scholarly journals PhotorhabdusDam methyltransferase overexpression impairs virulence of the nemato-bacterial complex in insects

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amaury Payelleville ◽  
Dana Blackburn ◽  
Anne Lanois ◽  
Sylvie Pagès ◽  
Marine Cambon ◽  
...  

AbstractPhotorhabdus luminescensis an entomopathogenic bacterium found in symbiosis with the nematodeHeterorhabditis. Dam DNA methylation is involved in the pathogenicity of many bacteria, includingP. luminescens,whereas studies about the role of bacterial DNA methylation during symbiosis are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the role of Dam DNA methylation inP. luminescenssymbiosis withH. bacteriophora. We constructed a strain overexpressingdamby inserting an additional copy of thedamgene under the control of a constitutive promoter in the chromosome ofP. luminescensand then achieved association between this recombinant strain and nematodes. Thedamoverexpressing strain was able to feed the nematodein vitroandin vivosimilarly as a control strain, and to re-associate with Infective Juvenile (IJ) stages in the insect. No difference in the amount of emerging IJs from the cadaver was observed between the two strains. Compared to the nematode in symbiosis with the control strain, a significant increase in LT50was observed during insect infestation with the nematode associated with thedamoverexpressing strain. These results suggest that theP. luminescensDam plays a role in the pathogenicity of the nemato-bacterial complex.

2012 ◽  
Vol 449 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Saggioro ◽  
Anne Olliver ◽  
Bianca Sclavi

The DnaA protein is a key factor for the regulation of the timing and synchrony of initiation of bacterial DNA replication. The transcription of the dnaA gene in Escherichia coli is regulated by two promoters, dnaAP1 and dnaAP2. The region between these two promoters contains several DnaA-binding sites that have been shown to play an important role in the negative auto-regulation of dnaA expression. The results obtained in the present study using an in vitro and in vivo quantitative analysis of the effect of mutations to the high-affinity DnaA sites reveal an additional effect of positive autoregulation. We investigated the role of transcription autoregulation in the change of dnaA expression as a function of temperature. While negative auto-regulation is lost at dnaAP1, the effects of both positive and negative autoregulation are maintained at the dnaAP2 promoter upon lowering the growth temperature. These observations can be explained by the results obtained in vitro showing a difference in the temperature-dependence of DnaA–ATP binding to its high- and low-affinity sites, resulting in a decrease in DnaA–ATP oligomerization at lower temperatures. The results of the present study underline the importance of the role for autoregulation of gene expression in the cellular adaptation to different growth temperatures.


2002 ◽  
Vol 184 (12) ◽  
pp. 3338-3347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Wallecha ◽  
Vincent Munster ◽  
Jason Correnti ◽  
Teresa Chan ◽  
Marjan van der Woude

ABSTRACT Phase variation of the outer membrane protein Ag43 in E. coli requires deoxyadenosine methylase (Dam) and OxyR. Previously, it was shown that OxyR is required for repression of the Ag43-encoding gene, agn43, and that Dam-dependent methylation of three GATC target sequences in the regulatory region abrogates OxyR binding. Here we report further characterization of agn43 transcription and its regulation. Transcription was initiated from a σ70-dependent promoter at the G residue of the upstream GATC sequence. Template DNA and RNA polymerase were sufficient to obtain transcription in vitro, but DNA methylation enhanced the level of transcription. Analyses of transcription in vivo of agn′-lacZ with mutated Dam target sequences support this conclusion. Since methylation also abrogates OxyR binding, this indicates that methylation plays a dual role in facilitating agn43 transcription. In vitro transcription from an unmethylated template was repressed by OxyR(C199S), which resembles the reduced form of OxyR. Consistent with this and the role of Dam in OxyR binding, OxyR(C199S) protected from DNase I digestion the agn43 regulatory region from −16 to +42, which includes the three GATC sequences. Deletion analyses of the regulatory region showed that a 101-nucleotide region of the agn43 regulatory region containing the promoter and this OxyR binding region was sufficient for Dam- and OxyR-dependent phase variation


eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilliana Radoshevich ◽  
Francis Impens ◽  
David Ribet ◽  
Juan J Quereda ◽  
To Nam Tham ◽  
...  

ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated, linear di-ubiquitin-like protein, with anti-viral activity. The role of ISG15 during bacterial infection remains elusive. We show that ISG15 expression in nonphagocytic cells is dramatically induced upon Listeria infection. Surprisingly this induction can be type I interferon independent and depends on the cytosolic surveillance pathway, which senses bacterial DNA and signals through STING, TBK1, IRF3 and IRF7. Most importantly, we observed that ISG15 expression restricts Listeria infection in vitro and in vivo. We made use of stable isotope labeling in tissue culture (SILAC) to identify ISGylated proteins that could be responsible for the protective effect. Strikingly, infection or overexpression of ISG15 leads to ISGylation of ER and Golgi proteins, which correlates with increased secretion of cytokines known to counteract infection. Together, our data reveal a previously uncharacterized ISG15-dependent restriction of Listeria infection, reinforcing the view that ISG15 is a key component of the innate immune response.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allegra Angeloni ◽  
Ozren Bogdanovic

Abstract DNA methylation involves the addition of a methyl group to the fifth carbon of the pyrimidine cytosine ring (5-methylcytosine, 5mC). 5mC is widespread in vertebrate genomes where it is predominantly found within CpG dinucleotides. In mammals, 5mC participates in long-term silencing processes such as X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting, somatic silencing of germline genes, and silencing of repetitive DNA elements. The evidence for 5mC as a dynamic gene-regulatory mechanism is mostly limited to specific examples, and is far from being completely understood. Recent work from diverse model systems suggests that 5mC might not always act as a dominant repressive mechanism and that hypermethylated promoters and enhancers can be permissive to transcription in vivo and in vitro. In this review, we discuss the links between 5mC and enhancer activity, and evaluate the role of this biochemical mechanism in various biological contexts.


2012 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 228-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Serafini ◽  
Giuseppa Morabito

Dietary polyphenols have been shown to scavenge free radicals, modulating cellular redox transcription factors in different in vitro and ex vivo models. Dietary intervention studies have shown that consumption of plant foods modulates plasma Non-Enzymatic Antioxidant Capacity (NEAC), a biomarker of the endogenous antioxidant network, in human subjects. However, the identification of the molecules responsible for this effect are yet to be obtained and evidences of an antioxidant in vivo action of polyphenols are conflicting. There is a clear discrepancy between polyphenols (PP) concentration in body fluids and the extent of increase of plasma NEAC. The low degree of absorption and the extensive metabolism of PP within the body have raised questions about their contribution to the endogenous antioxidant network. This work will discuss the role of polyphenols from galenic preparation, food extracts, and selected dietary sources as modulators of plasma NEAC in humans.


Planta Medica ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
HM Lee ◽  
TG Ahn ◽  
CW Kim ◽  
HJ An
Keyword(s):  

1987 ◽  
Vol 26 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Selvaraj ◽  
M. R. Suresh ◽  
G. McLean ◽  
D. Willans ◽  
C. Turner ◽  
...  

The role of glycoconjugates in tumor cell differentiation has been well documented. We have examined the expression of the two anomers of the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen on the surface of human, canine and murine tumor cell membranes both in vitro and in vivo. This has been accomplished through the synthesis of the disaccharide terminal residues in both a and ß configuration. Both entities were used to generate murine monoclonal antibodies which recognized the carbohydrate determinants. The determination of fine specificities of these antibodies was effected by means of cellular uptake, immunohistopathology and immunoscintigraphy. Examination of pathological specimens of human and canine tumor tissue indicated that the expressed antigen was in the β configuration. More than 89% of all human carcinomas tested expressed the antigen in the above anomeric form. The combination of synthetic antigens and monoclonal antibodies raised specifically against them provide us with invaluable tools for the study of tumor marker expression in humans and their respective animal tumor models.


1971 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 558-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Burke

ABSTRACT A long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS), distinct from pituitary thyrotrophin (TSH), is found in the serum of some patients with Graves' disease. Despite the marked physico-chemical and immunologic differences between the two stimulators, both in vivo and in vitro studies indicate that LATS and TSH act on the same thyroidal site(s) and that such stimulation does not require penetration of the thyroid cell. Although resorption of colloid and secretion of thyroid hormone are early responses to both TSH and LATS, available evidence reveals no basic metabolic pathway which must be activated by these hormones in order for iodination reactions to occur. Cyclic 3′, 5′-AMP appears to mediate TSH and LATS effects on iodination reactions but the role of this compound in activating thyroidal intermediary metabolism is less clear. Based on the evidence reviewed herein, it is suggested that the primary site of action of thyroid stimulators is at the cell membrane and that beyond the(se) primary control site(s), there exists a multifaceted regulatory system for thyroid hormonogenesis and cell growth.


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