Project description:Biofilms are heterogeneous bacterial communities featured by high persister prevalence, responsible for antibiotic tolerance. However, the mechanisms underlying persister formation within biofilms remained ambiguous. Here, by developing and utilizing a ribosomal RNA depleted bacterial single-cell RNA-seq method, RiboD-mSPLiT, we resolved biofilm heterogeneity and discovered pdeI as a marker gene for persister subgroup within biofilms. Remarkably, our findings elucidated that PdeI upregulates cellular levels of c-di-GMP, which acts as an antitoxin to modulate the toxicity of toxin protein HipH. HipH localizes on nucleoid and functions as a potent DNase, inducing cells into a viable but non-culturable state. Conversely, c-di-GMP interacts with HipH, reducing its genotoxic effects and enabling cells to enter a persister state, resulting in drug tolerance. Importantly, by targeting this toxin-antitoxin system, we repressed drug tolerance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli infections, offering promising therapeutic strategies against chronic and relapsing infections.
Project description:Biofilms are heterogeneous bacterial communities featured by high persister prevalence, responsible for antibiotic tolerance. However, the mechanisms underlying persister formation within biofilms remained ambiguous. Here, by developing and utilizing a ribosomal RNA depleted bacterial single-cell RNA-seq method, RiboD-mSPLiT, we resolved biofilm heterogeneity and discovered pdeI as a marker gene for persister subgroup within biofilms. Remarkably, our findings elucidated that PdeI upregulates cellular levels of c-di-GMP, which acts as an antitoxin to modulate the toxicity of toxin protein HipH. HipH localizes on nucleoid and functions as a potent DNase, inducing cells into a viable but non-culturable state. Conversely, c-di-GMP interacts with HipH, reducing its genotoxic effects and enabling cells to enter a persister state, resulting in drug tolerance. Importantly, by targeting this toxin-antitoxin system, we repressed drug tolerance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli infections, offering promising therapeutic strategies against chronic and relapsing infections.
Project description:Biofilms are heterogeneous bacterial communities featured by high persister prevalence, responsible for antibiotic tolerance. However, the mechanisms underlying persister formation within biofilms remained ambiguous. Here, by developing and utilizing a ribosomal RNA depleted bacterial single-cell RNA-seq method, RiboD-mSPLiT, we resolved biofilm heterogeneity and discovered pdeI as a marker gene for persister subgroup within biofilms. Remarkably, our findings elucidated that PdeI upregulates cellular levels of c-di-GMP, which acts as an antitoxin to modulate the toxicity of toxin protein HipH. HipH localizes on nucleoid and functions as a potent DNase, inducing cells into a viable but non-culturable state. Conversely, c-di-GMP interacts with HipH, reducing its genotoxic effects and enabling cells to enter a persister state, resulting in drug tolerance. Importantly, by targeting this toxin-antitoxin system, we repressed drug tolerance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli infections, offering promising therapeutic strategies against chronic and relapsing infections.
Project description:Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger that regulates many biological processes in bacteria. The genome in Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a single copy of the diguanylate cyclase gene (dgc) responsible for c-di-GMP synthesis. To determine the role of c-di-GMP signaling in M. tuberculosis, the mutant strain of Δdgc was generated in the virulent H37Rv strain. We used whole genome microarray expression profiling as a discovery platform to identify the genes controlled by c-di-GMP in M. tuberculosis, providing molecular proof for the phenotypes modulated by the signaling.
Project description:The innate immune system responds to unique molecular signatures that are widely conserved among microbes but that are not normally present in host cells. Compounds that stimulate innate immune pathways may be valuable in the design of novel adjuvants, vaccines, and other immunotherapeutics.The cyclic dinucleotide cyclic-di-guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) is a recently appreciated second messenger that plays critical regulatory roles in many species of bacteria but is not produced by eukaryotic cells. In vivo and in vitro studies have previously suggested that c-di-GMP is a potent immunostimulatory compound recognized by mouse and human cells. Here we provide evidence that c-di-GMP is sensed in the cytosol of mammalian cells via a novel immunosurveillance pathway. The potency of cytosolic signaling induced by cyclic-di- GMP is comparable to that induced by cytosolic delivery of DNA, and both nucleic acids induce a similar transcriptional profile, including triggering of type I interferons and coregulated genes via induction of TBK1, IRF3, NF-!B and MAP kinases. However, the cytosolic pathway that senses c-di-GMP appears to be distinct from all known nucleic acid-sensing pathways.Our results suggest a novel mechanism by which host cells can induce an inflammatory response to a widely produced bacterial ligand. Three-condition experiment: macrophages transfected with mono-GMP (negative control), double-stranded DNA (positive control), or cyclic-di-GMP (experimental condition). Biological replicates: two, independently treated, harvested, and hybridized to arrays. One replicate per array, except two technical replicates were performed for one of the positive control samples.
Project description:Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a ubiquitous second messenger that regulates many biological processes in bacteria. The genome in Mycobacterium tuberculosis encodes a single copy of the diguanylate cyclase gene (dgc) responsible for c-di-GMP synthesis. To determine the role of c-di-GMP signaling in M. tuberculosis, the mutant strain of Δdgc was generated in the virulent H37Rv strain. We used whole genome microarray expression profiling as a discovery platform to identify the genes controlled by c-di-GMP in M. tuberculosis, providing molecular proof for the phenotypes modulated by the signaling. Wild-type H37Rv and Δdgc cultures were analyzed under aerobic conditions or in an in vitro dormancy model. Bacteria were collected at OD600 =1.3 for the aerobic cultures and upon the beginning of anaerobiosis for the cultures in the dormancy model. One culture for each experiment was assayed except for Δdgc under anaerobiosis (2 independent cultures).