Involvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">soxRS</Emphasis> Regulon in Response of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis> to Oxidative Stress Induced by Hydrogen Peroxide

The effect of hydrogen peroxide on the activity of soxRS and oxyR regulon enzymes in different strains of Escherichia coli has been studied. Treatment of bacteria with 20 μM H₂O₂ caused an increase in catalase and peroxidase activities (oxyR regulon) in all strains investigated. It is shown for the first time that oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide causes in some E. coli strains a small increase in activity of superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (soxRS regulon). This effect is cancelled by chloramphenicol, an inhibitor of protein synthesis in prokaryotes. The increase in soxRS regulon enzyme activities was not found in the strain lacking the soxR gene. These results provide evidence for the involvement of the soxRS regulon in the adaptive response of E. coli to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide. __________ Translated from Biokhimiya, Vol. 70, No. 11, 2005, pp. 1506–1513. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2005 by Semchyshyn, Bagnyukova, Lushchak.     

Flavodoxin mutants of Escherichia coli K-12

The flavodoxins are flavin mononucleotide-containing electron transferases. Flavodoxin I has been presumed to be the only flavodoxin of Escherichia coli, and its gene, fldA, is known to belong to the soxRS (superoxide response) oxidative stress regulon. An insertion mutation of fldA was constructed and was lethal under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions; only cells that also had an intact (fldA(+)) allele could carry it. A second flavodoxin, flavodoxin II, was postulated, based on the sequence of its gene, fldB. Unlike the fldA mutant, an fldB insertion mutant is a viable prototroph in the presence or absence of oxygen. A high-copy-number fldB(+) plasmid did not complement the fldA mutation. Therefore, there must be a vital function for which FldB cannot substitute for flavodoxin I. An fldB-lacZ fusion was not induced by H(2)O(2) and is therefore not a member of the oxyR regulon. However, it displayed a soxS-dependent induction by paraquat (methyl viologen), and the fldB gene is preceded by two overlapping regions that resemble known soxS binding sites. The fldB insertion mutant did not have an increased sensitivity to the effects of paraquat on either cellular viability or the expression of a soxS-lacZ fusion. Therefore, fldB is a new member of the soxRS (superoxide response) regulon, a group of genes that is induced primarily by univalent oxidants and redox cycling compounds. However, the reactions in which flavodoxin II participates and its role during oxidative stress are unknown.     

Induction of the soxRS regulon of Escherichia coli by glycolaldehyde

The ability of short-chain sugars to cause oxidative stress has been examined using glycolaldehyde as the simplest sugar. Short-chain sugars autoxidize in air, producing superoxide and alpha,beta-dicarbonyls. In Escherichia coli the soxRS regulon mediates an oxidative stress response, which protects the cell against both superoxide-generating agents and nitric oxide. In superoxide dismutase-deficient E. coli mutants, glycolaldehyde induces fumarase C and nitroreductase A, which are regulated as members of the soxRS regulon. A mutational defect in soxRS eliminates that induction. This establishes that glycolaldehyde can cause induction of this defensive regulon. This effect of glycolaldehyde was oxygen-dependent, was not shown by glyoxal, and was not seen in the superoxide dismutase-replete parental strain, and it was abolished by a cell-permeable SOD mimetic. All of these suggest that superoxide radicals produced by the oxidation of glycolaldehyde played a key role in the induction.     

Isolation and characterization of Escherichia coli strains containing new gene fusions (soi::lacZ) inducible by superoxide radicals.

Gene fusions in Escherichia coli that showed increased beta-galactosidase expression in response to treatment with a superoxide radical (O2-) generator, methyl viologen (MV), were obtained. These fusions were constructed by using a Mud(Ap lac) phage to insert the lactose structural genes randomly into the E. coli chromosome. Ampicillin-resistant colonies were screened for increased expression of beta-galactosidase on X-Gal (5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-beta-D-galactopyranoside) plates containing MV at 1.25 micrograms/ml. Other O2- generators, menadione and plumbagin, also induced beta-galactosidase activity in these fusion strains. The induction by these drugs occurred only under aerobic conditions. Hyperoxygenation also elicited an induction of the fusions. On the other hand, no significant induction was observed with hydrogen peroxide and cumene hydroperoxide. The induction of these fusions by MV was not dependent on the peroxide stress control mediated by the oxyR gene or on the recA-dependent SOS system. These fusions were named soi (superoxide inducible)::lacZ. The induction of beta-galactosidase was significantly reduced by introducing a soxS::Tn10 locus into the fusion strains, indicating that the soi genes are members of the soxRS regulon. Five of the fusions were located in 6 to 26 min of the E. coli genetic map, while three fusions were located in 26 to 36 min, indicating that these fusions are not related to genes already known to be inducible by O2- under the control of soxRS. At least five mutants containing the soi::lacZ fusion were more sensitive to MV and menadione than the wild-type strain, suggesting that the products of these soi genes play an important role in protection against oxidative stress.     

Hypochlorous acid activates the heat shock and soxRS systems of Escherichia coli.

A series of plasmids, containing fusions of different stress promoters to lux reporter genes, was used in an attempt to monitor the defense circuits activated upon exposure of Escherichia coli to sublethal doses of free chlorine. A significant level of activation was exhibited by promoters of three heat shock genes (grpE, dnaK, and lon), in an rpoH-dependent manner. The promoter of micF, a gene under the control of the soxRS regulon, was also strongly induced, but not in a soxR mutant. This induction was not affected by sodA and sodB mutations, implying that it did not involve oxygen radical activity. Free-chlorine activation of both heat shock and soxRS regulons required an exposure of less then I s in duration. The oxyR or the SOS regulons were apparently not induced by free chlorine (as judged by lack of activation of katG and recA, respectively), and neither was the universal stress (uspA) protein.     

Effect of alloxan on survival and antioxidant defense of Escherichia coli

The effect of alloxan has been studied on survival and activity of antioxidant and associated enzymes of E. coli wild strains and ones lacked of OxyR and SoxR proteins--regulators of antioxidant defense in E. coli. Bacteria treatment by 500 microM alloxan for 30 min caused an increase of catalase and peroxidase activity in wild and deltasoxRS strains. Catalase activity was not changed in response to alloxan exposure of oxyR deficient strain. It was proposed that under used condition the effect of alloxan on E. coli could be related to the growth of steadystate concentration of hydrogen peroxide. This supposition is also in agreement with the increase of soxRS regulon enzymes activities, because in our previous work it has been shown that H2O2-induced stress increases the activity of some soxRS regulon enzymes.     

The flavoenzyme ferredoxin (flavodoxin)-NADP(H) reductase modulates NADP(H) homeostasis during the soxRS response of Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli cells from strain fpr, deficient in the soxRS-induced ferredoxin (flavodoxin)-NADP(H) reductase (FPR), display abnormal sensitivity to the bactericidal effects of the superoxide-generating reagent methyl viologen (MV). Neither bacteriostatic effects nor inactivation of oxidant-sensitive hydrolyases could be detected in fpr cells exposed to MV. FPR inactivation did not affect the MV-driven soxRS response, whereas FPR overexpression led to enhanced stimulation of the regulon, with concomitant oxidation of the NADPH pool. Accumulation of a site-directed FPR mutant that uses NAD(H) instead of NADP(H) had no effect on soxRS induction and failed to protect fpr cells from MV toxicity, suggesting that FPR contributes to NADP(H) homeostasis in stressed bacteria.     

Hydrogen peroxide increases the activities of soxRS regulon enzymes and the levels of oxidized proteins and lipids in Escherichia coli

The effects of hydrogen peroxide treatments on Escherichia coli KS400 and AB1157 cells were assessed by monitoring the accumulation of oxidative damage products, carbonyl proteins and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), as well as the activities of selected antioxidant enzymes. H(2)O(2) treatment stimulated increases in both TBARS and carbonyl protein levels in dose- and time-dependent manners in KS400 cells. The accumulation of TBARS was much more variable with H(2)O(2) treatment; TBARS content was significantly increased in response to 5 microM H(2)O(2), whereas a significant increase in carbonyl protein content occurred at 100 microM H(2)O(2). Similarly, treatment with 20 microM hydrogen peroxide for different lengths of time resulted in peak TBARS accumulation by 20 min, whereas carbonyl protein levels were significantly elevated only after 60 min. In AB1157 cells, treatment with 20 microM hydrogen peroxide for 20 min led to strong increases in both carbonyl protein and TBARS levels. This treatment also triggered increased activities of enzymes of the oxyR regulon (catalase, peroxidase, and glutathione reductase) in both strains. In the AB1157 strain, H(2)O(2) exposure also increased the activities of two enzymes of the soxRS regulon (superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) by 50-60%. The data show differential variability of lipids versus proteins to oxidative damage induced by H(2)O(2,) as well as strain-specific differences in the accumulation of damage products and the responses by antioxidant enzymes to H(2)O(2) stress.     

DosS responds to a reduced electron transport system to induce the Mycobacterium tuberculosis DosR regulon

The DosR regulon in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is involved in respiration-limiting conditions, its induction is controlled by two histidine kinases, DosS and DosT, and recent experimental evidence indicates DosS senses either molecular oxygen or a redox change. Under aerobic conditions, induction of the DosR regulon by DosS, but not DosT, was observed after the addition of ascorbate, a powerful cytochrome c reductant, demonstrating that DosS responds to a redox signal even in the presence of high oxygen tension. During hypoxic conditions, regulon induction was attenuated by treatment with compounds that occluded electron flow into the menaquinone pool or decreased the size of the menaquinone pool itself. Increased regulon expression during hypoxia was observed when exogenous menaquinone was added, demonstrating that the menaquinone pool is a limiting factor in regulon induction. Taken together, these data demonstrate that a reduced menaquinone pool directly or indirectly triggers induction of the DosR regulon via DosS. Biochemical analysis of menaquinones upon entry into hypoxic/anaerobic conditions demonstrated the disappearance of the unsaturated species and low-level maintenance of the mono-saturated menaquinone. Relative to the unsaturated form, an analog of the saturated form is better able to induce signaling via DosS and rescue inhibition of menaquinone synthesis and is less toxic. The menaquinone pool is central to the electron transport system (ETS) and therefore provides a mechanistic link between the respiratory state of the bacilli and DosS signaling. Although this report demonstrates that DosS responds to a reduced ETS, it does not rule out a role for oxygen in silencing signaling.     

Activation of multiple antibiotic resistance and binding of stress-inducible promoters by Escherichia coli Rob protein.

Multiple antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli can be mediated by induction of the SoxS or MarA protein, triggered by oxygen radicals (in the soxRS regulon) or certain antibiotics (in the marRAB regulon), respectively. These small proteins (SoxS, 107 residues; MarA, 127 residues) are homologous to the C terminus of the XylS-AraC family of proteins and are more closely related to a approximately 100-residue segment in the N terminus of Rob protein, which binds the right arm of the replication origin, oriC. We investigated whether the SoxS-MarA homology in Rob might extend to the regulation of some of the same inducible genes. Overexpression of Rob indeed conferred multiple antibiotic resistance similar to that known for SoxS and MarA (against chloramphenicol, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, and puromycin), as well as resistance to the superoxide-generating compound phenazine methosulfate. The Rob-induced antibiotic resistance depended only partially on the micF antisense RNA that down-regulates the OmpF outer membrane porin to limit antibiotic uptake. Similar antibiotic resistance was conferred by expression of a Rob fragment containing only the N-terminal 123 residues that constitute the SoxS-MarA homology. Both intact Rob and the N-terminal fragment activated expression of stress genes (inaA, fumC, sodA) but with a pattern distinct from that found for SoxS and MarA. Purified Rob protein bound a DNA fragment containing the micF promoter (50% bound at approximately 10(-9) M Rob) as strongly as it did oriC, and it bound more weakly to DNA containing the sodA, nfo, or zwf promoter (50% bound at 10(-8) to 10(-7) M). Rob formed multiple DNA-protein complexes with these fragments, as seen previously for SoxS. These data point to a DNA-binding gene activator module used in different protein contexts.