The pneumococcal two-component system VisRH is linked to enhanced intracellular survival of Streptococcus pneumoniae in influenza-infected pneumocytes

The virus-bacterial synergism implicated in secondary bacterial infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae following infection with epidemic or pandemic influenza A virus (IAV) is well documented. However, the molecular mechanisms behind such synergism remain largely ill-defined. In pneumocytes infected with influenza A virus, subsequent infection with S. pneumoniae leads to enhanced pneumococcal intracellular survival. The pneumococcal two-component system VisRH appears essential for such enhanced survival. Through comparative transcriptomic analysis between the ΔvisR and wt strains, a list of 179 differentially expressed genes was defined. Among those, the clpL protein chaperone gene and the psaB Mn+2 transporter gene, which are involved in the stress response, are important in enhancing S. pneumoniae survival in influenza-infected cells. The ΔvisR, ΔclpL and ΔpsaB deletion mutants display increased susceptibility to acidic and oxidative stress and no enhancement of intracellular survival in IAV-infected pneumocyte cells. These results suggest that the VisRH two-component system senses IAV-induced stress conditions and controls adaptive responses that allow survival of S. pneumoniae in IAV-infected pneumocytes.Author summaryS. pneumoniae is an inhabitant of the human nasopharynx that is capable of causing a variety of infections contributing to an estimated 1.6 million deaths each year. Many of these deaths occur as result of secondary S. pneumoniae infections following seasonal or pandemic influenza. Although S. pneumoniae is considered a typical extracellular pathogen, an intracellular survival mechanism has been more recently recognized as significant in bacterial pathogenesis. The synergistic effects between influenza A and S. pneumoniae in secondary bacterial infection are well documented; however, the effects of influenza infections on intracellular survival of S. pneumoniae are ill-defined. Here, we provide evidence that influenza infection increases S. pneumoniae intracellular survival in pneumocytes. We demonstrate that the poorly understood VisRH signal transduction system in pneumococcus controls the expression of genes involved in the stress response that S. pneumoniae needs to increase intracellular survival in influenza A-infected pneumocytes. These findings have important implications for understanding secondary bacterial pathogenesis following influenza and for the treatment of such infections in influenza-stricken patients.