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Mapping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG promoters and their differential expression in infected macrophages.

ABSTRACT: Intracellular pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, frequently have multitiered defense mechanisms ensuring their survival in host phagocytic cells. One such defense determinant in M. tuberculosis is the katG gene, which encodes an enzyme with catalase, peroxidase, and peroxynitritase activities. KatG is considered to be important for protection against reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates produced by phagocytic cells. However, KatG also activates the front-line antituberculosis drug isoniazid, hence rendering M. tuberculosis exquisitely sensitive to this compound. In this context, katG expression represents a double-edged sword, as it is an important virulence determinant but at the same time its activity levels determine sensitivity to INH. Thus, it is important to delineate the regulation and expression of katG, as this not only can aid understanding of how M. tuberculosis survives and persists in the host but also may provide information of relevance for better management of INH therapy. Here, we report the first extensive analysis of the katG promoter activity examined both in vitro and in vivo. Using S1 nuclease protection analysis, we mapped the katG mRNA 5' ends and demonstrated that two promoters, P(1)furA and P(1)katG, control transcription of katG. The furA and katG genes are cotranscribed from P(1)furA. Both P(1)furA and P(1)katG promoters show induction upon challenge with hydrogen peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide. Studies carried out using the transcriptional fusions P(1)furA-gfp, P(1)katG-gfp, and P(1)furA-P(1)katG-gfp confirmed the existence of two katG promoters. In addition, we showed that both promoters are expressed in vivo during intracellular growth of virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv. P(1)furA is induced early upon infection, and P(1)katG becomes active only upon extended growth in macrophages. These studies delineate the transcriptional organization of the furA-katG region and indicate differential regulation in vivo of the two katG promoters. These phenomena most likely reflect the differing demands at sequential stages of the infection cycle and may provide information for improved understanding of host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis and for further optimization of INH chemotherapy.

SUBMITTER: Master S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC95287 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mapping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG promoters and their differential expression in infected macrophages.

Master S S Zahrt T C TC Song J J Deretic V V

Journal of bacteriology 20010701 13

Intracellular pathogenic bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, frequently have multitiered defense mechanisms ensuring their survival in host phagocytic cells. One such defense determinant in M. tuberculosis is the katG gene, which encodes an enzyme with catalase, peroxidase, and peroxynitritase activities. KatG is considered to be important for protection against reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates produced by phagocytic cells. However, KatG also activates the front-line antitu ...[more]

PMID: 11395468

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Project description:BackgroundTuberculosis (TB), a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) remains a significant health problem worldwide with a third of the world population infected and nearly nine million new cases claiming 1.1 million deaths every year. The outcome following infection by Mtb is determined by a complex and dynamic host-pathogen interaction in which the phenotype of the pathogen and the immune status of the host play a role. However, the molecular mechanism by which Mtb strains induce different responses during intracellular infection of the host macrophage is not fully understood. To explore the early molecular events triggered upon Mtb infection of macrophages, we studied the transcriptional responses of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) to infection with two clinical Mtb strains, CDC1551 and HN878. These strains have previously been shown to differ in their virulence/immunogenicity in the mouse and rabbit models of pulmonary TB.ResultsIn spite of similar intracellular growth rates, we observed that compared to HN878, infection by CDC1551 of BMM was associated with an increased global transcriptome, up-regulation of a specific early (6 hours) immune response network and significantly elevated nitric oxide production. In contrast, at 24 hours post-infection of BMM by HN878, more host genes involved in lipid metabolism, including cholesterol metabolism and prostaglandin synthesis were up-regulated, compared to infection with CDC1551.In association with the differences in the macrophage responses to infection with the 2 Mtb strains, intracellular CDC1551 expressed higher levels of stress response genes than did HN878.ConclusionsIn association with the early and more robust macrophage activation, intracellular CDC1551 cells were exposed to a higher level of stress leading to increased up-regulation of the bacterial stress response genes. In contrast, sub-optimal activation of macrophages and induction of a dysregulated host cell lipid metabolism favored a less stressful intracellular environment for HN878. Our findings suggest that the ability of CDC1551 and HN878 to differentially activate macrophages during infection probably determines their ability to either resist host cell immunity and progress to active disease or to succumb to the host protective responses and be driven into a non-replicating latent state in rabbit lungs.

Project description:A high intracellular bacillary load of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in macrophages induces an atypical lysosomal cell death with early features of apoptosis that progress to necrosis within hours. Unlike classical apoptosis, this cell death mode does not appear to diminish M. tuberculosis viability. We previously reported that culturing heavily infected macrophages with naïve macrophages produced an antimicrobial effect, but only if naïve macrophages were added during the pre-necrotic phase of M. tuberculosis-induced cell death. In the present study we investigated the mechanism of antimicrobial activity in co-cultures, anticipating that efferocytosis of bacilli in apoptotic bodies would be required. Confocal microscopy revealed frustrated phagocytosis of M. tuberculosis-infected macrophages with no evidence that significant numbers of bacilli were transferred to the naïve macrophages. The antimicrobial effect of naïve macrophages was retained when they were separated from infected macrophages in transwells, and conditioned co-culture supernatants transferred antimicrobial activity to cultures of infected macrophages alone. Antimicrobial activity in macrophage co-cultures was abrogated when the naïve population was deficient in IL-1 receptor or when the infected population was deficient in inducible nitric oxide synthase. The participation of nitric oxide suggested a conventional antimicrobial mechanism requiring delivery of bacilli to a late endosomal compartment. Using macrophages expressing GFP-LC3 we observed the induction of autophagy specifically by a high intracellular load of M. tuberculosis. Bacilli were identified in LC3-positive compartments and LC3-positive compartments were confirmed to be acidified and LAMP1 positive. Thus, the antimicrobial effect of naïve macrophages acting on M. tuberculosis in heavily-infected macrophages is contact-independent. Interleukin-1 provides an afferent signal that induces an as yet unidentified small molecule which promotes nitric oxide-dependent antimicrobial activity against bacilli in autolysosomes of heavily infected macrophages. This cooperative, innate antimicrobial interaction may limit the maximal growth rate of M. tuberculosis prior to the expression of adaptive immunity in pulmonary tuberculosis.

Dataset Information

Mapping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG promoters and their differential expression in infected macrophages.

Publications

Mapping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis katG promoters and their differential expression in infected macrophages.

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