Growth, cellular differentiation and virulence factor expression by Proteus mirabilis in vitro and in vivo

Molecular detection of HpmA and HlyA hemolysin of uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the bacterial infections frequently documented in humans. Proteus mirabilis is associated with UTI mainly in individuals with urinary tract abnormality or related with vesicular catheterism and it can be difficult to treat because of the formation of stones in the bladder and kidneys. These stones are formed due to the presence of urease synthesized by the bacteria. Another important factor is that P. mirabilis produces hemolysin HpmA, used by the bacteria to damage the kidney tissues. Proteus spp. samples can also express HlyA hemolysin, similar to that found in Escherichia coli. A total of 211 uropathogenic P. mirabilis isolates were analyzed to detect the presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes by the techniques of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and dot blot and hlyA by PCR. The hpmA and hpmB genes were expressed by the RT-PCR technique and two P. mirabilis isolates were sequenced for the hpmA and hpmB genes. The presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes was confirmed by PCR in 205 (97.15 %) of the 211 isolates. The dot blot confirmed the presence of the hpmA and hpmB genes in the isolates that did not amplify in the PCR. None of the isolates studied presented the hlyA gene. The hpmA and hpmB genes that were sequenced presented 98 % identity with the same genes of the HI4320 P. mirabilis sample. This study showed that the PCR technique has good sensitivity for detecting the hpmA and hpmB genes of P. mirabilis.

Adhesion, invasion, and agglutination mediated by two trimeric autotransporters in the human uropathogen Proteus mirabilis

Fimbriae of the human uropathogen Proteus mirabilis are the only characterized surface proteins that contribute to its virulence by mediating adhesion and invasion of the uroepithelia. PMI2122 (AipA) and PMI2575 (TaaP) are annotated in the genome of strain HI4320 as trimeric autotransporters with "adhesin-like" and "agglutinating adhesin-like" properties, respectively. The C-terminal 62 amino acids (aa) in AipA and 76 aa in TaaP are homologous to the translocator domains of YadA from Yersinia enterocolitica and Hia from Haemophilus influenzae. Comparative protein modeling using the Hia three-dimensional structure as a template predicted that each of these domains would contain four antiparallel beta sheets and that they formed homotrimers. Recombinant AipA and TaaP were seen as ∼28 kDa and ∼78 kDa, respectively, in Escherichia coli, and each also formed high-molecular-weight homotrimers, thus supporting this model. E. coli synthesizing AipA or TaaP bound to extracellular matrix proteins with a 10- to 60-fold-higher level of affinity than the control strain. Inactivation of aipA in P. mirabilis strains significantly (P < 0.01) reduced the mutants' ability to adhere to or invade HEK293 cell monolayers, and the functions were restored upon complementation. A 51-aa-long invasin region in the AipA passenger domain was required for this function. E. coli expressing TaaP mediated autoagglutination, and a taaP mutant of P. mirabilis showed significantly (P < 0.05) more reduced aggregation than HI4320. Gly-247 in AipA and Gly-708 in TaaP were indispensable for trimerization and activity. AipA and TaaP individually offered advantages to P. mirabilis in a murine model. This is the first report characterizing trimeric autotransporters in P. mirabilis as afimbrial surface adhesins and autoagglutinins.

An iron-regulated outer-membrane protein of Proteus mirabilis is a haem receptor that plays an important role in urinary tract infection and in in vivo growth

Proteus mirabilis, a common cause of urinary tract infections, expresses iron-regulated outer-membrane proteins (OMPs) in response to iron restriction. It has been suggested that a 64 kDa OMP is involved in haemoprotein uptake and that this might have a role in pathogenesis. In order to confirm this hypothesis, this study generated a P. mirabilis mutant strain (P7) that did not express the 64 kDa OMP, by insertion of the TnphoA transposon. The nucleotide sequence of the interrupted gene revealed that it corresponded to a haemin receptor precursor. Moreover, in vitro growth assays showed that the mutant was unable to grow using haemoglobin and haemin as unique iron sources. The authors also carried out in vivo growth and infectivity assays and demonstrated that P7 was not able to survive in an in vivo model and was less efficient than wild-type strain Pr 6515 in colonizing the urinary tract. These results confirmed that the P. mirabilis 64 kDa iron-regulated OMP is a haem receptor that has an important role for survival and multiplication of these bacteria in the mammalian host and in the development of urinary tract infection.