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The multifaceted RisA regulon of Bordetella pertussis

ABSTRACT: Bordetella pertussis, the etiological agent of whooping cough, regulates the expression of its virulence factors by the well-defined BvgA/S two-component regulatory system. Phosphorylated BvgA activates the virulence activated genes (vags) and represses via the activation of the bvgR gene the expression of the virulence repressed genes (vrgs). In the presence of MgSO4, known as modulating condition, the BvgA/S system is inactive, and the vrgs are expressed. Here, we show that, except for 6 genes of unknown function, the expression of all the vrgs depends on RisA, another transcriptional two-component regulator. In addition to the vrgs, RisA also regulates the expression of a many other genes. Whereas the expression of most vags was not affected by the deletion of risA, some vags, including the genes coding for pertactin, filamentous hemagglutinin, fimbriae and adenylate cyclase toxin, were surprisingly no longer modulated by MgSO4 in the risA- background. Yet another set of genes, mostly of unknown function, were modulated only in the risA- background. Finally, a large group of genes were up-regulated under modulating conditions only in the risA- background. They comprise genes of the chemotaxis and flagellar operons, iron-regulated genes, some of which are under the control of BvgA/S, while others are not. We identified RisK as the cognate RisA kinase, and found that most of the RisA-dependent genes also required RisK for expression, whereas a few genes were independent of RisK. These results were confirmed by the replacement of RisA with the phosphoablative RisAD60N analog and the phosphomimetic RisAD60E analog. Thus, according to its phosphorylation state, RisA regulates the expression of many genes, which may or may not also be regulated by the BvgA/S system, adding a new layer of complexity of B. pertussis gene regulation.

ORGANISM(S): Bordetella pertussis

PROVIDER: GSE77754 | GEO | 2016/08/20

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA311539

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Purpose: Within the past 20 years, outbreaks of whooping cough, caused by Bordetella pertussis, have led to respiratory disease and infant mortalities, despite good vaccination coverage. This is due at least in part to the introduction of a less effective acellular vaccine in the 1990’s. It is crucial then to understand the molecular basis of B. pertussis growth and infection. The two-component system BvgA/BvgS is the B. pertussis master regulator that regulates the expression of various virulence genes. Previous genome wide studies to identify the bvgAS regulon in B. pertussis have been limited to microarray analyses. The goal of this study is to define the bvgAS regulon using NGS based RNA-seq analysis and RT-qPCR and to compare the differences with the previous microarray data. Method: To define the bvgAS regulon, transcriptomes were generated using B. pertussis Tohama I BP536 (WT) and a ΔbvgAS derivative in the presence and absence of phosphorylated BvgA. Bacteria were grown either under modulating (50 mM MgSO4) conditions, in which phosphorylated BvgA is undetectable (Bvg- mode), or non-modulating (no MgSO4) conditions in which BvgA is phosphorylated (Bvg+ mode). After total RNA extraction and rRNA removal, strand-specific DNA libraries were prepared for Illumina sequencing using the ScriptSeq 2.0 kit (Illumina) in duplicates. Libraries were sequenced using a HiSeq 2000 sequencer (Illumina; University of Buffalo Next Generation Sequencing Core Facility). Sequence reads were mapped to the reference genome (NC_002929.2) and normalized against total reads. Differential expression analyses were performed using CLC Biomedical Genomic Workbench version 3.5.4 with default parameters. Differential gene expression profiles were obtained after Empirical DGE statistical test with FDR p-value. RT–qPCR validation was performed using SYBR Green assays. Result: Using CLC Biomedical Genomic Workbench version 3.5.4, ~ 20-25 million reads per sample were mapped to the reference B. pertussis genome (NC_002929.2). RNA-seq analyses identified >550 genes (15% of genome) that were regulated in a bvgAS-dependent manner with a fold difference ≥ 1.6 and FDR p-value < 0.05. RT-qPCR was used for confirmatory analyses for 80 genes. Overall, we identified 245 genes that were positively regulated and 326 genes that were negatively regulated by bvgAS. 362 members of the bvgAS regulon were newly identified by our study. Most importantly, our analyses indicated that the expression of dozens of transcriptional regulators increases, while the expression of multiple metabolic genes decreases in the presence of BvgA~P. Conclusion: We report here the first RNA-seq analysis of the bvgAS regulon in B. pertussis, revealing that > 550 genes are regulated by bvgAS. Our results suggest that metabolic changes in the Bvg- mode (absence of BvgA phosphorylation) may be participating in bacterial survival, transmission, and/or persistence and identify over 200 new genes negatively regulated by bvgAS that can be tested for function.

Project description:Pertussis is a highly contagious, acute respiratory disease in humans caused by the Gram-negative pathogen Bordetella pertussis. Pertussis has resurged in the face of intensive vaccination and this has coincided with the emergence of strains carrying a particular allele for the pertussis toxin promoter, ptxP3, which is associated with higher levels of pertussis toxin (Ptx) production. Within 10 to 20 years, ptxP3 strains have nearly completely replaced the previously dominant ptxP1 strains resulting in a worldwide selective sweep. In order to identify B. pertussis genes associated with the selective sweep, we compared the expression of genes in ptxP1 and ptxP3 strains that are under control of the Bordetella master virulence regulatory locus (bvgASR). The BvgAS proteins comprise a two component sensory transduction system which is regulated by temperature, nicotinic acid and sulfate. By increasing the sulfate concentration, it is possible to change the phase of B. pertussis from virulent to avirulent. Until recently, the only distinctive phenotype of ptxP3 strains was a higher Ptx production. Here we identify additional phenotypic differences between ptxP1 and ptxP3 strains which may have contributed to its global spread by comparing global transcriptional responses under sulfate-modulating conditions. We show that ptxP3 strains are less sensitive to sulfate-mediated gene suppression, resulting in an increased production of the vaccine antigens pertactin (Prn) and Ptx and a number of other virulence genes, including a type III secretion toxin, Vag8, a protein involved in complement resistance, and lpxE involved in lipid A modification. Furthermore, enhanced expression of the vaccine antigens Ptx and Prn by ptxP3 strains was confirmed at the protein level. Identification of genes differentially expressed between ptxP1 and ptxP3 strains may elucidate how B. pertussis has adapted to vaccination and allow the improvement of pertussis vaccines by identifying novel vaccine candidates.

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The multifaceted RisA regulon of Bordetella pertussis

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