Project description:In Escherichia coli, the highly conserved enzymes MiaA and MiaB mediate the sequential prenylation and methylthiolation of adenosine-37 within tRNAs that decode UNN codons. We found that MiaA, but not MiaB, is critical to the fitness and virulence of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), a major cause of urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Deletion of miaA has pleiotropic effects, attenuating bacterial fitness and virulence within diverse host environments and rendering ExPEC especially sensitive to stressors like nitrogen and oxygen radicals and osmotic shock. We find that stress can stimulate striking changes in miaA expression. To assess how changing MiaA levels affect the pathogen proteome, we used MS to analyze the proteins express by the reference ExPEC isolate UTI89 and derivatives that either lack or overexpress MiaA.
Project description:Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) is a common bacterial strain causing diverse diseases in humans and animals. To analyse the detailed mechanisms underlying ExPEC-mediated sepsis in humans, the transcriptome response of mice at 3h,6h, and 12h after ExPEC infection was analyzed by RNA-seq of mouse spleen samples.
Project description:Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) have a capacity to cause serious infections of blood, the central nervous system and particularly the urinary tract. Relatively little is known about how ExPEC adapt their cell-wide protein expression to environments with different carbon sources and other required nutrients. We used label-free quantitative (LFQ) proteomic analysis to determine proteomes of five ExPEC strains purified from clinical blood cultures, and compared them with proteomes of reference uropathogenic E. coli strain 536 derived from blood culture and two chemically different solid media. We identified 2,883 proteins in total, and for 90% of the detected proteins described their relative quantitative levels based on LFQ intensity scores. Comparison of anaerobic and aerobic blood cultures revealed significant differences in the levels of 32 proteins out of 1854 shared proteins. A majority of these proteins was associated with acquisition and utilization of metal ions, which are critical either for anaerobic (nickel) or aerobic (iron) respiration. ANOVA analysis of the relative quantitative levels of 1758 proteins shared between the strains identified 47 differentially expressed proteins, including proteins involved in vitamin B6 metabolism, cell motility and virulence. Comparison of strain 536 proteomes derived from blood cultures and solid media showed substantial variation in the relative quantitative levels of 200 proteins, which represented 11% of the common proteins between the conditions. Blood culture condition was characteristic by upregulation of anaerobic fermentative metabolism, cell motility and iron utilization. In a response to the growth on solid media increased levels of proteins functional in aerobic respiration, catabolism of various biochemicals obtained from the media and protection against environmental stresses. The study presents the largest coverage of ExPEC/UPEC proteome to date,with a detail account of ExPEC metabolism under three chemically different environments.
Project description:Escherichia coli is an important human pathogen, among others a cause of severe diarrhea diseases and urinary tract infections. The ability to distinguish different pathogenic E. coli subspecies is crucial for correct treatment of the infection. Characterization and quantification of clinical isolates proteomes can provide details of the organisms’ metabolism and specific virulence factors. We performed a systematic quantitative proteomic analysis on a representative selection of 16 pathogenic and 2 commensal E. coli strains, together with 5 pathogenic Shigella strains. The analysis yielded a dataset of more than 4 thousand proteins, with an average of 2 thousand proteins per strain and 980 proteins common to all strains. Statistical comparison of label-free quantitative levels of 750 proteins, which were quantified in all strains, revealed that levels of a majority of the shared proteins vary substantially among specific strains. Theses quantitative protein profiles clearly distinguished E. coli strains from Shigella and largely separated commensal E. coli strains from intestinal and extraintestinal E. coli isolates.
Project description:Urinary tract infections (UTIs) constitute a highly relevant model of microbial adaptation, in which the contrasting effects of pathogens and commensals on host tissues are clearly displayed. While virulent Escherichia coli cause severe, potentially life-threatening disease by breaking the inertia of the mucosal barrier and infecting the kidneys, the most common outcome of bacteriuria is an asymptomatic carrier state resembling commensalism at other mucosal sites. It remains unclear if the lack of destructive inflammation merely reflects low virulence or if carrier strains actively inhibit disease associated responses in the host. To address this question, we examined the effects of asymptomatic bacterial carriage on host gene expression. Therapeutic urinary tract inoculation with the prototype ABU strain E. coli 83972 is a safe alternative approach in patients with therapy-resistant recurrent UTI. The strain establishes persistent bacteriuria, protecting patients against super-infection with more virulent strains. Using this protocol, we examined if the establishment of asymptomatic bacterial carriage alters host gene expression. After antibiotic treatment to remove prior infection, patients were inoculated with E. coli 83972 through a catheter. Blood samples were obtained before and 24 h after inoculation.
Project description:Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strains frequently cause extra-intestinal infections and are responsible for significant economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. APEC isolates are closely related to human extraintestinal pathogenic E.coli strains and may also act as pathogens for humans. In this work, three type VI secretion systems were deleted to analyze which pathogenicity characteristics would change in the mutants, compared to wild type strain (SEPT 362). Four Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli strains (one wild type and three deleted mutants) were grown at 37°C in Dulbecco´s Modified Eagle´s Media (DMEM) media until reach O.D 600 = 0.8, for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymatrix microarrays.
Project description:Urinary tract infections (UTIs) constitute a highly relevant model of microbial adaptation, in which the contrasting effects of pathogens and commensals on host tissues are clearly displayed. While virulent Escherichia coli cause severe, potentially life-threatening disease by breaking the inertia of the mucosal barrier and infecting the kidneys, the most common outcome of bacteriuria is an asymptomatic carrier state resembling commensalism at other mucosal sites. It remains unclear if the lack of destructive inflammation merely reflects low virulence or if carrier strains actively inhibit disease associated responses in the host. To address this question, we examined the effects of asymptomatic bacterial carriage on host gene expression. Therapeutic urinary tract inoculation with the prototype ABU strain E. coli 83972 is a safe alternative approach in patients with therapy-resistant recurrent UTI. The strain establishes persistent bacteriuria, protecting patients against super-infection with more virulent strains. Using this protocol, we examined if the establishment of asymptomatic bacterial carriage alters host gene expression.