新型药物靶点agr群体感应系统的研究进展及其应用

病原菌能够引起人类痰病,引起疾病的原因是因为其具有毒力因子和致病力.为了感染宿主引起痰病,致病菌要针对宿主信号,准确调控毒力基因的表达.在病原菌中存在复杂的调节致病因子分泌的机制,附属基因agr系统是金黄色葡萄球菌中研究最多的毒力响应调节因子.综述了金黄色葡萄球菌agr系统的最新研究进展,并阐述了其在新型抗菌药物开发中的应用前景.     

葡萄球菌毒力调控中的群体感应系统

葡萄球菌细胞密度依赖性的多基因表达调控(群体感应)系统,是通过自身诱导与信号转导途径使其感知环境信息,调节多种毒力因子的表达。这些毒力因子的表达受agr、sae以及arl等多种基因表达系统的紧密调控,同时也受Sar家族蛋白的调节。此外,葡萄球菌毒力及抗性密切相关的生物膜形成与发育,也受群体感应系统的影响。对群体感应系统的自身诱导作用的干扰,原则上可成为寻找新型抗菌药物较适合的途径。     

金黄色葡萄球菌agrC的克隆及序列分析

金黄色葡萄球菌agr系统能够调控多种毒力因子的表达,在该系统中,受体组氨酸蛋白激酶AgrC感受外部信号并传递给细胞内,在整个agr系统中起着重要的作用,成为药物发现的新靶点,该蛋白由agrC基因编码。通过分析发现,agrC基因的保守性非常差,这可能是由于它作为受体需要与信号分子结合的特异性所决定的。通过对已经公开的agrC基因序列进行比对分析,设计了多条引物,以金黄色葡萄球菌ATCC 6538的基因组DNA为模板,进行了PCR扩增并转化大肠埃希菌克隆该基因,获得了金黄色葡萄球菌ATCC 6538附属基因调节系统agrC基因的全序列。同时,通过对现有的提取金黄色葡萄球菌基因组的方法做了改进,得到了一种大量提取了金黄色葡萄球菌DNA的方法,获得的DNA纯度较高。     

葡萄球菌呼吸相关双组分系统SrrAB研究进展

葡萄球菌呼吸相关双组分系统SrrAB能感应外界O2浓度,并将信号传至胞内,调控下游基因的转录,以应对外界环境的变化。有研究表明,金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB在有氧条件下促进毒力因子的表达,抑制生物膜的形成;在厌氧条件下抑制毒力因子的表达,促进生物膜的形成。另外,在有氧及厌氧条件下,金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB调控生长代谢的途径也不一致。表皮葡萄球菌中也存在类似的双组分系统SrrAB,且与金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB具有较高同源性,但目前尚不清楚两者在生长代谢及毒力调控方面的异同。结合课题组研究工作,简要综述葡萄球菌SrrAB的调控机制,着重比较其在有氧及厌氧条件下的调控差异,这对临床诊治葡萄球菌引起的感染具有一定的借鉴意义。     

金黄色葡萄球菌的检测与清除

金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphyloccocus aureus)是人类的一种重要病原菌,它广泛存在于自然界中,食品受其污染的机会很多,极易引起中毒事件,危害人们的健康。据美国疾病控制中心报告,金黄色葡萄球菌引起的感染占第二位,仅次于大肠杆菌。因此,有效地检测出金黄色葡萄球菌并将其杀灭,对人们的健康有重大意义。在2012年的iGEM比赛中,哈尔滨工业大学参赛队伍HIT-harbin队利用合成生物学手段将原本属于金黄色葡萄球菌的agr群体感应系统移植到大肠杆菌中,用来检测环境中的金黄色葡萄球菌,并利用溶葡球菌酶来杀灭环境中的金黄色葡萄球菌。为了实验的顺利进行,先对这个新设计的系统进行了计算机模拟,得一些足以指导实验进行的数据。     

微生物群体感应系统的调控机制及应用研究进展

微生物通过群体感应监控范围内菌体数量并调节其自身相关基因的启动表达,进而完成对质粒的接合转移、毒力因子的表达、抗生素的产生和稳定期的进入等一系列相关生命活动的控制,因此群体感应对细菌群体的稳定有重要作用,随着对群体感应系统研究的深入,群体感应相关基因元件及调控原理逐渐清晰,也有许多群体感应系统被应用于实践中。本文中,笔者综述了几种当今研究比较清楚且有代表性的微生物群体感应系统及其调控元件,并且介绍了利用群体感应相关元件构建基因开关实现代谢流的动态调控,以及利用致病菌的群体感应实现微生物的检测及杀灭的应用。     

金黄色葡萄球菌基因调节系统研究进展

金黄色葡萄球菌是人类的一种重要病原菌,可以引起许多临床表现不同的感染性疾病。它所致感染的多样性和严重度取决于不同毒力因子的协同表达,而这些数量众多的毒力因子的表达会受到不同调节系统的控制,同时这些调节系统之间也存在着复杂的相互作用关系。这些基因调节系统主要有两大类：一类是双组分信号转导系统（如Agr、SaeRS、SrrAB、ArlSR、LytRS、WalKR）;另一类是转录因子f如Sar、Rot、MgrA、SigmaB）。它们的协同作用有助于金黄色葡萄球菌对外界环境信号做出反应,调节致病过程中毒力因子在不同情况下的表达。     

群体感应及其在动物病原菌致病中的作用

摘要: 群体感应是指微生物群体某些基因的表达受到与群体密度相关的信号分子调控的现象。微生物以酰基高丝氨酸内酯化合物,某些短肽分子,呋喃酮类化合物,以及一些小分子物质为信号分子,介导不同的群体感应系统。各群体感应系统之间以平行协同或层次串连的方式组织起来调控微生物各种基因。众多病原菌致病基因的表达与群体感应密切相关,主要表现在：群体感应帮助微生物对宿主的侵袭和定殖;调控毒力因子的产生和作用于宿主;以及介导病原菌对宿主的免疫能力和药物抗性。进行群体感应对微生物致病过程调控的研究,将有利于从群体感应入手进行病原菌防控新策略的探索。     

基于天然产物的群体感应抑制剂的研究进展

细菌的群体感应现象是近年来微生物学、食品保藏学以及天然产物化学等领域研究的热点。随着对群体感应系统研究的不断深入,越来越多的群体感应类型不断地被报道,不同类型的群体感应现象由不同种类的信号分子来介导,各种群体感应抑制剂也不断地涌现。群体感应抑制剂可以阻断细菌的群体感应系统,抑制细菌毒力基因的表达而不影响细菌的生长与增殖,因此,应用群体感应抑制剂可以避免细菌因生长压力而产生耐药性。本文中,笔者主要按照信号分子的种类综述目前已报道的细菌群体感应系统的类型、群体感应的干扰策略以及天然产物来源的群体感应抑制剂的研究现状。另外,笔者还介绍了不同种类信号分子介导的细菌群体感应机制以及已报道的天然产物来源的细菌群体感应抑制剂的种类,并展望其应用前景。     

金黄色葡萄球菌agr系统受体蛋白AgrC的跨膜结构分析析

金黄色葡萄球菌agr 系统中,受体组氨酸蛋白激酶AgrC 能够被同源或非同源自诱导信号分子(autoinducing peptides,AIPs) 激活或抑制。通过TMHMM软件对四种agr 型AgrC蛋白的氨基酸序列进行分析及跨膜结构预测,发现agr玉型和agr郁型AgrC蛋白可能在胞外的第二个Loop 环与其AIP相互作用,agr域型可能与AIP域在胞外的第一个或第二个Loop 环相互作用。     

Cross-Strain Quorum Sensing Inhibition by Staphylococcus aureus. Part 1: A Spatially Homogeneous Model

Staphylococcus aureus uses the agr quorum sensing (QS) system to regulate reciprocally colonisation and virulence factor production. S. aureus strains can be divided into four agr groups: those within a specific agr group activate the QS systems of strains belonging to the same group, while inhibiting agr expression in strains of other groups. Furthermore, agr homologues exist in many more species of gram-positive bacteria, raising the likelihood of cross-species interference. In principle, a non-pathogenic strain of S. aureus or other species of bacteria employing agr could be engineered to inhibit the QS systems of pathogenic strains using agr, thus down-regulating their production of virulence factors. We present three models of the agr operon belonging to strains competing for dominance, each comprising one of the three possible phosphorylation cascades governing the two component system (TCS) of the agr system. Bifurcation analyses clarify the aspects of QS most crucial in determining the efficacy of using a non-pathogenic strain for therapeutic purposes if the target TCS cascade is known and illustrate the qualitative and quantitative differences which occur as a result of mechanistic differences between the models. We highlight those results that, in concert with appropriate experimental data, would be most useful in ascertaining whether or not a classical TCS is in operation in a particular strain if this information is unknown.     

Agr-mediated dispersal of Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

The agr quorum-sensing system of Staphylococcus aureus modulates the expression of virulence factors in response to autoinducing peptides (AIPs). Recent studies have suggested a role for the agr system in S. aureus biofilm development, as agr mutants exhibit a high propensity to form biofilms, and cells dispersing from a biofilm have been observed displaying an active agr system. Here, we report that repression of agr is necessary to form a biofilm and that reactivation of agr in established biofilms through AIP addition or glucose depletion triggers detachment. Inhibitory AIP molecules did not induce detachment and an agr mutant was non-responsive, indicating a dependence on a functional, active agr system for dispersal. Biofilm detachment occurred in multiple S. aureus strains possessing divergent agr systems, suggesting it is a general S. aureus phenomenon. Importantly, detachment also restored sensitivity of the dispersed cells to the antibiotic rifampicin. Proteinase K inhibited biofilm formation and dispersed established biofilms, suggesting agr-mediated detachment occurred in an ica-independent manner. Consistent with a protease-mediated mechanism, increased levels of serine proteases were detected in detaching biofilm effluents, and the serine protease inhibitor PMSF reduced the degree of agr-mediated detachment. Through genetic analysis, a double mutant in the agr-regulated Aur metalloprotease and the SplABCDEF serine proteases displayed minimal extracellular protease activity, improved biofilm formation, and a strongly attenuated detachment phenotype. These findings indicate that induction of the agr system in established S. aureus biofilms detaches cells and demonstrate that the dispersal mechanism requires extracellular protease activity.     

Bacterial competition for human nasal cavity colonization: role of Staphylococcal agr alleles

We examined the bacterial aerobic nasal flora of 216 healthy volunteers to identify potential competitive interactions among different species, with special emphasis on the influence of staphylococcal agr alleles. The Staphylococcus aureus colonization rate correlated negatively with the rate of colonization by Corynebacterium spp. and non-aureus staphylococci, especially S. epidermidis, suggesting that both Corynebacterium spp. and S. epidermidis antagonize S. aureus colonization. Most of the S. aureus and S. epidermidis isolates were agr typed by a PCR method. Only one S. aureus agr (agr(Sa)) allele was detected in each carrier. Multiple logistic regression of the two most prevalent agr(Sa) alleles (agr-1(Sa) and agr-2(Sa)) and the three S. epidermidis agr (agr(Se)) alleles showed a specific influence of the agr system. The results of this model did not support conclusions drawn from previous in vitro agr-specific cross-inhibition experiments. Our findings suggest that the agr alleles, which are strongly linked to the bacterial genetic background, may simply be associated with common biological properties--including mediators of bacterial interference--in the strains that bear them.     

Inhibition of virulence factor expression in Staphylococcus aureus by the Staphylococcus epidermidis agr pheromone and derivatives.

The agr quorum-sensing system in Staphylococci controls the production of surface proteins and exoproteins. In the pathogenic species Staphylococcus aureus, these proteins include many virulence factors. The extracellular signal of the quorum-sensing system is a thiolactone-containing peptide pheromone, whose sequence varies among the different staphylococcal strains. We demonstrate that a synthetic Staphylococcus epidermidis pheromone is a competent inhibitor of the Staphylococcus aureus agr system. Derivatives of the pheromone, in which the N-terminus or the cyclic bond structure was changed, were synthesized and their biological activity was determined. The presence of a correct N-terminus and a thiolactone were absolute prerequisites for an agr-activating effect in S. epidermidis, whereas inhibition of the S. aureus agr system was less dependent on the original structure. Our results show that effective quorum-sensing blockers that suppress the expression of virulence factors in S. aureus can be designed based on the S. epidermidis pheromone.     

The expression of alpha-haemolysin is required for Staphylococcus aureus phagosomal escape after internalization in CFT-1 cells

Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and treatment with antibiotics usually results in recurrent and relapsing infections. We have shown that S. aureus can invade and replicate within a cystic fibrosis epithelial cell line (CFT-1), and that these internalized bacteria subsequently escape from the endocytic vesicle. The a ccessory g ene r egulator, agr , in S. aureus has been shown to control the expression of a large number of secreted toxins involved in virulence. Here we show that an agr mutant of S. aureus strain RN6390 was unable to escape from the endocytic vesicle after invasion of the CFT-1 cells using markers of vesicular trafficking (LAMP-1 and 2, LysoTracker and Vacuolar-ATPase). Trafficking analysis of live S. aureus which did not express alpha-haemolysin, a specific agr regulated toxin, revealed a defect in vesicular escape that was undistinguishable from the trafficking defect exhibited by the agr mutant. Furthermore, overexpression of alpha-haemolysin under an inducible promoter in an agr mutant of S. aureus partially restored the phagosome-escaping phenotype of an agr mutant. These results demonstrate that the expression of agr is required for vesicular escape, and that biologically active alpha-haemolysin is required for S. aureus escape from the endocytic vesicle into the cytosol of CFT-1 cells.     

Population studies of methicillin-resistant and -sensitive Staphylococcus aureus strains reveal a lack of variability in the agrD gene, encoding a staphylococcal autoinducer peptide

The virulence of Staphylococcus aureus is controlled by the accessory gene regulator (agr) system, including an extracellular inducer encoded by agrD. Variable agr PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of unique S. aureus strains (n = 192) were determined for a region comprising agrD and parts of the neighboring agrC and agrB genes. Twelve unique RFLP patterns were identified among S. aureus strains in general; these patterns were further specified by sequencing. All sequences could be catalogued in the three current agr groups. A major proportion of the S. aureus strains belong to agr group 1, whereas only 6% of the methicillin-susceptible S. aureus strains and 5% of the methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains belong to agr groups 2 and 3, respectively. The homology between groups varied from 75 to 80%, and within groups it varied from 96 to 100%. Different levels of sequence variability were observed in the different agr genes. agr-related bacterial interference among colonizing S. aureus strains in the noses of persistent and intermittent human carriers was studied. S. aureus strains belonging to different agr groups were encountered in the same individual. This may suggest that the activity of the agrD gene product does not define colonization dynamics, which is further substantiated by the rarity of agr group 2 and 3 strains.     

Exfoliatin-producing strains define a fourth agr specificity group in Staphylococcus aureus

The staphylococcal virulon is activated by the density-sensing agr system, which is autoinduced by a short peptide (autoinducing peptide [AIP]) processed from a propeptide encoded by agrD. A central segment of the agr locus, consisting of the C-terminal two-thirds of AgrB (the putative processing enzyme), AgrD, and the N-terminal half of AgrC (the receptor), shows striking interstrain variation. This finding has led to the division of Staphylococcus aureus isolates into three different agr specificity groups and to the division of non-aureus staphylococci into a number of others. The AIPs cross-inhibit the agr responses between groups. We have previously shown that most menstrual toxic shock strains belong to agr specificity group III but that no strong clinical identity has been associated with strains of the other two groups. In the present report, we demonstrate a fourth agr specificity group among S. aureus strains and show that most exfoliatin-producing strains belong to this group. A striking common feature of group IV strains is activation of the agr response early in exponential phase, at least 2 h earlier than in strains of the other groups. This finding raises the question of the biological significance of the agr autoinduction threshold.     

Hemoglobin promotes Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization

Staphylococcus aureus nasal colonization is an important risk factor for community and nosocomial infection. Despite the importance of S. aureus to human health, molecular mechanisms and host factors influencing nasal colonization are not well understood. To identify host factors contributing to nasal colonization, we collected human nasal secretions and analyzed their ability to promote S. aureus surface colonization. Some individuals produced secretions possessing the ability to significantly promote S. aureus surface colonization. Nasal secretions pretreated with protease no longer promoted S. aureus surface colonization, suggesting the involvement of protein factors. The major protein components of secretions were identified and subsequent analysis revealed that hemoglobin possessed the ability to promote S. aureus surface colonization. Immunoprecipitation of hemoglobin from nasal secretions resulted in reduced S. aureus surface colonization. Furthermore, exogenously added hemoglobin significantly decreased the inoculum necessary for nasal colonization in a rodent model. Finally, we found that hemoglobin prevented expression of the agr quorum sensing system and that aberrant constitutive expression of the agr effector molecule, RNAIII, resulted in reduced nasal colonization of S. aureus. Collectively our results suggest that the presence of hemoglobin in nasal secretions contributes to S. aureus nasal colonization.