Project description:Intestinal tissue responses to protein synthesis inhibition by Shiga toxin are complex. Organoid models allow for an unprecedented examination of human tissue responses to a deadly Shiga toxin.
Project description:Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli is significant human pathogen that causes disease ranging from haemorrhagic colitis to haemolytic uremic syndrome. The later can lead to potentially fatal renal failure and is caused by the release of Shiga toxins that are encoded within lambdoid bacteriophages. The toxins are encoded within the late transcript of the phage and are regulated by anti-termination of the PR’ late promoter during lytic induction of the phage. During lysogeny, the late transcript is prematurely terminated at tR’ immediately downstream of PR’, generating a short RNA that is a by-product of anti-termination regulation. We demonstrate that this short transcript binds the small RNA chaperone Hfq, and is processed into a stable 74 nt regulatory small RNA that we have termed, StxS. StxS activates expression of the general stress response sigma factor, RpoS, through direct interactions with an activating seed sequence within the 5’ UTR. StxS represses expression of Shiga toxin 1 and activation of RpoS promotes high cell density growth under nutrient limiting conditions. Many phages utilise anti-termination to regulate the lytic/lysogenic switch and our results demonstrate that short RNAs generated as a by-product of this regulation can acquire regulatory small RNA features and modulate host fitness.
Project description:Transcriptomes of 24 clinical strains of E. coli O157:H7 that differ phylogenetically and by Shiga toxin profiles were compared after 30 min co-incubation with epithelial cells.
Project description:Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive human pathogen causing a variety of human diseases in both hospital and community settings. This bacterium is so closely associated with prophages that it is rare to find S. aureus isolates without prophages. Two phages are known to be important for staphylococcal virulence: the beta-hemolysin (hlb) converting phage and the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) converting phage. The hlb-converting phage is found in more than 90% of clinical isolates of S. aureus. This phage produces exotoxins and immune modulatory molecules, which inhibit human innate immune responses. The PVL-converting phage produces the two-component exotoxin PVL, which can kill human leucocytes. This phage is wide-spread among community-associated methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). It also shows strong association with soft tissue infections and necrotizing pneumonia. Several lines of evidence suggest that staphylococcal prophages increase bacterial virulence not only by providing virulence factors but also by altering bacterial gene expression: 1) Transposon insertion into prophage regulatory genes, but not into the genes of virulence factors, reduced S. aureus killing of Caenorhabditis elegans.; 2) Although the toxins and immune modulatory molecules encoded by the hlb- converting phages do not function in the murine system, deletion of NM3, the hlb-converting phage in S. aureus Newman, reduced staphylococcal virulence in the murine abscess formation model. 3) In a preliminary microarray experiment, prophages in S. aureus Newman altered the expression of more than 300 genes. In this research proposal, using microarray and high-throughput quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) technologies, we will identify the effects of the two important staphylococcal phages on the gene expression of S. aureus in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. This project is intended to be completed within one year. All the data – microarray, qRT-PCR and all the primer sequences- will be made available to public 6 month after completion. Data from this project will help us to understand the role of prophages in the S. aureus pathogenesis and can lead to development of a strategy to interfere with the pathogenesis process. Staphylococcus aureus subsp.aureus strain Newman (reference) and Staphylococcus aureus subsp.aureus strain Newman yhcR knockout(query) were grown in TSA broth.Samples were grown under aerobic and anaerobic conditions and RNA samples harvested at mid log, stationary, and log phases.Samples were hybridized on aminosilane coated slides with 70-mer oligos.
Project description:Bacteria harbor diverse mechanisms to defend themselves against their viral predators, bacteriophages. In response, phages can evolve counter-defense systems, most of which remain poorly understood. In T4-like phages, the gene tifA prevents bacterial defense by the type III toxin-antitoxin (TA) system toxIN, but the mechanism by which TifA inhibits toxIN remains unclear. Here, we show that TifA directly binds both the endoribonuclease ToxN and RNA, leading to the formation of a high molecular weight ribonucleoprotein complex in which ToxN is inhibited. The RNA binding activity of TifA is necessary for its interaction with and inhibition of ToxN. Thus, we propose that TifA inhibits ToxN during phage infection by trapping ToxN on cellular RNA, particularly the abundant 16S rRNA, preventing cleavage of phage transcripts. Taken together, our results reveal a novel mechanism underlying inhibition of a phage-defensive RNase toxin by a small, phage-encoded protein.
Project description:Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive human pathogen causing a variety of human diseases in both hospital and community settings. This bacterium is so closely associated with prophages that it is rare to find S. aureus isolates without prophages. Two phages are known to be important for staphylococcal virulence: the beta-hemolysin (hlb) converting phage and the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) converting phage. The hlb-converting phage is found in more than 90% of clinical isolates of S. aureus. This phage produces exotoxins and immune modulatory molecules, which inhibit human innate immune responses. The PVL-converting phage produces the two-component exotoxin PVL, which can kill human leucocytes. This phage is wide-spread among community-associated methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). It also shows strong association with soft tissue infections and necrotizing pneumonia. Several lines of evidence suggest that staphylococcal prophages increase bacterial virulence not only by providing virulence factors but also by altering bacterial gene expression: 1) Transposon insertion into prophage regulatory genes, but not into the genes of virulence factors, reduced S. aureus killing of Caenorhabditis elegans.; 2) Although the toxins and immune modulatory molecules encoded by the hlb- converting phages do not function in the murine system, deletion of ϕNM3, the hlb-converting phage in S. aureus Newman, reduced staphylococcal virulence in the murine abscess formation model. 3) In a preliminary microarray experiment, prophages in S. aureus Newman altered the expression of more than 300 genes. In this research proposal, using microarray and high-throughput quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) technologies, we will identify the effects of the two important staphylococcal phages on the gene expression of S. aureus in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. This project is intended to be completed within one year. All the data – microarray, qRT-PCR and all the primer sequences- will be made available to public 6 month after completion. Data from this project will help us to understand the role of prophages in the S. aureus pathogenesis and can lead to development of a strategy to interfere with the pathogenesis process. Following strains were grown in TSA broth: Staphylococcus aureus USA300 (reference) Staphylococcus aureus USA300 with deletion of ϕSa2usa (Query) Staphylococcus aureus USA300 with deletion of ϕSa3usa (Query) Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Prophage-free mutant (Query) Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Prophage-free mutant lysogenized with ϕSa2mw (Query) Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Prophage-free mutant lysogenized with ϕSa3usa (Query) strain: Staphylococcus aureus USA300 Prophage-free mutant lysogenized with both ϕSa2mw and ϕSa3usa (Query) RNA samples were harvested at early log, midlog and stationary phase.Samples were hybridized on aminosilane coated slides with 70-mer oligos.
Project description:Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive human pathogen causing a variety of human diseases in both hospital and community settings. This bacterium is so closely associated with prophages that it is rare to find S. aureus isolates without prophages. Two phages are known to be important for staphylococcal virulence: the beta-hemolysin (hlb) converting phage and the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) converting phage. The hlb-converting phage is found in more than 90% of clinical isolates of S. aureus. This phage produces exotoxins and immune modulatory molecules, which inhibit human innate immune responses. The PVL-converting phage produces the two-component exotoxin PVL, which can kill human leucocytes. This phage is wide-spread among community-associated methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). It also shows strong association with soft tissue infections and necrotizing pneumonia. Several lines of evidence suggest that staphylococcal prophages increase bacterial virulence not only by providing virulence factors but also by altering bacterial gene expression: 1) Transposon insertion into prophage regulatory genes, but not into the genes of virulence factors, reduced S. aureus killing of Caenorhabditis elegans.; 2) Although the toxins and immune modulatory molecules encoded by the hlb- converting phages do not function in the murine system, deletion of NM3, the hlb-converting phage in S. aureus Newman, reduced staphylococcal virulence in the murine abscess formation model. 3) In a preliminary microarray experiment, prophages in S. aureus Newman altered the expression of more than 300 genes. In this research proposal, using microarray and high-throughput quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) technologies, we will identify the effects of the two important staphylococcal phages on the gene expression of S. aureus in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. This project is intended to be completed within one year. All the data – microarray, qRT-PCR and all the primer sequences- will be made available to public 6 month after completion. Data from this project will help us to understand the role of prophages in the S. aureus pathogenesis and can lead to development of a strategy to interfere with the pathogenesis process.
Project description:Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive human pathogen causing a variety of human diseases in both hospital and community settings. This bacterium is so closely associated with prophages that it is rare to find S. aureus isolates without prophages. Two phages are known to be important for staphylococcal virulence: the beta-hemolysin (hlb) converting phage and the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin (PVL) converting phage. The hlb-converting phage is found in more than 90% of clinical isolates of S. aureus. This phage produces exotoxins and immune modulatory molecules, which inhibit human innate immune responses. The PVL-converting phage produces the two-component exotoxin PVL, which can kill human leucocytes. This phage is wide-spread among community-associated methicillin resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA). It also shows strong association with soft tissue infections and necrotizing pneumonia. Several lines of evidence suggest that staphylococcal prophages increase bacterial virulence not only by providing virulence factors but also by altering bacterial gene expression: 1) Transposon insertion into prophage regulatory genes, but not into the genes of virulence factors, reduced S. aureus killing of Caenorhabditis elegans.; 2) Although the toxins and immune modulatory molecules encoded by the hlb- converting phages do not function in the murine system, deletion of phiNM3, the hlb-converting phage in S. aureus Newman, reduced staphylococcal virulence in the murine abscess formation model. 3) In a preliminary microarray experiment, prophages in S. aureus Newman altered the expression of more than 300 genes. In this research proposal, using microarray and high-throughput quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) technologies, we will identify the effects of the two important staphylococcal phages on the gene expression of S. aureus in both in vitro and in vivo conditions. This project is intended to be completed within one year. All the data – microarray, qRT-PCR and all the primer sequences- will be made available to public 6 month after completion. Data from this project will help us to understand the role of prophages in the S. aureus pathogenesis and can lead to development of a strategy to interfere with the pathogenesis process.