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Selection of orphan Rhs toxin expression in evolved Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

ABSTRACT: Clonally derived bacterial populations exhibit significant genotypic and phenotypic diversity that contribute to fitness in rapidly changing environments. Here, we show that serial passage of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 (StLT2) in broth, or within a mouse host, results in selection of an evolved population that inhibits the growth of ancestral cells by direct contact. Cells within each evolved population gain the ability to express and deploy a cryptic "orphan" toxin encoded within the rearrangement hotspot (rhs) locus. The Rhs orphan toxin is encoded by a gene fragment located downstream of the "main" rhs gene in the ancestral strain StLT2. The Rhs orphan coding sequence is linked to an immunity gene, which encodes an immunity protein that specifically blocks Rhs orphan toxin activity. Expression of the Rhs orphan immunity protein protects ancestral cells from the evolved lineages, indicating that orphan toxin activity is responsible for the observed growth inhibition. Because the Rhs orphan toxin is encoded by a fragmented reading frame, it lacks translation initiation and protein export signals. We provide evidence that evolved cells undergo recombination between the main rhs gene and the rhs orphan toxin gene fragment, yielding a fusion that enables expression and delivery of the orphan toxin. In this manner, rhs locus rearrangement provides a selective advantage to a subpopulation of cells. These observations suggest that rhs genes play important roles in intra-species competition and bacterial evolution.

SUBMITTER: Koskiniemi S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3967940 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Selection of orphan Rhs toxin expression in evolved Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Koskiniemi Sanna S Garza-Sánchez Fernando F Sandegren Linus L Webb Julia S JS Braaten Bruce A BA Poole Stephen J SJ Andersson Dan I DI Hayes Christopher S CS Low David A DA

PLoS genetics 20140327 3

Clonally derived bacterial populations exhibit significant genotypic and phenotypic diversity that contribute to fitness in rapidly changing environments. Here, we show that serial passage of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 (StLT2) in broth, or within a mouse host, results in selection of an evolved population that inhibits the growth of ancestral cells by direct contact. Cells within each evolved population gain the ability to express and deploy a cryptic "orphan" toxin encoded with ...[more]

PMID: 24675981

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Project description:Salmonella enterica strains are enteropathogenic bacteria that survive and proliferate within vacuolar compartments of epithelial and phagocytic cells. Recently, it has been reported that fibroblast cells are capable of restricting S. enterica serovar Typhimurium intracellular growth. Here, we show that prolonged residence of bacteria in the intracellular environment of fibroblasts results in the appearance of genetically stable small-colony variants (SCV). A total of 103 SCV isolates, obtained from four independent infections, were subjected to phenotypic analysis. The following phenotypes were observed: (i) delta-aminolevulinic acid auxotrophy; (ii) requirement for acetate or succinate for growth in glucose minimal medium; (iii) auxotrophy for aromatic amino acids; and (iv) reduced growth rate under aerobic conditions not linked to nutrient auxotrophy. The exact mutations responsible for the SCV phenotype in three representative isolates were mapped in the lpd, hemL, and aroD genes, which code for dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase, glutamate-1-semyaldehyde aminotransferase, and 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase, respectively. The lpd, hemL, and aroD mutants had intracellular persistence rates in fibroblasts that were 3 to 4 logs higher than that of the parental strain and decreased susceptibility to aminoglycoside antibiotics. All three of these SCV isolates were attenuated in the BALB/c murine typhoid model. Complementation with lpd(+), hem(+), and aroD(+) genes restored the levels of intracellular persistence and antibiotic susceptibility to levels of the wild-type strain. However, virulence was not exhibited by any of the complemented strains. Altogether, our data demonstrate that similar to what it has been reported for SCV isolates of other pathogens, S. enterica SCV display enhanced intracellular persistence in eucaryotic cells and are impaired in the ability to cause overt disease. In addition, they also suggest that S. enterica SCV may be favored in vivo.

Project description:BackgroundIntestinal fibrosis is a common and serious complication of Crohn's disease characterized by the accumulation of fibroblasts, deposition of extracellular matrix, and formation of scar tissue. Although many factors including cytokines and proteases contribute to the development of intestinal fibrosis, the initiating mechanisms and the complex interplay between these factors remain unclear.MethodsChronic infection of mice with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was used to induce intestinal fibrosis. A murine protease-specific CLIP-CHIP microarray analysis was employed to assess regulation of proteases and protease inhibitors. To confirm up- or downregulation during fibrosis, we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemical stainings in mouse tissue and tissue from patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In vitro infections were used to demonstrate a direct effect of bacterial infection in the regulation of proteases.ResultsMice develop severe and persistent intestinal fibrosis upon chronic infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, mimicking the pathology of human disease. Microarray analyses revealed 56 up- and 40 downregulated proteases and protease inhibitors in fibrotic cecal tissue. Various matrix metalloproteases, serine proteases, cysteine proteases, and protease inhibitors were regulated in the fibrotic tissue, 22 of which were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Proteases demonstrated site-specific staining patterns in intestinal fibrotic tissue from mice and in tissue from human inflammatory bowel disease patients. Finally, we show in vitro that Salmonella infection directly induces protease expression in macrophages and epithelial cells but not in fibroblasts.ConclusionsIn summary, we show that chronic Salmonella infection regulates proteases and protease inhibitors during tissue fibrosis in vivo and in vitro, and therefore this model is well suited to investigating the role of proteases in intestinal fibrosis.

Dataset Information

Selection of orphan Rhs toxin expression in evolved Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Publications

Selection of orphan Rhs toxin expression in evolved Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Similar Datasets

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