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Gaston JR, Johnson AO, Bair KL, White AN, Armbruster CE. Polymicrobial interactions in the urinary tract: is the enemy of my enemy my friend? Infect Immun 2021; 89:IAI.00652-20. [PMID: 33431702 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00652-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The vast majority of research pertaining to urinary tract infection has focused on a single pathogen in isolation, and predominantly Escherichia coli. However, polymicrobial urine colonization and infection are prevalent in several patient populations, including individuals with urinary catheters. The progression from asymptomatic colonization to symptomatic infection and severe disease is likely shaped by interactions between traditional pathogens as well as constituents of the normal urinary microbiota. Recent studies have begun to experimentally dissect the contribution of polymicrobial interactions to disease outcomes in the urinary tract, including their role in development of antimicrobial-resistant biofilm communities, modulating the innate immune response, tissue damage, and sepsis. This review aims to summarize the epidemiology of polymicrobial urine colonization, provide an overview of common urinary tract pathogens, and present key microbe-microbe and host-microbe interactions that influence infection progression, persistence, and severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan R Gaston
- Department of Medicine, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
| | - Alexandra O Johnson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
| | - Kirsten L Bair
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
| | - Ashley N White
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
| | - Chelsie E Armbruster
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo
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2
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Lerminiaux NA, MacKenzie KD, Cameron ADS. Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 (SPI-1): The Evolution and Stabilization of a Core Genomic Type Three Secretion System. Microorganisms 2020; 8:microorganisms8040576. [PMID: 32316180 PMCID: PMC7232297 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8040576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 (SPI-1) encodes a type three secretion system (T3SS), effector proteins, and associated transcription factors that together enable invasion of epithelial cells in animal intestines. The horizontal acquisition of SPI-1 by the common ancestor of all Salmonella is considered a prime example of how gene islands potentiate the emergence of new pathogens with expanded niche ranges. However, the evolutionary history of SPI-1 has attracted little attention. Here, we apply phylogenetic comparisons across the family Enterobacteriaceae to examine the history of SPI-1, improving the resolution of its boundaries and unique architecture by identifying its composite gene modules. SPI-1 is located between the core genes fhlA and mutS, a hotspot for the gain and loss of horizontally acquired genes. Despite the plasticity of this locus, SPI-1 demonstrates stable residency of many tens of millions of years in a host genome, unlike short-lived homologous T3SS and effector islands including Escherichia ETT2, Yersinia YSA, Pantoea PSI-2, Sodalis SSR2, and Chromobacterium CPI-1. SPI-1 employs a unique series of regulatory switches, starting with the dedicated transcription factors HilC and HilD, and flowing through the central SPI-1 regulator HilA. HilA is shared with other T3SS, but HilC and HilD may have their evolutionary origins in Salmonella. The hilA, hilC, and hilD gene promoters are the most AT-rich DNA in SPI-1, placing them under tight control by the transcriptional repressor H-NS. In all Salmonella lineages, these three promoters resist amelioration towards the genomic average, ensuring strong repression by H-NS. Hence, early development of a robust and well-integrated regulatory network may explain the evolutionary stability of SPI-1 compared to T3SS gene islands in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A. Lerminiaux
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; (N.A.L.); (K.D.M.)
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Keith D. MacKenzie
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; (N.A.L.); (K.D.M.)
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Andrew D. S. Cameron
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada; (N.A.L.); (K.D.M.)
- Institute for Microbial Systems and Society, Faculty of Science, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
- Correspondence:
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3
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Zinc acquisition via ZnuABC in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis facilitates resistance to oxidative stress. ANN MICROBIOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s13213-016-1205-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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4
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Vanga BR, Ramakrishnan P, Butler RC, Toth IK, Ronson CW, Jacobs JME, Pitman AR. Mobilization of horizontally acquired island 2 is induced in planta in the phytopathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum SCRI1043 and involves the putative relaxase ECA0613 and quorum sensing. Environ Microbiol 2015; 17:4730-44. [PMID: 26271942 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Integrative and conjugative elements (ICEs) contribute to the rapid evolution of bacterial pathogens via horizontal gene transfer of virulence determinants. ICEs have common mechanisms for transmission, yet the cues triggering this process under natural environmental or physiological conditions are largely unknown. In this study, mobilization of the putative ICE horizontally acquired island 2 (HAI2), present in the chromosome of the phytopathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum SCRI1043, was examined during infection of the host plant potato. Under these conditions, mobilization of HAI2 increased markedly compared with in vitro cultures. In planta-induced mobilization of HAI2 was regulated by quorum sensing and involved the putative ICE-encoded relaxase ECA0613. Disruption of ECA0613 also reduced transcription of genes involved in production of coronafacic acid (Cfa), the major virulence factor harboured on HAI2, whereas their expression was unaffected in the quorum-sensing (expI) mutant. Thus, suppression of cfa gene expression was not regulated by the mobilization of the ICE per se, but was due directly to inactivation of the relaxase. The identification of genetic factors associated solely with in planta mobilization of an ICE demonstrates that this process is highly adapted to the natural environment of the bacterial host and can influence the expression of virulence determinants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhanupratap R Vanga
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Pavithra Ramakrishnan
- Bioprotection Research Centre, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Canterbury, 7647, New Zealand
| | - Ruth C Butler
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand
| | - Ian K Toth
- James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA, UK
| | - Clive W Ronson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Jeanne M E Jacobs
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.,Bioprotection Research Centre, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Canterbury, 7647, New Zealand
| | - Andrew R Pitman
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Private Bag 4704, Christchurch, 8140, New Zealand.,Bioprotection Research Centre, Lincoln University, PO Box 84, Canterbury, 7647, New Zealand
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Valentin-Weigand P, Heesemann J, Dersch P. Unique virulence properties of Yersinia enterocolitica O:3 – An emerging zoonotic pathogen using pigs as preferred reservoir host. Int J Med Microbiol 2014; 304:824-34. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2014.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
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6
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Quiroz TS, Nieto PA, Tobar HE, Salazar-Echegarai FJ, Lizana RJ, Quezada CP, Santiviago CA, Araya DV, Riedel CA, Kalergis AM, Bueno SM. Excision of an unstable pathogenicity island in Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is induced during infection of phagocytic cells. PLoS One 2011; 6:e26031. [PMID: 22039432 PMCID: PMC3198454 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0026031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2011] [Accepted: 09/15/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The availability of the complete genome sequence of several Salmonella enterica serovars has revealed the presence of unstable genetic elements in these bacteria, such as pathogenicity islands and prophages. This is the case of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis), a bacterium that causes gastroenteritis in humans and systemic infection in mice. The whole genome sequence analysis for S. Enteritidis unveiled the presence of several genetic regions that are absent in other Salmonella serovars. These regions have been denominated “regions of difference” (ROD). In this study we show that ROD21, one of such regions, behaves as an unstable pathogenicity island. We observed that ROD21 undergoes spontaneous excision by two independent recombination events, either under laboratory growth conditions or during infection of murine cells. Importantly, we also found that one type of excision occurred at higher rates when S. Enteritidis was residing inside murine phagocytic cells. These data suggest that ROD21 is an unstable pathogenicity island, whose frequency of excision depends on the environmental conditions found inside phagocytic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania S. Quiroz
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pamela A. Nieto
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Hugo E. Tobar
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco J. Salazar-Echegarai
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo J. Lizana
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina P. Quezada
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos A. Santiviago
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Daniela V. Araya
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Claudia A. Riedel
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas y Facultad de Medicina, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Universidad Andrés Bello, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alexis M. Kalergis
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Departamento de Reumatología, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Susan M. Bueno
- Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
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Schneider G, Dobrindt U, Middendorf B, Hochhut B, Szijártó V, Emody L, Hacker J. Mobilisation and remobilisation of a large archetypal pathogenicity island of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in vitro support the role of conjugation for horizontal transfer of genomic islands. BMC Microbiol 2011; 11:210. [PMID: 21943043 PMCID: PMC3202238 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-11-210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2011] [Accepted: 09/24/2011] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background A substantial amount of data has been accumulated supporting the important role of genomic islands (GEIs) - including pathogenicity islands (PAIs) - in bacterial genome plasticity and the evolution of bacterial pathogens. Their instability and the high level sequence similarity of different (partial) islands suggest an exchange of PAIs between strains of the same or even different bacterial species by horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Transfer events of archetypal large genomic islands of enterobacteria which often lack genes required for mobilisation or transfer have been rarely investigated so far. Results To study mobilisation of such large genomic regions in prototypic uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strain 536, PAI II536 was supplemented with the mobRP4 region, an origin of replication (oriVR6K), an origin of transfer (oriTRP4) and a chloramphenicol resistance selection marker. In the presence of helper plasmid RP4, conjugative transfer of the 107-kb PAI II536 construct occured from strain 536 into an E. coli K-12 recipient. In transconjugants, PAI II536 existed either as a cytoplasmic circular intermediate (CI) or integrated site-specifically into the recipient's chromosome at the leuX tRNA gene. This locus is the chromosomal integration site of PAI II536 in UPEC strain 536. From the E. coli K-12 recipient, the chromosomal PAI II536 construct as well as the CIs could be successfully remobilised and inserted into leuX in a PAI II536 deletion mutant of E. coli 536. Conclusions Our results corroborate that mobilisation and conjugal transfer may contribute to evolution of bacterial pathogens through horizontal transfer of large chromosomal regions such as PAIs. Stabilisation of these mobile genetic elements in the bacterial chromosome result from selective loss of mobilisation and transfer functions of genomic islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- György Schneider
- Institute for Molecular Infection Biology, University of Würzburg, Josef-Schneider-Str, 2/Building D15, Würzburg, 97070, Germany
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Batzilla J, Antonenka U, Höper D, Heesemann J, Rakin A. Yersinia enterocolitica palearctica serobiotype O:3/4--a successful group of emerging zoonotic pathogens. BMC Genomics 2011; 12:348. [PMID: 21733159 PMCID: PMC3161016 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-12-348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 07/06/2011] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background High-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica ssp. enterocolitica caused several human outbreaks in Northern America. In contrast, low pathogenic Y. enterocolitica ssp. palearctica serobiotype O:3/4 is responsible for sporadic cases worldwide with asymptomatic pigs being the main source of infection. Genomes of three Y. enterocolitica ssp. palearctica serobiotype O:3/4 human isolates (including the completely sequenced Y11 German DSMZ type strain) were compared to the high-pathogenic Y. enterocolitica ssp. enterocolitica 8081 O:8/1B to address the peculiarities of the O:3/4 group. Results Most high-pathogenicity-associated determinants of Y. enterocolitica ssp. enterocolitica (like the High-Pathogenicity Island, yts1 type 2 and ysa type 3 secretion systems) are absent in Y. enterocolitica ssp. palearctica serobiotype O:3/4 genomes. On the other hand they possess alternative putative virulence and fitness factors, such as a different ysp type 3 secretion system, an RtxA-like and insecticidal toxins, and a N-acetyl-galactosamine (GalNAc) PTS system (aga-operon). Horizontal acquisition of two prophages and a tRNA-Asn-associated GIYep-01 genomic island might also influence the Y. enterocolitica ssp. palearctica serobiotype O:3/4 pathoadaptation. We demonstrated recombination activity of the PhiYep-3 prophage and the GIYep-01 island and the ability of the aga-operon to support the growth of the Y. enterocolitica ssp. enterocolitica O:8/1B on GalNAc. Conclusions Y. enterocolitica ssp. palearctica serobiotype O:3/4 experienced a shift to an alternative patchwork of virulence and fitness determinants that might play a significant role in its host pathoadaptation and successful worldwide dissemination.
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Bielaszewska M, Middendorf B, Tarr PI, Zhang W, Prager R, Aldick T, Dobrindt U, Karch H, Mellmann A. Chromosomal instability in enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7: impact on adherence, tellurite resistance and colony phenotype. Mol Microbiol 2011; 79:1024-44. [PMID: 21299654 PMCID: PMC3064760 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07499.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Tellurite (Tel) resistant enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a global pathogen. In strain EDL933 Tel resistance (TelR) is encoded by duplicate ter cluster in O islands (OI) 43 and 48, which also harbour iha, encoding the adhesin and siderophore receptor Iha. We identified five EHEC O157:H7 strains that differentiate into large (L) colonies and small (S) colonies with high and low Tel minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) respectively. S colonies (Tel-MICs ≤ 4 µg ml−1) sustained large internal deletions within the TelR OIs via homologous recombination between IS elements and lost ter and iha. Moreover, complete excision of the islands occurred by site-specific recombination between flanking direct repeats. Complete excision of OI 43 and OI 48 occurred in 1.81 × 10−3 and 1.97 × 10−4 cells in culture, respectively; internal deletion of OI 48 was more frequent (9.7 × 10−1 cells). Under iron limitation that promotes iha transcription, iha-negative derivatives adhered less well to human intestinal epithelial cells and grew slower than did their iha-positive counterparts. Experiments utilizing iha deletion and complementation mutants identified Iha as the major factor responsible for these phenotypic differences. Spontaneous deletions affecting TelR OIs contribute to EHEC O157 genome plasticity and might impair virulence and/or fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Bielaszewska
- Institute of Hygiene and the National Consulting Laboratory on Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome, University of Münster, Robert Koch Str. 41, 48149 Münster, Germany.
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Brodsky IE, Medzhitov R. Reduced secretion of YopJ by Yersinia limits in vivo cell death but enhances bacterial virulence. PLoS Pathog 2008; 4:e1000067. [PMID: 18483548 PMCID: PMC2361194 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1000067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2008] [Accepted: 04/11/2008] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous microbial pathogens modulate or interfere with cell death pathways in cultured cells. However, the precise role of host cell death during in vivo infection remains poorly understood. Macrophages infected by pathogenic species of Yersinia typically undergo an apoptotic cell death. This is due to the activity of a Type III secreted effector protein, designated YopJ in Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. pestis, and YopP in the closely related Y. enterocolitica. It has recently been reported that Y. enterocolitica YopP shows intrinsically greater capacity for being secreted than Y. pestis YopJ, and that this correlates with enhanced cytotoxicity observed for high virulence serotypes of Y. enterocolitica. The enzymatic activity and secretory capacity of YopP from different Y. enterocolitica serotypes have been shown to be variable. However, the underlying basis for differential secretion of YopJ/YopP, and whether reduced secretion of YopJ by Y. pestis plays a role in pathogenesis during in vivo infection, is not currently known. It has also been reported that similar to macrophages, Y. enterocolitica infection of dendritic cells leads to YopP-dependent cell death. We demonstrate here that in contrast to Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis infection of bone marrow–derived dendritic cells does not lead to increased cell death. However, death of Y. pseudotuberculosis–infected dendritic cells is enhanced by ectopic expression of YopP in place of YopJ. We further show that polymorphisms at the N-terminus of the YopP/YopJ proteins are responsible for their differential secretion, translocation, and consequent cytotoxicity. Mutation of two amino acids in YopJ markedly enhanced both translocation and cytotoxicity. Surprisingly, expression of YopP or a hypersecreted mutant of YopJ in Y. pseudotuberculosis resulted in its attenuation in oral mouse infection. Complete absence of YopJ also resulted in attenuation of virulence, in accordance with previous observations. These findings suggest that control of cytotoxicity is an important virulence property for Y. pseudotuberculosis, and that intermediate levels of YopJ-mediated cytotoxicity are necessary for maximal systemic virulence of this bacterial pathogen. The ability of bacterial pathogens to modulate death of infected host cells is an important virulence determinant. For pathogenic members of the genus Yersinia, the type III secreted effector protein YopJ/YopP is required for Yersinia-induced macrophage death. The YopJ protein is expressed by Y. pseudotuberculosis, while the ninety-four percent identical YopP protein is expressed by Y. enterocolitica. Y. enterocolitica infection also triggers YopP-dependent killing of dendritic cells, which are critical antigen presenting cells of the immune system. We demonstrate that in contrast to macrophages, dendritic cells are resistant to Y. pseudotuberculosis-mediated cytotoxicity. However, Y. pseudotuberculosis expressing YopP in place of YopJ was highly cytotoxic toward dendritic cells. This difference in cytotoxicity was attributable to a difference in the delivery of YopJ and YopP into mammalian cells. Furthermore, mutation of two amino acids at the N-terminus of YopJ enhanced its delivery and cytotoxicity. Remarkably, we found that enhancing the cytotoxicity of Y. pseudotuberculosis by expression of YopP led to its attenuation in a mouse model of Yersinia infection. This indicates that optimal virulence for a given pathogen requires careful regulation of virulence properties and highlights the potential evolutionary tradeoffs between cellular cytotoxicity and in vivo virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor E. Brodsky
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail: (IEB); (RM)
| | - Ruslan Medzhitov
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Section of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail: (IEB); (RM)
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11
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Abstract
Yersinia pestis, the highly virulent agent of plague, is a biological weapon. Strategies that prevent plague have been sought for centuries, and immunization with live, attenuated (nonpigmented) strains or subunit vaccines with F1 (Caf1) antigen is considered effective. We show here that immunization with live, attenuated strains generates plague-protective immunity and humoral immune responses against F1 pilus antigen and LcrV. Y. pestis variants lacking caf1 (F1 pili) are not only fully virulent in animal models of bubonic and pneumonic plague but also break through immune responses generated with live, attenuated strains or F1 subunit vaccines. In contrast, immunization with purified LcrV, a protein at the tip of type III needles, generates protective immunity against the wild-type and the fully virulent caf1 mutant strain, in agreement with the notion that LcrV can elicit vaccine protection against both types of virulent plague strains.
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Ullrich S, Kube M, Schübbe S, Reinhardt R, Schüler D. A hypervariable 130-kilobase genomic region of Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense comprises a magnetosome island which undergoes frequent rearrangements during stationary growth. J Bacteriol 2005; 187:7176-84. [PMID: 16237001 PMCID: PMC1272989 DOI: 10.1128/jb.187.21.7176-7184.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 164] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes involved in magnetite biomineralization are clustered in the genome of the magnetotactic bacterium Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense. We analyzed a 482-kb genomic fragment, in which we identified an approximately 130-kb region representing a putative genomic "magnetosome island" (MAI). In addition to all known magnetosome genes, the MAI contains genes putatively involved in magnetosome biomineralization and numerous genes with unknown functions, as well as pseudogenes, and it is particularly rich in insertion elements. Substantial sequence polymorphism of clones from different subcultures indicated that this region undergoes frequent rearrangements during serial subcultivation in the laboratory. Spontaneous mutants affected in magnetosome formation arise at a frequency of up to 10(-2) after prolonged storage of cells at 4 degrees C or exposure to oxidative stress. All nonmagnetic mutants exhibited extended and multiple deletions in the MAI and had lost either parts of or the entire mms and mam gene clusters encoding magnetosome proteins. The mutations were polymorphic with respect to the sites and extents of deletions, but all mutations were found to be associated with the loss of various copies of insertion elements, as revealed by Southern hybridization and PCR analysis. Insertions and deletions in the MAI were also found in different magnetosome-producing clones, indicating that parts of this region are not essential for the magnetic phenotype. Our data suggest that the genomic MAI undergoes frequent transposition events, which lead to subsequent deletion by homologous recombination under physiological stress conditions. This can be interpreted in terms of adaptation to physiological stress and might contribute to the genetic plasticity and mobilization of the magnetosome island.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Ullrich
- MPI für Marine Mikrobiologie, Celsiusstr. 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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13
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Hu J, Kan B, Liu ZH, Yu SY. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolated from Chinese diarrhea patients with high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia is involved in synthesis of siderophore yersiniabactin. World J Gastroenterol 2005; 11:5816-20. [PMID: 16270391 PMCID: PMC4479682 DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i37.5816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM: To investigate the distribution of 12 high-pathogenicity island (HPI) genes and the relation between HPI genes and expression of yersiniabactin (Ybt) in enteroaggregative E.coli (EAggEC) isolated from Chinese diarrhea patients.
METHODS: The distribution of 12 HPI genes was investigated by PCR and DNA hybridization in two prototype strains ofEAggEC, EAggEC 17-2, EAggEC O42, and 6 clinical EAggEC isolates from China. The production of siderophore Ybt in HPI-positive strains was detected by reporter gene bioassay to determine the relation between HPI genes and expression of Ybt. Flow cytometry was used to detect fluorescent signal of the reporter strain that could designate production of Ybt.
RESULTS: Seven strains were HPI-positive and one strain was HPI-negative. Six of the seven HPI-positive strains were inserted into asnT-tRNA site. Moreover, seven EAggEC HPI-positive strains revealed enhanced fluorescence signal but the EAggEC HPI-negative strain did not. However, there was a difference in Ybt expression condition and level among these seven EAggEC HPI-positive strains. Although UFT073 strain, the prototype strain of uropathogenic E.coli (UPEC), carried the complete HPI core part, we did not detect the expression of Ybt in it.
CONCLUSION: EAggEC HPI-positive strains can express the Ybt system, but the presence of HPI core part does not mean the functional expression of Ybt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Hu
- Department of Epidemiology, Southern Medical College, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong Province, China
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14
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Lesic B, Carniel E. Horizontal transfer of the high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. J Bacteriol 2005; 187:3352-8. [PMID: 15866919 PMCID: PMC1112006 DOI: 10.1128/jb.187.10.3352-3358.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The horizontal transfer of genetic elements plays a major role in bacterial evolution. The high-pathogenicity island (HPI), which codes for an iron uptake system, is present and highly conserved in various Enterobacteriaceae, suggesting its recent acquisition by lateral gene transfer. The aim of this work was to determine whether the HPI has kept its ability to be transmitted horizontally. We demonstrate here that the HPI is indeed transferable from a donor to a recipient Yersinia pseudotuberculosis strain. This transfer was observable only when the donor and recipient bacteria were cocultured at low temperatures in a liquid medium. When optimized conditions were used (bacteria actively growing in an iron-deprived medium at 4 degrees C), the frequency of HPI transfer reached approximately 10(-8). The island was transferable to various serotype I strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis and to Yersinia pestis, but not to Y. pseudotuberculosis strains of serotypes II and IV or to Yersinia enterocolitica. Upon transfer, the HPI was inserted almost systematically into the asn3 tRNA locus. Acquisition of the HPI resulted in the loss of the resident island, suggesting an incompatibility between two copies of the HPI within the same strain. Transfer of the island did not require a functional HPI-borne insertion-excision machinery and was RecA dependent in the recipient but not the donor strain, suggesting that integration of the island into the recipient chromosome occurs via a mechanism of homologous recombination. This lateral transfer also involved the HPI-adjacent sequences, leading to the mobilization of a chromosomal region at least 46 kb in size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biliana Lesic
- Yersinia Research Unit, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
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Schubert S, Rakin A, Heesemann J. The Yersinia high-pathogenicity island (HPI): evolutionary and functional aspects. Int J Med Microbiol 2005; 294:83-94. [PMID: 15493818 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2004.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The high-pathogenicity island (HPI) is a genomic island essential for the mouse-virulence phenotype in Yersinia and indispensable for pathogenicity of Yersinia and certain pathotypes of Escherichia coli. In contrast to most genomic islands, the HPI is a functional island widely disseminated among members of the family of Enterobacteriaceae. The HPI-encoded phage P4-like integrase together with excisionase and recombination sites make up the genetic mobility module of the island, while the siderophore yersiniabactin biosynthesis and uptake system comprises its functional part with respect to fitness and pathogenicity. The HPI-integrase promotes integration of the island into attB sites represented by three to four asn tDNAs in Yersinia pestis and E. coli. An additional enzyme, excisionase, is essential for efficient excision of the HPI from the initial site of integration. Furthermore a unique type of HPI has been characterized in the E. coli strain ECOR31 carrying a functional conjugative mating pair formation (Mpf) and a DNA-processing system, both of which are characteristic of integrative and conjugative elements (ICE). A model of conjugative transfer for the dissemination of HPIs is proposed in which the excised HPI is mobilized to a new recipient either trapped by a transmissive asn tDNA-carrying plasmid or autonomously as an ICE named ICEEcl.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sören Schubert
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institut für Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Lehrstuhl für Bakteriologie, Pettenkoferstr 9a, D-80336 München, Germany
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16
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Lesic B, Bach S, Ghigo JM, Dobrindt U, Hacker J, Carniel E. Excision of the high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis requires the combined actions of its cognate integrase and Hef, a new recombination directionality factor. Mol Microbiol 2004; 52:1337-48. [PMID: 15165237 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2004.04073.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The Yersinia high-pathogenicity island (HPI) encodes the siderophore yersiniabactin-mediated iron uptake system. The HPI of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis I has previously been shown to be able to excise precisely from the bacterial chromosome by recombination between the attB-R and attB-L sites flanking the island. However, the nature of the Y. pseudotuberculosis HPI excision machinery remained unknown. We show here that, upon excision, the HPI forms an episomal circular molecule. The island thus has the ability to excise from the chromosome, circularize and reintegrate itself, either in the same location or in another asn tRNA copy. We also demonstrate that the HPI-encoded bacteriophage P4-like integrase (Int) plays a critical role in HPI excision and that, like phage integrases, it acts as a site-specific recombinase that catalyses both excision and integration reactions. However, Int alone cannot efficiently promote recombination between the attB-R and attB-L sites, and we demonstrate that a newly identified HPI-borne factor, designated Hef (for HPI excision factor) is also required for this activity. Hef belongs to a family of recombination directionality factors. Like the other members of this family, Hef probably plays an architectural rather than a catalytic role and promotes HPI excision from the chromosome by driving the function of Int towards an excisionase activity. The fact that the HPI, and probably several other pathogenicity islands, carry a machinery of integration/excision highly similar to those of bacteriophages argues for a phage-mediated acquisition and transfer of these elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biliana Lesic
- Yersinia Research Unit, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France
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17
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Middendorf B, Hochhut B, Leipold K, Dobrindt U, Blum-Oehler G, Hacker J. Instability of pathogenicity islands in uropathogenic Escherichia coli 536. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:3086-96. [PMID: 15126470 PMCID: PMC400636 DOI: 10.1128/jb.186.10.3086-3096.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2003] [Accepted: 01/28/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain 536 carries at least five genetic elements on its chromosome that meet all criteria characteristic of pathogenicity islands (PAIs). One main feature of these distinct DNA regions is their instability. We applied the so-called island-probing approach and individually labeled all five PAIs of E. coli 536 with the counterselectable marker sacB to evaluate the frequency of PAI-negative colonies under the influence of different environmental conditions. Furthermore, we investigated the boundaries of these PAIs. According to our experiments, PAI II536 and PAI III536 were the most unstable islands followed by PAI I536 and PAI V536, whereas PAI IV536 was stable. In addition, we found that deletion of PAI II536 and PAI III536 was induced by several environmental stimuli. Whereas excision of PAI I536, PAI II536, and PAI V536 was based on site-specific recombination between short direct repeat sequences at their boundaries, PAI III536 was deleted either by site-specific recombination or by homologous recombination between two IS100-specific sequences. In all cases, deletion is thought to lead to the formation of nonreplicative circular intermediates. Such extrachromosomal derivatives of PAI II536 and PAI III536 were detected by a specific PCR assay. Our data indicate that the genome content of uropathogenic E. coli can be modulated by deletion of PAIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Middendorf
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany
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18
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Bueno SM, Santiviago CA, Murillo AA, Fuentes JA, Trombert AN, Rodas PI, Youderian P, Mora GC. Precise excision of the large pathogenicity island, SPI7, in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. J Bacteriol 2004; 186:3202-13. [PMID: 15126483 PMCID: PMC400632 DOI: 10.1128/jb.186.10.3202-3213.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2003] [Accepted: 02/03/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The large pathogenicity island (SPI7) of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi is a 133,477-bp segment of DNA flanked by two 52-bp direct repeats overlapping the pheU (phenylalanyl-tRNA) gene, contains 151 potential open reading frames, and includes the viaB operon involved in the synthesis of Vi antigen. Some clinical isolates of S. enterica serovar Typhi are missing the entire SPI7, due to its precise excision; these strains have lost the ability to produce Vi antigen, are resistant to phage Vi-II, and invade a human epithelial cell line more rapidly. Excision of SPI7 occurs spontaneously in a clinical isolate of S. enterica serovar Typhi when it is grown in the laboratory, leaves an intact copy of the pheU gene at its novel join point, and results in the same three phenotypic consequences. SPI7 is an unstable genetic element, probably an intermediate in the pathway of lateral transfer of such pathogenicity islands among enteric gram-negative bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan M Bueno
- Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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19
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Hurst MRH, O'Callaghan M, Glare TR. Peripheral sequences of the Serratia entomophila pADAP virulence-associated region. Plasmid 2004; 50:213-29. [PMID: 14597010 DOI: 10.1016/s0147-619x(03)00062-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Some strains of the Enterobacteriaceae Serratia entomophila and Serratia proteamaculans cause amber disease in the grass grub, Costelytra zealandica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), an important pasture pest in New Zealand. The genes responsible for this disease reside on a large, 155-kb plasmid designated amber disease-associated plasmid (pADAP). Herein, we report the DNA sequencing of approximately 50 kb upstream and 10 kb downstream of the virulence-encoding region. Based on similarity with proteins in the current databases, and potential ribosome-binding sites, 63 potential ORFs were determined. Eleven of these ORFs belong to a type IV pilus cluster (pilL-V) and a further eight have similarities to the translated products of the plasmid transfer traH-N genes of the plasmid R64. In addition, a degenerate 785-nt direct repeat flanks a 44.7-kb region with the potential to encode three Bacillus subtilis Yee-type proteins, a fimbrial gene cluster, the sep virulence-associated genes and several remnant IS elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R H Hurst
- Biocontrol and Biosecurity, AgResearch, PO Box 60, Lincoln, New Zealand.
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20
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Gophna U, Ron EZ, Graur D. Bacterial type III secretion systems are ancient and evolved by multiple horizontal-transfer events. Gene 2003; 312:151-63. [PMID: 12909351 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(03)00612-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 119] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Type III secretion systems (TTSS) are unique bacterial mechanisms that mediate elaborate interactions with their hosts. The fact that several of the TTSS proteins are closely related to flagellar export proteins has led to the suggestion that TTSS had evolved from flagella. Here we reconstruct the evolutionary history of four conserved type III secretion proteins and their phylogenetic relationships with flagellar paralogs. Our analysis indicates that the TTSS and the flagellar export mechanism share a common ancestor, but have evolved independently from one another. The suggestion that TTSS genes have evolved from genes encoding flagellar proteins is effectively refuted. A comparison of the species tree, as deduced from 16S rDNA sequences, to the protein phylogenetic trees has led to the identification of several major lateral transfer events involving clusters of TTSS genes. It is hypothesized that horizontal gene transfer has occurred much earlier and more frequently than previously inferred for TTSS genes and is, consequently, a major force shaping the evolution of species that harbor type III secretion systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Gophna
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel 69978.
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21
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Grow AE, Wood LL, Claycomb JL, Thompson PA. New biochip technology for label-free detection of pathogens and their toxins. J Microbiol Methods 2003; 53:221-33. [PMID: 12654493 DOI: 10.1016/s0167-7012(03)00026-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 151] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
microSERS is a new biochip technology that uses surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) microscopy for label-free transduction. The biochip itself comprises pixels of capture biomolecules immobilized on a SERS-active metal surface. Once the biochip has been exposed to the sample and the capture biomolecules have selectively bound their ligands, a Raman microscope is used to collect SERS fingerprints from the pixels on the chip. SERS, like other whole-organism fingerprinting techniques, is very specific. Our initial studies have shown that the Gram-positive Listeria and Gram-negative Legionella bacteria, Bacillus spores and Cryptosporidium oocysts can often be identified at the subspecies/strain level on the basis of SERS fingerprints collected from single organisms. Therefore, pathogens can be individually identified by microSERS, even when organisms that cross-react with the capture biomolecules are present in a sample. Moreover, the SERS fingerprint reflects the physiological state of a bacterial cell, e.g., when pathogenic Listeria and Legionella were cultured under conditions known to affect virulence, their SERS fingerprints changed significantly. Similarly, nonviable (e.g., heat- or UV-killed) microorganisms could be differentiated from their viable counterparts by SERS fingerprinting. Finally, microSERS is also capable of the sensitive and highly specific detection of toxins. Toxins that comprised as little as 0.02% by weight of the biomolecule-toxin complex produced strong, unique fingerprints when spectra collected from the complexes were subtracted from the spectra of the uncomplexed biomolecules. For example, aflatoxins B(1) and G(1) could be detected and individually identified when biochips bearing pixels of antibody or enzyme capture biomolecules were incubated in samples containing one or both aflatoxins, and the spectra were then collected for 20 s from an area of the biomolecule pixel approximately 1 microm in diameter. In the future, we plan to investigate the use of hyperspectral imaging Raman microscopy for collecting fingerprints from all the pixels on the biochip, individually yet simultaneously, to enable the rapid detection of diverse pathogens and their toxins in a sample, using a single biochip.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann E Grow
- Biopraxis, Inc., P.O. Box 910078, San Diego, CA 92191-0078, USA.
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22
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Oelschlaeger TA, Zhang D, Schubert S, Carniel E, Rabsch W, Karch H, Hacker J. The high-pathogenicity island is absent in human pathogens of Salmonella enterica subspecies I but present in isolates of subspecies III and VI. J Bacteriol 2003; 185:1107-11. [PMID: 12533488 PMCID: PMC142805 DOI: 10.1128/jb.185.3.1107-1111.2003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we tested 74 Salmonella strains of all eight Salmonella groups and were able to demonstrate the presence of two high-pathogenicity island types in strains of Salmonella groups IIIa, IIIb, and VI. Most high-pathogenicity island-positive isolates produced yersiniabactin under iron-limited conditions and were positive for the high-molecular-weight proteins HMWP1 and HMWP2.
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Affiliation(s)
- T A Oelschlaeger
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, University of Würzburg, Roentgenring 11, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany
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23
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Saveliev SV. PCR-based detection of a rare linear DNA in cell culture. Biol Proced Online 2002; 4:70-80. [PMID: 12734566 PMCID: PMC145559 DOI: 10.1251/bpo36] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2002] [Revised: 09/17/2002] [Accepted: 10/08/2002] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The described method allows for detection of rare linear DNA fragments generated during genomic deletions. The predicted limit of the detection is one DNA molecule per 10(7) or more cells. The method is based on anchor PCR and involves gel separation of the linear DNA fragment and chromosomal DNA before amplification. The detailed chemical structure of the ends of the linear DNA can be defined with the use of additional PCR-based protocols. The method was applied to study the short-lived linear DNA generated during programmed genomic deletions in a ciliate. It can be useful in studies of spontaneous DNA deletions in cell culture or for tracking intracellular modifications at the ends of transfected DNA during gene therapy trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei V. Saveliev
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison. 433 Babcock Drive, Madison, WI 53706-1544. USA.
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Martínez JL, Baquero F. Interactions among strategies associated with bacterial infection: pathogenicity, epidemicity, and antibiotic resistance. Clin Microbiol Rev 2002; 15:647-79. [PMID: 12364374 PMCID: PMC126860 DOI: 10.1128/cmr.15.4.647-679.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 291] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Infections have been the major cause of disease throughout the history of human populations. With the introduction of antibiotics, it was thought that this problem should disappear. However, bacteria have been able to evolve to become antibiotic resistant. Nowadays, a proficient pathogen must be virulent, epidemic, and resistant to antibiotics. Analysis of the interplay among these features of bacterial populations is needed to predict the future of infectious diseases. In this regard, we have reviewed the genetic linkage of antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence in the same genetic determinants as well as the cross talk between antibiotic resistance and virulence regulatory circuits with the aim of understanding the effect of acquisition of resistance on bacterial virulence. We also discuss the possibility that antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence might prevail as linked phenotypes in the future. The novel situation brought about by the worldwide use of antibiotics is undoubtedly changing bacterial populations. These changes might alter the properties of not only bacterial pathogens, but also the normal host microbiota. The evolutionary consequences of the release of antibiotics into the environment are largely unknown, but most probably restoration of the microbiota from the preantibiotic era is beyond our current abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- José L Martínez
- Departamento de Biotecnología Microbiana, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología. Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain.
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25
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Bobrov AG, Geoffroy VA, Perry RD. Yersiniabactin production requires the thioesterase domain of HMWP2 and YbtD, a putative phosphopantetheinylate transferase. Infect Immun 2002; 70:4204-14. [PMID: 12117929 PMCID: PMC128149 DOI: 10.1128/iai.70.8.4204-4214.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2002] [Revised: 03/15/2002] [Accepted: 05/02/2002] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
One requirement for the pathogenesis of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of bubonic plague, is the yersiniabactin (Ybt) siderophore-dependent iron transport system that is encoded within a high-pathogenicity island (HPI) within the pgm locus of the Y. pestis chromosome. Nine gene products within the HPI have demonstrated functions in the nonribosomal peptide synthesis (NRPS)/polyketide (PK) synthesis or transport of Ybt. NRPS/PK synthetase or synthase enzymes are generally activated by phosphopantetheinylation. However, no products with similarities to known phosphopantetheinyl (P-pant) transferases were found within the pgm locus. We have identified a gene, ybtD, encoded outside the HPI and pgm locus, that is necessary for function of the Ybt system and has similarities to other P-pant transferases such as EntD of Escherichia coli. A deletion within ybtD yielded a strain (KIM6-2085+) defective in siderophore production. This strain was unable to grow on iron-deficient media at 37 degrees C but could be cross-fed by culture supernatants from Ybt-producing strains of Y. pestis. The promoter region of ybtD was fused to lacZ; beta-galactosidase expression from this reporter was not regulated by the iron status of the bacterial cells or by YbtA, a positive regulator of other genes of the ybt system. The ybtD mutant failed to express indicator Ybt proteins (high-molecular-weight protein 1 [HMWP1], HMWP2, and Psn), a pattern similar to those seen with several other ybt biosynthetic mutants. In contrast, cells containing a single amino acid substitution (S2908A) in the terminal thioesterase domain of HMWP2 failed to exhibit any ybt regulatory defects but did not elaborate extracellular Ybt under iron-deficient conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander G Bobrov
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40536-0084, USA
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26
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Denecker G, Tötemeyer S, Mota LJ, Troisfontaines P, Lambermont I, Youta C, Stainier I, Ackermann M, Cornelis GR. Effect of low- and high-virulence Yersinia enterocolitica strains on the inflammatory response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Infect Immun 2002; 70:3510-20. [PMID: 12065490 PMCID: PMC128109 DOI: 10.1128/iai.70.7.3510-3520.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenic strains of Yersinia spp. inject a set of Yop effector proteins into eukaryotic cells by using a plasmid-encoded type III secretion system. In this study, we analyzed the inflammatory response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) after infection with different Yersinia enterocolitica strains. We found that both expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 and release of the cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 by HUVECs are downregulated in a YopP-dependent way, demonstrating that YopP plays a major role in the inflammatory response of these cells. Infection of HUVECs with several low-virulence (biotype 2, 3, and 4) and high-virulence (biotype 1B) Y. enterocolitica strains showed that biotype 1B isolates are more efficient in inhibiting the inflammatory response than low-virulence Y. enterocolitica strains and that this effect depends on the time of contact. We extended the results of Ruckdeschel et al. and found that on the basis of the presence or absence of arginine-143 of YopP (K. Ruckdeschel, K. Richter, O. Mannel, and J. Heesemann, Infect. Immun. 69:7652-7662, 2001) all the Y. enterocolitica strains used fell into two groups, which correlate with the low- and high-virulence phenotypes. In addition, we found that high-virulence strains inject more YopP into the cytosol of eukaryotic target cells than do low-virulence strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geertrui Denecker
- Christian de Duve Institute of Cellular and Molecular Pathology and Faculté de Médecine, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
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27
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Carniel E. Plasmids and Pathogenicity Islands of Yersinia. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol 2002. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-09217-0_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Turner SA, Luck SN, Sakellaris H, Rajakumar K, Adler B. Nested deletions of the SRL pathogenicity island of Shigella flexneri 2a. J Bacteriol 2001; 183:5535-43. [PMID: 11544215 PMCID: PMC95444 DOI: 10.1128/jb.183.19.5535-5543.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we determined the boundaries of a 99-kb deletable element of Shigella flexneri 2a strain YSH6000. The element, designated the multiple-antibiotic resistance deletable element (MRDE), had recently been found to contain a 66-kb pathogenicity island (PAI)-like element (designated the SRL PAI) which carries the Shigella resistance locus (SRL), encoding resistance determinants to streptomycin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline. The YSH6000 MRDE was found to be flanked by two identical IS91 elements present at the S. flexneri homologs of the Escherichia coli genes putA and mdoA on NotI fragment D. Sequence data from two YSH6000-derived MRDE deletants, YSH6000T and S2430, revealed that deletion of the MRDE occurred between the two flanking IS91 elements, resulting in a single IS91 element spanning the two original IS91 loci. Selection for the loss of tetracycline resistance confirmed that the MRDE deletion occurred reproducibly from the same chromosomal site and also showed that the SRL PAI and the SRL itself were capable of independent deletion from the chromosome, thus revealing a unique set of nested deletions. The excision frequency of the SRL PAI was estimated to be 10(-5) per cell in the wild type, and mutation of a P4-like integrase gene (int) at the left end of the SRL PAI revealed that int mediates precise deletion of the PAI.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Turner
- Bacterial Pathogenesis Research Group, Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria 3800, Australia
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30
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Abstract
Highly pathogenic Yersinia carry a pathogenicity island termed high-pathogenicity island (HPI). The Yersinia HPI comprises genes involved in the synthesis of the siderophore yersiniabactin and can thus be regarded as an iron-uptake island. A unique characteristic of the HPI is its wide distribution among different enterobacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Citrobacter and Salmonella. Other types of iron-uptake systems are also carried by different pathogenicity islands in enterobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Carniel
- Laboratoire des Yersinia, Unité des bactériologie moléculaire et médicale, Institut Pasteur, 28, rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 cedex 15, Paris, France.
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31
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Rakin A, Noelting C, Schropp P, Heesemann J. Integrative module of the high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia. Mol Microbiol 2001; 39:407-15. [PMID: 11136461 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2958.2001.02227.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The high-pathogenicity island of Yersinia pestis (Yps HPI) encodes virulence-associated genes involved in siderophore yersiniabactin-mediated iron uptake. The Yps HPI contains a P4-type integrase (Int-HPI), associated with the asn-tRNA locus, and is flanked by 17 bp direct repeats. We constructed a minimal integrative module of the pathogenicity island carrying the reconstituted 266 bp attP (POP') attachment site derived from putative attR and attL junctions of the Yps HPI and the functional int-HPI gene from Y. pestis KUMA. The attP-int-HPI module recombined efficiently, site specifically and RecA independently with the bacterial attB site present either in the chromosome (asn-tDNA) or on a plasmid, with no preference for a certain asn-tRNA gene. The excision of the integrated suicide plasmid carrying the integrative module, on the other hand, was a rare event and could be demonstrated only by polymerase chain reaction. Analysis of the 5' terminus of the transcript for int-HPI revealed that the integration of attP-int-HPI was coupled with the replacement of the endogenous int-HPI promoter, localized in the P' part of the attP site, by the adjacent asn-tRNA promoter. These results suggest that two alternative promoters control integration and excision of the HPI by its integrase.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rakin
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institut für Hygiene und Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Petterkofer Str. 9a, 80336 München, Germany.
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Abstract
P4 is a natural phasmid (phage-plasmid) that exploits different modes of propagation in its host Escherichia coli. Extracellularly, P4 is a virion, with a tailed icosahedral head, which encapsidates the 11.6-kb-long double-stranded DNA genome. After infection of the E. coli host, P4 DNA can integrate into the bacterial chromosome and be maintained in a repressed state (lysogeny). Alternatively, P4 can replicate as a free DNA molecule; this leads to either the lytic cycle or the plasmid state, depending on the presence or absence of the genome of a helper phage P2 in the E. coli host. As a phage, P4 is thus a satellite of P2 phage, depending on the helper genes for all the morphogenetic functions, whereas for all its episomal functions (integration and immunity, multicopy plasmid replication) P4 is completely autonomous from the helper. Replication of P4 DNA depends on its alpha protein, a multifunctional polypeptide that exhibits primase and helicase activity and binds specifically the P4 origin. Replication starts from a unique point, ori1, and proceeds bidirectionally in a straight theta-type mode. P4 negatively regulates the plasmid copy number at several levels. An unusual mechanism of copy number control is based on protein-protein interaction: the P4-encoded Cnr protein interacts with the alpha gene product, inhibiting its replication potential. Furthermore, expression of the replication genes cnr and alpha is regulated in a complex way that involves modulation of promoter activity by positive and negative factors and multiple mechanisms of transcription elongation-termination control. Thus, the relatively small P4 genome encodes mostly regulatory functions, required for its propagation both as an episomal element and as a temperate satellite phage. Plasmids that, like P4, propagate horizontally via a specific transduction mechanism have also been found in the Archaea. The presence of P4-like prophages or cryptic prophages often associated with accessory bacterial functions attests to the contribution of satellite phages to bacterial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Briani
- Dipartimento di Genetica e di Biologia dei Microrganismi, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, 20133, Italy
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Al-Hasani K, Rajakumar K, Bulach D, Robins-Browne R, Adler B, Sakellaris H. Genetic organization of the she pathogenicity island in Shigella flexneri 2a. Microb Pathog 2001; 30:1-8. [PMID: 11162180 DOI: 10.1006/mpat.2000.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In this study we report the complete nucleotide sequence and genetic organization of the she pathogenicity island (PAI) of Shigella flexneri 2a strain YSH6000T. The 46 603 bp she PAI is situated adjacent to the 3' terminus of the pheV tRNA gene and includes an imperfect direct repeat of the 3'-terminal 22 bp of the pheV gene at the right boundary of the PAI. The she PAI carries a bacteriophage P4-like integrase gene within the pheV -proximal boundary of the PAI, intact and truncated mobile genetic elements, plasmid-related sequences, open reading frames exhibiting high sequence similarity to those found on the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) PAI of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), and the SHI-2 PAI of S. flexneri and several other open reading frames of unknown function. The she PAI also encodes two autotransporter proteins, including SigA, a cytopathic protease that contributes to intestinal fluid accumulation and Pic, a protease with mucinase, and hemagglutinin activities. In addition, an open reading frame (orf) termed sap, has high sequence similarity to the gene encoding Antigen 43, a surface-located autotransporter protein of E. coli. The ShET1 enterotoxin genes, associated predominantly with S. flexneri 2a strains, are also located on the she PAI.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Al-Hasani
- Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia
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Dobrindt U, Reidl J. Pathogenicity islands and phage conversion: evolutionary aspects of bacterial pathogenesis. Int J Med Microbiol 2000; 290:519-27. [PMID: 11100826 DOI: 10.1016/s1438-4221(00)80017-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal gene transfer plays a key role in the generation of novel bacterial pathogens. Besides plasmids and bacteriophages, large genomic regions termed pathogenicity islands (PAIs) can be transferred horizontally. All three mechanisms for DNA exchange or transfer may be important for the evolution of bacterial pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Dobrindt
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Universität Würzburg, Germany
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Bach S, de Almeida A, Carniel E. The Yersinia high-pathogenicity island is present in different members of the family Enterobacteriaceae. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2000; 183:289-94. [PMID: 10675599 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2000.tb08973.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
A pathogenicity island termed high-pathogenicity island (HPI) is present in pathogenic Yersinia. This 35 to 45 kb island carries genes involved in synthesis, regulation and transport of the siderophore yersiniabactin. Recently, the HPI was also detected in various strains of Escherichia coli. In this study, the distribution of the HPI in the family Enterobacteriaceae was investigated. Among the 67 isolates pertaining to 18 genera and 52 species tested, nine (13.4%) harbored the island. These isolates were three E. coli, one Citrobacter diversus and five Klebsiella of various species (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis, Klebsiella ozaenae, Klebsiella planticola, and Klebsiella oxytoca). As in Yersinia sp., all nine isolates synthesized the HPI-encoded iron-repressible proteins HMWP1 and HMWP2. In the K. oxytoca strain, the right-end portion of the HPI was deleted, whereas the entire core region of the island was present in the eight other enterobacteria strains analyzed. In most of these isolates, the HPI was bordered by an asn tRNA locus, as in Yersinia sp. This report thus demonstrates the spread of the HPI among various members of the family Enterobacteriaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Bach
- Unité de Bactériologie Moléculaire et Médicale, Laboratoire des Yersinia, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724, Paris, France
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