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Host cell contact induces expression of virulence factors and VieA, a cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase, in Vibrio cholerae.

ABSTRACT: Vibrio cholerae, a noninvasive bacterium, colonizes the intestinal epithelium and secretes cholera toxin (CT), a potent enterotoxin that causes the severe fluid loss characteristic of the disease cholera. In this study, we demonstrate that adherence of V. cholerae to the intestinal epithelial cell line INT 407 strongly induces the expression of the major virulence genes ctxAB and tcpA and the virulence regulatory gene toxT. No induction of toxR and tcpP, which encode transcriptional activators of toxT, was observed in adhered bacteria, and the adherence-dependent upregulation of toxT expression was independent of ToxR and TcpP. A sharp increase in the expression of the vieA gene, which encodes a cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) phosphodiesterase, was observed in INT 407-adhered V. cholerae immediately after infection. Induction of toxT, ctxAB, and tcpA in INT 407-adhered vieA mutant strain O395 ?vieA was consistently lower than in the parent strain, although no effect was observed in unadhered bacteria, suggesting that VieA has a role in the upregulation of toxT expression specifically in host cell-adhered V. cholerae. Furthermore, though VieA has both a DNA binding helix-turn-helix domain and an EAL domain conferring c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activity, the c-di-GMP phosphodiesterase activity of VieA is necessary and sufficient for the upregulation of toxT expression.

SUBMITTER: Dey AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3624586 | biostudies-literature | 2013 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Host cell contact induces expression of virulence factors and VieA, a cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase, in Vibrio cholerae.

Dey Amit K AK Bhagat Abha A Chowdhury Rukhsana R

Journal of bacteriology 20130222 9

Vibrio cholerae, a noninvasive bacterium, colonizes the intestinal epithelium and secretes cholera toxin (CT), a potent enterotoxin that causes the severe fluid loss characteristic of the disease cholera. In this study, we demonstrate that adherence of V. cholerae to the intestinal epithelial cell line INT 407 strongly induces the expression of the major virulence genes ctxAB and tcpA and the virulence regulatory gene toxT. No induction of toxR and tcpP, which encode transcriptional activators o ...[more]

PMID: 23435982

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Project description:In Vibrio cholerae, high intracellular cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) concentration are associated with a biofilm lifestyle, while low intracellular c-di-GMP concentrations are associated with a motile lifestyle. c-di-GMP also regulates other behaviors, such as acetoin production and type II secretion; however, the extent of phenotypes regulated by c-di-GMP is not fully understood. We recently determined that the sequence upstream of the DNA repair gene encoding 3-methyladenine glycosylase (tag) was positively induced by c-di-GMP, suggesting that this signaling system might impact DNA repair pathways. We identified a DNA region upstream of tag that is required for transcriptional induction by c-di-GMP. We further showed that c-di-GMP induction of tag expression was dependent on the c-di-GMP-dependent biofilm regulators VpsT and VpsR. In vitro binding assays and heterologous host expression studies show that VpsT acts directly at the tag promoter in response to c-di-GMP to induce tag expression. Last, we determined that strains with high c-di-GMP concentrations are more tolerant of the DNA-damaging agent methyl methanesulfonate. Our results indicate that the regulatory network of c-di-GMP in V. cholerae extends beyond biofilm formation and motility to regulate DNA repair through the VpsR/VpsT c-di-GMP-dependent cascade.IMPORTANCEVibrio cholerae is a prominent human pathogen that is currently causing a pandemic outbreak in Haiti, Yemen, and Ethiopia. The second messenger molecule cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) mediates the transitions in V. cholerae between a sessile biofilm-forming state and a motile lifestyle, both of which are important during V. cholerae environmental persistence and human infections. Here, we report that in V. cholerae c-di-GMP also controls DNA repair. We elucidate the regulatory pathway by which c-di-GMP increases DNA repair, allowing this bacterium to tolerate high concentrations of mutagens at high intracellular levels of c-di-GMP. Our work suggests that DNA repair and biofilm formation may be linked in V. cholerae.

Project description:Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen that causes the disease cholera, which affects nearly 1 million people each year. In between outbreaks, V. cholerae resides in fresh and salt water environments, where it is able to persist through changes in temperature, oxygen, and salinity. One key characteristic that promotes environmental persistence of V. cholerae is the ability to form multicellular communities, called biofilms, that often adhere to biotic and abiotic sources. Biofilm formation in V. cholerae is positively regulated by the dinucleotide second messenger cyclic dimeric GMP (c-di-GMP). While most research on the c-di-GMP regulon has focused on biofilm formation or motility, we hypothesized that the c-di-GMP signaling network encompassed a larger set of effector functions than reported. We found that high intracellular c-di-GMP increased catalase activity ∼4-fold relative to strains with unaltered c-di-GMP. Genetic studies demonstrated that c-di-GMP mediated catalase activity was due to increased expression of the catalase-encoding gene katB Moreover, c-di-GMP mediated regulation of catalase activity and katB expression required the c-di-GMP dependent transcription factors VpsT and VpsR. Lastly, we found that high c-di-GMP increased survival after H2O2 challenge in a katB-, vpsR-, and vpsT-dependent manner. Our results indicate that antioxidant production is regulated by c-di-GMP uncovering a new node in the growing VpsT and VpsR c-di-GMP signaling network of V. choleraeIMPORTANCE As a result of infection with V. cholerae, patients become dehydrated, leading to death if not properly treated. The aquatic environment is the natural reservoir for V. cholerae, where it can survive alterations in temperature, salinity, and oxygen. The second messenger molecule c-di-GMP is an important signal regulating host and aquatic environmental persistence because it controls whether V. cholerae will form a biofilm or disperse through flagellar motility. In this work, we demonstrate another function of c-di-GMP in V. cholerae biology: promoting tolerance to the reactive oxygen species H2O2 through the differential regulation of catalase expression. Our results suggest a mechanism where c-di-GMP simultaneously controls biofilm formation and antioxidant production, which could promote persistence in human and marine environments.

Dataset Information

Host cell contact induces expression of virulence factors and VieA, a cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase, in Vibrio cholerae.

Publications

Host cell contact induces expression of virulence factors and VieA, a cyclic di-GMP phosphodiesterase, in Vibrio cholerae.

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