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Activation of alpha-toxin translation in Staphylococcus aureus by the trans-encoded antisense RNA, RNAIII.

ABSTRACT: The synthesis of virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus is controlled by a regulatory RNA molecule, RNAIII, encoded by the agr locus. Transcription of genes coding for secreted toxins and enzymes is stimulated, while transcription of cell-surface protein genes is repressed by RNAIII. In the case of staphylococcal alpha-toxin, RNAIII also seems to stimulate translation by an independent mechanism. In this report we show that in a mutant lacking RNAIII the rate of alpha-toxin (hla) production relative to the cellular concentration of hla mRNA was reduced 10-fold as compared with the wild-type strain. A 75% complementarity between the 5' end of RNAIII and the 5' untranslated region of the hla transcript suggests a direct interaction between the RNAs. A complex of RNAIII and hla mRNA was demonstrated in extracts of total RNA from the wild-type strain, and also with in vitro synthesized RNAs. Ribonuclease T1 digestion experiments revealed that the ribosome binding site of the hla transcript is blocked by intramolecular base-pairing. Hybridization with RNAIII prevents this intramolecular base-pairing and makes the hla mRNA accessible for translation initiation. This is, to our knowledge, the first example of an 'antisense RNA' that stimulates translation of the target mRNA.

SUBMITTER: Morfeldt E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC394549 | biostudies-other | 1995 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Activation of alpha-toxin translation in Staphylococcus aureus by the trans-encoded antisense RNA, RNAIII.

Morfeldt E E Taylor D D von Gabain A A Arvidson S S

The EMBO journal 19950901 18

The synthesis of virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus is controlled by a regulatory RNA molecule, RNAIII, encoded by the agr locus. Transcription of genes coding for secreted toxins and enzymes is stimulated, while transcription of cell-surface protein genes is repressed by RNAIII. In the case of staphylococcal alpha-toxin, RNAIII also seems to stimulate translation by an independent mechanism. In this report we show that in a mutant lacking RNAIII the rate of alpha-toxin (hla) production ...[more]

PMID: 7556100

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Project description:Staphylococcus aureus infection is one of the leading causes of morbidity in hospitalized patients in the United States, an effect compounded by increasing antibiotic resistance. The secreted agent hemolysin alpha toxin (Hla) requires the receptor A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10 (ADAM10) to mediate its toxic effects. We hypothesized that these effects are in part regulated by Notch signaling, for which ADAM10 activation is essential. Notch proteins function in developmental and pathological angiogenesis via the modulation of key pathways in endothelial and perivascular cells. Thus, we hypothesized that Hla would activate Notch in vascular cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were treated with recombinant Hla (rHla), Hla-H35L (genetically inactivated Hla), or Hank's solution (HBSS), and probed by different methods. Luciferase assays showed that Hla (0.01 µg/mL) increased Notch activation by 1.75?±?0.5-fold as compared to HBSS controls (p?<?0.05), whereas Hla-H35L had no effect. Immunocytochemistry and Western blotting confirmed these findings and revealed that ADAM10 and ?-secretase are required for Notch activation after inhibitor and siRNA assays. Retinal EC in mice engineered to express yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) upon Notch activation demonstrated significantly greater YFP intensity after Hla injection than controls. Aortic rings from Notch reporter mice embedded in matrix and incubated with rHla or Hla-H35L demonstrate increased Notch activation occurs at tip cells during sprouting. These mice also had higher skin YFP intensity and area of expression after subcutaneous inoculation of S. aureus expressing Hla than a strain lacking Hla in both EC and pericytes assessed by microscopy. Human liver displayed strikingly higher Notch expression in EC and pericytes during S. aureus infection by immunohistochemistry than tissues from uninfected patients. In sum, our results demonstrate that the S. aureus toxin Hla can potently activate Notch in vascular cells, an effect which may contribute to the pathobiology of infection with this microorganism.

Project description:Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen causing a variety of diseases by versatile expression of a large set of virulence factors that most prominently features the cytotoxic and hemolytic pore-forming alpha-toxin. Expression of alpha-toxin is regulated by an intricate network of transcription factors. These include two-component systems sensing quorum and environmental signals as well as regulators reacting to the nutritional status of the pathogen. We previously identified the repressor of surface proteins (Rsp) as a virulence regulator. Acute cytotoxicity and hemolysis are strongly decreased in rsp mutants, which are characterized by decreased transcription of toxin genes as well as loss of transcription of a 1,232-nucleotide (nt)-long noncoding RNA (ncRNA), SSR42. Here, we show that SSR42 is the effector of Rsp in transcription regulation of the alpha-toxin gene, hla SSR42 transcription is enhanced after exposure of S. aureus to subinhibitory concentrations of oxacillin which thus leads to an SSR42-dependent increase in hemolysis. Aside from Rsp, SSR42 transcription is under the control of additional global regulators, such as CodY, AgrA, CcpE, and ?B, but is positioned upstream of the two-component system SaeRS in the regulatory cascade leading to alpha-toxin production. Thus, alpha-toxin expression depends on two long ncRNAs, SSR42 and RNAIII, which control production of the cytolytic toxin on the transcriptional and translational levels, respectively, with SSR42 as an important regulator of SaeRS-dependent S. aureus toxin production in response to environmental and metabolic signals.IMPORTANCE Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of life-threatening infections. The bacterium expresses alpha-toxin, a hemolysin and cytotoxin responsible for many of the pathologies of S. aureus Alpha-toxin production is enhanced by subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. Here, we show that this process is dependent on the long noncoding RNA, SSR42. Further, SSR42 itself is regulated by several global regulators, thereby integrating environmental and nutritional signals that modulate hemolysis of the pathogen.

Project description:The macrophage response to planktonic Staphylococcus aureus involves the induction of proinflammatory microbicidal activity. However, S. aureus biofilms can interfere with these responses in part by polarizing macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory profibrotic phenotype. Here we demonstrate that conditioned medium from mature S. aureus biofilms inhibited macrophage phagocytosis and induced cytotoxicity, suggesting the involvement of a secreted factor(s). Iterative testing found the active factor(s) to be proteinaceous and partially agr-dependent. Quantitative mass spectrometry identified alpha-toxin (Hla) and leukocidin AB (LukAB) as critical molecules secreted by S. aureus biofilms that inhibit murine macrophage phagocytosis and promote cytotoxicity. A role for Hla and LukAB was confirmed by using hla and lukAB mutants, and synergy between the two toxins was demonstrated with a lukAB hla double mutant and verified by complementation. Independent confirmation of the effects of Hla and LukAB on macrophage dysfunction was demonstrated by using an isogenic strain in which Hla was constitutively expressed, an Hla antibody to block toxin activity, and purified LukAB peptide. The importance of Hla and LukAB during S. aureus biofilm formation in vivo was assessed by using a murine orthopedic implant biofilm infection model in which the lukAB hla double mutant displayed significantly lower bacterial burdens and more macrophage infiltrates than each single mutant. Collectively, these findings reveal a critical synergistic role for Hla and LukAB in promoting macrophage dysfunction and facilitating S. aureus biofilm development in vivo. Staphylococcus aureus has a propensity to form multicellular communities known as biofilms. While growing in a biofilm, S. aureus displays increased tolerance to nutrient deprivation, antibiotic insult, and even host immune challenge. Previous studies have shown that S. aureus biofilms thwart host immunity in part by preventing macrophage phagocytosis. It remained unclear whether this was influenced solely by the considerable size of biofilms or whether molecules were also actively secreted to circumvent macrophage-mediated phagocytosis. This is the first report to demonstrate that S. aureus biofilms inhibit macrophage phagocytosis and induce macrophage death through the combined action of leukocidin AB and alpha-toxin. Loss of leukocidin AB and alpha-toxin expression resulted in enhanced S. aureus biofilm clearance in a mouse model of orthopedic implant infection, suggesting that these toxins could be targeted therapeutically to facilitate biofilm clearance in humans.

Dataset Information

Activation of alpha-toxin translation in Staphylococcus aureus by the trans-encoded antisense RNA, RNAIII.

Publications

Activation of alpha-toxin translation in Staphylococcus aureus by the trans-encoded antisense RNA, RNAIII.

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