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Recent Genetic Changes Affecting Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Causing Recurrent Outbreaks.

ABSTRACT: Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) is responsible for significant human illness, death, and economic loss. The main reservoir for EHEC is cattle, but plant-based foods are common vectors for human infection. Several outbreaks have been attributed to lettuce and leafy green vegetables grown in the Salinas and Santa Maria regions of California. Bacteria causing different outbreaks are mostly not close relatives, but one group of closely-related O157:H7 has caused several of them. This unusual pattern of recurrence may have some genetic basis. Here I use whole-genome sequences to reconstruct the genetic changes that occurred in the recent ancestry of this EHEC. In a short period of time corresponding to little genetic change, there were several changes to adhesion-related sequences, mainly adhesins. These changes may have greatly altered the adhesive properties of the bacteria. Possible consequences include increased persistence of cattle infections, more bacteria shed in cattle feces, and greater virulence in humans. Similar constellations of genetic change, which are detectable by current sequencing-based surveillance, may identify other bacteria that are particular threats to human health. In addition, the Santa Maria subclade carries a nonsense mutation affecting ArsR, a repressor of genes that confer resistance to arsenic and antimony. This suggests that the persistent source of Santa Maria contamination is located in an area with arsenic-contaminated groundwater, a problem in many parts of California. This inference may aid identification of the reservoir of EHEC, which would greatly aid mitigation efforts. IMPORTANCE Food-borne bacterial infections cause substantial illness and death. Understanding how bacteria contaminate food and cause disease is important for combating the problem. Closely-related E. coli, likely originating in cattle, have repeatedly caused outbreaks spread by vegetables grown in California. Such recurrence is atypical, and might have a genetic basis. The genetic changes that occurred in the recent ancestry of these E. coli can be reconstructed from their DNA sequences. Several mutations affect genes involved in bacterial adhesion. These might affect persistence of infection in cattle, quantity of bacteria in their feces, and human disease. They also suggest a way of detecting dangerous bacteria from their genome sequences. Furthermore, a subgroup carries a mutation affecting the regulation of genes conferring arsenic resistance. This suggests that the reservoir for contamination utilizes groundwater contaminated with arsenic, a problem in parts of California. This observation may be an aid to locating the persistent reservoir of contamination.

SUBMITTER: Cherry JL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9241674 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Enteric pathogens with low infectious doses rely on the ability to orchestrate the expression of virulence and metabolism-associated genes in response to environmental cues for successful infection. Accordingly, the human pathogen enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) employs a complex multifaceted regulatory network to link the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) components to nutrient availability. While phosphorylation of histidine and aspartate residues on two-component system response regulators is recognized as an integral part of bacterial signaling, the involvement of phosphotyrosine-mediated control is minimally explored in Gram-negative pathogens. Our recent phosphotyrosine profiling study of E. coli identified 342 phosphorylated proteins, indicating that phosphotyrosine modifications in bacteria are more prevalent than previously anticipated. The present study demonstrates that tyrosine phosphorylation of a metabolite-responsive LacI/GalR family regulator, Cra, negatively affects T3SS expression under glycolytic conditions that are typical for the colonic lumen environment where production of the T3SS is unnecessary. Our data suggest that Cra phosphorylation affects T3SS expression by modulating the expression of ler, which encodes the major activator of EHEC virulence gene expression. Phosphorylation of the Cra Y47 residue diminishes DNA binding to fine-tune the expression of virulence-associated genes, including those of the locus of enterocyte effacement pathogenicity island that encode the T3SS, and thereby negatively affects the formation of attaching and effacing lesions. Our data indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation provides an additional mechanism to control the DNA binding of Cra and other LacI/GalR family regulators, including LacI and PurR. This study describes an initial effort to unravel the role of global phosphotyrosine signaling in the control of EHEC virulence potential.IMPORTANCE Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) causes outbreaks of hemorrhagic colitis and the potentially fatal hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Successful host colonization by EHEC relies on the ability to coordinate the expression of virulence factors in response to environmental cues. A complex network that integrates environmental signals at multiple regulatory levels tightly controls virulence gene expression. We demonstrate that EHEC utilizes a previously uncharacterized phosphotyrosine signaling pathway through Cra to fine-tune the expression of virulence-associated genes to effectively control T3SS production. This study demonstrates that tyrosine phosphorylation negatively affects the DNA-binding capacity of Cra, which affects the expression of genes related to virulence and metabolism. We demonstrate for the first time that phosphotyrosine-mediated control affects global transcription in EHEC. Our data provide insight into a hitherto unexplored regulatory level of the global network controlling EHEC virulence gene expression.

Project description:The biogeography of the gut is diverse in its longitudinal axis, as well as within specific microenvironments. Differential oxygenation and nutrient composition drive the membership of microbial communities in these habitats. Moreover, enteric pathogens can orchestrate further modifications to gain a competitive advantage toward host colonization. These pathogens are versatile and adept when exploiting the human colon. They expertly navigate complex environmental cues and interkingdom signaling to colonize and infect their hosts. Here we demonstrate how enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) uses three sugar-sensing transcription factors, Cra, KdpE, and FusR, to exquisitely regulate the expression of virulence factors associated with its type III secretion system (T3SS) when exposed to various oxygen concentrations. We also explored the effect of mucin-derived nonpreferred carbon sources on EHEC growth and expression of virulence genes. Taken together, the results show that EHEC represses the expression of its T3SS when oxygen is absent, mimicking the largely anaerobic lumen, and activates its T3SS when oxygen is available through Cra. In addition, when EHEC senses mucin-derived sugars heavily present in the O-linked and N-linked glycans of the large intestine, virulence gene expression is initiated. Sugars derived from pectin, a complex plant polysaccharide digested in the large intestine, also increased virulence gene expression. Not only does EHEC sense host- and microbiota-derived interkingdom signals, it also uses oxygen availability and mucin-derived sugars liberated by the microbiota to stimulate expression of the T3SS. This precision in gene regulation allows EHEC to be an efficient pathogen with an extremely low infectious dose.ImportanceEnteric pathogens have to be crafty when interpreting multiple environmental cues to successfully establish themselves within complex and diverse gut microenvironments. Differences in oxygen tension and nutrient composition determine the biogeography of the gut microbiota and provide unique niches that can be exploited by enteric pathogens. EHEC is an enteric pathogen that colonizes the colon and causes outbreaks of bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome worldwide. It has a very low infectious dose, which requires it to be an extremely effective pathogen. Hence, here we show that EHEC senses multiple sugar sources and oxygen levels to optimally control the expression of its virulence repertoire. This exquisite regulatory control equips EHEC to sense different intestinal compartments to colonize the host.

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Recent Genetic Changes Affecting Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Causing Recurrent Outbreaks.

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