F. Heath Damron

PBAD-Based Shuttle Vectors for Functional Analysis of Toxic and Highly Regulated Genes in Pseudomonas and Burkholderia spp. and Other Bacteria

ABSTRACT We report the construction of a series of Escherichia-Pseudomonas broad-host-range expression vectors utilizing the PBAD promoter and the araC regulator for routine cloning, conditional expression, and analysis of tightly controlled and/or toxic genes in pseudomonads.

Proteolytic regulation of alginate overproduction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram‐negative bacterium, is a significant opportunistic pathogen associated with skin and soft tissue infections, nosocomial pneumonia and sepsis. In addition, it can chronically colonize the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Overproduction of the exopolysaccharide called alginate provides P. aeruginosa with a selective advantage and facilitates survival in the CF lung. The in vitro phenotype of alginate overproduction observed on solid culture media is referred to as mucoid. Expression of the alginate machinery and biosynthetic enzymes are controlled by the extracytoplasmic sigma factor, σ22 (AlgU/T). The key negative regulator of both σ22 activity and the mucoid phenotype is the cognate anti‐sigma factor MucA. MucA sequesters σ22 to the inner membrane inhibiting the sigma factors transcriptional activity. The well‐studied mechanism for transition to the mucoid phenotype is mutation of mucA, leading to loss of MucA function and therefore activation of σ22. Recently, regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) has been recognized as a mechanism whereby proteolysis of the anti‐sigma factor MucA leads to active σ22 allowing P. aeruginosa to respond to environmental stress conditions by overproduction of alginate. The goal of this review is to illuminate the pathways leading to RIP that have been identified and proposed.

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Sensor Kinase KinB Negatively Controls Alginate Production through AlgW-Dependent MucA Proteolysis

Mucoidy, or overproduction of the exopolysaccharide known as alginate, in Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a poor prognosticator for lung infections in cystic fibrosis. Mutation of the anti-sigma factor MucA is a well-accepted mechanism for mucoid conversion. However, certain clinical mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa have a wild-type (wt) mucA. Here, we describe a loss-of-function mutation in kinB that causes overproduction of alginate in the wt mucA strain PAO1. KinB is the cognate histidine kinase for the transcriptional activator AlgB. Increased alginate production due to inactivation of kinB was correlated with high expression at the alginate-related promoters P(algU) and P(algD). Deletion of alternative sigma factor RpoN (sigma(54)) or the response regulator AlgB in kinB mutants decreased alginate production to wt nonmucoid levels. Mucoidy was restored in the kinB algB double mutant by expression of wt AlgB or phosphorylation-defective AlgB.D59N, indicating that phosphorylation of AlgB was not required for alginate overproduction when kinB was inactivated. The inactivation of the DegS-like protease AlgW in the kinB mutant caused loss of alginate production and an accumulation of the hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged MucA. Furthermore, we observed that the kinB mutation increased the rate of HA-MucA degradation. Our results also indicate that AlgW-mediated MucA degradation required algB and rpoN in the kinB mutant. Collectively, these studies indicate that KinB is a negative regulator of alginate production in wt mucA strain PAO1.

Analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Regulon Controlled by the Sensor Kinase KinB and Sigma Factor RpoN

Alginate overproduction by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, also known as mucoidy, is associated with chronic endobronchial infections in cystic fibrosis. Alginate biosynthesis is initiated by the extracytoplasmic function sigma factor (σ(22); AlgU/AlgT). In the wild-type (wt) nonmucoid strains, such as PAO1, AlgU is sequestered to the cytoplasmic membrane by the anti-sigma factor MucA that inhibits alginate production. One mechanism underlying the conversion to mucoidy is mutation of mucA. However, the mucoid conversion can occur in wt mucA strains via the degradation of MucA by activated intramembrane proteases AlgW and/or MucP. Previously, we reported that the deletion of the sensor kinase KinB in PAO1 induces an AlgW-dependent proteolysis of MucA, resulting in alginate overproduction. This type of mucoid induction requires the alternate sigma factor RpoN (σ(54)). To determine the RpoN-dependent KinB regulon, microarray and proteomic analyses were performed on a mucoid kinB mutant and an isogenic nonmucoid kinB rpoN double mutant. In the kinB mutant of PAO1, RpoN controlled the expression of approximately 20% of the genome. In addition to alginate biosynthetic and regulatory genes, KinB and RpoN also control a large number of genes including those involved in carbohydrate metabolism, quorum sensing, iron regulation, rhamnolipid production, and motility. In an acute pneumonia murine infection model, BALB/c mice exhibited increased survival when challenged with the kinB mutant relative to survival with PAO1 challenge. Together, these data strongly suggest that KinB regulates virulence factors important for the development of acute pneumonia and conversion to mucoidy.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa MucD Regulates the alginate Pathway through Activation of MucA Degradation via MucP Proteolytic Activity

Alginate overproduction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be caused by the proteolysis of the anti-sigma factor MucA regulated by the AlgW protease. Here, we show that inactivation of MucD, an HtrA/DegP homolog and alginate regulator, can bypass AlgW, leading to an atypical proteolysis of MucA that is dependent on the MucP protease.

Construction of Mobilizable Mini-Tn7 Vectors for Bioluminescent Detection of Gram-Negative Bacteria and Single-Copy Promoter lux Reporter Analysis

ABSTRACT We describe the construction of mini-Tn7-based broad-host-range vectors encoding lux genes as bioluminescent reporters. These constructs can be mobilized into the desired host(s) by conjugation for chromosomal mini-Tn7-lux integration and are useful for localization of bacteria during infections or for characterizing regulation of promoters of interest in Gram-negative bacteria.

Comparisons of two proteomic analyses of non-mucoid and mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates from a cystic fibrosis patient

Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronically infects the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The conditions in the CF lung appear to select for P. aeruginosa with advantageous phenotypes for chronic infection. However, the mechanisms that allow the establishment of this chronic infection have not been fully characterized. We have previously reported the transcriptional analysis of two CF isolates strains 383 and 2192. Strain 2192 is a mucoid, alginate overproducing strain whereas strain 383 is non-mucoid. Mucoid strains are associated with chronic infection of the CF lung and non-mucoid strains are the typical initially infecting isolates. To elucidate novel differences between these two strains, we employed two methods of shotgun proteomics: isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). iTRAQ compares the amount of protein between samples and relies on protein abundance, while 2-DE gel electrophoresis depends on selection of separated protein spots. For both these methods, mass spectrometry was then used to identify proteins differentially expressed between the two strains. The compilation of these two proteomic methods along with Western blot analysis revealed proteins of the HSI-I operon of the type 6 secretion system, showed increased expression in 383 compared to 2192, confirming the our previous transcriptional analysis. Proteomic analysis of other proteins did not fully correlate with the transcriptome but other differentially expressed proteins are discussed. Also, differences were noted between the results obtained for the two proteomic techniques. These shotgun proteomic analyses identified proteins that had been predicted only through gene identification; we now refer to these as “proteins of unknown functions” since their existence has now been established however their functional characterization remains to be elucidated.

Vanadate and triclosan synergistically induce alginate production by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1

Alginate overproduction by P. aeruginosa strains, also known as mucoidy, is associated with chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF). It is not clear how alginate induction occurs in the wild‐type (wt) mucA strains. When grown on Pseudomonas isolation agar (PIA), P. aeruginosa strains PAO1 and PA14 are non‐mucoid, producing minimal amounts of alginate. Here we report the addition of ammonium metavanadate (AMV), a phosphatase inhibitor, to PIA (PIA‐AMV) induced mucoidy in both these laboratory strains and early lung colonizing non‐mucoid isolates with a wt mucA. This phenotypic switch was reversible depending on the availability of vanadate salts and triclosan, a component of PIA. Alginate induction in PAO1 on PIA‐AMV was correlated with increased proteolytic degradation of MucA, and required envelope proteases AlgW or MucP, and a two‐component phosphate regulator, PhoP. Other changes included the addition of palmitate to lipid A, a phenotype also observed in chronic CF isolates. Proteomic analysis revealed the upregulation of stress chaperones, which was confirmed by increased expression of the chaperone/protease MucD. Altogether, these findings suggest a model of alginate induction and the PIA‐AMV medium may be suitable for examining early lung colonization phenotypes in CF before the selection of the mucA mutants.

Lipotoxin F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an AlgU- dependent and alginate-independent outer membrane protein involved in resistance to oxidative stress and adhesion to A549 human lung epithelia

Chronic lung infection with P. aeruginosa and excessive neutrophil-associated inflammation are major causes of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Overproduction of an exopolysaccharide known as alginate leads to the formation of mucoid biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics and host defences. Alginate overproduction or mucoidy is controlled by a stress-related ECF sigma factor AlgU/T. Mutation in the anti-sigma factor MucA is a known mechanism for conversion to mucoidy. Recently, we showed that inactivation of a kinase (KinB) in nonmucoid strain PAO1 results in overproduction of alginate. Here, we report the initial characterization of lipotoxin F (LptF, PA3692), an OmpA-like outer membrane protein that exhibited increased expression in the mucoid PAO1kinB mutant. The lipotoxin family of proteins has been previously shown to induce inflammation in lung epithelia, which may play a role in CF disease progression. Expression of LptF was observed to be AlgU-dependent and upregulated in CF isolates. Deletion of lptF from the kinB mutant had no effect on alginate production. Deletion of lptF from PAO1 caused a differential susceptibility to oxidants that can be generated by phagocytes. The lptF and algU mutants were more sensitive to hypochlorite than PAO1. However, the lptF mutant displayed increased resistance to hydrogen peroxide. LptF also contributed to adhesion to A549 human lung epithelial cells. Our data suggest that LptF is an outer membrane protein that may be important for P. aeruginosa survival in harsh environments, including lung colonization in CF.

Construction of a Broad-Host Range Tn7-based Vector for Single Copy PBAD Controlled Gene Expression in Gram-Negative Bacteria

ABSTRACT We describe a mini-Tn7-based broad-host-range expression cassette for arabinose-inducible gene expression from the PBAD promoter. This delivery vector, pTJ1, can integrate a single copy of a gene into the chromosome of Gram-negative bacteria for diverse genetic applications, of which several are discussed, using Pseudomonas aeruginosa as the model host.