scholarly journals Trans-acting role of the leader peptide peTrpL in posttranscriptional regulation of multiresistance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hendrik Melior ◽  
Siqi Li ◽  
Konrad U. Förstner ◽  
Saina Azarderakhsh ◽  
Susanne Barth-Weber ◽  
...  

AbstractBacterial ribosome-dependent attenuators are widespread posttranscriptional regulators. They harbour small upstream ORFs (uORFs) encoding leader peptides, for which no functions in trans are known yet. In the soil-dwelling plant symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti, the tryptophan biosynthesis gene trpE(G) is preceded by the uORF trpL and is regulated by transcription attenuation according to tryptophan availability. However, trpLE(G) transcription is initiated independently of the tryptophan level in the cell, thereby ensuring a largely tryptophan-independent production of the leader peptide peTrpL. We provide evidence that peTrpL plays a role in the differential posttranscriptional regulation of the smeABR operon encoding the major multidrug efflux pump SmeAB and the TtgR-type transcription repressor SmeR. We show that peTrpL is involved in a tetracycline-dependent smeR mRNA destabilization and forms an antibiotic-dependent ribonucleoprotein (ARNP) complex with smeR and its antisense RNA (asRNA). Induction of asRNA transcription, ARNP formation and smeR downregulation were promoted by several antibiotics and the flavonoid genistein, and the resistance to these antimicrobial compounds was increased by peTrpL. The role of peTrpL in resistance is conserved in other soil Alphaproteobacteria.

2011 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1460-1469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saswati Biswas ◽  
Indranil Biswas

ABSTRACTStreptococcus mutans, a Gram-positive organism, is the primary causative agent in the formation of dental caries in humans. To persist in the oral cavity,S. mutansmust be able to tolerate rapid environmental fluctuations and exposure to various toxic chemicals. However, the mechanisms underlying the ability of this cariogenic pathogen to survive and proliferate under harsh environmental conditions remain largely unknown. Here, we wanted to understand the mechanisms by whichS. mutanswithstands exposure to methyl viologen (MV), a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC) that generates superoxide radicals in the cell. To elucidate the essential genes for MV tolerance, screening of ∼3,500 mutants generated by ISS1mutagenesis, revealed 15 MV-sensitive mutants. Among them, five and four independent insertions had occurred in SMU.905 and SMU.906 genes, respectively. These two genes are appeared to be organized in an operon and encode a putative ABC transporter complex; we designated the genes asvltAandvltB, forviologentransporter. To verify our results,vltAwas deleted by using an antibiotic resistance marker; the mutant was just as sensitive to MV as the ISS1insertion mutants. Furthermore,vltAandvltBmutants were also sensitive to other viologen compounds such as benzyl and ethyl viologens. Complementation assays were also carried out to confirm the role of VltA and VltB in viologen tolerance. Sensitivity to various drugs, including a wide range of QACs, was evaluated. It appears that a functional VltA is also required for full resistance toward acriflavin, ethidium bromide, and safranin; all are well-known QACs. These results indicate that VltA/B constitute a heterodimeric multidrug efflux pump of the ABC family. BLAST-P analysis suggests that homologs of VltA/B are widely present in streptococci, enterococci, and other important Gram-positive pathogens.


2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maha Alqahtani ◽  
Zhuo Ma ◽  
Harshada Ketkar ◽  
Ragavan Varadharajan Suresh ◽  
Meenakshi Malik ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis , the causative agent of tularemia, lacks typical bacterial virulence factors and toxins but still exhibits extreme virulence. The bacterial multidrug efflux systems consist of an inner membrane, a transmembrane membrane fusion protein, and an outer membrane (OM) component that form a contiguous channel for the secretion of a multitude of bacterial products. Francisella contains three orthologs of the OM proteins; two of these, termed TolC and FtlC, are important for tularemia pathogenesis. The third OM protein, SilC, is homologous to the silver cation efflux protein of other bacterial pathogens. The silC gene ( FTL_0686 ) is located on an operon encoding an Emr-type multidrug efflux pump of F. tularensis . The role of SilC in tularemia pathogenesis is not known. In this study, we investigated the role of SilC in secretion and virulence of F. tularensis by generating a silC gene deletion (Δ silC ) mutant and its transcomplemented strain. Our results demonstrate that the Δ silC mutant exhibits increased sensitivity to antibiotics, oxidants, silver, diminished intramacrophage growth, and attenuated virulence in mice compared to wild-type F. tularensis . However, the secretion of antioxidant enzymes of F. tularensis is not impaired in the Δ silC mutant. The virulence of the Δ silC mutant is restored in NADPH oxidase-deficient mice, indicating that SilC resists oxidative stress in vivo . Collectively, this study demonstrates that the OM component SilC serves a specialized role in virulence of F. tularensis by conferring resistance against oxidative stress and silver. IMPORTANCE Francisella tularensis , the causative agent of a fatal human disease known as tularemia, is a category A select agent and a potential bioterror agent. The virulence mechanisms of Francisella are not completely understood. This study investigated the role of a unique outer membrane protein, SilC, of a multidrug efflux pump in the virulence of F. tularensis . This is the first report demonstrating that the OM component SilC plays an important role in efflux of silver and contributes to the virulence of F. tularensis primarily by providing resistance against oxidative stress. Characterization of these unique virulence mechanisms will provide an understanding of the pathogenesis of tularemia and identification of potential targets for the development of effective therapeutics and prophylactics for protection from this lethal disease.


2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1207-1219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Vargas ◽  
Antonia Felipe ◽  
Carmen Michán ◽  
María-Trinidad Gallegos

In this study, we have analyzed the expression of the Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 mexAB-oprM efflux pump operon and of the regulatory gene pmeR, and we have investigated the role of the PmeR protein on transcription from both promoters. We demonstrate that mexAB-oprM and pmeR are expressed in vivo at a relatively high and moderate basal level, respectively, which, in both cases, increases in the presence of different flavonoids and other compounds, such as butyl and methylparaben. We show that PmeR is the local repressor of the mexAB-oprM promoter and is able to regulate its own expression. The mechanism for this regulation includes binding to a pseudopalindromic operator site which overlaps both mexAB-oprM and pmeR promoters. We have also proven that flavonoids are able to interact with PmeR and induce a conformational change that interferes with the DNA binding ability of PmeR, thereby modulating mexAB-oprM and pmeR expression. Finally, we demonstrate by in vivo experiments that the PmeR/MexAB-OprM system contributes to the colonization of tomato plants. These results provide new insight into a transcriptional regulator and a transport system that play essential roles in the ability of P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000 to resist the action of flavonoids produced by the host.


mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhemin Zhang ◽  
Christopher E. Morgan ◽  
Robert A. Bonomo ◽  
Edward W. Yu

ABSTRACT Antibiotic-resistant strains of the Gram-negative pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii have emerged as a significant global health threat. One successful therapeutic option to treat bacterial infections has been to target the bacterial ribosome. However, in many cases, multidrug efflux pumps within the bacterium recognize and extrude these clinically important antibiotics designed to inhibit the protein synthesis function of the bacterial ribosome. Thus, multidrug efflux within A. baumannii and other highly drug-resistant strains is a major cause of failure of drug-based treatments of infectious diseases. We here report the first structures of the Acinetobacter drug efflux (Ade)J pump in the presence of the antibiotic eravacycline, using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). We also describe cryo-EM structures of the eravacycline-bound forms of the A. baumannii ribosome, including the 70S, 50S, and 30S forms. Our data indicate that the AdeJ pump primarily uses hydrophobic interactions to bind eravacycline, while the 70S ribosome utilizes electrostatic interactions to bind this drug. Our work here highlights how an antibiotic can bind multiple bacterial targets through different mechanisms and potentially enables drug optimization by taking advantage of these different modes of ligand binding. IMPORTANCE Acinetobacter baumannii has developed into a highly antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative pathogen. The prevalent AdeJ multidrug efflux pump mediates resistance to different classes of antibiotics known to inhibit the function of the 70S ribosome. Here, we report the first structures of the A. baumannii AdeJ pump, both in the absence and presence of eravacycline. We also describe structures of the A. baumannii ribosome bound by this antibiotic. Our results indicate that AdeJ and the ribosome use very distinct binding modes for drug recognition. Our work will ultimately enable structure-based drug discovery to combat antibiotic-resistant A. baumannii infection.


2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 2276-2278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura J. V. Piddock ◽  
Yu Fang Jin ◽  
Mark A. Webber ◽  
Martin J. Everett

ABSTRACT A ciprofloxacin-resistant, nalidixic acid-susceptible mutant of Staphylococcus aureus (F145) contained no mutations within gyrA, gyrB, grlA, and grlB or within norA or its promoter region. MICs and accumulation studies suggest the role of a novel multidrug efflux pump.


Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6442) ◽  
pp. 778-782 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Nolivos ◽  
Julien Cayron ◽  
Annick Dedieu ◽  
Adeline Page ◽  
Frederic Delolme ◽  
...  

Drug-resistance dissemination by horizontal gene transfer remains poorly understood at the cellular scale. Using live-cell microscopy, we reveal the dynamics of resistance acquisition by transfer of the Escherichia coli fertility factor–conjugation plasmid encoding the tetracycline-efflux pump TetA. The entry of the single-stranded DNA plasmid into the recipient cell is rapidly followed by complementary-strand synthesis, plasmid-gene expression, and production of TetA. In the presence of translation-inhibiting antibiotics, resistance acquisition depends on the AcrAB-TolC multidrug efflux pump, because it reduces tetracycline concentrations in the cell. Protein synthesis can thus persist and TetA expression can be initiated immediately after plasmid acquisition. AcrAB-TolC efflux activity can also preserve resistance acquisition by plasmid transfer in the presence of antibiotics with other modes of action.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sherif Abouelhadid ◽  
John Raynes ◽  
Tam Bui ◽  
Jon Cuccui ◽  
Brendan W. Wren

ABSTRACT The substantial rise in multidrug-resistant bacterial infections is a current global imperative. Cumulative efforts to characterize antimicrobial resistance in bacteria has demonstrated the spread of six families of multidrug efflux pumps, of which resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) is the major mechanism of multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria. RND is composed of a tripartite protein assembly and confers resistance to a range of unrelated compounds. In the major enteric pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, the three protein components of RND are posttranslationally modified with N-linked glycans. The direct role of N-linked glycans in C. jejuni and other bacteria has long been elusive. Here, we present the first detailed account of the role of N-linked glycans and the link between N-glycosylation and antimicrobial resistance in C. jejuni. We demonstrate the multifunctional role of N-linked glycans in enhancing protein thermostability, stabilizing protein complexes and the promotion of protein-protein interaction, thus mediating antimicrobial resistance via enhancing multidrug efflux pump activity. This affirms that glycosylation is critical for multidrug efflux pump assembly. We present a generalized strategy that could be used to investigate general glycosylation system in Campylobacter genus and a potential target to develop antimicrobials against multidrug-resistant pathogens. IMPORTANCE Nearly all bacterial species have at least a single glycosylation system, but the direct effects of these posttranslational protein modifications are unresolved. Glycoproteome-wide analysis of several bacterial pathogens has revealed general glycan modifications of virulence factors and protein assemblies. Using Campylobacter jejuni as a model organism, we have studied the role of general N-linked glycans in the multidrug efflux pump commonly found in Gram-negative bacteria. We show, for the first time, the direct link between N-linked glycans and multidrug efflux pump activity. At the protein level, we demonstrate that N-linked glycans play a role in enhancing protein thermostability and mediating the assembly of the multidrug efflux pump to promote antimicrobial resistance, highlighting the importance of this posttranslational modification in bacterial physiology. Similar roles for glycans are expected to be found in other Gram-negative pathogens that possess general protein glycosylation systems.


2011 ◽  
Vol 77 (9) ◽  
pp. 2855-2862 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shima Eda ◽  
Hisayuki Mitsui ◽  
Kiwamu Minamisawa

ABSTRACTThe contributions of multicomponent-type multidrug efflux pumps to antimicrobial resistance and nodulation ability inSinorhizobium melilotiwere comprehensively analyzed. Computational searches identified genes in theS. melilotistrain 1021 genome encoding 1 pump from the ATP-binding cassette family, 3 pumps from the major facilitator superfamily, and 10 pumps from the resistance-nodulation-cell division family, and subsequently, these genes were deleted either individually or simultaneously. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests demonstrated that deletion of thesmeABpump genes resulted in increased susceptibility to a range of antibiotics, dyes, detergents, and plant-derived compounds and, further, that specific deletion of thesmeCDorsmeEFgenes in a ΔsmeABbackground caused a further increase in susceptibility to certain antibiotics. Competitive nodulation experiments revealed that thesmeABmutant was defective in competing with the wild-type strain for nodulation. The introduction of a plasmid carryingsmeABinto thesmeABmutant restored antimicrobial resistance and nodulation competitiveness. These findings suggest that the SmeAB pump, which is a major multidrug efflux system ofS. meliloti, plays an important role in nodulation competitiveness by mediating resistance toward antimicrobial compounds produced by the host plant.


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