scholarly journals The CiaR Response Regulator in Group B Streptococcus Promotes Intracellular Survival and Resistance to Innate Immune Defenses

2008 ◽  
Vol 191 (7) ◽  
pp. 2023-2032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin Quach ◽  
Nina M. van Sorge ◽  
Sascha A. Kristian ◽  
Joshua D. Bryan ◽  
Daniel W. Shelver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Response Regulator ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Intracellular Survival ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Neonatal Meningitis ◽  
Host Defenses ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Group B

ABSTRACT Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is major cause of invasive disease in newborn infants and the leading cause of neonatal meningitis. To gain access to the central nervous system (CNS), GBS must not only subvert host defenses in the bloodstream but also invade and survive within brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC), the principal cell layer composing the blood-brain barrier (BBB). While several GBS determinants that contribute to the invasion of BMEC have been identified, little is known about the GBS factors that are required for intracellular survival and ultimate disease progression. In this study we sought to identify these factors by screening a random GBS mutant library in an in vitro survival assay. One mutant was identified which contained a disruption in a two-component regulatory system homologous to CiaR/CiaH, which is present in other streptococcal pathogens. Deletion of the putative response regulator, ciaR, in GBS resulted in a significant decrease in intracellular survival within neutrophils, murine macrophages, and human BMEC, which was linked to increased susceptibility to killing by antimicrobial peptides, lysozyme, and reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, competition experiments with mice showed that wild-type GBS had a significant survival advantage over the GBS ΔciaR mutant in the bloodstream and brain. Microarray analysis comparing gene expression between wild-type and ΔciaR mutant GBS bacteria revealed several CiaR-regulated genes that may contribute to stress tolerance and the subversion of host defenses by GBS. Our results identify the GBS CiaR response regulator as a crucial factor in GBS intracellular survival and invasive disease pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Regulation of Virulence by a Two-Component System in Group B Streptococcus

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (3) ◽  
pp. 1105-1113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheng-Mei Jiang ◽  
Michael J. Cieslewicz ◽  
Dennis L. Kasper ◽  
Michael R. Wessels
Keyword(s):  
Response Regulator ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Mutant Strains ◽  
Group B

ABSTRACT Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is frequently carried in the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract as a commensal organism, yet it has the potential to cause life-threatening infection in newborn infants, pregnant women, and individuals with chronic illness. Regulation of virulence factor expression may affect whether GBS behaves as an asymptomatic colonizer or an invasive pathogen, but little is known about how such factors are controlled in GBS. We now report the characterization of a GBS locus that encodes a two-component regulatory system similar to CsrRS (or CovRS) in Streptococcus pyogenes. Inactivation of csrR, encoding the putative response regulator, in two unrelated wild-type strains of GBS resulted in a marked increase in production of beta-hemolysin/cytolysin and a striking decrease in production of CAMP factor, an unrelated cytolytic toxin. Quantitative RNA hybridization experiments revealed that these two phenotypes were associated with a marked increase and decrease in expression of the corresponding genes, cylE and cfb, respectively. The CsrR mutant strains also displayed increased expression of scpB encoding C5a peptidase. Similar, but less marked, changes in gene expression were observed in CsrS (putative sensor component) mutants, evidence that CsrR and CsrS constitute a functional two-component system. Experimental infection studies in mice demonstrated reduced virulence of both CsrR and CsrS mutant strains relative to the wild type. Together, these results indicate that CsrRS regulates expression of multiple GBS virulence determinants and is likely to play an important role in GBS pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Identification of Zinc-Dependent Mechanisms Used by Group B Streptococcus To Overcome Calprotectin-Mediated Stress

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey R. Burcham ◽  
Yoann Le Breton ◽  
Jana N. Radin ◽  
Brady L. Spencer ◽  
Liwen Deng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knockout Mice ◽  
Metal Ion ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Zinc Uptake ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Metal Transporters ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Group B

ABSTRACT Nutritional immunity is an elegant host mechanism used to starve invading pathogens of necessary nutrient metals. Calprotectin, a metal-binding protein, is produced abundantly by neutrophils and is found in high concentrations within inflammatory sites during infection. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) colonizes the gastrointestinal and female reproductive tracts and is commonly associated with severe invasive infections in newborns such as pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. Although GBS infections induce robust neutrophil recruitment and inflammation, the dynamics of GBS and calprotectin interactions remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that disease and colonizing isolate strains exhibit susceptibility to metal starvation by calprotectin. We constructed a mariner transposon (Krmit) mutant library in GBS and identified 258 genes that contribute to surviving calprotectin stress. Nearly 20% of all underrepresented mutants following treatment with calprotectin are predicted metal transporters, including known zinc systems. As calprotectin binds zinc with picomolar affinity, we investigated the contribution of GBS zinc uptake to overcoming calprotectin-imposed starvation. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) revealed a significant upregulation of genes encoding zinc-binding proteins, adcA, adcAII, and lmb, following calprotectin exposure, while growth in calprotectin revealed a significant defect for a global zinc acquisition mutant (ΔadcAΔadcAIIΔlmb) compared to growth of the GBS wild-type (WT) strain. Furthermore, mice challenged with the ΔadcAΔadcAIIΔlmb mutant exhibited decreased mortality and significantly reduced bacterial burden in the brain compared to mice infected with WT GBS; this difference was abrogated in calprotectin knockout mice. Collectively, these data suggest that GBS zinc transport machinery is important for combatting zinc chelation by calprotectin and establishing invasive disease. IMPORTANCE Group B Streptococcus (GBS) asymptomatically colonizes the female reproductive tract but is a common causative agent of meningitis. GBS meningitis is characterized by extensive infiltration of neutrophils carrying high concentrations of calprotectin, a metal chelator. To persist within inflammatory sites and cause invasive disease, GBS must circumvent host starvation attempts. Here, we identified global requirements for GBS survival during calprotectin challenge, including known and putative systems involved in metal ion transport. We characterized the role of zinc import in tolerating calprotectin stress in vitro and in a mouse model of infection. We observed that a global zinc uptake mutant was less virulent than the parental GBS strain and found calprotectin knockout mice to be equally susceptible to infection by wild-type (WT) and mutant strains. These findings suggest that calprotectin production at the site of infection results in a zinc-limited environment and reveals the importance of GBS metal homeostasis to invasive disease.

scholarly journals Phosphorylation of the Group A Streptococcal CovR Response Regulator Causes Dimerization and Promoter-Specific Recruitment by RNA Polymerase

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (13) ◽  
pp. 4620-4626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asiya A. Gusa ◽  
Jinxin Gao ◽  
Virginia Stringer ◽  
Gordon Churchward ◽  
June R. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Virulence Factors ◽  
Group A Streptococcus ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Difference

ABSTRACT The group A streptococcus (GAS), Streptococcus pyogenes, is an important human pathogen that causes infections ranging in severity from self-limiting pharyngitis to severe invasive diseases that are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathogenic effects of GAS are mediated by the expression of virulence factors, one of which is the hyaluronic acid capsule (encoded by genes in the has operon). The expression of these virulence factors is controlled by the CovR/S (CsrR/S) two-component regulatory system of GAS which regulates, directly or indirectly, the expression of about 15% of the genome. CovR is a member of the OmpR/PhoB family of transcriptional regulators. Here we show that phosphorylation by acetyl phosphate results in dimerization of CovR. Dimerization was not observed using a D53A mutant of CovR, indicating that D53 is the site of phosphorylation in CovR. Phosphorylation stimulated binding of CovR to a DNA fragment containing the promoter of the has operon (Phas) approximately twofold. Binding of CovR D53A mutant protein to Phas was indistinguishable from the binding of wild-type unphosphorylated CovR. In vitro transcription, using purified GAS RNA polymerase, showed that wild-type CovR repressed transcription, and repression was stimulated more than sixfold by phosphorylation. In the presence of RNA polymerase, binding at Phas of phosphorylated, but not unphosphorylated, CovR was stimulated about fourfold, which accounts for the difference in the effect of phosphorylation on repression versus DNA binding. Thus, regulation of Phas by CovR is direct, and the degree of repression of Phas is controlled by the phosphorylation of CovR.

scholarly journals The role of two-component system response regulatorBceRin antimicrobial resistance, virulence, biofilm formation, and stress response of group B Streptococcus

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Yang ◽  
Mingjing Luo ◽  
Haokui ◽  
Carmen Li ◽  
Alison W. S. Luk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Group B Streptococcus ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Group B

AbstractThe hypervirulent Group B Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae, GBS) serogroup III clonal cluster 17 has been associated with neonatal GBS invasive disease and meningits. Serogroup III, ST283 has recently been implicated in invasive disease among non-pregnant adults in Asia. These strains cluster with strains from freshwater fishes from aquaculture and a foodborne outbreak of sepsis, especially with septic arthritis, had been linked to such consumption in Singapore in 2015. Through comparative genome analyses of invasive and non-invasive strains of ST283, we identified a truncated response regulator gene in the non-invasive strain. This two component response gene, previously named a DNA binding regulator, is conserved among GBS strains and is a homologue ofBacillus subtilis BceR, the response regulator of the BceRSAB system. Loss of function of theBceRresponse gene in the invasive GBS strain demonstrated bacitracin susceptibility inΔBceRmutant with MICs of 256-fold and four-fold reduction in bacitracin and human cathelicin LL-37 compared to wild type and complementation strains. Upregulation ofdltAof wild type strain vsΔBceRmutant was demonstrated (p<0.0001), and was previously shown inStaphylococcus aureusto resist and repel cationic peptides through excess positive charges with D-alanylation of teichoic acids on the cell wall. In addition,ΔBceRmutant was less susceptible under oxidative stress under H2O2stress when compared to wild type strain (p<0.001) and inhibited biofilm formation (p<0.05 andp< 0.0001 for crystal violet staining and cfu counts). TheΔBceRmutant also showed reduced mortality as compared to wild type strain (p<0.01) in a murine infection model. Taken together,BceRSis involved in bacitracin and antimicrobial peptide resistance, survival under oxidative stress, biofilm formation and play an important role in the virulence of GBS.Author SummaryTwo-component systems (TCSs) play an important role in virulence in bacteria, and are involved in detecting environmental changes. AlthoughS. agalactiaewas reported to contain more predicted TCSs thanStreptococcus pneumoniae,few have been studied in detail. In this work, comparative genomic analysis of GBS invasive (hyper-virulent) and non-invasive serotype III-4 strains were performed to determine any gene differences that may account for severity of disease in humans.BceR-likeTCS was selected and suspected to be involved in virulence, and thusBceRwas deleted in a hyper-virulent GBS serotype III-4 strain. We demonstrated that thisBceR-likeTCS is involved in GBS virulence and induced proinflammatory host immune responses. Our study of TCSBceRmay guide further research into the role of other TCSs in GBS pathogenicity, and further explore therapeutic targets for GBS disease.

scholarly journals SalY of the Streptococcus pyogenes Lantibiotic Locus Is Required for Full Virulence and Intracellular Survival in Macrophages

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 4541-4551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary A. Phelps ◽  
Melody N. Neely
Keyword(s):  
Abc Transporter ◽  
Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽  
Disease Model ◽  
Intracellular Survival ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Vitro Analysis

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pyogenes utilizes numerous mechanisms for evading the host immune response but has only recently been found to survive in the intracellular environment. In this study, we demonstrate the requirement of a putative ABC transporter permease for intracellular survival in macrophages. The highly attenuated S. pyogenes mutant, SalY, was identified from a transposon mutagenesis screen, with over 200-fold attenuation in virulence in a zebrafish invasive-disease model. Sequencing of the region surrounding the insertion identified a locus that is highly conserved in other S. pyogenes genomes and is homologous to an operon involved in lantibiotic production. In vitro analysis demonstrated that the SalY mutant is deficient in intracellular survival in murine macrophages, a phenotype also observed in zebrafish macrophages in vivo. Macrophage crude cell lysates added to bacterial cultures resulted in the death of the SalY mutant but only growth inhibition of the wild-type strain. Specific depletion of zebrafish macrophages in vivo restored the ability of the SalY mutant to cause disease to wild-type levels. The SalY-infected, macrophage-depleted zebrafish exhibit large lesions and invasive dissemination at a rate and level similar to those of the wild type. In contrast, an M protein mutant with a degree of attenuation similar to that of the SalY mutant did not regain full virulence by in vivo depletion of macrophages. The putative SalY ABC transporter may be an example of the ability of S. pyogenes to adapt and evolve new survival strategies that allow dissemination and growth in previously uninhabitable sites.

Group B Streptococcal and Pneumococcal Sepsis in Newborn Infants: The Role of Pneumococcal Antibody

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 620-621
Author(s):  
Gerald W. Fischer ◽  
James W. Bass ◽  
George H. Lowell ◽  
Martin H. Crumrine
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Hydrochloric Acid ◽  
Group B Streptococcus ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
Polysaccharide Antigen ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Pneumococcal Sepsis ◽  
Group B

The article by Bortolussi et al. on pneumococcal septicemia and meningitis in the neonat (Pediatrics 60:352, September 1977) was of great interest to us, since we have been analyzing the effect of antibody directed against Streptococcus pneumoniae on group B Streptococcus type III. We have recently shown (unpublished data) that antibody directed against S. pneumoniae type 14 precipitates the hot hydrochloric acid-extracted polysaccharide antigen of group B Streptococcus type III. Further studies have shown that this antibody is opsonic for group B Streptococcus type III in an in vitro bactericidal assay and protective in a suckling rat model of group B Streptococcus type III sepsis.1

scholarly journals Genome-Wide fitness analysis of group B Streptococcus in human amniotic fluid reveals a transcription factor that controls multiple virulence traits

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. e1009116
Author(s):  
Allison N. Dammann ◽  
Anna B. Chamby ◽  
Andrew J. Catomeris ◽  
Kyle M. Davidson ◽  
Hervé Tettelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
Amniotic Fluid ◽  
Deletion Strain ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Human Amniotic Fluid ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pregnant Mice ◽  
Group B

Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus; GBS) remains a dominant cause of serious neonatal infections. One aspect of GBS that renders it particularly virulent during the perinatal period is its ability to invade the chorioamniotic membranes and persist in amniotic fluid, which is nutritionally deplete and rich in fetal immunologic factors such as antimicrobial peptides. We used next-generation sequencing of transposon-genome junctions (Tn-seq) to identify five GBS genes that promote survival in the presence of human amniotic fluid. We confirmed our Tn-seq findings using a novel CRISPR inhibition (CRISPRi) gene expression knockdown system. This analysis showed that one gene, which encodes a GntR-class transcription factor that we named MrvR, conferred a significant fitness benefit to GBS in amniotic fluid. We generated an isogenic targeted deletion of the mrvR gene, which had a growth defect in amniotic fluid relative to the wild type parent strain. The mrvR deletion strain also showed a significant biofilm defect in vitro. Subsequent in vivo studies showed that while the mutant was able to cause persistent murine vaginal colonization, pregnant mice colonized with the mrvR deletion strain did not develop preterm labor despite consistent GBS invasion of the uterus and the fetoplacental units. In contrast, pregnant mice colonized with wild type GBS consistently deliver prematurely. In a sepsis model the mrvR deletion strain showed significantly decreased lethality. In order to better understand the mechanism by which this newly identified transcription factor controls GBS virulence, we performed RNA-seq on wild type and mrvR deletion GBS strains, which revealed that the transcription factor affects expression of a wide range of genes across the GBS chromosome. Nucleotide biosynthesis and salvage pathways were highly represented among the set of differentially expressed genes, suggesting that MrvR may be involved in regulating nucleotide availability.

scholarly journals Glutathione Synthesis Contributes to Virulence of Streptococcus agalactiae in a Murine Model of Sepsis

2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Walker ◽  
Gary C. Port ◽  
Michael G. Caparon ◽  
Blythe E. Janowiak
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Agalactiae ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Single Gene ◽  
Neonatal Meningitis ◽  
Deletion Mutants ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Glutathione Synthesis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Resistance Pathway

ABSTRACT Streptococcus agalactiae, a leading cause of sepsis and meningitis in neonates, utilizes multiple virulence factors to survive and thrive within the human host during an infection. Unique among the pathogenic streptococci, S. agalactiae uses a bifunctional enzyme encoded by a single gene (gshAB) to synthesize glutathione (GSH), a major antioxidant in most aerobic organisms. Since S. agalactiae can also import GSH, similar to all other pathogenic streptococcal species, the contribution of GSH synthesis to the pathogenesis of S. agalactiae disease is not known. In the present study, gshAB deletion mutants were generated in strains representing three of the most prevalent clinical serotypes of S. agalactiae and were compared against isogenic wild-type and gshAB knock-in strains. When cultured in vitro in a chemically defined medium under nonstress conditions, each mutant and its corresponding wild type had comparable growth rates, generation times, and growth yields. However, gshAB deletion mutants were found to be more sensitive than wild-type or gshAB knock-in strains to killing and growth inhibition by several different reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, deletion of gshAB in S. agalactiae strain COH1 significantly attenuated virulence compared to the wild-type or gshAB knock-in strains in a mouse model of sepsis. Taken together, these data establish that GSH is a virulence factor important for resistance to oxidative stress and that de novo GSH synthesis plays a crucial role in S. agalactiae pathogenesis and further suggest that the inhibition of GSH synthesis may provide an opportunity for the development of novel therapies targeting S. agalactiae disease. IMPORTANCE Approximately 10 to 30% of women are naturally and asymptomatically colonized by Streptococcus agalactiae. However, transmission of S. agalactiae from mother to newborn during vaginal birth is a leading cause of neonatal meningitis. Although colonized mothers who are at risk for transmission to the newborn are treated with antibiotics prior to delivery, S. agalactiae is becoming increasingly resistant to current antibiotic therapies, and new treatments are needed. This research reveals a critical stress resistance pathway, glutathione synthesis, that is utilized by S. agalactiae and contributes to its pathogenesis. Understanding the role of this unique bifunctional glutathione synthesis enzyme in S. agalactiae during sepsis may help elucidate why S. agalactiae produces such an abundance of glutathione compared to other bacteria.

scholarly journals Mutations in Four Regulatory Genes Have Interrelated Effects on Heterocyst Maturation in Anabaena sp. Strain PCC 7120

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (21) ◽  
pp. 7387-7395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigal Lechno-Yossef ◽  
Qing Fan ◽  
Shigeki Ehira ◽  
Naoki Sato ◽  
C. Peter Wolk
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Wild Type Strain ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Transcript Abundance ◽  
Regulatory Genes ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Serine Threonine Kinase ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Pcc 7120

ABSTRACT Regulatory genes hepK, hepN, henR, and hepS are required for heterocyst maturation in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120. They presumptively encode two histidine kinases, a response regulator, and a serine/threonine kinase, respectively. To identify relationships between those genes, we compared global patterns of gene expression, at 14 h after nitrogen step-down, in corresponding mutants and in the wild-type strain. Heterocyst envelopes of mutants affected in any of those genes lack a homogeneous, polysaccharide layer. Those of a henR mutant also lack a glycolipid layer. patA, which encodes a positive effector of heterocyst differentiation, was up-regulated in all mutants except the hepK mutant, suggesting that patA expression may be inhibited by products related to heterocyst development. hepS and hepK were up-regulated if mutated and so appear to be negatively autoregulated. HepS and HenR regulated a common set of genes and so appear to belong to one regulatory system. Some nontranscriptional mechanism may account for the observation that henR mutants lack, and hepS mutants possess, a glycolipid layer, even though both mutations down-regulated genes involved in formation of the glycolipid layer. HepK and HepN also affected transcription of a common set of genes and therefore appear to share a regulatory pathway. However, the transcript abundance of other genes differed very significantly from expression in the wild-type strain in either the hepK or hepN mutant while differing very little from wild-type expression in the other of those two mutants. Therefore, hepK and hepN appear to participate also in separate pathways.

scholarly journals Hik36–Hik43 and Rre6 act as a two-component regulatory system to control cell aggregation in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kota Kera ◽  
Yuichiro Yoshizawa ◽  
Takehiro Shigehara ◽  
Tatsuya Nagayama ◽  
Masaru Tsujii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Morphological Changes ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Type Iv ◽  
Two Component ◽  
In The Wild

Abstract In response to environmental stress the model cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 can switch from a planktonic state to autoaggregation and biofilm formation. The precise mechanism of this transition remains unknown. Here we investigated the role of a candidate two-component regulatory system (TCS) in controlling morphological changes, as a way to understand the intermediate molecular steps that are part of the signaling pathway. A bacterial two-hybrid assay showed that the response regulator Rre6 formed a TCS together with a split histidine kinase consisting of Hik36 and Hik43. Individual disruption mutants displayed autoaggregation in a static culture. In contrast, unlike in the wild type, high salinity did not induce biofilm formation in Δhik36, Δhik43 and Δrre6. The expression levels of exopolysaccharide (EPS) production genes were higher in Δhik36 and Δhik43, compared with the wild type, but lower in Δrre6, suggesting that the TCS regulated EPS production in Synechocystis. Rre6 interacted physically with the motor protein PilT2, that is a component of the type IV pilus system. This interaction was enhanced in a phosphomimic version of Rre6. Taken together, Hik36–Hik43–Rre6 function as an upstream component of the pili-related signal transduction cascade and control the prevention of cell adhesion and biofilm formation.

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