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Secretion and expression of the Pasteurella haemolytica Leukotoxin.

ABSTRACT: The Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin gene cluster (lktCABD) is homologous to the Escherichia coli hemolysin locus (hlyCABD). Since the cloned leukotoxin (LktA) is not secreted from E. coli cells, a heteroplasmid complementation system was developed that permits secretion of the leukotoxin from cells expressing the hemolysin transport proteins HlyB and HlyD. We observed that the secreted leukotoxin protein had weak hemolytic activity when activated by either the HlyC or LktC proteins and that LktC expressed in E. coli could confer weak hemolytic activity upon hemolysin. Thus, it appears that the accessory proteins of the leukotoxin and hemolysin gene clusters are functionally similar, although their expression in E. coli is not equivalent. Northern (RNA) blot analysis of the P. haemolytica leukotoxin gene cluster revealed a major 3.5-kilobase transcript that includes the lktC and lktA genes. The start site for this transcript mapped to a cytosine residue 30 nucleotides upstream from the putative start of lktC; a similar initiation site was observed in E. coli, although adjacent cytosine and adenine residues were also utilized. The 3.5-kilobase transcript terminated near the rho-independent terminator structure between lktA and lktB, but transcription may continue, via antitermination or de novo transcription initiation, into the downstream lktB and lktD genes. We propose that the lack of LktB and LktD function in E. coli is a result, at least in part, of poor lktBD transcription and suggest that a P. haemolytica-specific regulator is required for optimal expression of the leukotoxin genes.

SUBMITTER: Highlander SK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC208868 | biostudies-other | 1990 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Secretion and expression of the Pasteurella haemolytica Leukotoxin.

Highlander S K SK Engler M J MJ Weinstock G M GM

Journal of bacteriology 19900501 5

The Pasteurella haemolytica leukotoxin gene cluster (lktCABD) is homologous to the Escherichia coli hemolysin locus (hlyCABD). Since the cloned leukotoxin (LktA) is not secreted from E. coli cells, a heteroplasmid complementation system was developed that permits secretion of the leukotoxin from cells expressing the hemolysin transport proteins HlyB and HlyD. We observed that the secreted leukotoxin protein had weak hemolytic activity when activated by either the HlyC or LktC proteins and that L ...[more]

PMID: 2185213

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Project description:The mosaic structure and molecular evolution of the leukotoxin operon (lktCABD) was investigated by nucleotide sequence comparison of the lktC, lktB, and lktD genes in 23 Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica, 6 Mannheimia glucosida, and 4 Pasteurella trehalosi strains. Sequence variation in the lktA gene has been described previously (R. L. Davies et al., J. Bacteriol. 183:1394-1404, 2001). The leukotoxin operon of M. haemolytica has a complex mosaic structure and has been derived by extensive inter- and intraspecies horizontal DNA transfer and intragenic recombination events. However, the pattern of recombination varies throughout the operon and among the different evolutionary lineages of M. haemolytica. The lktA and lktB genes have the most complex mosaic structures with segments derived from up to four different sources, including M. glucosida and P. trehalosi. In contrast, the lktD gene is highly conserved in M. haemolytica. The lktC, lktA, and lktB genes of strains representing the major ovine lineages contain recombinant segments derived from bovine or bovine-like serotype A2 strains. These findings support the previous conclusion that host switching of bovine A2 strains from cattle to sheep has played a major role in the evolution of the leukotoxin operon in ovine strains of M. haemolytica. Homologous segments of donor and recipient alleles are identical, or nearly identical, indicating that the recombinational exchanges occurred relatively recent in evolutionary terms. The 5' and 3' ends of the operon are highly conserved in M. haemolytica, which suggests that multiple horizontal exchanges of the complete operon have occurred by a common mechanism such as transduction. Although the lktA and lktB genes both have complex mosaic structures and high nucleotide substitution rates, the amino acid diversity of LktB is significantly lower than that of LktA due to a higher degree of evolutionary constraint against amino acid replacement. The recombinational exchanges within the leukotoxin operon have had greatest effect on LktA and probably provide an adaptive advantage against the host antibody response by generating novel antigenic variation at surface-exposed sites.

Project description:The molecular evolution of the leukotoxin structural gene (lktA) of Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica was investigated by nucleotide sequence comparison of lktA in 31 bovine and ovine strains representing the various evolutionary lineages and serotypes of the species. Eight major allelic variants (1.4 to 15.7% nucleotide divergence) were identified; these have mosaic structures of varying degrees of complexity reflecting a history of horizontal gene transfer and extensive intragenic recombination. The presence of identical alleles in strains of different genetic backgrounds suggests that assortative (entire gene) recombination has also contributed to strain diversification in M. haemolytica. Five allelic variants occur only in ovine strains and consist of recombinant segments derived from as many as four different sources. Four of these alleles consist of DNA (52.8 to 96.7%) derived from the lktA gene of the two related species Mannheimia glucosida and Pasteurella trehalosi, and four contain recombinant segments derived from an allele that is associated exclusively with bovine or bovine-like serotype A2 strains. The two major lineages of ovine serotype A2 strains possess lktA alleles that have very different evolutionary histories and encode divergent leukotoxins (5.3% amino acid divergence), but both contain segments derived from the bovine allele. Homologous segments of donor and recipient alleles are identical or nearly identical, indicating that the recombination events are relatively recent and probably postdate the domestication of cattle and sheep. Our findings suggest that host switching of bovine strains from cattle to sheep, together with inter- and intraspecies recombinational exchanges, has played an important role in generating leukotoxin diversity in ovine strains. In contrast, there is limited allelic diversity of lktA in bovine strains, suggesting that transmission of strains from sheep to cattle has been less important in leukotoxin evolution.

Dataset Information

Secretion and expression of the Pasteurella haemolytica Leukotoxin.

Publications

Secretion and expression of the Pasteurella haemolytica Leukotoxin.

Similar Datasets

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