The QseC sensor kinase: a bacterial adrenergic receptor.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Clarke MB
PROVIDER: S-EPMC1482837 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Atypical EPEC (aEPEC) strains are part of group of pathogens capable of forming the Attaching and Effacing (A/E) lesion. This lesion is characterized by intimate adherence of bacteria to enterocytes, and microvilli destruction. The genes responsible to cause that lesion are located in a pathogenicity island called Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE). Transcription of LEE genes is subjected to various levels of regulation, including quorum sensing through autoinducer 3 (AI-3) system. AI-3 is an aromatic compound with similar characteristics to the epinephrine and norepinephrine hormones. This similarity allows bacteria to use these hormones and AI-3 to perform cell – to – cell signaling processes and bacteria - host communication processes in order to modulate its virulence. AI-3, epinephrine and norepinephrine are detected by a sensor kinase named quorum sensing E.coli regulator (QseC). In order to investigate the role of QseC and epinephrine in atypical EPEC O55:H7 virulence, we constructed a QseC mutant of this strain and performed transcription and phenotypic analyses in the presence or absence of epinephrine. We have reported here, for the first time, the quorum sensing QseC regulation of virulence genes in atypical EPEC. Our results shown that QseC is a global regulator of gene expression in aEPEC and positively regulates flagellar genes, LEE and non-LEE encoded factors. We also have shown that the presence of epinephrine could be sensed by other receptor that acts as negative regulator of LEE4 and LEE5 genes.
2013-01-08 | GSE43325 | GEO
Project description:Atypical EPEC (aEPEC) strains are part of group of pathogens capable of forming the Attaching and Effacing (A/E) lesion. This lesion is characterized by intimate adherence of bacteria to enterocytes, and microvilli destruction. The genes responsible to cause that lesion are located in a pathogenicity island called Locus of Enterocyte Effacement (LEE). Transcription of LEE genes is subjected to various levels of regulation, including quorum sensing through autoinducer 3 (AI-3) system. AI-3 is an aromatic compound with similar characteristics to the epinephrine and norepinephrine hormones. This similarity allows bacteria to use these hormones and AI-3 to perform cell M-bM-^@M-^S to M-bM-^@M-^S cell signaling processes and bacteria - host communication processes in order to modulate its virulence. AI-3, epinephrine and norepinephrine are detected by a sensor kinase named quorum sensing E.coli regulator (QseC). In order to investigate the role of QseC and epinephrine in atypical EPEC O55:H7 virulence, we constructed a QseC mutant of this strain and performed transcription and phenotypic analyses in the presence or absence of epinephrine. We have reported here, for the first time, the quorum sensing QseC regulation of virulence genes in atypical EPEC. Our results shown that QseC is a global regulator of gene expression in aEPEC and positively regulates flagellar genes, LEE and non-LEE encoded factors. We also have shown that the presence of epinephrine could be sensed by other receptor that acts as negative regulator of LEE4 and LEE5 genes. Comparison of transcriptional regulation of enteropathogenic E. coli serotype O55:H7 wild type and the qseC mutant in the absence or presence of epinephrine signal to identify the regulated targets
2013-01-08 | E-GEOD-43325 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:The human pathogen enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 has two histidine sensor kinases, QseC and QseE, which respond to the mammalian adrenergic hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine by increasing their autophosphorylation. Although QseC and QseE are present in nonpathogenic strains of E. coli, EHEC exploits these kinases for virulence regulation. To further investigate the full extent of epinephrine and its sensors' impact on EHEC virulence, we performed transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of single and double deletions of qseC and qseE genes in the absence or presence of epinephrine. We showed that in EHEC, epinephrine sensing seems to occur primarily through QseC and QseE. We also observed that QseC and QseE regulate expression of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) genes positively and negatively, respectively. LEE activation, which is required for the formation of the characteristic attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions by EHEC on epithelial cells, is epinephrine dependent. Regulation of the LEE and the non-LEE-contained virulence factor gene nleA by QseE is indirect, through transcription inhibition of the RcsB response regulator. Finally, we show that coincubation of HeLa cells with epinephrine increases EHEC infectivity in a QseC- and QseE-dependent manner. These results genetically and phenotypically map the contributions of the two adrenergic sensors QseC and QseE to EHEC pathogenesis.
| S-EPMC3264324 | biostudies-literature
Project description:QseC is a histidine kinase (HK) receptor involved in quorum sensing, a mechanism by which bacteria respond to fluctuations in cell population. We conducted a structural study of the cytoplasmic domain of QseC (QseC-CD) using X-ray crystallography. The 2.5 Å structure of the apo-enzyme revealed that the kinase domain of QseC retains the overall fold of the typical HK kinase domain. The construct that we used is inactive in the autokinase reaction and its inactivity is most likely caused by its atypical dimerization interface, as compared to that observed in the T.maritima HK cytoplasmic domain structure. Restoration of the activity may require that the entire dimerization domain be present in the protein construct. QseC, which plays an important role in bacterial pathogenesis, is a promising drug target and the structure of QseC-CD provides a platform for developing more potent inhibitors of pathogen virulence.
| S-EPMC3526665 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ability to respond to stress is at the core of an organism's survival. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine play a central role in stress responses in mammals, which require the synchronized interaction of the whole neuroendocrine system. Mammalian adrenergic receptors are G-coupled protein receptors (GPCRs); bacteria, however, sense these hormones through histidine sensor kinases (HKs). HKs autophosphorylate in response to signals and transfer this phosphate to response regulators (RRs). Two bacterial adrenergic receptors have been identified in EHEC, QseC and QseE, with QseE being downstream of QseC in this signaling cascade. Here we mapped the QseC signaling cascade in the deadly pathogen enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which exploits this signaling system to promote disease. Through QseC, EHEC activates expression of metabolic, virulence and stress response genes, synchronizing the cell response to these stress hormones. Coordination of these responses is achieved by QseC phosphorylating three of the thirty-two EHEC RRs. The QseB RR, which is QseC's cognate RR, activates the flagella regulon which controls bacteria motility and chemotaxis. The QseF RR, which is also phosphorylated by the QseE adrenergic sensor, coordinates expression of virulence genes involved in formation of lesions in the intestinal epithelia by EHEC, and the bacterial SOS stress response. The third RR, KdpE, controls potassium uptake, osmolarity, and also the formation of lesions in the intestine. Adrenergic regulation of bacterial gene expression shares several parallels with mammalian adrenergic signaling having profound effects in the whole organism. Understanding adrenergic regulation of a bacterial cell is a powerful approach for studying the underlying mechanisms of stress and cellular survival.
| S-EPMC2726761 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia in humans and animals. Gram negative bacteria utilize two-component regulatory systems (TCS) to sense and respond to their changing environment. No classical, tandemly arranged sensor kinase and response regulator TCS genes exist in the human virulent Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis, but orphaned members are present. PmrA is an orphan response regulator responsible for intramacrophage growth and virulence; however, the regulation of PmrA activity is not understood. We and others have shown that PmrA represses the expression of priM, described to encode an anti-virulence determinant. By screening a mutant library for increased priM promoter activity, we identified the sensor kinase homolog QseC as an upstream regulator of priM expression, and this regulation is in part, dependent upon the aspartate phosphorylation site of PmrA (D51). PmrA directly binds to the promoter of priM and a PmrAD51A mutation decreases binding. Several examined environmental signals including epinephrine, which is reported to activate QseC in other bacteria, do not affect priM expression in a manner dependent on PmrA. Intramacrophage survival assays also question the finding that PriM is an anti-virulence factor. Thus, these data suggest that the PmrA-regulated gene priM is regulated by an uncoupled TCS QseC-PmrA (QseB) in Francisella.
2020-07-20 | GSE154698 | GEO
Project description:The facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia in humans and animals. Gram-negative bacteria utilize two-component regulatory systems (TCS) to sense and respond to their changing environment. No classical, tandemly arranged sensor kinase and response regulator TCS genes exist in the human virulent Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis, but orphaned members are present. PmrA is an orphan response regulator responsible for intramacrophage growth and virulence; however, the regulation of PmrA activity is not understood. We and others have shown that PmrA represses the expression of priM, described to encode an antivirulence determinant. By screening a mutant library for increased priM promoter activity, we identified the sensor kinase homolog QseC as an upstream regulator of priM expression, and this regulation is in part dependent upon the aspartate phosphorylation site of PmrA (D51). Several examined environmental signals, including epinephrine, which is reported to activate QseC in other bacteria, do not affect priM expression in a manner dependent on PmrA. Intramacrophage survival assays also question the finding that PriM is an antivirulence factor. Thus, these data suggest that the PmrA-regulated gene priM is modulated by the QseC-PmrA (QseB) TCS in Francisella IMPORTANCE The disease tularemia is caused by the highly infectious Gram-negative pathogen Francisella tularensis This bacterium encodes few regulatory factors (e.g., two-component systems [TCS]). PmrA, required for intramacrophage survival and virulence in the mouse model, is encoded by an orphan TCS response regulator gene. It is unclear how PmrA is responsive to environmental signals to regulate loci, including the PmrA-repressed gene priM We identify an orphan sensor kinase (QseC) that is required for priM repression and further explore both environmental signals that might regulate the QseC-PmrA TCS and the function of PriM.
| S-EPMC7549357 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in human health, adjusting its composition and the microbial metabolites protects the gut against invading microorganisms. Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) is an important diarrheagenic pathogen, which may cause acute or persistent diarrhea (≥14 days). The outbreak strain has the potent Shiga toxin, forms a dense biofilm and communicate via QseBC two-component system regulating the expression of many important virulence factors.ResultsHerein, we investigated the QseC histidine sensor kinase role in the microbiota shift during O104:H4 C227-11 infection in the colonic model SHIME® (Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem) and in vivo mice model. The microbiota imbalance caused by C227-11 infection affected ỿ-Proteobacteria and Lactobacillus spp. predominance, with direct alteration in intestinal metabolites driven by microbiota change, such as Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). However, in the absence of QseC sensor kinase, the microbiota recovery was delayed on day 3 p.i., with change in the intestinal production of SCFA, like an increase in acetate production. The higher predominance of Lactobacillus spp. in the microbiota and significant augmented qseC gene expression levels were also observed during C227-11 mice infection upon intestinal depletion. Novel insights during pathogenic bacteria infection with the intestinal microbiota were observed. The QseC kinase sensor seems to have a role in the microbiota shift during the infectious process by Shiga toxin-producing EAEC C227-11.ConclusionsThe QseC role in C227-11 infection helps to unravel the intestine microbiota modulation and its metabolites during SHIME® and in vivo models, besides they contribute to elucidate bacterial intestinal pathogenesis and the microbiota relationships.
| S-EPMC8170955 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The ability to respond to stress is at the core of an organism’s survival. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine play a central role in stress responses in mammals, which require the synchronized interaction of the whole neuroendocrine system. Bacteria also sense and respond to epinephrine and norepinephrine as a means to gauge the metabolic and immune state of the host. Mammalian adrenergic receptors are G-coupled protein receptors (GPCRs), bacteria, however, sense these hormones through histidine sensor kinases (HKs). HKs autophosphorylate in response to multiple signals and transfer this phosphate to response regulators (RRs). Two bacterial adrenergic receptors have been identified in EHEC, QseC and QseE, with QseE being downstream of QseC in this signaling cascade. We mapped the QseC signaling cascade in the deadly pathogen enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which exploits this signaling system to promote disease. Through QseC, EHEC activates expression of metabolic, virulence and stress response genes, synchronizing the cell response to these stress hormones. Coordination of these responses is achieved by QseC phosphorylating three of the thirty two EHEC RRs. The QseB RR, which is QseC’s cognate RR, activates the flagella regulon which controls bacteria motility and chemotaxis. The QseF RR, which is phosphorylated by the QseE adrenergic sensor, coordinates expression of virulence genes involved in formation of lesions in the intestinal epithelia by EHEC, and the bacterial SOS stress response. The third RR, KdpE, controls potassium uptake, osmolarity response, and also the formation of lesions in the intestine. Adrenergic regulation of bacterial gene expression shares several parallels with mammalian adrenergic signaling having profound effects in the whole organism. Understanding adrenergic regulation of a bacterial cell is a powerful approach to study the underlying mechanisms of stress and cellular survival.
2009-09-15 | GSE15050 | GEO
Project description:Development of new therapeutics against Select Agents such as Francisella is critical preparation in the event of bioterrorism. Testing FDA-approved drugs for this purpose may yield new activities unrelated to their intended purpose and may hasten the discovery of new therapeutics. A library of 420 FDA-approved drugs was screened for antibiofilm activity against a model organism for human tularemia, Francisella (F.) novicida, excluding drugs that significantly inhibited growth. The initial screen was based on the 2-component system (TCS) dependent biofilm effect, thus, the QseC dependence of maprotiline anti-biofilm action was demonstrated. By comparing their FDA-approved uses, chemical structures, and other properties of active drugs, toremifene and polycyclic antidepressants maprotiline and chlorpromazine were identified as being highly active against F. novicida biofilm formation. Further down-selection excluded toremifene for its membrane active activity and chlorpromazine for its high antimicrobial activity. The mode of action of maprotiline against F. novicida was sought. It was demonstrated that maprotiline was able to significantly down-regulate the expression of the virulence factor IglC, encoded on the Francisella Pathogenicity Island (FPI), suggesting that maprotiline is exerting an effect on bacterial virulence. Further studies showed that maprotiline significantly rescued F. novicida infected wax worm larvae. In vivo studies demonstrated that maprotiline treatment could prolong time to disease onset and survival in F. novicida infected mice. These results suggest that an FDA-approved drug such as maprotiline has the potential to combat Francisella infection as an antivirulence agent, and may have utility in combination with antibiotics.
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