Dataset Information

Characterizing the transport and utilization of the neurotransmitter GABA in the bacterial pathogen Brucella abortus.

ABSTRACT: The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain; however, it is becoming more evident that this non-proteinogenic amino acid plays multiple physiological roles in biology. In the present study, the transport and function of GABA is studied in the highly infectious intracellular bacterium Brucella abortus. The data show that 3H-GABA is imported by B. abortus under nutrient limiting conditions and that the small RNAs AbcR1 and AbcR2 negatively regulate this transport. A specific transport system, gts, is responsible for the transport of GABA as determined by measuring 3H-GABA transport in isogenic deletion strains of known AbcR1/2 regulatory targets; however, this locus is unnecessary for Brucella infection in BALB/c mice. Similar assays revealed that 3H-GABA transport is uninhibited by the 20 standard proteinogenic amino acids, representing preference for the transport of 3H-GABA. Metabolic studies did not show any potential metabolic utilization of GABA by B. abortus as a carbon or nitrogen source, and RNA sequencing analysis revealed limited transcriptional differences between B. abortus 2308 with or without exposure to GABA. While this study provides evidence for GABA transport by B. abortus, questions remain as to why and when this transport is utilized during Brucella pathogenesis.

SUBMITTER: Budnick JA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7449393 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Characterizing the transport and utilization of the neurotransmitter GABA in the bacterial pathogen Brucella abortus.

Budnick James A JA Sheehan Lauren M LM Benton Angela H AH Pitzer Joshua E JE Kang Lin L Michalak Pawel P Roop R Martin RM Caswell Clayton C CC

PloS one 20200826 8

The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain; however, it is becoming more evident that this non-proteinogenic amino acid plays multiple physiological roles in biology. In the present study, the transport and function of GABA is studied in the highly infectious intracellular bacterium Brucella abortus. The data show that 3H-GABA is imported by B. abortus under nutrient limiting conditions and that the small RNAs AbcR1 and ...[more]

PMID: 32845904

Similar Datasets

Project description:Elucidating the function of proteins <50 amino acids in length is no small task. Nevertheless, small proteins can play vital roles in the lifestyle of bacteria and influence the virulence of pathogens; thus, the investigation of the small proteome is warranted. Recently, our group identified the Brucella abortus protein VtlR as a transcriptional activator of four genes, one of which is the well-studied small regulatory RNA AbcR2, while the other three genes encode hypothetical small proteins, two of which are highly conserved among the order Rhizobiales This study provides evidence that all three genes encode authentic small proteins and that all three are highly expressed under oxidative stress, low-pH, and stationary-phase growth conditions. Fractionation of the cells revealed that the proteins are localized to the membranes of B. abortus We demonstrate that the small proteins under the transcriptional control of VtlR are not accountable for attenuation observed with the B. abortusvtlR deletion strain. However, there is an association between VtlR-regulated genes and growth inhibition in the presence of the sugar l-fucose. Subsequent transcriptomic analyses revealed that B. abortus initiates the transcription of a locus encoding a putative sugar transport and utilization system when the bacteria are cultured in the presence of l-fucose. Altogether, our observations characterize the role of the VtlR-controlled small proteins BAB1_0914, BAB2_0512, and BAB2_0574 in the biology of B. abortus, particularly in the capacity of the bacteria to utilize l-fucose.IMPORTANCE Despite being one of the most common zoonoses worldwide, there is currently no human vaccine to combat brucellosis. Therefore, a better understanding of the pathogenesis and biology of Brucella spp., the causative agent of brucellosis, is essential for the discovery of novel therapeutics against these highly infectious bacteria. In this study, we further characterize the virulence-associated transcriptional regulator VtlR in Brucella abortus Our findings not only shed light on our current understanding of a virulence related genetic system in Brucella spp. but also increase our knowledge of small proteins in the field of bacteriology.

Dataset Information

Characterizing the transport and utilization of the neurotransmitter GABA in the bacterial pathogen Brucella abortus.

Publications

Characterizing the transport and utilization of the neurotransmitter GABA in the bacterial pathogen Brucella abortus.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets