scholarly journals Regulatory Hierarchies Controlling Virulence Gene Expression in Shigella flexneri and Vibrio cholerae

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Dorman ◽  
Charles J. Dorman
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

DNA supercoiling and environmental regulation of virulence gene expression in Shigella flexneri

Nature ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 344 (6268) ◽  
pp. 789-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles J. Dorman ◽  
Niamh Ni Bhriain ◽  
Christopher F. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Environmental Regulation ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Dna Supercoiling ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

scholarly journals Integration Host Factor Positively Regulates Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (13) ◽  
pp. 4736-4748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Stonehouse ◽  
Gabriela Kovacikova ◽  
Ronald K. Taylor ◽  
Karen Skorupski
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Toxin Production ◽  
Dnase I ◽  
Integration Host Factor ◽  
Host Factor ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting

ABSTRACT Virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae is dependent upon a complex transcriptional cascade that is influenced by both specific and global regulators in response to environmental stimuli. Here, we report that the global regulator integration host factor (IHF) positively affects virulence gene expression in V. cholerae. Inactivation of ihfA and ihfB, the genes encoding the IHF subunits, decreased the expression levels of the two main virulence factors tcpA and ctx and prevented toxin-coregulated pilus and cholera toxin production. IHF was found to directly bind to and bend the tcpA promoter region at an IHF consensus site centered at position −162 by using gel mobility shift assays and DNase I footprinting experiments. Deletion or mutation of the tcpA IHF consensus site resulted in the loss of IHF binding and additionally disrupted the binding of the repressor H-NS. DNase I footprinting revealed that H-NS protection overlaps with both the IHF and the ToxT binding sites at the tcpA promoter. In addition, disruption of ihfA in an hns or toxT mutant background had no effect on tcpA expression. These results suggest that IHF may function at the tcpA promoter to alleviate H-NS repression.

scholarly journals Formate PromotesShigellaIntercellular Spread and Virulence Gene Expression

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Koestler ◽  
Carolyn R. Fisher ◽  
Shelley M. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Plaque Size ◽  
Acid Fermentation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Cell Spread

ABSTRACTThe intracellular human pathogenShigella flexneriinvades the colon epithelium, replicates to high cell density within the host cell, and then spreads to adjacent epithelial cells. WhenS. flexnerigains access to the host cytosol, the bacteria metabolize host cytosolic carbon using glycolysis and mixed acid fermentation, producing formate as a by-product. We show thatS. flexneriinfection results in the accumulation of formate within the host cell. Loss of pyruvate formate lyase (PFL; ΔpflB), which converts pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A (CoA) and formate, eliminatesS. flexneriformate production and reduces the ability ofS. flexnerito form plaques in epithelial cell monolayers. This defect in PFL does not decrease the intracellular growth rate ofS. flexneri; rather, it affects cell-to-cell spread. TheS. flexneriΔpflBmutant plaque defect is complemented by supplying exogenous formate; conversely, deletion of theS. flexneriformate dehydrogenase genefdnGincreases host cell formate accumulation andS. flexneriplaque size. Furthermore, exogenous formate increases plaque size of the wild-type (WT)S. flexneristrain and promotesS. flexnericell-to-cell spread. We also demonstrate that formate increases the expression ofS. flexnerivirulence genesicsAandipaJ. IntracellularS. flexneriicsAandipaJexpression is dependent on the presence of formate, andipaJexpression correlates withS. flexneriintracellular density during infection. Finally, consistent with elevatedipaJ, we show that formate altersS. flexneri-infected host interferon- and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-stimulated gene expression. We propose thatShigella-derived formate is an intracellular signal that modulates virulence in response to bacterial metabolism.IMPORTANCEShigellais an intracellular pathogen that invades the human host cell cytosol and exploits intracellular nutrients for growth, enabling the bacterium to create its own metabolic niche. ForShigellato effectively invade and replicate within the host cytoplasm, it must sense and adapt to changing environmental conditions; however, the mechanisms and signals sensed byS. flexneriare largely unknown. We have found that the secretedShigellametabolism by-product formate regulatesShigellaintracellular virulence gene expression and its ability to spread among epithelial cells. We propose thatShigellasenses formate accumulation in the host cytosol as a way to determine intracellularShigelladensity and regulate secreted virulence factors accordingly, enabling spatiotemporal regulation of effectors important for dampening the host immune response.

974 Bile Salt Exposure Regulates Shigella flexneri Virulence Gene Expression to Facilitate Mucosal Interaction and Colonic Infection

2016 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. S198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kourtney Nickerson ◽  
Rachael B. Chanin ◽  
Jeticia R. Sistrunk ◽  
David A. Rasko ◽  
Christina S. Faherty
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Bile Salt ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

scholarly journals TolC Affects Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae

2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (20) ◽  
pp. 5850-5852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Minato ◽  
R. L. Siefken ◽  
C. C. Hase
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

scholarly journals Regulatory Networks Controlling Vibrio cholerae Virulence Gene Expression

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (12) ◽  
pp. 5542-5549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyl S. Matson ◽  
Jeffrey H. Withey ◽  
Victor J. DiRita
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Regulatory Networks ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

scholarly journals TcpH Influences Virulence Gene Expression in Vibrio cholerae by Inhibiting Degradation of the Transcription Activator TcpP

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (24) ◽  
pp. 8309-8316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Beck ◽  
Eric S. Krukonis ◽  
Victor J. DiRita
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Degradation Pathway ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Periplasmic Domain

ABSTRACT Expression of toxT, the transcription activator of cholera toxin and pilus production in Vibrio cholerae, is the consequence of a complex cascade of regulatory events that culminates in activation of the toxT promoter by TcpP and ToxR, two membrane-localized transcription factors. Both are encoded in operons with genes whose products, TcpH and ToxS, which are also membrane localized, are hypothesized to control their activity. In this study we analyzed the role of TcpH in controlling TcpP function. We show that a mutant of V. cholerae lacking TcpH expressed virtually undetectable levels of TcpP, although tcpP mRNA levels remain unaffected. A time course experiment showed that levels of TcpP, expressed from a plasmid, are dramatically reduced over time without co-overexpression of TcpH. By contrast, deletion of toxS did not affect ToxR protein levels. A fusion protein in which the TcpP periplasmic domain is replaced with that of ToxR remains stable, suggesting that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is the target for degradation of the protein. Placement of the periplasmic domain of TcpP on ToxR, an otherwise stable protein, results in instability, providing further evidence for the hypothesis that the periplasmic domain of TcpP is a target for degradation. Consistent with this interpretation is our finding that derivatives of TcpP lacking a periplasmic domain are more stable in V. cholerae than are derivatives in which the periplasmic domain has been truncated. This work identifies at least one role for the periplasmic domain of TcpP, i.e., to act as a target for a protein degradation pathway that regulates TcpP levels. It also provides a rationale for why the V. cholerae tcpH mutant strain is avirulent. We hypothesize that regulator degradation may be an important mechanism for regulating virulence gene expression in V. cholerae.

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