Kwon-Sam Park

Functional Characterization of Two Type III Secretion Systems of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a gram-negative marine bacterium, is a worldwide cause of food-borne gastroenteritis. Recent genome sequencing of the clinical V. parahaemolyticus strain RIMD2210633 identified two sets of genes for the type III secretion system (TTSS), TTSS1 and TTSS2. Here, we constructed a series of mutant strains from RIMD2210633 to determine whether the two putative TTSS apparatus are functional. The cytotoxic activity of mutant strains having a deletion in one of the TTSS1 genes was significantly decreased compared with that of the parent and TTSS2-related mutant strains. In an enterotoxicity assay with the rabbit ileal loop test, intestinal fluid accumulation was diminished by deletion of the TTSS2-related genes while TTSS1-related mutants caused a level of fluid accumulation similar to that of the parent. VopD, a protein encoded in the proximity of the TTSS1 region and a homologue of the Yersinia YopD, was secreted in a TTSS1-dependent manner. In contrast, VopP, which is encoded by a pathogenicity island on chromosome 2 and is homologous to the Yersinia YopP, was secreted via the TTSS2 pathway. These results provide evidence that V. parahaemolyticus TTSSs function as secretion systems and may have a role in the pathogenicity of the organism. This is the first report of functional TTSSs in Vibrio species. The presence of TTSS apparatus gene homologues was demonstrated in other vibrios, such as Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio harveyi, and Vibrio tubiashii, suggesting that some other vibrios also contain TTSS and that the TTSS has a role in protein secretion in those organisms during interaction with eukaryotic cells.

Identification of Proteins Secreted via Vibrio parahaemolyticus Type III Secretion System 1

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a gram-negative marine bacterium, is an important pathogen causing food-borne gastroenteritis or septicemia. Recent genome sequencing of the RIMD2210633 strain (a Kanagawa phenomenon-positive clinical isolate of serotype O3:K6) revealed that the strain has two sets of gene clusters that encode the type III secretion system (TTSS) apparatus. The first cluster, TTSS1, is located on the large chromosome, and the second, TTSS2, is on the small chromosome. Previously, we reported that TTSS1 is involved in the cytotoxicity of the RIMD2210633 strain against HeLa cells. Here, we analyzed proteins secreted via the TTSS apparatus encoded by TTSS1 by using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and identified the proteins encoded by genes VP1680, VP1686, and VPA450. To investigate the roles of those secreted proteins, we constructed and analyzed a series of deletion mutants. Flow cytometry analysis using fluorescence-activated cell sorting with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled annexin V demonstrated that the TTSS1-dependent cell death was by apoptosis. The cytotoxicity to HeLa cells was related to one of the newly identified secreted proteins encoded by VP1680. Adenylate cyclase fusion protein studies proved that the newly identified secreted proteins were translocated into HeLa cells. Thus, these appear to be the TTSS effector proteins in V. parahaemolyticus.

Physical and genetic map of the genome of Vibrio parahaemolyticus: presence of two chromosomes in Vibrio species

We constructed a physical map of the genomic DNA (5.1 Mb) for Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain AQ4673 by combining 17 adjacent NotI fragments. This map shows two circular replicons of 3.2 and 1.9 Mb. Pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of undigested genomic DNA revealed two bands of corresponding sizes. Analysis both by NotI digestion and by Southern blot of the two isolated bands confirmed the existence of two replicons. The presence of genes for 16S rRNA on both the replicons indicates that the replicons are chromosomes rather than megaplasmids. The two bands were also seen after PFGE of undigested genomic DNA of V. parahaemolyticus strains other than AQ4673, and of strains belonging to other Vibrio species, such as V. vulnificus, V. fluvialis and various serovars and biovars of V. cholerae. It is noteworthy that V. cholerae O1 strain 569B, a classical biovar, was also shown to have two replicons of 2.9 and 1.2 Mb, which does not agree with a physical map proposed in a previous study. Our results suggest that a two‐replicon structure is common throughout Vibrio species.

Identification and Characterization of a Novel Type III Secretion System in trh-Positive Vibrio parahaemolyticus Strain TH3996 Reveal Genetic Lineage and Diversity of Pathogenic Machinery beyond the Species Level

ABSTRACT Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a bacterial pathogen causative of food-borne gastroenteritis. Whole-genome sequencing of V. parahaemolyticus strain RIMD2210633, which exhibits Kanagawa phenomenon (KP), revealed the presence of two sets of the genes for the type III secretion system (T3SS) on chromosomes 1 and 2, T3SS1 and T3SS2, respectively. Although T3SS2 of the RIMD2210633 strain is thought to be involved in human pathogenicity, i.e., enterotoxicity, the genes for T3SS2 have not been found in trh-positive (KP-negative) V. parahaemolyticus strains, which are also pathogenic for humans. In the study described here, the DNA region of approximately 100 kb that surrounds the trh gene of a trh-positive V. parahaemolyticus strain, TH3996, was sequenced and its genetic organization determined. This revealed the presence of the genes for a novel T3SS in this region. Animal experiments using the deletion mutant strains of a gene (vscC2) for the novel T3SS apparatus indicated that the T3SS is essential for the enterotoxicity of the TH3996 strain. PCR analysis showed that all the trh-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains tested possess the novel T3SS-related genes. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that although the novel T3SS is closely related to T3SS2 of KP-positive V. parahaemolyticus, it belongs to a distinctly different lineage. Furthermore, the two types of T3SS2 lineage are also found among pathogenic Vibrio cholerae non-O1/non-O139 strains. Our findings demonstrate that these two distinct types are distributed not only within a species but also beyond the species level and provide a new insight into the pathogenicity and evolution of Vibrio species.

Identification and characterization of VopT, a novel ADP-ribosyltransferase effector protein secreted via the Vibrio parahaemolyticus type III secretion system 2.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain RIMD2210633 has two sets of genes encoding two separate type III secretion systems (T3SSs), called T3SS1 and T3SS2. T3SS2 has a role in enterotoxicity and is present only in Kanagawa phenomenon‐positive strains, which are pathogenic to humans. Accordingly, T3SS2 is considered to be closely related to V. parahaemolyticus human pathogenicity. Despite this, the biological actions of T3SS2 and the identity of the effector protein(s) secreted by this system have not been well understood. Here we report that T3SS2 induces a cytotoxic effect in Caco‐2 and HCT‐8 cells. Moreover, it was revealed that VPA1327 (vopT), a gene encoded within the proximity of T3SS2, is partly responsible for this cytotoxic effect. The VopT shows approximately 45% and 44% identity with the ADP‐ribosyltransferase (ADPRT) domain of ExoT and ExoS, respectively, which are two T3SS‐secreted effectors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. T3SS2 was found to be necessary not only for the secretion, but also for the translocation of the VopT into host cells. We also demonstrate that VopT ADP‐ribosylates Ras, a member of the low‐molecular‐weight G (LMWG) proteins both in vivo and in vitro. These results indicate that VopT is a novel ADPRT effector secreted via V. parahaemolyticus T3SS.

Genetic Characterization of DNA Region Containing the trh and ure Genes of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

ABSTRACT We have demonstrated that possession of the gene for thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin (trh) coincides with the presence of the urease gene among clinical Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains and that the location of the two genes are in close proximity on the chromosome. Here, we cloned and sequenced the 15,754-bp DNA region containing the trh gene and the gene cluster for urease production from the chromosome of clinicalV. parahaemolyticus (TH3996). We found 16 open reading frames (ORFs) and a lower G+C content (41%) compared with the total genome of this bacterium (46 to 47%). The ure cluster consisted of eight genes, namely, ureDABCEFG andureR. ureR was located 5.2 kb upstream of the other seven genes in the opposite direction. The genetic organization and sequences of the ure genes resembled those found in Proteus mirabilis. Between ureR and the other uregenes, there were five ORFs, which are homologous with the nickel transport operon (nik) of Escherichia coli. We disrupted each of the ureR, ureC, andnikD genes in TH3996 by homologous recombination and analyzed the phenotype of the mutants. In the presence of urea these mutant strains had dramatically less urease activity than the strain they were derived from. Disruption of ureR,nikD, or ureC, however, had no effect on TRH production. The DNA region containing the trh,nik, and ure genes was found in onlytrh-positive strains and not in Kanagawa phenomenon-positive and environmental V. parahaemolyticusstrains. At the end of the region, an insertion sequence-like element existed. These results suggest that the DNA region was introduced intoV. parahaemolyticus in the past through a mechanism mediated by insertion sequences. This is the first reported case that the genes for an ATP-binding cassette-type nickel transport system, which may play a role in nickel transport through bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, are located adjacent to the ure cluster on the genome of an organism.

Close proximity of the tdh, trh and ure genes on the chromosome of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

The distribution and location of the virulence-factor genes of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, tdh and trh, and the structural gene of urease, ureC, were examined on the genomic DNAs of 115 clinical isolates of V. parahaemolyticus. The majority of strains (81%) had two copies of tdh on the chromosome, and no copies of trh or ure. Southern hybridization with a tdh probe, after pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Notl-digested genomic DNA of each strain revealed only single bands, suggesting that the two copies of the exist on single Notl fragments in each strain. Of the 115 strains, 7% had the tdh, trh and ure genes on chromosomal DNA. The three genes were also detected on single Notl fragments in these strains. More detailed analysis revealed that the three genes were localized within 40 kb. By long and accurate polymerase chain reactions (LA-PCR) the distance between trh and ure was shown to be less than 8.5 kb. These results reveal a close proximity of the tdh, trh and ure genes on the chromosome of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains.

VP1686, a Vibrio type III secretion protein, induces toll-like receptor independent apoptosis in macrophage through NF-κB inhibition

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, causative agent of human gastrointestinal diseases, possesses several virulent machineries including thermostable direct hemolysin and type III secretion systems (TTSS1 and -2). In this report, we establish that TTSS1-dependent secretion and translocation of a V. parahaemolyticus effector protein VP1686 into the cytosol induces DNA fragmentation in macrophages. We performed yeast two-hybrid screening to identify the molecules involved in VP1686-mediated cell death pathways and showed that nuclear factor RelA p65/NF-κB physically interacts with VP1686. To understand the impact of this interaction on the NF-κB DNA binding activities in infected macrophages, we analyzed a series of deletion mutants for the TTSS and its secreted proteins. Induction of DNA binding activity of NF-κB was significantly suppressed, and increased macrophage apoptosis has been associated with V. parahaemolyticus strain, which contains both VP1686 and TTSS1. Macrophages lacking Toll-like receptor adaptor molecules MyD88 (myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88) or TRIF (TIR domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon β) showed similar sensitivity to VP1686. As a consequence of NF-κB suppression, microarray analysis has revealed that VP1686 translocation alerted the expression of many genes that have known functions in cellular responses to apoptosis, cell growth, and transcriptional regulation. Our results suggest an important role for Vibrio effector protein VP1686 that activate a conserved apoptotic pathway in macrophages through suppression of NF-κB activation independent of Toll-like receptor signaling.

Evidence for genetic linkage between the ure and trh genes in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Although V. parahaemolyticus does not generally produce urease, several studies have reported urease-positive V. parahaemolyticus isolates from clinical sources. Recently, studies have shown a complete coincidence between the urease-producing phenotype of V. parahaemolyticus strains and the possession of the thermostable direct haemolysin (TDH)-related haemolysin (TRH) gene (trh). TRH, like TDH, is considered to be an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis. The present study attempted to identify the gene ure encoding urease in V. parahaemolyticus to clarify the relationship between urease production and possession of trh. The polymerase chain reaction with mixed oligonucleotide primers targeted for conserved sequences of reported ure genes from other species was used to prepare a DNA probe to detect the V. parahaemolyticus ure gene. Colony hybridisation with this ure probe demonstrated that all the ure-positive strains produced urease. Considering the coincidence between production of urease and possession of trh in V. parahaemolyticus, it was concluded that the presence or absence of the ure gene is completely coincident with that of the trh gene in V. parahaemolyticus strains. Furthermore, the relative location of ure and trh on V. parahaemolyticus chromosomal DNA was analysed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The results showed that, in all the strains examined, ure and trh were detected on the same NotI fragment, showing that the two genes localise within a relatively small portion of the chromosome DNA. These results suggest that the ure and trh genes are genetically linked in V. parahaemolyticus strains.

Presence of genes for type III secretion system 2 in Vibrio mimicus strains

BackgroundVibrios, which include more than 100 species, are ubiquitous in marine and estuarine environments, and several of them e.g. Vibrio cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. mimicus, are pathogens for humans. Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus strains possess two sets of genes for type III secretion system (T3SS), T3SS1 and T3SS2. The latter are critical for virulence of the organism and be classified into two distinct phylogroups, T3SS2α and T3SS2β, which are reportedly also found in pathogenic V. cholerae non-O1/non-O139 serogroup strains. However, whether T3SS2-related genes are present in other Vibrio species remains unclear.ResultsWe therefore examined the distribution of the genes for T3SS2 in vibrios other than V. parahaemolyticus by using a PCR assay targeting both T3SS2α and T3SS2β genes. Among the 32 Vibrio species tested in our study, several T3SS2-related genes were detected in three species, V. cholerae, V. mimicus and V. hollisae, and most of the essential genes for type III secretion were present in T3SS2-positive V. cholerae and V. mimicus strains. Moreover, both V. mimicus strains possessing T3SS2α and T3SS2β were identified. The gene organization of the T3SS2 gene clusters in V. mimicus strains was fundamentally similar to that of V. parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae in both T3SS2α- and T3SS2β-possessing strains.ConclusionsThis study is the first reported evidence of the presence of T3SS2 gene clusters in V. mimicus strains. This finding thus provides a new insight into the pathogenicity of the V. mimicus species.