Vibrio cholerae's mysterious Seventh Pandemic island (VSP-II) encodes novel Zur-regulated zinc starvation genes involved in chemotaxis and cell congregation

Autor: Brianna A. Johnson, Shannon G. Murphy, Tobias Dörr, Camille M. Ledoux
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Bacterial Diseases
Cancer Research
Topography
Transcription
Genetic
Energy taxis
lac operon
Gene Expression
QH426-470
medicine.disease_cause
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
El Tor
Bacterial Adhesion
Medical Conditions
Cholera
Genes
Reporter
Mobile Genetic Elements
Medicine and Health Sciences
Vibrio cholerae
Genetics (clinical)
Genetics
Islands
0303 health sciences
Organic Compounds
Chemotaxis
030302 biochemistry & molecular biology
Monosaccharides
Genomics
DNA-Binding Proteins
Zinc
Chemistry
Cell Motility
Infectious Diseases
Lac Operon
Physical Sciences
Pathogens
Research Article
Neglected Tropical Diseases
Chemical Elements
Pathogen Motility
Genomic Islands
Virulence Factors
Carbohydrates
Biology
03 medical and health sciences
Genetic Elements
Bacterial Proteins
medicine
Humans
Molecular Biology
Gene
Pandemics
Ecology
Evolution
Behavior and Systematics
030304 developmental biology
Landforms
Activator (genetics)
Organic Chemistry
Transposable Elements
Chemical Compounds
Biology and Life Sciences
Geomorphology
Gene Expression Regulation
Bacterial
Cell Biology
biology.organism_classification
Tropical Diseases
Oxygen
Repressor Proteins
Glucose
Earth Sciences
Transposon mutagenesis
Genome
Bacterial
Zdroj: PLoS Genetics
PLoS Genetics, Vol 17, Iss 6, p e1009624 (2021)
ISSN: 1553-7404
Popis: Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a notorious diarrheal disease that is typically transmitted via contaminated drinking water. The current pandemic agent, the El Tor biotype, has undergone several genetic changes that include horizontal acquisition of two genomic islands (VSP-I and VSP-II). VSP presence strongly correlates with pandemicity; however, the contribution of these islands to V. cholerae’s life cycle, particularly the 26-kb VSP-II, remains poorly understood. VSP-II-encoded genes are not expressed under standard laboratory conditions, suggesting that their induction requires an unknown signal from the host or environment. One signal that bacteria encounter under both host and environmental conditions is metal limitation. While studying V. cholerae’s zinc-starvation response in vitro, we noticed that a mutant constitutively expressing zinc starvation genes (Δzur) congregates at the bottom of a culture tube when grown in a nutrient-poor medium. Using transposon mutagenesis, we found that flagellar motility, chemotaxis, and VSP-II encoded genes were required for congregation. The VSP-II genes encode an AraC-like transcriptional activator (VerA) and a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (AerB). Using RNA-seq and lacZ transcriptional reporters, we show that VerA is a novel Zur target and an activator of the nearby AerB chemoreceptor. AerB interfaces with the chemotaxis system to drive oxygen-dependent congregation and energy taxis. Importantly, this work suggests a functional link between VSP-II, zinc-starved environments, and energy taxis, yielding insights into the role of VSP-II in a metal-limited host or aquatic reservoir.
Author summary The Vibrio Seventh Pandemic island was horizontally acquired by the El Tor pandemic strain, but its role in pathogenicity or environmental persistence is unknown. A major barrier to VSP-II study was the lack of stimuli favoring its expression. We show that zinc starvation induces expression of island components and describe a transcriptional network that activates a VSP-II encoded energy taxis receptor. Importantly, energy taxis may enable V. cholerae to locate more favorable microenvironments, possibly to colonize anoxic portions of the gut or environmental sediments.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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