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Three Distinct Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition Systems Mediate Interbacterial Competition by the Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Burkholderia dolosa.

ABSTRACT: The respiratory tracts of individuals afflicted with cystic fibrosis (CF) harbor complex polymicrobial communities. By an unknown mechanism, species of the Gram-negative Burkholderia cepacia complex, such as Burkholderia dolosa, can displace other bacteria in the CF lung, causing cepacia syndrome, which has a poor prognosis. The genome of B dolosa strain AU0158 (BdAU0158) contains three loci that are predicted to encode contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) systems. CDI systems function by translocating the toxic C terminus of a large exoprotein directly into target cells, resulting in growth inhibition or death unless the target cells produce a cognate immunity protein. We demonstrate here that each of the three bcpAIOB loci in BdAU0158 encodes a distinct CDI system that mediates interbacterial competition in an allele-specific manner. While only two of the three bcpAIOB loci were expressed under the in vitro conditions tested, the third conferred immunity under these conditions due to the presence of an internal promoter driving expression of the bcpI gene. One BdAU0158 bcpAIOB allele is highly similar to bcpAIOB in Burkholderia thailandensis strain E264 (BtE264), and we showed that their BcpI proteins are functionally interchangeable, but contact-dependent signaling (CDS) phenotypes were not observed in BdAU0158. Our findings suggest that the CDI systems of BdAU0158 may provide this pathogen an ecological advantage during polymicrobial infections of the CF respiratory tract.IMPORTANCE Human-associated polymicrobial communities can promote health and disease, and interbacterial interactions influence the microbial ecology of such communities. Polymicrobial infections of the cystic fibrosis respiratory tract impair lung function and lead to the death of individuals suffering from this disorder; therefore, a greater understanding of these microbial communities is necessary for improving treatment strategies. Bacteria utilize contact-dependent growth inhibition systems to kill neighboring competitors and maintain their niche within multicellular communities. Several cystic fibrosis pathogens have the potential to gain an ecological advantage during infection via contact-dependent growth inhibition systems, including Burkholderia dolosa Our research is significant, as it has identified three functional contact-dependent growth inhibition systems in B dolosa that may provide this pathogen a competitive advantage during polymicrobial infections.

SUBMITTER: Perault AI

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6199481 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Three Distinct Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition Systems Mediate Interbacterial Competition by the Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Burkholderia dolosa.

Perault Andrew I AI Cotter Peggy A PA

Journal of bacteriology 20181023 22

The respiratory tracts of individuals afflicted with cystic fibrosis (CF) harbor complex polymicrobial communities. By an unknown mechanism, species of the Gram-negative Burkholderia cepacia complex, such as Burkholderia dolosa, can displace other bacteria in the CF lung, causing cepacia syndrome, which has a poor prognosis. The genome of Bdolosa strain AU0158 (BdAU0158) contains three loci that are predicted to encode contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) ...[more]

PMID: 30150233

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Project description:Burkholderia species, including opportunistic pathogens in the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc), have genes to produce contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) system proteins. CDI is a phenomenon in which Gram-negative bacteria use the toxic C terminus of a polymorphic surface-exposed exoprotein, BcpA, to inhibit the growth of susceptible bacteria upon direct cell-cell contact. Production of a small immunity protein, BcpI, prevents autoinhibition. Although CDI systems appear widespread in Gram-negative bacteria, their function has been primarily examined in several model species. Here we demonstrate that genes encoding predicted CDI systems in Bcc species exhibit considerable diversity. We also show that Burkholderia multivorans, which causes pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis, expresses genes that encode two CDI systems, both of which appear distinct from the typical Burkholderia-type CDI system. Each system can mediate intrastrain interbacterial competition and contributes to bacterial adherence. Surprisingly, the immunity-protein-encoding bcpI gene of CDI system 1 could be mutated without obvious deleterious effects. We also show that nonpathogenic Burkholderia thailandensis uses CDI to control B. multivorans growth during coculture, providing one of the first examples of interspecies CDI and suggesting that CDI systems could be manipulated to develop therapeutic strategies targeting Bcc pathogens.IMPORTANCE Competition among bacteria affects microbial colonization of environmental niches and host organisms, particularly during polymicrobial infections. The Bcc is a group of environmental bacteria that can cause life-threatening opportunistic infections in patients who have cystic fibrosis or are immunocompromised. Understanding the mechanisms used by these bacterial pathogens to compete with one another may lead to the development of more effective therapies. Findings presented here demonstrate that a Bcc species, Burkholderia multivorans, produces functional CDI system proteins and that growth of this pathogen can be controlled by CDI system proteins produced by neighboring Burkholderia cells.

Project description:Several bacterial species from the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are feared opportunistic pathogens that lead to debilitating lung infections with a high risk of developing fatal septicemia in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, the pathogenic potential of other Bcc species is yet unknown. To elucidate clinical relevance of Burkholderia contaminans, a species frequently isolated from CF respiratory samples in Ibero-American countries, we aimed to identify its key virulence factors possibly linked with an unfavorable clinical outcome. We performed a genome-wide comparative analysis of two isolates of B. contaminans ST872 from sputum and blood culture of a female CF patient in Argentina. RNA-seq data showed significant changes in expression for quorum sensing-regulated virulence factors and motility and chemotaxis. Furthermore, we detected expression changes in a recently described low-oxygen-activated (lxa) locus which encodes stress-related proteins, and for two clusters responsible for the biosynthesis of antifungal and hemolytic compounds pyrrolnitrin and occidiofungin. Based on phenotypic assays that confirmed changes in motility and in proteolytic, hemolytic and antifungal activities, we were able to distinguish two phenotypes of B. contaminans that coexisted in the host and entered her bloodstream. Whole genome sequencing revealed that the sputum and bloodstream isolates (each representing a distinct phenotype) differed by over 1,400 mutations as a result of a mismatch repair-deficient hypermutable state of the sputum isolate. The inferred lack of purifying selection against nonsynonymous mutations and the high rate of pseudogenization in the derived isolate indicated limited evolutionary pressure during evolution in the nutrient-rich, stable CF sputum environment. The present study is the first to examine the genomic and transcriptomic differences between longitudinal isolates of B. contaminans. Detected activity of a number of putative virulence factors implies a genuine pathogenic nature of this novel Bcc species.

Dataset Information

Three Distinct Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition Systems Mediate Interbacterial Competition by the Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Burkholderia dolosa.

Publications

Three Distinct Contact-Dependent Growth Inhibition Systems Mediate Interbacterial Competition by the Cystic Fibrosis Pathogen Burkholderia dolosa.

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