Project description:Temperature is a crucial environmental signal that govers the occurrence of Vibrio cholerae and cholera outbreaks. To understand how temperature impacts the transcriptome of V. cholerae we performed whole-genome level transcriptional profiling using custom microarrays on cells grown at human body temperature (37 C) then shifted to temperatures V. cholerae experience in the environment (15 C and 25 C).
Project description:DNA methylation is a key epigenetic regulator in all domains of life, yet the effects of most bacterial DNA methyltransferases on cellular processes are largely undefined. Here, we used diverse techniques, including bisulfite sequencing, transcriptomics, and transposon insertion site sequencing to extensively characterize a 5-methylcytosine (5mC) methyltransferase, VchM, in the cholera pathogen, Vibrio cholerae. We have comprehensively defined VchM's DNA targets, its genetic interactions and the gene networks that it regulates. Although VchM is a relatively new component of the V. cholerae genome, it is required for optimal V. cholerae growth in vitro and during infection. Unexpectedly, the usually essential ÏE cell envelope stress pathway is dispensable in ÎvchM V. cholerae, likely due to its lower activation in this mutant and the capacity for VchM methylation to limit expression of some cell envelope modifying genes. Our work illuminates how an acquired DNA methyltransferase can become integrated within complex cell circuits to control critical housekeeping processes. Duplicates samples were analyzed for wildtype cells grown under 3 conditions: exponential phase, stationary phase and rabbit intestinal infection
Project description:Understanding gene expression by bacteria during the actual course of human infection may provide important insights into microbial pathogenesis. In this study, we evaluated the transcriptional profile of Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, in clinical specimens from cholera patients. We collected samples of human stool and vomitus that were positive by dark-field microscopy for abundant vibrios and used a microarray to compare gene expression in organisms recovered directly from the early and late stages of human infection. Our results reveal that V. cholerae gene expression within the human host environment differs from patterns defined in in vitro models of pathogenesis. tcpA, the major subunit of the essential V. cholerae colonization factor, was significantly more highly expressed in early compared with late infection; however, the genes encoding cholera toxin were not highly expressed in either phase of human infection. Furthermore, expression of the virulence regulators, toxRS and tcpPH, was uncoupled. Interestingly, the pattern of gene expression indicates that the human upper intestine may be a uniquely suitable environment for the transfer of genetic elements that are important in the evolution of pathogenic strains of V. cholerae. These findings provide a more detailed assessment of the transcriptome of V. cholerae in the human host than previous studies of organisms in stool alone and have implications for cholera control and the design of improved vaccines. Keywords: comparative gene expression analysis
Project description:All arrays used in Hyperinfectivity study Merrell DS, Butler SM, Qadri F, Dolganov NA, Alam A, Cohen MB, Calderwood SB, Schoolnik GK, Camilli A. Related Articles Host-induced epidemic spread of the cholera bacterium. Nature. 2002 Jun 6;417(6889):642-5. PMID: 12050664 A=patient A, B=patient B, C=patient C, stationary phase=stationary phase vibrio for comparison, and numbers represent technical replicates of the denoted sample.
Project description:Pandemic and endemic strains of Vibrio cholerae arise from toxigenic conversion by the CTXφ bacteriophage, a process by which CTXφ infects non-toxigenic strains of V. cholerae. CTXφ encodes the cholera toxin, an enterotoxin responsible for the watery diarrhea associated with cholera infections. Despite the critical role of CTXφ during infections, signals that affect CTXφ-driven toxigenic conversion or expression of the CTXφ-encoded cholera toxin remain poorly characterized, particularly in the context of the gut mucosa. Here, we identify mucin polymers as potent regulators of CTXφ-driven pathogenicity in V. cholerae. Our results indicate that mucin-associated O-glycans block toxigenic conversion by CTXφ and suppress the expression of CTXφ-related virulence factors, including the toxin co-regulated pilus and cholera toxin, by interfering with the TcpP/ToxR/ToxT virulence pathway. By synthesizing individual mucin glycan structures de novo, we identify the Core 2 motif as the critical structure governing this virulence attenuation. Overall, our results highlight a novel mechanism by which mucins and their associated O-glycan structures affect CTXφ-mediated evolution and pathogenicity of V. cholerae, underscoring the potential regulatory power housed within mucus.
Project description:In recent years, due to the influence of climate change and rising sea temperature, the incidence of Vibrio alginolyticus infections is increasing, and becoming the second most common Vibrio species reported in human illness. Therefore, better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of V. alginolyticus infection is urgently needed. Vvrr1 (Vibrio virulence regulatory RNA 1) is a new found ncRNA predicted to be closely related to the adhesion ability of V. alginolyticus through the previous RNA-seq. In this study, the target genes of Vvrr1 were fully screened and verified by constructing Vvrr1 over-expressed strains and proteome sequencing technology.
Project description:Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious public and economic threat. The rate of bacteria acquiring AMR surpasses the rate of new antibiotics discovery, projecting more deadly AMR infections in the future. The Pathogen Box is an open-source library of drug-like compounds that can be screened for antibiotic activity. We have screened molecules of the Pathogen Box against Vibrio cholerae, the cholera-causing pathogen, and successfully identified two compounds, MMV687807 and MMV675968, that inhibit growth. RNA-seq analyses of V. cholerae after incubation with each compound revealed that both compounds affect cellular functions on multiple levels including carbon metabolism, iron homeostasis, and biofilm formation. In addition, whole-genome sequencing analysis of spontaneous resistance mutants identified an efflux system that confers resistance to MMV687807. We also identified that the dihydrofolate reductase is the likely target of MMV675968 suggesting it acts as an analog of trimethoprim but with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) 14-fold lower than trimethoprim in molar concentration. In summary, these two compounds that effectively inhibit V. cholerae and other bacteria may lead to the development of new antibiotics for better treatment of the cholera disease.