Studies of the Listeria monocytogenes Cellobiose Transport Components and Their Impact on Virulence Gene Repression

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 10-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thanh Nguyen Cao ◽  
Philippe Joyet ◽  
Francine Moussan Désirée Aké ◽  
Eliane Milohanic ◽  
Josef Deutscher
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Bacteria Transport ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Transcription Regulator ◽  
Related Phenotype

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Many bacteria transport cellobiose via a phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS). In <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i>, two pairs of soluble PTS components (EIIA<sup>Cel1</sup>/EIIB<sup>Cel1</sup> and EIIA<sup>Cel2</sup>/EIIB<sup>Cel2</sup>) and the permease EIIC<sup>Cel1</sup> were suggested to contribute to cellobiose uptake. Interestingly, utilization of several carbohydrates, including cellobiose, strongly represses virulence gene expression by inhibiting PrfA, the virulence gene activator. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The LevR-like transcription regulator CelR activates expression of the cellobiose-induced PTS operons <i>celB1</i>-<i>celC1</i>-<i>celA1</i>, <i>celB2</i>-<i>celA2</i>, and the EIIC-encoding monocistronic <i>celC2</i>. Phosphorylation by P∼His-HPr at His550 activates CelR, whereas phosphorylation by P∼EIIB<sup>Cel1</sup> or P∼EIIB<sup>Cel2</sup> at His823 inhibits it. Replacement of His823 with Ala or deletion of both <i>celA</i> or <i>celB</i> genes caused constitutive CelR regulon expression. Mutants lacking EIIC<sup>Cel1</sup>, CelR or both EIIA<sup>Cel</sup> exhibited<i></i>slow cellobiose consumption. Deletion of <i>celC1</i> or <i>celR</i> prevented virulence gene repression by the disaccharide, but not by glucose and fructose. Surprisingly, deletion of both <i>celA</i> genes caused virulence gene repression even during growth on non-repressing carbohydrates. No cellobiose-related phenotype was found for the <i>celC2</i> mutant. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The two EIIA/B<sup>Cel</sup> pairs are similarly efficient as phosphoryl donors in EIIC<sup>Cel1</sup>-catalyzed cellobiose transport and CelR regulation. The permanent virulence gene repression in the <i>celA</i> double mutant further supports a role of PTS<sup>Cel</sup> components in PrfA regulation.

scholarly journals The bvr Locus of Listeria monocytogenes Mediates Virulence Gene Repression by β-Glucosides

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (16) ◽  
pp. 5024-5032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Brehm ◽  
María-Teresa Ripio ◽  
Jürgen Kreft ◽  
José-Antonio Vázquez-Boland
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Natural Habitat ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Gene Repression ◽  
Signal Molecules ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

ABSTRACT The β-glucoside cellobiose has been reported to specifically repress the PrfA-dependent virulence genes hly andplcA in Listeria monocytogenes NCTC 7973. This led to the hypothesis that β-glucosides, sugars of plant origin, may act as signal molecules, preventing the expression of virulence genes if L. monocytogenes is living in its natural habitat (soil). In three other laboratory strains (EGD, L028, and 10403S), however, the effect of cellobiose was not unique, and all fermentable carbohydrates repressed hly. This suggested that the downregulation of virulence genes by β-glucosides is not a specific phenomenon but, rather, an aspect of a global regulatory mechanism of catabolite repression (CR). We assessed the effect of carbohydrates on virulence gene expression in a panel of wild-type isolates of L. monocytogenes by using the PrfA-dependent phospholipase C geneplcB as a reporter. Utilization of any fermentable sugar caused plcB repression in wild-type L. monocytogenes. However, an EGD variant was identified in which, as in NCTC 7973, plcB was only repressed by β-glucosides. Thus, the regulation of L. monocytogenes virulence genes by sugars appears to be mediated by two separate mechanisms, one presumably involving a CR pathway and another specifically responding to β-glucosides. We have identified in L. monocytogenes a 4-kb operon, bvrABC, encoding an antiterminator of the BglG family (bvrA), a β-glucoside-specific enzyme II permease component of the phosphoenolpyruvate-sugar phosphotransferase system (bvrB), and a putative ADP-ribosylglycohydrolase (bvrC). Low-stringency Southern blots showed that this locus is absent from other Listeria spp. Transcription ofbvrB was induced by cellobiose and salicin but not by arbutin. Disruption of the bvr operon by replacing part ofbvrAB with an interposon abolished the repression by cellobiose and salicin but not that by arbutin. Our data indicate that the bvr locus encodes a β-glucoside-specific sensor that mediates virulence gene repression upon detection of cellobiose and salicin. Bvr is the first sensory system found in L. monocytogenes that is involved in environmental regulation of virulence genes.

scholarly journals Transport and Catabolism of Pentitols by Listeria monocytogenes

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 369-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takfarinas Kentache ◽  
Eliane Milohanic ◽  
Thanh Nguyen Cao ◽  
Abdelhamid Mokhtari ◽  
Francine Moussan Aké ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Virulence Genes ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Pentose Phosphate ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Transposon Insertion ◽  
Encoding Gene ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Transcription Activators

Transposon insertion into <i>Listeria monocytogenes lmo2665</i>, which encodes an EIIC of the phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTS), was found to prevent <smlcap>D</smlcap>-arabitol utilization. We confirm this result with a deletion mutant and show that Lmo2665 is also required for <smlcap>D</smlcap>-xylitol utilization. We therefore called this protein EIIC<sup>Axl</sup>. Both pentitols are probably catabolized via the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) because <i>lmo2665</i> belongs to an operon, which encodes the three PTS<sup>Axl</sup> components, two sugar-P dehydrogenases, and most PPP enzymes. The two dehydrogenases oxidize the pentitol-phosphates produced during PTS-catalyzed transport to the PPP intermediate xylulose-5-P. <i>L. monocytogenes</i> contains another PTS, which exhibits significant sequence identity to PTS<sup>Axl</sup>. Its genes are also part of an operon encoding PPP enzymes. Deletion of the EIIC-encoding gene <i>(lmo0508)</i> affected neither <smlcap>D</smlcap>-arabitol nor <smlcap>D</smlcap>-xylitol utilization, although <smlcap>D</smlcap>-arabitol induces the expression of this operon. Both operons are controlled by MtlR/LicR-type transcription activators (Lmo2668 and Lmo0501, respectively). Phosphorylation of Lmo0501 by the soluble PTS<sup>Axl</sup> components probably explains why <smlcap>D</smlcap>-arabitol also induces the second pentitol operon. Listerial virulence genes are submitted to strong repression by PTS sugars, such as glucose. However, <smlcap>D</smlcap>-arabitol inhibited virulence gene expression only at high concentrations, probably owing to its less efficient utilization compared to glucose.

scholarly journals Listeria monocytogenes σB Modulates PrfA-Mediated Virulence Factor Expression

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 2113-2124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliane Ollinger ◽  
Barbara Bowen ◽  
Martin Wiedmann ◽  
Kathryn J. Boor ◽  
Teresa M. Bergholz
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Transcript Profiling ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Genome Wide

ABSTRACT Listeria monocytogenes σB and positive regulatory factor A (PrfA) are pleiotropic transcriptional regulators that coregulate a subset of virulence genes. A positive regulatory role for σB in prfA transcription has been well established; therefore, observations of increased virulence gene expression and hemolytic activity in a ΔsigB strain initially appeared paradoxical. To test the hypothesis that L. monocytogenes σB contributes to a regulatory network critical for appropriate repression as well as induction of virulence gene expression, genome-wide transcript profiling and follow-up quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR), reporter fusion, and phenotypic experiments were conducted using L. monocytogenes prfA*, prfA* ΔsigB, ΔprfA, and ΔprfA ΔsigB strains. Genome-wide transcript profiling and qRT-PCR showed that in the presence of active PrfA (PrfA*), σB is responsible for reduced expression of the PrfA regulon. σB-dependent modulation of PrfA regulon expression reduced the cytotoxic effects of a PrfA* strain in HepG2 cells, highlighting the functional importance of regulatory interactions between PrfA and σB. The emerging model of the role of σB in regulating overall PrfA activity includes a switch from transcriptional activation at the P2 prfA promoter (e.g., in extracellular bacteria when PrfA activity is low) to posttranscriptional downregulation of PrfA regulon expression (e.g., in intracellular bacteria when PrfA activity is high).

scholarly journals Regulation of Mannose Phosphotransferase System Permease and Virulence Gene Expression in Listeria monocytogenes by the EIItMan Transporter

2009 ◽  
Vol 75 (21) ◽  
pp. 6671-6678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung Vu-Khac ◽  
Kurt W. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Deletion Mutant ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Mrna Level ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Pcr Analysis ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression

ABSTRACT The EIIt Man phosphotransferase system (PTS) permease encoded by the mpt operon is the principal glucose transporter in Listeria monocytogenes. EIIt Man participates in glucose-mediated carbon catabolite repression (CCR) and downregulation of virulence gene expression, and it is the receptor for class IIa bacteriocins. The regulation of this important protein and its roles in gene control were examined using derivatives of strain EGD-e in which the mpt operon or its regulatory genes, manR and lmo0095, were deleted. Real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis showed that the mpt mRNA level was 10- and 100-fold lower in the lmo0095 and manR deletion strains, respectively. The manR mRNA level was higher in the mpt deletion mutant in medium lacking glucose, possibly due to disruption of a regulatory process that normally downregulates manR transcription in the absence of this sugar. Analysis of the mpt deletion mutant also showed that EIIt Man participates to various degrees in glucose-mediated CCR of PTS operons. CCR of the lmo0027 gene, which encodes a β-glucoside PTS transporter, required expression of EIIt Man. In contrast, genes in two mannose PTS operons (lmo0024, lmo1997, and lmo2002) were repressed by glucose even when EIIt Man was not synthesized. A third mannose PTS operon, mpo, was not regulated by glucose or by the level of EIIt Man. Finally, the mRNA levels for five genes in the prfA virulence gene cluster were two- to fourfold higher in the mpt deletion mutant. The results show that EIIt Man participates to various extents in glucose-mediated CCR of PTS operons and makes a small, albeit significant, contribution to downregulation of virulence gene transcription by glucose in strain EGD-e.

scholarly journals Interaction with Enzyme IIBMpo(EIIBMpo) and Phosphorylation by Phosphorylated EIIBMpoExert Antagonistic Effects on the Transcriptional Activator ManR of Listeria monocytogenes

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (9) ◽  
pp. 1559-1572 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Constant Zébré ◽  
Francine Moussan Aké ◽  
Magali Ventroux ◽  
Rose Koffi-Nevry ◽  
Marie-Françoise Noirot-Gros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Glucose Sensor ◽  
Dual Role ◽  
Transcription Activator ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Antagonistic Effects ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Terminal Domains

ABSTRACTListeriae take up glucose and mannose predominantly through a mannose class phosphoenolpyruvate:carbohydrate phosphotransferase system (PTSMan), whose three components are encoded by themanLMNgenes. The expression of these genes is controlled by ManR, a LevR-type transcription activator containing two PTS regulation domains (PRDs) and two PTS-like domains (enzyme IIAMan[EIIAMan]- and EIIBGat-like). We demonstrate here that inListeria monocytogenes, ManR is activated via the phosphorylation of His585 in the EIIAMan-like domain by the general PTS components enzyme I and HPr. We also show that ManR is regulated by the PTSMpoand that EIIBMpoplays a dual role in ManR regulation. First, yeast two-hybrid experiments revealed that unphosphorylated EIIBMpointeracts with the two C-terminal domains of ManR (EIIBGat-like and PRD2) and that this interaction is required for ManR activity. Second, in the absence of glucose/mannose, phosphorylated EIIBMpo(P∼EIIBMpo) inhibits ManR activity by phosphorylating His871 in PRD2. The presence of glucose/mannose causes the dephosphorylation of P∼EIIBMpoand P∼PRD2 of ManR, which together lead to the induction of themanLMNoperon. Complementation of a ΔmanRmutant with variousmanRalleles confirmed the antagonistic effects of PTS-catalyzed phosphorylation at the two different histidine residues of ManR. Deletion ofmanRprevented not only the expression of themanLMNoperon but also glucose-mediated repression of virulence gene expression; however, repression by other carbohydrates was unaffected. Interestingly, the expression ofmanLMNinListeria innocuawas reported to require not only ManR but also the Crp-like transcription activator Lin0142. Unlike Lin0142, theL. monocytogeneshomologue, Lmo0095, is not required formanLMNexpression; its absence rather stimulatesmanexpression.IMPORTANCEListeria monocytogenesis a human pathogen causing the foodborne disease listeriosis. The expression of most virulence genes is controlled by the transcription activator PrfA. Its activity is strongly repressed by carbohydrates, including glucose, which is transported intoL. monocytogenesmainly via a mannose/glucose-specific phosphotransferase system (PTSMan). Expression of themanoperon is regulated by the transcription activator ManR, the activity of which is controlled by a second, low-efficiency PTS of the mannose family, which functions as glucose sensor. Here we demonstrate that the EIIBMpocomponent plays a dual role in ManR regulation: it inactivates ManR by phosphorylating its His871 residue and stimulates ManR by interacting with its two C-terminal domains.

scholarly journals Interplay between the QseC and QseE Bacterial Adrenergic Sensor Kinases in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Pathogenesis

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 4344-4353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano G. Moreira ◽  
Vanessa Sperandio
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Double Mutant ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Regulatory Cascade ◽  
Serovar Typhimurium ◽  
Sensor Kinases

ABSTRACTThe bacterial adrenergic sensor kinases QseC and QseE respond to epinephrine and/or norepinephrine to initiate a complex phosphorelay regulatory cascade that modulates virulence gene expression in several pathogens. We have previously shown that QseC activates virulence gene expression inSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium. Here we report the role of QseE inS. Typhimurium pathogenesis as well as the interplay between these two histidine sensor kinases in gene regulation. AnS. TyphimuriumqseEmutant is hampered in the invasion of epithelial cells and intramacrophage replication. The ΔqseCstrain is highly attenuated for intramacrophage survival but has only a minor defect in invasion. However, the ΔqseECstrain has only a slight attenuation in invasion, mirroring the ΔqseCstrain, and has an intermediary intramacrophage replication defect in comparison to the ΔqseEand ΔqseCstrains. The expressions of thesipAandsopBgenes, involved in the invasion of epithelial cells, are activated by epinephrine via QseE. The expression levels of these genes are still decreased in the ΔqseECdouble mutant, albeit to a lesser extent, congruent with the invasion phenotype of this mutant. The expression level of thesifAgene, important for intramacrophage replication, is decreased in theqseEmutant and the ΔqseECdouble mutant grownin vitro. However, as previously reported by us, the epinephrine-dependent activation of this gene occurs via QseC. In the systemic model ofS. Typhimurium infection of BALB/c mice, theqseCandqseEmutants are highly attenuated, while the double mutant has an intermediary phenotype. Altogether, these data suggest that both adrenergic sensors play an important role in modulating several aspects ofS. Typhimurium pathogenesis.

scholarly journals A Genome-Wide Screen Reveals that the Vibrio cholerae Phosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System Modulates Virulence Gene Expression

2015 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 3381-3395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiyao Wang ◽  
Yves A. Millet ◽  
Michael C. Chao ◽  
Jumpei Sasabe ◽  
Brigid M. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cholera Toxin ◽  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Insertion Site ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Phosphotransferase System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
A Genome

Diverse environmental stimuli and a complex network of regulatory factors are known to modulate expression ofVibrio cholerae's principal virulence factors. However, there is relatively little known about how metabolic factors impinge upon the pathogen's well-characterized cascade of transcription factors that induce expression of cholera toxin and the toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP). Here, we used a transposon insertion site (TIS) sequencing-based strategy to identify new factors required for expression oftcpA, which encodes the major subunit of TCP, the organism's chief intestinal colonization factor. Besides identifying most of the genes known to modulatetcpAexpression, the screen yieldedptsIandptsH, which encode the enzyme I (EI) and Hpr components of theV. choleraephosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS). In addition to reduced expression of TcpA, strains lacking EI, Hpr, or the associated EIIAGlcprotein produced less cholera toxin (CT) and had a diminished capacity to colonize the infant mouse intestine. The PTS modulates virulence gene expression by regulating expression oftcpPHandaphAB, which themselves control expression oftoxT, the central activator of virulence gene expression. One mechanism by which PTS promotes virulence gene expression appears to be by modulating the amounts of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP). Our findings reveal that theV. choleraePTS is an additional modulator of the ToxT regulon and demonstrate the potency of loss-of-function TIS sequencing screens for defining regulatory networks.

scholarly journals Lactate Dehydrogenase Is the Key Enzyme for Pneumococcal Pyruvate Metabolism and Pneumococcal Survival in Blood

2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 5099-5109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Gaspar ◽  
Firas A. Y. Al-Bayati ◽  
Peter W. Andrew ◽  
Ana Rute Neves ◽  
Hasan Yesilkaya
Keyword(s):  
Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Lactate Production ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Redox Balance ◽  
Central Metabolism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
Key Enzyme

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis a fermentative microorganism and causes serious diseases in humans, including otitis media, bacteremia, meningitis, and pneumonia. However, the mechanisms enabling pneumococcal survival in the host and causing disease in different tissues are incompletely understood. The available evidence indicates a strong link between the central metabolism and pneumococcal virulence. To further our knowledge on pneumococcal virulence, we investigated the role of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which converts pyruvate to lactate and is an essential enzyme for redox balance, in the pneumococcal central metabolism and virulence using an isogenicldhmutant. Loss of LDH led to a dramatic reduction of the growth rate, pinpointing the key role of this enzyme in fermentative metabolism. The pattern of end products was altered, and lactate production was totally blocked. The fermentation profile was confirmed byin vivonuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of glucose metabolism in nongrowing cell suspensions of theldhmutant. In this strain, a bottleneck in the fermentative steps is evident from the accumulation of pyruvate, revealing LDH as the most efficient enzyme in pyruvate conversion. An increase in ethanol production was also observed, indicating that in the absence of LDH the redox balance is maintained through alcohol dehydrogenase activity. We also found that the absence of LDH renders the pneumococci avirulent after intravenous infection and leads to a significant reduction in virulence in a model of pneumonia that develops after intranasal infection, likely due to a decrease in energy generation and virulence gene expression.

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