1
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Almási ÉDH, Knischewski N, Osbelt L, Muthukumarasamy U, El Mouali Y, Vialetto E, Beisel CL, Strowig T. An adapted method for Cas9-mediated editing reveals the species-specific role of β-glucoside utilization driving competition between Klebsiella species. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0031723. [PMID: 38353529 PMCID: PMC10955844 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00317-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Cas9-based gene editing tools have revolutionized genetics, enabling the fast and precise manipulation of diverse bacterial species. However, widely applicable genetic tools for non-model gut bacteria are unavailable. Here, we present a two-plasmid Cas9-based system designed for gene deletion and knock-in complementation in three members of the Klebsiella oxytoca species complex (KoSC), which we applied to study the genetic factors underlying the role of these bacteria in competition against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Firstly, the system allowed efficient and precise full-length gene deletion via enhanced lambda Red expression. Furthermore, we tested the efficiency of two independent, functionally validated complementation strategies. Ultimately, the insertion of universal "bookmark" targets during gene deletion subsequently allows the most optimal genetic complementation in K. oxytoca, Klebsiella michiganensis, and Klebsiella grimontii. This approach offers a significant advantage by enabling the use of a single high-efficiency "bookmark" for complementing other loci or strains, eliminating the need for site-specific design. We revealed that the carbohydrate permease CasA is critical in ex vivo assays for K. pneumoniae inhibition by K. oxytoca but is neither sufficient nor required for K. michiganensis and K. grimontii. Thus, the adaptation of state-of-the-art genetic tools to KoSC allows the identification of species-specific functions in microbial competition. IMPORTANCE Cas9-based gene editing tools have revolutionized bacterial genetics, yet, their application to non-model gut bacteria is frequently hampered by various limitations. We utilized a two-plasmid Cas9-based system designed for gene deletion in Klebsiella pneumoniae and demonstrate after optimization its utility for gene editing in three members of the Klebsiella oxytoca species complex (KoSC) namely K. oxytoca, Klebsiella michiganensis, and Klebsiella grimontii. We then adapted a recently developed protocol for functional complementation based on universal "bookmark" targets applicable to all tested species. In summary, species-specific adaptation of state-of-the-art genetic tools allows efficient gene deletion and complementation in type strains as well as natural isolates of KoSC members to study microbial interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Éva d. H. Almási
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Nele Knischewski
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Lisa Osbelt
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | | | - Youssef El Mouali
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Elena Vialetto
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Chase L. Beisel
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Till Strowig
- Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Braunschweig, Germany
- Center for Individualized Infection Medicine, Hannover, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
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2
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Wantuch PL, Knoot CJ, Robinson LS, Vinogradov E, Scott NE, Harding CM, Rosen DA. A heptavalent O-antigen bioconjugate vaccine exhibits differential functional antibody responses against diverse Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.12.571344. [PMID: 38168360 PMCID: PMC10760053 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.12.571344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae is a concerning pathogen that is now the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and is increasingly difficult to treat due to heightened antibiotic resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need for preventive and effective immunotherapies targeting K. pneumoniae. Vaccination represents a tractable approach to combat this resistant bacterium in some settings; however, there is currently not a licensed K. pneumoniae vaccine available. K. pneumoniae surface polysaccharides, including the terminal O-antigen polysaccharides of lipopolysaccharide, have long been attractive candidates for vaccine inclusion. Herein we describe the generation of a bioconjugate vaccine targeting seven of the predominant O-antigen subtypes in K. pneumoniae. Each of the seven bioconjugates were immunogenic in isolation, with limited cross-reactivity among subtypes. Vaccine-induced antibodies demonstrated varying degrees of binding to a wide variety of K. pneumoniae strains, including suspected hypervirulent strains, all expressing different O-antigen and capsular polysaccharide combinations. Further, sera from vaccinated mice induced complement-mediated killing of many of these K. pneumoniae strains. Finally, we found that increased quantity of capsule interferes with O-antigen antibodies' ability to bind and mediate killing of some K. pneumoniae strains, including those carrying hypervirulence-associated genes. Taken together, these data indicate that this novel heptavalent O-antigen bioconjugate vaccine formulation exhibits promising efficacy against some, but not all, K. pneumoniae isolates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paeton L Wantuch
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | | | - Evgeny Vinogradov
- National Research Council Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Centre, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
| | - Nichollas E Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | | | - David A Rosen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110. USA
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3
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Piña-Iturbe A, Hoppe-Elsholz G, Suazo ID, Kalergis AM, Bueno SM. Subinhibitory antibiotic concentrations promote the excision of a genomic island carried by the globally spread carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type 258. Microb Genom 2023; 9:001138. [PMID: 38079200 PMCID: PMC10763509 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The ICEKp258.2 genomic island (GI) has been proposed as an important factor for the emergence and success of the globally spread carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae sequence type (ST) 258. However, a characterization of this horizontally acquired element is lacking. Using bioinformatic and experimental approaches, we found that ICEKp258.2 is not confined to ST258 and ST512, but also carried by ST3795 strains and emergent invasive multidrug-resistant pathogens from ST1519. We also identified several ICEKp258.2-like GIs spread among different K. pneumoniae STs, other Klebsiella species and even other pathogen genera, uncovering horizontal gene transfer events between different STs and bacterial genera. Also, the comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the ICEKp258.2-like GIs revealed that the most closely related ICEKp258.2-like GIs were harboured by ST11 strains. Importantly, we found that subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics used in treating K. pneumoniae infections can induce the excision of this GI and modulate its gene expression. Our findings provide the basis for the study of ICEKp258.2 and its role in the success of K. pneumoniae ST258. They also highlight the potential role of antibiotics in the spread of ICEKp258.2-like GIs among bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Piña-Iturbe
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Present address: Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Agronomía y Sistemas Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 7820436, Chile
| | - Guillermo Hoppe-Elsholz
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Isidora D. Suazo
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
| | - Alexis M. Kalergis
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
- Departamento de Endocrinología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8330023, Chile
| | - Susan M. Bueno
- Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile
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4
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Wantuch PL, Knoot CJ, Robinson LS, Vinogradov E, Scott NE, Harding CM, Rosen DA. Capsular polysaccharide inhibits vaccine-induced O-antigen antibody binding and function across both classical and hypervirulent K2:O1 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011367. [PMID: 37146068 PMCID: PMC10191323 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae presents as two circulating pathotypes: classical K. pneumoniae (cKp) and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae (hvKp). Classical isolates are considered urgent threats due to their antibiotic resistance profiles, while hvKp isolates have historically been antibiotic susceptible. Recently, however, increased rates of antibiotic resistance have been observed in both hvKp and cKp, further underscoring the need for preventive and effective immunotherapies. Two distinct surface polysaccharides have gained traction as vaccine candidates against K. pneumoniae: capsular polysaccharide and the O-antigen of lipopolysaccharide. While both targets have practical advantages and disadvantages, it remains unclear which of these antigens included in a vaccine would provide superior protection against matched K. pneumoniae strains. Here, we report the production of two bioconjugate vaccines, one targeting the K2 capsular serotype and the other targeting the O1 O-antigen. Using murine models, we investigated whether these vaccines induced specific antibody responses that recognize K2:O1 K. pneumoniae strains. While each vaccine was immunogenic in mice, both cKp and hvKp strains exhibited decreased O-antibody binding in the presence of capsule. Further, O1 antibodies demonstrated decreased killing in serum bactericidal assays with encapsulated strains, suggesting that the presence of K. pneumoniae capsule blocks O1-antibody binding and function. Finally, the K2 vaccine outperformed the O1 vaccine against both cKp and hvKp in two different murine infection models. These data suggest that capsule-based vaccines may be superior to O-antigen vaccines for targeting hvKp and some cKp strains, due to capsule blocking the O-antigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paeton L. Wantuch
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Cory J. Knoot
- Omniose, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
| | | | - Evgeny Vinogradov
- National Research Council Canada, Human Health Therapeutics Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nichollas E. Scott
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - David A. Rosen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
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5
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Determination of Mutational Timing of Colistin-Resistance Genes through Klebsiella pneumoniae Evolution. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:pharmaceutics15010270. [PMID: 36678901 PMCID: PMC9862994 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15010270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and dissemination of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP), one of the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), is now an emerging cause of antibiotic-resistant nosocomial infections associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Colistin, or polymyxin E, is a last-resort peptide antibiotic used to treat multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacterial infections including KP. Unfortunately, resistance to colistin is rising with increasing use in the clinical setting. Although clinical evidence links certain mutations to colistin resistance (COL-R) in KP, the origination and association of the mutations remain unclear. We hypothesize that the timing of COL-R mutations influences the development and progression of KP resistance to colistin. We performed planktonic and biofilm in vitro experimental evolutions of KP strain ATCC 43816 under increasing colistin concentrations to characterize the temporal regulation of critical COL-R mutations throughout COL-R progression. The resistance generation and mutation profiles of independently evolved bacterial populations with different lifestyles were compared. Genes with various functions theorize the timeline in which key mutations are generated and their roles in the progression of COL-R. Our results aim to advance the research and development of effective therapeutics to treat MDR bacterial infection as the dissemination of CRE continues to be a severe public health threat.
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6
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Alfaro T, Elmore JR, Stromberg ZR, Hutchison JR, Hess BM. Engineering Citrobacter freundii using CRISPR/Cas9 system. METHODS IN MICROBIOLOGY 2022; 200:106533. [PMID: 35779647 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2022.106533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR associated proteins) system is a useful tool to edit genomes quickly and efficiently. However, the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to edit bacterial genomes has been limited to select microbial chassis primarily used for bioproduction of high value products. Thus, expansion of CRISPR/Cas9 tools to other microbial organisms is needed. Here, our aim was to assess the suitability of CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing of the Citrobacter freundii type strain ATCC 8090. We evaluated the commonly used two plasmid pCas/pTargetF system to enable gene deletions and insertions in C. freundii and determined editing efficiency. The CRISPR/Cas9 based method enabled high editing efficiency (~91%) for deletion of galactokinase (galk) and enabled deletion with various single guide RNA (sgRNA) sequences. To assess the ability of CRISPR/Cas9 tools to insert genes, we used the fluorescent reporter mNeonGreen, an endopeptidase (yebA), and a transcriptional regulator (xylS) and found successful insertion with high efficiency (81-100%) of each gene individually. These results strengthen and expand the use of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to C. freundii as an additional microbial chassis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinidad Alfaro
- Chemical and Biological Signatures Group, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Joshua R Elmore
- Synthetic Biology Group, Earth and Biological Science Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Zachary R Stromberg
- Chemical and Biological Signatures Group, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Janine R Hutchison
- Chemical and Biological Signatures Group, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Becky M Hess
- Chemical and Biological Signatures Group, National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA.
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7
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Wong Fok Lung T, Charytonowicz D, Beaumont KG, Shah SS, Sridhar SH, Gorrie CL, Mu A, Hofstaedter CE, Varisco D, McConville TH, Drikic M, Fowler B, Urso A, Shi W, Fucich D, Annavajhala MK, Khan IN, Oussenko I, Francoeur N, Smith ML, Stockwell BR, Lewis IA, Hachani A, Upadhyay Baskota S, Uhlemann AC, Ahn D, Ernst RK, Howden BP, Sebra R, Prince A. Klebsiella pneumoniae induces host metabolic stress that promotes tolerance to pulmonary infection. Cell Metab 2022; 34:761-774.e9. [PMID: 35413274 PMCID: PMC9081115 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
K. pneumoniae sequence type 258 (Kp ST258) is a major cause of healthcare-associated pneumonia. However, it remains unclear how it causes protracted courses of infection in spite of its expression of immunostimulatory lipopolysaccharide, which should activate a brisk inflammatory response and bacterial clearance. We predicted that the metabolic stress induced by the bacteria in the host cells shapes an immune response that tolerates infection. We combined in situ metabolic imaging and transcriptional analyses to demonstrate that Kp ST258 activates host glutaminolysis and fatty acid oxidation. This response creates an oxidant-rich microenvironment conducive to the accumulation of anti-inflammatory myeloid cells. In this setting, metabolically active Kp ST258 elicits a disease-tolerant immune response. The bacteria, in turn, adapt to airway oxidants by upregulating the type VI secretion system, which is highly conserved across ST258 strains worldwide. Thus, much of the global success of Kp ST258 in hospital settings can be explained by the metabolic activity provoked in the host that promotes disease tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Charytonowicz
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Kristin G Beaumont
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Shivang S Shah
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Shwetha H Sridhar
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Claire L Gorrie
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Andre Mu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Casey E Hofstaedter
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - David Varisco
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | | | - Marija Drikic
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Brandon Fowler
- Microbiome & Pathogen Genomics Collaborative Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Andreacarola Urso
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Wei Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Dario Fucich
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Medini K Annavajhala
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Microbiome & Pathogen Genomics Collaborative Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Ibrahim N Khan
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Irina Oussenko
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Nancy Francoeur
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Melissa L Smith
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Brent R Stockwell
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Ian A Lewis
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Abderrahman Hachani
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | | | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; Microbiome & Pathogen Genomics Collaborative Center, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Danielle Ahn
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Benjamin P Howden
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia; Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Robert Sebra
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mt. Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA; Sema4: A Mount Sinai Venture, Stamford, CT 06902, USA
| | - Alice Prince
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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8
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Ahn D, Bhushan G, McConville TH, Annavajhala MK, Soni RK, Wong Fok Lung T, Hofstaedter CE, Shah SS, Chong AM, Castano VG, Ernst RK, Uhlemann AC, Prince A. An acquired acyltransferase promotes Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 respiratory infection. Cell Rep 2021; 35:109196. [PMID: 34077733 PMCID: PMC8283688 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Klebsiella pneumoniae ST258 is a human pathogen associated with poor outcomes worldwide. We identify a member of the acyltransferase superfamily 3 (atf3), enriched within the ST258 clade, that provides a major competitive advantage for the proliferation of these organisms in vivo. Comparison of a wild-type ST258 strain (KP35) and a Δatf3 isogenic mutant generated by CRISPR-Cas9 targeting reveals greater NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase transcription and ATP generation, fueled by increased glycolysis. The acquisition of atf3 induces changes in the bacterial acetylome, promoting lysine acetylation of multiple proteins involved in central metabolism, specifically Zwf (glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase). The atf3-mediated metabolic boost leads to greater consumption of glucose in the host airway and increased bacterial burden in the lung, independent of cytokine levels and immune cell recruitment. Acquisition of this acyltransferase enhances fitness of a K. pneumoniae ST258 isolate and may contribute to the success of this clonal complex as a healthcare-associated pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Ahn
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Gitanjali Bhushan
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Thomas H McConville
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Medini K Annavajhala
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Rajesh Kumar Soni
- Proteomics and Macromolecular Crystallography Shared Resource, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Tania Wong Fok Lung
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Casey E Hofstaedter
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Shivang S Shah
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Alexander M Chong
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Victor G Castano
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Robert K Ernst
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, University of Maryland, Baltimore, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Anne-Catrin Uhlemann
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Alice Prince
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
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