intestine, elicits profuse secretory diarrhea, and disseminates into the aquatic environment.

Cholera toxin expression by El Tor Vibrio cholerae in shallow culture growth conditions

Vibrio cholerae O1 classical, El Tor and O139 are the primary biotypes that cause epidemic cholera, and they also express cholera toxin (CT). Although classical V. cholerae produces CT in various settings, the El Tor and O139 strains require specific growth conditions for CT induction, such as the so-called AKI conditions, which consist of growth in static conditions followed by growth under aerobic shaking conditions. However, our group has demonstrated that CT production may also take place in shallow static cultures. How these type of cultures induce CT production has been unclear, but we now report that in shallow culture growth conditions, there is virtual depletion of dissolved oxygen after 2.5 h of growth. Concurrently, during the first three to 4 h, endogenous CO2 accumulates in the media and the pH decreases. These findings may explain CT expression at the molecular level because CT production relies on a regulatory cascade, in which the key regulator AphB may be activated by anaerobiosis and by low pH. AphB activation stimulates TcpP synthesis, which induces ToxT production, and ToxT directly stimulates ctxAB expression, which encodes CT. Importantly, ToxT activity is enhanced by bicarbonate. Therefore, we suggest that in shallow cultures, AphB is activated by initial decreases in oxygen and pH, and subsequently, ToxT is activated by intracellular bicarbonate that has been generated from endogenous CO2. This working model would explain CT production in shallow cultures and, possibly, also in other growth conditions.

Vibrio cholerae ToxR downregulates virulence factor production in response to cyclo(Phe-Pro)

Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic organism that causes the severe acute diarrheal disease cholera. The ability of V. cholerae to cause disease is dependent upon the production of two critical virulence determinants, cholera toxin (CT) and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). The expression of the genes that encode for CT and TCP production is under the control of a hierarchical regulatory system called the ToxR regulon, which functions to activate virulence gene expression in response to in vivo stimuli. Cyclic dipeptides have been found to be produced by numerous bacteria, yet their biological function remains unknown. V. cholerae has been shown to produce cyclo(Phe-Pro). Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated that cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibited V. cholerae virulence factor production. For this study, we report on the mechanism by which cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibited virulence factor production. We have demonstrated that exogenous cyclo(Phe-Pro) activated the expression of leuO, a LysR-family regulator that had not been previously associated with V. cholerae virulence. Increased leuO expression repressed aphA transcription, which resulted in downregulation of the ToxR regulon and attenuated CT and TCP production. The cyclo(Phe-Pro)-dependent induction of leuO expression was found to be dependent upon the virulence regulator ToxR. Cyclo(Phe-Pro) did not affect toxR transcription or ToxR protein levels but appeared to enhance the ToxR-dependent transcription of leuO. These results have identified leuO as a new component of the ToxR regulon and demonstrate for the first time that ToxR is capable of downregulating virulence gene expression in response to an environmental cue.

The ToxR regulon has been a focus of cholera research for more than three decades. During this time, a model has emerged wherein ToxR functions to activate the expression of Vibrio cholerae virulence factors upon host entry. V. cholerae and other enteric bacteria produce cyclo(Phe-Pro), a cyclic dipeptide that we identified as an inhibitor of V. cholerae virulence factor production. This finding suggested that cyclo(Phe-Pro) was a negative effector of virulence factor production and represented a molecule that could potentially be exploited for therapeutic development. In this work, we investigated the mechanism by which cyclo(Phe-Pro) inhibited virulence factor production. We found that cyclo(Phe-Pro) signaled through ToxR to activate the expression of leuO, a new virulence regulator that functioned to repress virulence factor production. Our results have identified a new arm of the ToxR regulon and suggest that ToxR may play a broader role in pathogenesis than previously known.

An Adult Mouse Model of Vibrio cholerae-induced Diarrhea for Studying Pathogenesis and Potential Therapy of Cholera

Cholera is a diarrheal disease causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to establish an adult mouse model of Vibrio cholerae-induced diarrhea and to characterize its pathophysiology. Ligated ileal loops of adult mice were inoculated for 6, 9, 12 and 18 h with a classical O1 hypertoxigenic 569B strain of V. cholerae (10⁷ CFU/loop). Time-course studies demonstrated that the optimal period for inducing diarrhea was 12 h post-inoculation, when peak intestinal fluid accumulation (loop/weight ratio of ∼0.2 g/cm) occurred with the highest diarrhea success rate (90%). In addition, pathogenic numbers of V. cholerae (∼10⁹ CFU/g tissue) were recovered from ileal loops at all time points between 6-18 h post-inoculation with the diarrheagenic amount of cholera toxin being detected in the secreted intestinal fluid at 12 h post-inoculation. Interestingly, repeated intraperitoneal administration of CFTR_inh-172 (20 µg every 6 h), an inhibitor of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), completely abolished the V. cholerae-induced intestinal fluid secretion without affecting V. cholerae growth in vivo. As analyzed by ex vivo measurement of intestinal electrical resistance and in vivo assay of fluorescein thiocyanate (FITC)-dextran trans-intestinal flux, V. cholerae infection had no effect on intestinal paracellular permeability. Measurements of albumin in the diarrheal fluid suggested that vascular leakage did not contribute to the pathogenesis of diarrhea in this model. Furthermore, histological examination of V. cholerae-infected intestinal tissues illustrated edematous submucosa, congestion of small vessels and enhanced mucus secretion from goblet cells. This study established a new adult mouse model of V. cholerae-induced diarrhea, which could be useful for studying the pathogenesis of cholera diarrhea and for evaluating future therapeutics/cholera vaccines. In addition, our study confirmed the major role of CFTR in V. cholerae-induced intestinal fluid secretion.

Promotion of colonization and virulence by cholera toxin is dependent on neutrophils

The innate immune response to Vibrio cholerae infection is poorly understood, but this knowledge is critical for the design of safe, effective vaccines. Using an adult mouse intestinal infection model, this study examines the contribution of neutrophils to host immunity, as well as the effect of cholera toxin and other secreted factors on this response. Depletion of neutrophils from mice with anti-Ly6G IA8 monoclonal antibody led to similar survival rates of mice infected with low or moderate doses of toxigenic V. cholerae El Tor O1. At a high dose, neutropenic mice showed increased rates of survival compared to neutrophil-replete animals. Expression of cholera toxin was found to be protective to the neutropenic host, and this phenotype can be replicated by the administration of purified toxin. Neutrophils do not effectively clear colonizing bacteria from the small intestine, nor do they alter induction of early immune-modulating signals. In both neutropenic and neutrophil-replete animals, the local response to infection is characterized by expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-10, and macrophage inflammatory protein 2 alpha (MIP-2). Overall, these data indicate that the innate immune response to toxigenic V. cholerae infection differs dramatically from the host response to nontoxigenic infection or vaccination, where neutrophils are protective to the host. In the absence of neutrophils, cholera toxin induces immunomodulatory effects that increase host survival. In cholera toxin-producing strains, similar to nontoxigenic infection, accessory toxins are critical to virulence, indicating that cholera toxin and the other secreted toxins modulate the host response by different mechanisms, with both contributing to bacterial persistence and virulence.

Fitness factors in vibrios: a mini-review

Vibrios are Gram-negative curved bacilli that occur naturally in marine, estuarine, and freshwater systems. Some species include human and animal pathogens, and some vibrios are necessary for natural systems, including the carbon cycle and osmoregulation. Countless in vivo and in vitro studies have examined the interactions between vibrios and their environment, including molecules, cells, whole animals, and abiotic substrates. Many studies have characterized virulence factors, attachment factors, regulatory factors, and antimicrobial resistance factors, and most of these factors impact the organism's fitness regardless of its external environment. This review aims to identify common attributes among factors that increase fitness in various environments, regardless of whether the environment is an oyster, a rabbit, a flask of immortalized mammalian cells, or a planktonic chitin particle. This review aims to summarize findings published thus far to encapsulate some of the basic similarities among the many vibrio fitness factors and how they frame our understanding of vibrio ecology. Factors representing these similarities include hemolysins, capsular polysaccharides, flagella, proteases, attachment factors, type III secretion systems, chitin binding proteins, iron acquisition systems, and colonization factors.

Effects of polyamines on Vibrio cholerae virulence properties

Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of the severe enteric disease cholera. To cause cholera the bacterium must be able to synthesize both cholera toxin (CT) and toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) which mediates autoagglutination and is required for colonization of the small intestine. Only a few environmental signals have been shown to regulate V. cholerae virulence gene expression. Polyamines, which are ubiquitous in nature, and have been implicated in regulating virulence gene expression in other bacteria, have not been extensively studied for their effect on V. cholerae virulence properties. The objective of this study was to test the effect of several polyamines that are abundant in the human intestine on V. cholerae virulence properties. All of the polyamines tested inhibited autoagglutination of V. cholerae O1 classical strain in a concentration dependent manner. Putrescine and cadaverine decreased the synthesis of the major pilin subunit, TcpA, spermidine increased its production, and spermine had no effect. Putrescine and spermidine led to a decrease and increase, respectively, on the relative abundance of TCP found on the cell surface. Spermine led to a small reduction in cholera toxin synthesis whereas none of the other polyamines had an effect. The polyamines did not affect pili bundling morphology, but caused a small reduction in CTXφ transduction, indicating that the TCP present on the cell surface may not be fully functional. We hypothesize the inhibition of autoagglutination is likely to be caused by the positively charged amine groups on the polyamines electrostatically disrupting the pili-pili interactions which mediate autoagglutination. Our results implicate that polyamines may have a protective function against colonization of the small intestine by V. cholerae.

Secretion of TcpF by the Vibrio cholerae toxin-coregulated pilus biogenesis apparatus requires an N-terminal determinant

Type IV pili are important for microcolony formation, biofilm formation, twitching motility, and attachment. We and others have shown that type IV pili are important for protein secretion across the outer membrane, similar to type II secretion systems. This study explored the relationship between protein secretion and pilus formation in Vibrio cholerae. The toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP), a type IV pilus required for V. cholerae pathogenesis, is necessary for the secretion of the colonization factor TcpF (T. J. Kirn, N. Bose, and R. K. Taylor, Mol. Microbiol. 49:81-92, 2003). This phenomenon is not unique to V. cholerae; secreted virulence factors that are dependent on the presence of components of the type IV pilus biogenesis apparatus for secretion have been reported with Dichelobacter nodosus (R. M. Kennan, O. P. Dhungyel, R. J. Whittington, J. R. Egerton, and J. I. Rood, J. Bacteriol. 183:4451-4458, 2001) and Francisella tularensis (A. J. Hager et al., Mol. Microbiol. 62:227-237, 2006). Using site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrated that the secretion of TcpF is dependent on the presence of selected amino acid R groups at position five. We were unable to find other secretion determinants, suggesting that Y5 is the major secretion determinant within TcpF. We also report that proteins secreted in a type IV pilus biogenesis apparatus-dependent manner have a YXS motif within the first 15 amino acids following the Sec cleavage site. The YXS motif is not present in proteins secreted by type II secretion systems, indicating that this is unique to type IV pilus-mediated secretion. Moreover, we show that TcpF interacts with the pilin TcpA, suggesting that these proteins are secreted by the type IV pilus biogenesis system. These data provide a starting point for understanding how type IV pili can mediate secretion of virulence factors important for bacterial pathogenesis.

A transcriptional regulator linking quorum sensing and chitin induction to render Vibrio cholerae naturally transformable

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic bacterium associated with zooplankton and their chitinous exoskeletons. On chitinous surfaces, V. cholerae initiates a developmental programme, known as natural competence, to mediate transformation, which is a mode of horizontal gene transfer. Competence facilitates the uptake of free DNA and recombination into the bacterial genome. Recent studies have indicated that chitin surfaces are required, but not sufficient to induce competence. Two additional regulatory pathways, i.e. catabolite repression and quorum sensing (QS), are components of the regulatory network that controls natural competence in V. cholerae. In this study, we investigated the link between chitin induction and QS. We show that the major regulators of these two pathways, TfoX and HapR, are both involved in the activation of a gene encoding a transcriptional regulator of the LuxR-type family, which we named QS and TfoX-dependent regulator (QstR). We demonstrate that HapR binds the promoter of qstR in a site-specific manner, indicating a role for HapR as an activator of qstR. In addition, epistasis experiments indicate that QstR compensates for the absence of HapR. We also provide evidence that QstR is required for the proper expression of a small but essential subset of competence genes and propose a new regulatory model in which QstR links chitin-induced TfoX activity with QS.

Overexpression of the tcp gene cluster using the T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system and natural transformation-mediated genetic engineering of Vibrio cholerae

The human pathogen and aquatic bacterium Vibrio cholerae belongs to the group of naturally competent bacteria. This developmental program allows the bacterium to take up free DNA from its surrounding followed by a homologous recombination event, which allows integration of the transforming DNA into the chromosome. Taking advantage of this phenomenon we genetically engineered V. cholerae using natural transformation and FLP recombination. More precisely, we adapted the T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system in this organism allowing expression of genes in a T7 RNA polymerase-dependent manner. We naturally transformed V. cholerae by adding a T7-specific promoter sequence upstream the toxin-coregulated pilus (tcp) gene cluster. In a V. cholerae strain, which concomitantly produced the T7 RNA polymerase, this genetic manipulation resulted in the overexpression of downstream genes. The phenotypes of the strain were also in line with the successful production of TCP pili. This provides a proof-of-principle that the T7 RNA polymerase/promoter system is functional in V. cholerae and that genetic engineering of this organism by natural transformation is a straightforward and efficient approach.

Adenylate cyclase and the cyclic AMP receptor protein modulate stress resistance and virulence capacity of uropathogenic Escherichia coli

In many bacteria, the second messenger cyclic AMP (cAMP) interacts with the transcription factor cAMP receptor protein (CRP), forming active cAMP-CRP complexes that can control a multitude of cellular activities, including expanded carbon source utilization, stress response pathways, and virulence. Here, we assessed the role of cAMP-CRP as a regulator of stress resistance and virulence in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the principal cause of urinary tract infections worldwide. Deletion of genes encoding either CRP or CyaA, the enzyme responsible for cAMP synthesis, attenuates the ability of UPEC to colonize the bladder in a mouse infection model, dependent on intact innate host defenses. UPEC mutants lacking cAMP-CRP grow normally in the presence of glucose but are unable to utilize alternate carbon sources like amino acids, the primary nutrients available to UPEC within the urinary tract. Relative to the wild-type UPEC isolate, the cyaA and crp deletion mutants are sensitive to nitrosative stress and the superoxide generator methyl viologen but remarkably resistant to hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) and acid stress. In the mutant strains, H(2)O(2) resistance correlates with elevated catalase activity attributable in part to enhanced translation of the alternate sigma factor RpoS. Acid resistance was promoted by both RpoS-independent and RpoS-dependent mechanisms, including expression of the RpoS-regulated DNA-binding ferritin-like protein Dps. We conclude that balanced input from many cAMP-CRP-responsive elements, including RpoS, is critical to the ability of UPEC to handle the nutrient limitations and severe environmental stresses present within the mammalian urinary tract.

Non-genetic diversity shapes infectious capacity and host resistance

The spontaneous generation of distinct phenotypes within a clonal population of cells allows for both bet-hedging at the population level and the division of labor among subpopulations. This is emerging as an important theme in bacterial pathogenesis, because bacterial pathogens exhibit phenotypic heterogeneity with respect to characteristics that impact virulence. The phenomenon of persister cells and models of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) pathogenesis illustrate the importance of non-genetic diversity in the disease process. Such heterogeneity can arise from specific genetic architectures amplifying stochastic fluctuations in factors affecting gene expression, and this also drives variation in eukaryotic cells. Thus reproducible variation in both host and pathogen processes affects the outcome of infection.

The regulatory network of natural competence and transformation of Vibrio cholerae

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic bacterium frequently encountered in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal regions. Within these environmental reservoirs, the bacterium is often found associated with zooplankton and more specifically with their chitinous exoskeleton. Upon growth on such chitinous surfaces, V. cholerae initiates a developmental program termed “natural competence for genetic transformation.” Natural competence for transformation is a mode of horizontal gene transfer in bacteria and contributes to the maintenance and evolution of bacterial genomes. In this study, we investigated competence gene expression within this organism at the single cell level. We provide evidence that under homogeneous inducing conditions the majority of the cells express competence genes. A more heterogeneous expression pattern was observable on chitin surfaces. We hypothesize that this was the case due to the heterogeneity around the chitin surface, which might vary extensively with respect to chitin degradation products and autoinducers; these molecules contribute to competence induction based on carbon catabolite repression and quorum-sensing pathways, respectively. Therefore, we investigated the contribution of these two signaling pathways to natural competence in detail using natural transformation assays, transcriptional reporter fusions, quantitative RT–PCR, and immunological detection of protein levels using Western blot analysis. The results illustrate that all tested competence genes are dependent on the transformation regulator TfoX. Furthermore, intracellular cAMP levels play a major role in natural transformation. Finally, we demonstrate that only a minority of genes involved in natural transformation are regulated in a quorum-sensing-dependent manner and that these genes determine the fate of the surrounding DNA. We conclude with a model of the regulatory circuit of chitin-induced natural competence in V. cholerae.

The human pathogen Vibrio cholerae is an aquatic bacterium often encountered in rivers, estuaries, and coastal regions. Within this environmental niche, the bacterium often associates with the chitinous exoskeleton of zooplankton. Upon colonization of these chitinous surfaces, V. cholerae switches on a developmental program known as natural competence for genetic transformation. Natural competence for transformation is a mode of horizontal gene transfer that allows bacteria to acquire new genes derived from free DNA, which is released by other members within the same habitat. The evolutionary consequences could be that the bacterial recipient becomes better adapted to its environmental niche or, in a worst-case scenario, more pathogenic for man. The results of this study show that, under optimal conditions, the majority of cells within a V. cholerae population express competence genes. However, in an aquatic environment, a combination of different ecological factors might lead to heterogeneity in the competence phenotype. Therefore, we investigated the role of extracellular and intracellular signaling molecules with respect to competence induction. This report illustrates that at least three interconnected signaling cascades are required for competence induction, which are based on bacterial metabolism and group behavior.

Cell individuality: the bistable gene expression of the type III secretion system in Dickeya dadantii 3937

Dickeya dadantii 3937 is a gram-negative phytopathogenic bacterium that expresses genes encoding a type III secretion system (T3SS) in a bistable pattern when cultured in a homogeneous minimal media. In this work, we further characterized the bistable gene expression of T3SS at the single-cell level. We demonstrated that bistable expression of the HrpL-regulon genes, such as hrpA and hrpN, is controlled by the same regulatory mechanism. We also showed that the expression level of the T3SS master regulatory gene hrpL plays an important role in the development of the bistable expression of hrpA. A high expression level of hrpL is required but unable to guarantee the high-state expression of hrpA in a cell. In addition, bistable expression patterns of T3SS genes in other gram-negative pathogens of the Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae families were also described in this study. This suggests that the T3SS bistability might be a conserved population behavior in several gram-negative bacterial pathogens.

RNA-Seq-based monitoring of infection-linked changes in Vibrio cholerae gene expression

Pathogens adapt to the host environment by altering their patterns of gene expression. Microarray-based and genetic techniques used to characterize bacterial gene expression during infection are limited in their ability to comprehensively and simultaneously monitor genome-wide transcription. We used massively parallel cDNA sequencing (RNA-seq) techniques to quantitatively catalog the transcriptome of the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae, derived from two animal models of infection. Transcripts elevated in infected rabbits and mice relative to laboratory media derive from the major known V. cholerae virulence factors and also from genes and small RNAs not previously linked to virulence. The RNA-seq data was coupled with metabolite analysis of cecal fluid from infected rabbits to yield insights into the host environment encountered by the pathogen and the mechanisms controlling pathogen gene expression. RNA-seq-based transcriptome analysis of pathogens during infection produces a robust, sensitive, and accessible data set for evaluation of regulatory responses driving pathogenesis.

The myriad roles of cyclic AMP in microbial pathogens: from signal to sword

All organisms must sense and respond to their external environments, and this signal transduction often involves second messengers such as cyclic nucleotides. One such nucleotide is cyclic AMP, a universal second messenger that is used by diverse forms of life, including mammals, fungi, protozoa and bacteria. In this review, we discuss the many roles of cAMP in bacterial, fungal and protozoan pathogens and its contributions to microbial pathogenesis. These roles include the coordination of intracellular processes, such as virulence gene expression, with extracellular signals from the environment, and the manipulation of host immunity by increasing cAMP levels in host cells during infection.

Protection and attachment of Vibrio cholerae mediated by the toxin-coregulated pilus in the infant mouse model

Colonization of the human small intestine by Vibrio cholerae is an essential step in pathogenesis that requires the type IV toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). To date, three functions of TCP have been characterized: it serves as the CTXΦ receptor, secretes the colonization factor TcpF, and functions in microcolony formation by mediating bacterium-bacterium interactions. Although type IV pili in other pathogenic bacteria have been characterized as playing a major role in attachment to epithelial cells, there are very few studies to suggest that TCP acts as an attachment factor. Taking this into consideration, we investigated the function of TCP in attachment to Caco-2 cells and found that mutants lacking TCP were defective in attachment compared to the wild type. Overexpression of ToxT, the activator of TCP, significantly increased attachment of wild-type V. cholerae to Caco-2 cells. Using field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), we also observed TCP-mediated attachment to the small intestines of infected infant mice by using antibodies specific to TCP and V. cholerae. Remarkably, we also visualized matrices comprised of TCP appearing to engulf V. cholerae during infection, and we demonstrated that these matrices protected the bacteria from a component of bile, disclosing a possible new role of this pilus in protection of the bacterial cells from antimicrobial agents. This study provides new insights into TCP's function in V. cholerae colonization of the small intestine, describing additional roles in mediating attachment and protection of V. cholerae bacterial cells.

A genome-wide approach to discovery of small RNAs involved in regulation of virulence in Vibrio cholerae

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are becoming increasingly recognized as important regulators in bacteria. To investigate the contribution of sRNA mediated regulation to virulence in Vibrio cholerae, we performed high throughput sequencing of cDNA generated from sRNA transcripts isolated from a strain ectopically expressing ToxT, the major transcriptional regulator within the virulence gene regulon. We compared this data set with ToxT binding sites determined by pulldown and deep sequencing to identify sRNA promoters directly controlled by ToxT. Analysis of the resulting transcripts with ToxT binding sites in cis revealed two sRNAs within the Vibrio Pathogenicity Island. When deletions of these sRNAs were made and the resulting strains were competed against the parental strain in the infant mouse model of V. cholerae colonization, one, TarB, displayed a variable colonization phenotype dependent on its physiological state at the time of inoculation. We identified a target of TarB as the mRNA for the secreted colonization factor, TcpF. We verified negative regulation of TcpF expression by TarB and, using point mutations that disrupted interaction between TarB and tpcF mRNA, showed that loss of this negative regulation was primarily responsible for the colonization phenotype observed in the TarB deletion mutant.