| 1. |
- Bröms, Jeanette E., et al.
(författare)
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A functional VipA-VipB interaction is required for the type VI secretion system activity of Vibrio cholerae O1 strain A1552
- 2013
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Ingår i: BMC Microbiology. - London, England : BioMed Central. - 1471-2180. ; 13, s. 96-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Many Gram-negative bacteria rely on a type VI secretion system (T6SS) to infect eukaryotic cells or to compete against other microbes. Common to these systems is the presence of two conserved proteins, in Vibrio cholerae denoted VipA and VipB, which have been shown to interact in many clinically relevant pathogens. In this study, mutagenesis of a defined region within the VipA protein was used to identify residues important for VipB binding in V. cholerae O1 strain A1552. Results: A dramatically diminished interaction was shown to correlate with a decrease in VipB stability and a loss of hemolysin co-regulated protein (Hcp) secretion and rendered the bacterium unable to compete with Escherichia coli in a competition assay. Conclusions: This confirms the biological relevance of the VipA-VipB interaction, which is essential for the T6SS activity of many important human pathogens.
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| 2. |
- Ishikawa, Takahiko, et al.
(författare)
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Pathoadaptive conditional regulation of the type VI secretion system in Vibrio cholerae O1 strains
- 2012
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Ingår i: Infection and Immunity. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 80:2, s. 575-584
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The most recently discovered secretion pathway in gram-negative bacteria, the type VI secretion system (T6SS), is present in many species and is considered important for the survival of non-O1 non-O139 Vibrio cholerae in aquatic environments. Until now, it was not known whether there is a functionally active T6SS in wild-type V. cholerae O1 strains, the cause of cholera disease in humans. Here, we demonstrate the presence of a functionally active T6SS in wild-type V. cholerae O1 strains, as evidenced by the secretion of the T6SS substrate Hcp, which required several gene products encoded within the putative vas gene cluster. Our analyses showed that the T6SS of wild-type V. cholerae O1 strain A1552 was functionally activated when the bacteria were grown under high-osmolarity conditions. The T6SS was also active when the bacteria were grown under low temperature (23°C), suggesting that the system may be important for the survival of the bacterium in the environment. A test of the interbacterial virulence of V. cholerae strain A1552 against an Escherichia coli K-12 strain showed that it was strongly enhanced under high osmolarity and that it depended on the hcp genes. Interestingly, we found that the newly recognized osmoregulatory protein OscR plays a role in the regulation of T6SS gene expression and secretion of Hcp from V. cholerae O1 strains.
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| 3. |
- Russell, Alistair B., et al.
(författare)
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Diverse type VI secretion phospholipases are functionally plastic antibacterial effectors
- 2013
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 496:7446, s. 508-512
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Membranes allow the compartmentalization of biochemical processes and are therefore fundamental to life. The conservation of the cellular membrane, combined with its accessibility to secreted proteins, has made it a common target of factors mediating antagonistic interactions between diverse organisms. Here we report the discovery of a diverse superfamily of bacterial phospholipase enzymes. Within this superfamily, we defined enzymes with phospholipase A(1) and A(2) activity, which are common in host-cell-targeting bacterial toxins and the venoms of certain insects and reptiles(1,2). However, we find that the fundamental role of the superfamily is to mediate antagonistic bacterial interactions as effectors of the type VI secretion system (T6SS) translocation apparatus; accordingly, we name these proteins type VI lipase effectors. Our analyses indicate that PldA of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a eukaryotic-like phospholipase D-3, is a member of the type VI lipase effector superfamily and the founding substrate of the haemolysin co-regulated protein secretion island II T6SS (H2-T6SS). Although previous studies have specifically implicated PldA and the H2-T6SS in pathogenesis(3-5), we uncovered a specific role for the effector and its secretory machinery in intra-and interspecies bacterial interactions. Furthermore, we find that this effector achieves its antibacterial activity by degrading phosphatidylethanolamine, the major component of bacterial membranes. The surprising finding that virulence-associated phospholipases can serve as specific antibacterial effectors suggests that interbacterial interactions are a relevant factor driving the continuing evolution of pathogenesis.
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| 4. |
- Takata, Tohru, et al.
(författare)
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Presence of both heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate resistance and beta-lactam antibiotic-induced vancomycin resistance phenotypes is associated with the outcome in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection
- 2013
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0036-5548 .- 1651-1980. ; 45:3, s. 203-212
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Although the individual expression of heterogeneous vancomycin-intermediate resistance (hVISA) and beta-lactam antibiotic-induced vancomycin resistance (BIVR) phenotypes has been associated with treatment failure and recurrence in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections, the effect of the co-expression of these phenotypic profiles on clinical outcome has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the combination of hVISA and BIVR phenotypes on the clinical outcome in MRSA bacteremia. Methods: One hundred and sixty-two MRSA blood isolates from a 21-y period, 1987-2007, were randomly selected. Screening for hVISA was done by the macromethod Etest and confirmed by population analysis profiles. BIVR was identified using Mu3 agar containing 4 mu g/ml of vancomycin. Results: Thirty (18.5%) and 39 (24.1%) of the 162 MRSA blood isolates were positive for the hVISA and BIVR phenotypes, respectively. Eighteen (11.1%) isolates possessed both hVISA and BIVR phenotypes (hVISA(+)/BIVR(+)). In a subset of patients who received initial treatment with glycopeptides, only the patients whose isolates were hVISA(+)/BIVR(+) displayed a significantly higher mortality rate in comparison to those with non-hVISA(+)/BIVR(+) (80.0% vs 31.3%, p = 0.004). The presence of both hVISA and BIVR phenotypes was a predictor of mortality using a logistic regression analysis (p = 0.025). Conclusions: The combined phenotype of hVISA and BIVR was associated with a higher probability of mortality in patients with MRSA bacteremia. Further prospective studies are warranted to delineate the clinical significance of the combined phenotype of hVISA and BIVR.
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| 5. |
- Yamamoto, Shouji, et al.
(författare)
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Regulation of natural competence by the orphan two-component system sensor kinase ChiS involves a non-canonical transmembrane regulator in Vibrio cholerae
- 2014
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0950-382X .- 1365-2958. ; 91:2, s. 326-347
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In Vibrio cholerae, 41 chitin-inducible genes, including the genes involved in natural competence for DNA uptake, are governed by the orphan two-component system (TCS) sensor kinase ChiS. However, the mechanism by which ChiS controls the expression of these genes is currently unknown. Here, we report the involvement of a novel transcription factor termed TfoS' in this process. TfoS is a transmembrane protein that contains a large periplasmic domain and a cytoplasmic AraC-type DNA-binding domain, but lacks TCS signature domains. Inactivation of tfoS abolished natural competence as well as transcription of the tfoR gene encoding a chitin-induced small RNA essential for competence gene expression. A TfoS fragment containing the DNA-binding domain specifically bound to and activated transcription from the tfoR promoter. Intracellular TfoS levels were unaffected by disruption of chiS and coexpression of TfoS and ChiS in Escherichia coli recovered transcription of the chromosomally integrated tfoR::lacZ gene, suggesting that TfoS is post-translationally modulated by ChiS during transcriptional activation; however, this regulation persisted when the canonical phosphorelay residues of ChiS were mutated. The results presented here suggest that ChiS operates a chitin-induced non-canonical signal transduction cascade through TfoS, leading to transcriptional activation of tfoR.
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