Project description:Coordinated protein-coding sequence transcriptional responses of Staphylococcus aureus to antimicrobial exposure are well described but little is known of the role of bacterial non-coding, small RNAs (sRNAs) in these responses. Here we used RNAseq to investigate the sRNA response of the epidemic multiresistant hospital ST239 S. Aureus strain JKD6009 and its vancomycin-intermediate clinical derivative, JKD6008, after exposure to four antibiotics representing the major classes of antimicrobials used to treat methicillin-resistant S. Aureus infections. These agents included vancomycin, linezolid, ceftobiprole, and tigecycline. We identified 410 potential sRNAs (sRNAs) and then compared global sRNA and mRNA expression profiles at 2 and 6 hours, without antibiotic exposure, and after exposure to 0.5 x MIC for each antibiotic, for both JKD6009 (VSSA), and JKD6008 (VISA). Two strains were used (JKD6009, vancomycin-susceptible S. Aureus; JKD6008, in vivo derived vancomycin-intermediate S. Aureus). The complete JKD6008 genome seqeuce was used as the reference. Two time points, 2 hours and 6 hours after culture in Mueller Hinton broth. Strains were exposed to no antibiotic, or 0.5 x MIC for 10 mins for the following antibiotics; vancomycin, linezolid, ceftobiprole, tigecycline. RNA isolation procedures enriched for mRNA or sRNA. The 40 cDNA libraries were sequenced using a whole flowcell (8 lanes) in an Illumina genome analyzer GAII for 36 cycles. Data was analyzed using the BioConductor package limma, and by applying non-negative matrix factorization to determine the impact of antibiotic exposure on the sRNA and mRNA transcriptional profiles.
Project description:Coordinated protein-coding sequence transcriptional responses of Staphylococcus aureus to antimicrobial exposure are well described but little is known of the role of bacterial non-coding, small RNAs (sRNAs) in these responses. Here we used RNAseq to investigate the sRNA response of the epidemic multiresistant hospital ST239 S. Aureus strain JKD6009 and its vancomycin-intermediate clinical derivative, JKD6008, after exposure to four antibiotics representing the major classes of antimicrobials used to treat methicillin-resistant S. Aureus infections. These agents included vancomycin, linezolid, ceftobiprole, and tigecycline. We identified 410 potential sRNAs (sRNAs) and then compared global sRNA and mRNA expression profiles at 2 and 6 hours, without antibiotic exposure, and after exposure to 0.5 x MIC for each antibiotic, for both JKD6009 (VSSA), and JKD6008 (VISA).
Project description:Vancomycin tolerance in multidrug resistance Staphylococcus aureus is correlated with dysregulation of small RNAs although their contribution to antibiotic tolerance in poorly understood. RNA-RNA interactome profiling techniques are expanding our understanding of sRNA-mRNA interactions in bacteria; however, determining the function of these interactions for hundreds of sRNA-mRNA pairs is a major challenge. At steady-state, protein and mRNA abundances are often highly correlated and lower than expected protein abundance may indicate translational repression of an mRNA. We used label-free quantitative proteomics to examine changes in protein expression in vancomycin tolerant S. aureus strain in response to vancomycin treatment. We correlated the protein levels with gene transcript abundance and ribosome occupancy to identify sRNA-mRNA interactions that regulate mRNA translation. We used the machine learning technique self-organising maps (SOMS) to cluster genes with similar transcription and translation patterns and identified a cluster of mRNAs that appeared to be post-transcriptionally repressed. By integrating our clustering analysis with the sRNA-mRNA interactome data generated in vancomycin tolerant S. aureus by RNase III-CLASH, we identified a cluster of sRNAs that may be mediating translational repression. We have confirmed sRNA-dependant post-transcriptional repression of several mRNAs in this cluster. Two of these interactions are mediated by RsaOI, a sRNA that is highly upregulated by vancomycin, and these targets include HPr and the cell-wall autolysin Atl, with only Atl downregulated at the protein level upon vancomycin treatment. These findings suggest RsaOI coordinates carbon metabolism and cell wall turnover during vancomycin treatment
Project description:Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infectious pathogen that poses a significant threat to human health. MRSA is renowned for its ability to adapt to and even thrive in hostile environment within its host. By expressing a battery of virulence factors and toxins, MRSA is able to scavenge effectively essential nutrients and evade the immune system within the host. Post-transcriptional regulation by sRNAs contributes significantly to regulating the expression of virulence factors and toxins. However, the roles of the vast majority of sRNAs during host adaptation remain unknown. To challenge this gap, we performed UV cross-linking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) in S. aureus to unravel sRNA-RNA interactions with the double stranded ribonuclease III (RNase III) as a bait under conditions that mimic the host environment. Here we report a global analysis of RNA-RNA interactions in MRSA in vivo, which uncovered hundreds of novel sRNA-RNA pairs. Strikingly, our results indicate that the production of small membrane-permeabilizing toxins is under extensive sRNA-mediated regulation and that their expression is intimately connected to metabolism. We show that at least two sRNAs, RNAIII and RsaE, enhance the production of five clinically relevant cytolytic toxins that are important for survival within the host. Taken together, our data greatly expands the repertoire of sRNA-target interactions in S. aureus and provide detail on how these contribute to adjusting virulence in response to changes in metabolism.
Project description:The human opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus has developed multiple strategies to adapt to various environments, to fight and escape the immune system, to spread and persist in host tissues. It is responsible for numerous diseases ranging from benign skin infections to more serious such as endocarditis or septicemia. The pathogenicity is due to the production of a multitude of virulence factors, whose synthesis is finely regulated by a combination of regulatory proteins and small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs). Our study reveals an unexpected function of an atypical sRNA, RsaC, which is at the heart of networks controlling defence responses to oxidative stress, manganese import and nutrition immunity. This work highlights a novel mechanism required for S. aureus to survive into its host.
Project description:The human opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus produces numerous small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) for which functions are still poorly understood. Here, we focused on an atypical and large sRNA called RsaC. Its length varies between different isolates due to the presence of repeated sequences at the 5’ end while its 3’ part is structurally independent and highly conserved. Using MS2-affinity purification coupled with RNA sequencing (MAPS) and quantitative differential proteomics, we identified sodA mRNA as a main target of RsaC sRNA. SodA is a Mn-dependent superoxide dismutase involved in oxidative stress response. We demonstrated that in presence of RsaC, S. aureus cells were less resistant to oxidative stress, in relation with lower activity of SodA enzyme. Remarkably, rsaC gene is co-transcribed with the major manganese ABC transporter MntABC and, consequently, RsaC is mainly produced in response to Mn starvation. This 3’UTR-derived sRNA is released from mntABC-RsaC precursor after cleavage by RNase III. By blocking the Mn-containing enzyme SodA synthesis, RsaC favors oxidative stress response mediated by SodM, an alternative SOD enzyme using either Mn or Fe as co-factor. Thus, RsaC may balance two interconnected defensive responses (i.e. against oxidative stress and manganese starvation) when S. aureus faces host immune cells.
Project description:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial pathogen responsible for high levels of human morbidity and mortality. MRSA co-ordinates expression of an array of bacterial factors involved in antimicrobial resistance, nutrient acquisition and immune evasion in the host. Post-transcriptional regulation by small RNAs (sRNAs) has emerged as an important mechanism for the control of MRSA virulence. However, the function of the majority of sRNAs during infection is unknown. To address this gap in understanding, we performed UV cross-linking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) in MRSA to unravel sRNA-RNA interactions under conditions that mimic the host environment. Using double stranded ribonuclease III (RNase III) as a bait we not only uncovered known interactions but also hundreds of novel sRNA-RNA pairs. Strikingly, our results suggest that the production of small membrane-permeabilizing toxins is under extensive sRNA-mediated regulation and that their expression is intimately connected to metabolism. Importantly, we discovered that two sRNAs, RNAIII and RsaE, control the expression of at least four cytolytic toxins that are important for MRSA virulence. Taken together, we present a comprehensive analysis of sRNA-target interactions in S. aureus and provide detail on how these contribute to the control of virulence in response to changes in metabolism.