Human anti-peptidoglycan-IgG-mediated opsonophagocytosis is controlled by calcium mobilization in phorbol myristate acetate-treated U937 cells

Recently, we demonstrated that human serum amyloid P component (SAP) specifically recognizes exposed bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) of wall teichoic acid (WTA)-deficient Staphylococcus aureus ΔtagO mutant cells and then induces complement-independent phagocytosis. In our preliminary experiments, we found the existence of human serum immunoglobulins that recognize S. aureus PGN (anti-PGNIgGs), which may be involved in complement-dependent opsonophagocytosis against infected S. aureus cells. We assumed that purified serum anti-PGN-IgGs and S. aureus ΔtagO mutant cells are good tools to study the molecular mechanism of anti-PGN-IgG-mediated phagocytosis. Therefore, we tried to identify the intracellular molecule(s) that is involved in the anti-PGN-IgG-mediated phagocytosis using purified human serum anti-PGN-IgGs and different S. aureus mutant cells. Here, we show that anti-PGN-IgG-mediated phagocytosis in phorbol myristate acetate-treated U937 cells is mediated by Ca²⁺ release from intracellular Ca²⁺ stores and anti-PGN-IgGdependent Ca²⁺ mobilization is controlled via a phospholipase Cγ-2-mediated pathway. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(1): 36-41]     

The Capsular Polysaccharide of Staphylococcus aureus Is Attached to Peptidoglycan by the LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) Family of Enzymes

Envelope biogenesis in bacteria involves synthesis of intermediates that are tethered to the lipid carrier undecaprenol-phosphate. LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) enzymes have been proposed to catalyze the transfer of undecaprenol-linked intermediates onto the C6-hydroxyl of MurNAc in peptidoglycan, thereby promoting attachment of wall teichoic acid (WTA) in bacilli and staphylococci and capsular polysaccharides (CPS) in streptococci. S. aureus encodes three lcp enzymes, and a variant lacking all three genes (Δlcp) releases WTA from the bacterial envelope and displays a growth defect. Here, we report that the type 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP5) of Staphylococcus aureus Newman is covalently attached to the glycan strands of peptidoglycan. Cell wall attachment of CP5 is abrogated in the Δlcp variant, a defect that is best complemented via expression of lcpC in trans. CP5 synthesis and peptidoglycan attachment are not impaired in the tagO mutant, suggesting that CP5 synthesis does not involve the GlcNAc-ManNAc linkage unit of WTA and may instead utilize another Wzy-type ligase to assemble undecaprenyl-phosphate intermediates. Thus, LCP enzymes of S. aureus are promiscuous enzymes that attach secondary cell wall polymers with discrete linkage units to peptidoglycan.     

SaeRS-Dependent Inhibition of Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus aureus Newman

The SaeRS two-component regulatory system of Staphylococcus aureus is known to affect the expression of many genes. The SaeS protein is the histidine kinase responsible for phosphorylation of the response regulator SaeR. In S. aureus Newman, the sae system is constitutively expressed due to a point mutation in saeS, relative to other S. aureus strains, which results in substitution of proline for leucine at amino acid 18. Strain Newman is unable to form a robust biofilm and we report here that the biofilm-deficient phenotype is due to the saeS^P allele. Replacement of the Newman saeS^P with saeS^L, or deletion of saeRS, resulted in a biofilm-proficient phenotype. Newman culture supernatants were observed to inhibit biofilm formation by other S. aureus strains, but did not affect biofilm formation by S. epidermidis. Culture supernatants of Newman saeS^L or Newman ΔsaeRS had no significant effect on biofilm formation. The inhibitory factor was inactivated by incubation with proteinase K, but survived heating, indicating that the inhibitory protein is heat-stable. The inhibitory protein was found to affect the attachment step in biofilm formation, but had no effect on preformed biofilms. Replacement of saeS^L with saeS^P in the biofilm-proficient S. aureus USA300 FPR3757 resulted in the loss of biofilm formation. Culture supernatants of USA300 FPR3757 saeS^P, did not inhibit biofilm formation by other staphylococci, suggesting that the inhibitory factor is produced but not secreted in the mutant strain. A number of biochemical methods were utilized to isolate the inhibitory protein. Although a number of candidate proteins were identified, none were found to be the actual inhibitor. In an effort to reduce the number of potential inhibitory genes, RNA-Seq analyses were done with wild-type strain Newman and the saeS^L and ΔsaeRS mutants. RNA-Seq results indicated that sae regulates many genes that may affect biofilm formation by Newman.     

Pleiotropic roles of polyglycerolphosphate synthase of lipoteichoic acid in growth of Staphylococcus aureus cells

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is one of two anionic polymers on the surface of the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. LTA is critical for the bacterium-host cell interaction and has recently been shown to be required for cell growth and division. To determine additional biological roles of LTA, we found it necessary to identify permissive conditions for the growth of an LTA-deficient mutant. We found that an LTA-deficient S. aureus ΔltaS mutant could grow at 30°C but not at 37°C. Even at the permissive temperature, ΔltaS mutant cells had aberrant cell division and separation, decreased autolysis, and reduced levels of peptidoglycan hydrolases. Upshift of ΔltaS mutant cells to a nonpermissive temperature caused an inability to exclude Sytox green dye. A high-osmolarity growth medium remarkably rescued the colony-forming ability of the ΔltaS mutant at 37°C, indicating that LTA synthesis is required for growth under low-osmolarity conditions. In addition, the ΔltaS mutation was found to be synthetically lethal with the ΔtagO mutation, which disrupts the synthesis of the other anionic polymer, wall teichoic acid (WTA), at 30°C, suggesting that LTA and WTA compensate for one another in an essential function.     

Beta-Lactamase Repressor BlaI Modulates Staphylococcus aureus Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide Resistance and Virulence

BlaI is a repressor of BlaZ, the beta-lactamase responsible for penicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Through screening a transposon library in S. aureus Newman for susceptibility to cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, we discovered BlaI as a novel cathelicidin resistance factor. Additionally, through integrational mutagenesis in S. aureus Newman and MRSA Sanger 252 strains, we confirmed the role of BlaI in resistance to human and murine cathelidicin and showed that it contributes to virulence in human whole blood and murine infection models. We further demonstrated that BlaI could be a target for innate immune-based antimicrobial therapies; by removing BlaI through subinhibitory concentrations of 6-aminopenicillanic acid, we were able to sensitize S. aureus to LL-37 killing.     

Staphylococcus aureus Mutants Lacking the LytR-CpsA-Psr Family of Enzymes Release Cell Wall Teichoic Acids into the Extracellular Medium

The LytR-CpsA-Psr (LCP) proteins are thought to transfer bactoprenol-linked biosynthetic intermediates of wall teichoic acid (WTA) to the peptidoglycan of Gram-positive bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis, mutants lacking all three LCP enzymes do not deposit WTA in the envelope, while Staphylococcus aureus Δlcp mutants display impaired growth and reduced levels of envelope phosphate. We show here that the S. aureus Δlcp mutant synthesized WTA yet released ribitol phosphate polymers into the extracellular medium. Further, Δlcp mutant staphylococci no longer restricted the deposition of LysM-type murein hydrolases to cell division sites, which was associated with defects in cell shape and increased autolysis. Mutations in S. aureus WTA synthesis genes (tagB, tarF, or tarJ2) inhibit growth, which is attributed to the depletion of bactoprenol, an essential component of peptidoglycan synthesis (lipid II). The growth defect of S. aureus tagB and tarFJ mutants was alleviated by inhibition of WTA synthesis with tunicamycin, whereas the growth defect of the Δlcp mutant was not relieved by tunicamycin treatment or by mutation of tagO, whose product catalyzes the first committed step of WTA synthesis. Further, sortase A-mediated anchoring of proteins to peptidoglycan, which also involves bactoprenol and lipid II, was not impaired in the Δlcp mutant. We propose a model whereby the S. aureus Δlcp mutant, defective in tethering WTA to the cell wall, cleaves WTA synthesis intermediates, releasing ribitol phosphate into the medium and recycling bactoprenol for peptidoglycan synthesis.     

Elucidating the Crucial Role of Poly N-Acetylglucosamine from Staphylococcus aureus in Cellular Adhesion and Pathogenesis

Staphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that forms biofilms on the surfaces of medical implants. Biofilm formation by S. aureus is associated with the production of poly N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), also referred to as polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), which mediates bacterial adhesion, leading to the accumulation of bacteria on solid surfaces. This study shows that the ability of S. aureus SA113 to adhere to nasal epithelial cells is reduced after the deletion of the ica operon, which contains genes encoding PIA/PNAG synthesis. However, this ability is restored after a plasmid carrying the entire ica operon is transformed into the mutant strain, S. aureus SA113Δica, showing that the synthesis of PIA/PNAG is important for adhesion to epithelial cells. Additionally, S. carnosus TM300, which does not produce PIA/PNAG, forms a biofilm and adheres to epithelial cells after the bacteria are transformed with a PIA/PNAG-expressing plasmid, pTXicaADBC. The adhesion of S. carnosus TM300 to epithelial cells is also demonstrated by adding purified exopolysaccharide (EPS), which contains PIA/PNAG, to the bacteria. In addition, using a mouse model, we find that the abscess lesions and bacterial burden in lung tissues is higher in mice infected with S. aureus SA113 than in those infected with the mutant strain, S. aureus SA113Δica. The results indicate that PIA/PNAG promotes the adhesion of S. aureus to human nasal epithelial cells and lung infections in a mouse model. This study elucidates a mechanism that is important to the pathogenesis of S. aureus infections.     

Secreted Proteases Control Autolysin-mediated Biofilm Growth of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus epidermidis, a commensal of humans, secretes Esp protease to prevent Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and colonization. Blocking S. aureus colonization may reduce the incidence of invasive infectious diseases; however, the mechanism whereby Esp disrupts biofilms is unknown. We show here that Esp cleaves autolysin (Atl)-derived murein hydrolases and prevents staphylococcal release of DNA, which serves as extracellular matrix in biofilms. The three-dimensional structure of Esp was revealed by x-ray crystallography and shown to be highly similar to that of S. aureus V8 (SspA). Both atl and sspA are necessary for biofilm formation, and purified SspA cleaves Atl-derived murein hydrolases. Thus, S. aureus biofilms are formed via the controlled secretion and proteolysis of autolysin, and this developmental program appears to be perturbed by the Esp protease of S. epidermidis.     

Small Intestine Early Innate Immunity Response during Intestinal Colonization by Escherichia coli Depends on Its Extra-Intestinal Virulence Status

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains live as commensals in the digestive tract of the host, but they can also initiate urinary tract infections. The aim of this work was to determine how a host detects the presence of a new UPEC strain in the digestive tract. Mice were orally challenged with UPEC strains 536 and CFT073, non-pathogenic strain K12 MG1655, and ΔPAI-536, an isogenic mutant of strain 536 lacking all 7 pathogenicity islands whose virulence is drastically attenuated. Intestinal colonization was measured, and cytokine expression was determined in various organs recovered from mice after oral challenge. UPEC strain 536 efficiently colonized the mouse digestive tract, and prior Enterobacteriaceae colonization was found to impact strain 536 colonization efficiency. An innate immune response, detected as the production of TNFα, IL-6 and IL-10 cytokines, was activated in the ileum 48 hours after oral challenge with strain 536, and returned to baseline within 8 days, without a drop in fecal pathogen load. Although inflammation was detected in the ileum, histology was normal at the time of cytokine peak. Comparison of cytokine secretion 48h after oral gavage with E. coli strain 536, CFT073, MG1655 or ΔPAI-536 showed that inflammation was more pronounced with UPECs than with non-pathogenic or attenuated strains. Pathogenicity islands also seemed to be involved in host detection, as IL-6 intestinal secretion was increased after administration of E. coli strain 536, but not after administration of ΔPAI-536. In conclusion, UPEC colonization of the mouse digestive tract activates acute phase inflammatory cytokine secretion but does not trigger any pathological changes, illustrating the opportunistic nature of UPECs. This digestive tract colonization model will be useful for studying the factors controlling the switch from commensalism to pathogenicity.     

Fecal microbiota transplantation prevents Candida albicans from colonizing the gastrointestinal tract

Gut microbes symbiotically colonize the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, interacting with each other and their host to maintain GI tract homeostasis. Recent reports have shown that gut microbes help protect the gut from colonization by pathogenic microbes. Here, we report that commensal microbes prevent colonization of the GI tract by the pathogenic fungus, Candida albicans. Wild‐type specific pathogen‐free (SPF) mice are resistant to C. albicans colonization of the GI tract. However, administering certain antibiotics to SPF mice enables C. albicans colonization. Quantitative kinetics of commensal bacteria are inversely correlated with the number of C. albicans in the gut. Here, we provide further evidence that transplantation of fecal microbiota is effective in preventing Candida colonization of the GI tract. These data demonstrate the importance of commensal bacteria as a barrier for the GI tract surface and highlight the potential clinical applications of commensal bacteria in preventing pathogenic fungal infections.     

dsdA Does Not Affect Colonization of the Murine Urinary Tract by Escherichia coli CFT073

The urinary tract environment provides many conditions that deter colonization by microorganisms. D-serine is thought to be one of these stressors and is present at high concentrations in urine. D-serine interferes with L-serine and pantothenate metabolism and is bacteriostatic to many species. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli commonly possess the dsdCXA genetic locus, which allows them to use D-serine as a sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. It was previously reported that in the model UPEC strain CFT073, a dsdA mutant outcompetes wild type in the murine model of urinary tract infection. This “hypercolonization” was used to propose a model whereby UPEC strains sense D-serine in the urinary tract and subsequently up-regulate genes necessary for pathogenesis. Here, we show that inactivation of dsdA does not lead to hypercolonization. We suggest that this previously observed effect is due to an unrecognized secondary mutation in rpoS and that some D-serine specific effects described in other studies may be affected by the rpoS status of the strains used. Inactivation of dsdA in the original clinical isolate of CFT073 gives CFT073 ΔdsdA a growth defect in human urine and renders it unable to grow on minimal medium containing D-serine as the sole carbon source. However, CFT073 ΔdsdA is able to colonize the urinary tracts of CBA/J mice indistinguishably from wild type. These findings indicate that D-serine catabolism, though it may play role(s) during urinary tract infection, does not affect the ability of uropathogenic E. coli to colonize the murine urinary tract.     

Surface proteins that promote adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to human desquamated nasal epithelial cells

Background  

The natural habitat of Staphylococcus aureus is the moist squamous epithelium in the anterior nares. About 20% of the human population carry S. aureus permanently in their noses and another 60% of individuals are intermittent carriers. The ability of S. aureus to colonize the nasal epithelium is in part due to expression of surface proteins clumping factor B (ClfB) and the iron-regulated surface determinant A (IsdA), which promote adhesion to desquamated epithelial cells present in the anterior part of the nasal vestibule. S. aureus strain Newman defective in IsdA and ClfB exhibited reduced but not completely defective adherence to squamous cells in indicating that other cell surface components might also contribute.     

Deletion of the Alternative Sigma Factor ςB in Staphylococcus aureus Reveals Its Function as a Global Regulator of Virulence Genes

A deletion of the sigB operon was constructed in three genetically distinct Staphylococcus aureus strains, and the phenotypes of the resulting mutants were analyzed. Compared to the corresponding wild-type strains, the ΔsigB mutants showed reduced pigmentation, accelerated sedimentation, and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide during the stationary growth phase. A cytoplasmic protein missing in the ΔsigB mutants was identified as alkaline shock protein 23, and an extracellular protein excreted at higher levels in one of the ΔsigB mutants was identified as staphylococcal thermonuclease. Interestingly, most sigB deletion phenotypes were only seen in S. aureus COL and Newman and not in 8325, which was found to contain an 11-bp deletion in the regulator gene rsbU. Taken together, our results show that ς^B is a global regulator which modulates the expression of several virulence factors in S. aureus and that laboratory strain 8325 is a ς^B-defective mutant.     

Development of an in vitro colonization model to investigate Staphylococcus aureus interactions with airway epithelia

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterial pathogen responsible for a wide range of diseases and is also a human commensal colonizing the upper respiratory tract. Strains belonging to the clonal complex group CC30 are associated with colonization, although the colonization state itself is not clearly defined. In this work, we developed a co‐culture model with S. aureus colonizing the apical surface of polarized human airway epithelial cells. The S. aureus are grown at the air–liquid interface to allow an in‐depth evaluation of a simulated colonization state. Exposure to wild‐type, S. aureus bacteria or conditioned media killed airway epithelial cells within 1 day, while mutant S. aureus strains lacking alpha‐toxin (hla) persisted on viable cells for at least 2 days. Recent S. aureus CC30 isolates are natural hla mutants, and we observed that these strains displayed reduced toxicity toward airway epithelial cells. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction of known virulence factors showed the expression profile of S. aureus grown in co‐culture correlates with results from previous human colonization studies. Microarray analysis indicated significant shifts in S. aureus physiology in the co‐culture model toward lipid and amino acid metabolism. The development of the in vitro colonization model will enable further study of specific S. aureus interactions with the host epithelia.     

Identification of the ligand-binding domain of the surface-located fibrinogen receptor (clumping factor) of Staphylococcus aureus

The ability of Staphylococcus aureus to bind to fibrinogen and fibrin is believed to be an important factor in the initiation of foreign-body and wound Infections. Recently, we reported the cloning and sequencing of the gene clfA encoding the fibrinogen receptor (clumping factor, ClfA) of S. aureus strain Newman and showed that the gene product was responsible for the clumping of bacteria in soluble fibrinogen and for the adherence of bacteria to solid-phase fibrinogen. This was confirmed here by showing that antibodies raised against purified Region A inhibited both of these properties. Also, immunofluorescent microscopic analysis of wild-type Newman and a clfA::Tn917 mutant of Newman with anti-ClfA Region A sera confirmed that Region A is exposed on the bacterial cell surface. Furthermore, polystyrene beads coated with the Region A protein formed clumps in soluble fibrinogen showing that the ClfA protein alone is sufficient for the clumping phenotype. Western immunoblotting with anti-ClfA Region A antibodies identified the native ClfA receptor as a 185 kDa protein that was released from the cell wall of S. aureus by lysostaphin treatment. A single extensive ligand-binding site was located within Region A of the ClfA protein. Truncated ClfA proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli. Lysates of E. coli and proteins that had been purified by affinity chromatography were tested for (i) their ability to bind fibrinogen in Western ligand blotting experiments, (ii) for their ability to inhibit clumping of bacteria in fibrinogen solution and adherence of bacteria to solid-phase fibrinogen, and (iii) for their ability to neutralize the blocking activity of anti-ClfA Region A antibody. These tests allowed the ligand-binding domain to be localized to a 218-residue segment (residues 332-550) within Region A.     

High-Throughput Sequencing of Campylobacter jejuni Insertion Mutant Libraries Reveals mapA as a Fitness Factor for Chicken Colonization

Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of gastrointestinal infections worldwide, due primarily to its ability to asymptomatically colonize the gastrointestinal tracts of agriculturally relevant animals, including chickens. Infection often occurs following consumption of meat that was contaminated by C. jejuni during harvest. Because of this, much interest lies in understanding the mechanisms that allow C. jejuni to colonize the chicken gastrointestinal tract. To address this, we generated a C. jejuni transposon mutant library that is amenable to insertion sequencing and introduced this mutant pool into day-of-hatch chicks. Following deep sequencing of C. jejuni mutants in the cecal outputs, several novel factors required for efficient colonization of the chicken gastrointestinal tract were identified, including the predicted outer membrane protein MapA. A mutant strain lacking mapA was constructed and found to be significantly reduced for chicken colonization in both competitive infections and monoinfections. Further, we found that mapA is required for in vitro competition with wild-type C. jejuni but is dispensable for growth in monoculture.     

A bacterial regulatory RNA attenuates virulence,spread and human host cell phagocytosis

Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis is directed by regulatory proteins and RNAs. We report the case of an RNA attenuating virulence and host uptake, possibly to sustain commensalism. A S. aureus sRNA, SprC (srn_3610), reduced virulence and bacterial loads in a mouse infection model. S. aureus deleted for sprC became more virulent and increased bacterial dissemination in colonized animals. Conversely, inducing SprC expression lowered virulence and the bacterial load. Without sprC, S. aureus phagocytosis by monocytes and macrophages was higher, whereas bacteria were internalized at lower yields when SprC expression was stimulated. Without sprC, higher internalization led to a greater number of extracellular bacteria, facilitating colonization. SprC expression decreased after phagocytosis, concurring with the facilitated growth of bacteria lacking the sRNA in the presence of an oxidant. The major staphylococcal autolysin facilitates S. aureus uptake by human phagocytes. ATL proved to be negatively regulated by SprC. The SprC domains involved in pairing with atl mRNA were analyzed. The addition of ATL reduced phagocytosis of bacteria lacking sprC with no effects on wild-type bacterial uptake, implying that SprC influences phagocytosis, at least in part, by controlling ATL. Since the control of SprC on ATL was modest, other factors must contribute to atl regulation.