# | Rank | Similarity | Title + Abs. | Year | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8890 | 0 | 1.0000 | Eavesdropping by bacteria: the role of SdiA in Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium quorum sensing. Many gram-negative bacteria utilize N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs) to bind to transcriptional regulators leading to activation or repression of target genes. Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica do not synthesize AHLs but do contain the AHL receptor, SdiA. Studies reveal that SdiA can bind AHLs produced by other bacterial species and thereby allow E. coli and S. enterica to regulate gene transcription. The Salmonella sdiA gene regulates the rck gene, which mediates Salmonella adhesion and invasion of epithelial cells and the resistance of the organism to complement. In E. coli, there is some evidence that SdiA may regulate genes associated with acid resistance, virulence, motility, biofilm formation, and autoinducer-2 transport and processing. However, there is a lack of information concerning the role of SdiA in regulating growth and survival of E. coli and Salmonella in food environments, and therefore studies in this area are needed. | 2011 | 21034261 |
| 6322 | 1 | 0.9997 | A soxRS-constitutive mutation contributing to antibiotic resistance in a clinical isolate of Salmonella enterica (Serovar typhimurium). The soxRS regulon is activated by redox-cycling drugs such as paraquat and by nitric oxide. The >15 genes of this system provide resistance to both oxidants and multiple antibiotics. An association between clinical quinolone resistance and elevated expression of the soxRS regulon has been observed in Escherichia coli, but this association has not been explored for other enteropathogenic bacteria. Here we describe a soxRS-constitutive mutation in a clinical strain of Salmonella enterica (serovar Typhimurium) that arose with the development of resistance to quinolones during treatment. The elevated quinolone resistance in this strain derived from a point mutation in the soxR gene and could be suppressed in trans by multicopy wild-type soxRS. Multiple-antibiotic resistance was also transferred to a laboratory strain of S. enterica by introducing the cloned mutant soxR gene from the clinical strain. The results show that constitutive expression of soxRS can contribute to antibiotic resistance in clinically relevant S. enterica. | 2001 | 11120941 |
| 8943 | 2 | 0.9996 | Effects of indole on drug resistance and virulence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium revealed by genome-wide analyses. BACKGROUND: Many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria produce large quantities of indole as an intercellular signal in microbial communities. Indole demonstrated to affect gene expression in Escherichia coli as an intra-species signaling molecule. In contrast to E. coli, Salmonella does not produce indole because it does not harbor tnaA, which encodes the enzyme responsible for tryptophan metabolism. Our previous study demonstrated that E. coli-conditioned medium and indole induce expression of the AcrAB multidrug efflux pump in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium for inter-species communication; however, the global effect of indole on genes in Salmonella remains unknown. RESULTS: To understand the complete picture of genes regulated by indole, we performed DNA microarray analysis of genes in the S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strain ATCC 14028s affected by indole. Predicted Salmonella phenotypes affected by indole based on the microarray data were also examined in this study. Indole induced expression of genes related to efflux-mediated multidrug resistance, including ramA and acrAB, and repressed those related to host cell invasion encoded in the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1, and flagella production. Reduction of invasive activity and motility of Salmonella by indole was also observed phenotypically. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that indole is an important signaling molecule for inter-species communication to control drug resistance and virulence of S. enterica. | 2012 | 22632036 |
| 8323 | 3 | 0.9996 | The impact of environmental stress on Listeria monocytogenes virulence. Listeria monocytogenes, a significant food-borne pathogen, must defy a variety of conditions encountered in the food environment and during the infection process. In reaction to adverse conditions, the bacteria significantly change their metabolism, inducing a stress response which is mediated by a range of alternative sigma factors. The extent of the response to stress was shown to vary in the L. monocytogenes population. According to recent evidence a major L. monocytogenes alternative sigma factor, designated sigma B (sigma B), regulates some virulence genes in response to stress, which supports an older hypothesis that stress-resistant strains should be more pathogenic. The induction of sigma B-dependent genes may also be important from the point of view of food hygiene. It seems that stress response activation can paradoxically enhance resistance to agents used in food preservation. Therefore, monitoring the expression of sigma B-dependent genes can serve as a useful marker to assess the innate resistance of L. monocytogenes strains. This knowledge will allow the design of new methods with sequential preservation steps that could inactivate the bacteria without inducing their stress response. | 2009 | 20169937 |
| 8892 | 4 | 0.9996 | Fur is the master regulator of the extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli response to serum. Drug-resistant extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains are the major cause of colisepticemia (colibacillosis), a condition that has become an increasing public health problem in recent years. ExPEC strains are characterized by high resistance to serum, which is otherwise highly toxic to most bacteria. To understand how these bacteria survive and grow in serum, we performed system-wide analyses of their response to serum, making a clear distinction between the responses to nutritional immunity and innate immunity. Thus, mild heat inactivation of serum destroys the immune complement and abolishes the bactericidal effect of serum (inactive serum), making it possible to examine nutritional immunity. We used a combination of deep RNA sequencing and proteomics in order to characterize ExPEC genes whose expression is affected by the nutritional stress of serum and by the immune complement. The major change in gene expression induced by serum-active and inactive-involved metabolic genes. In particular, the serum metabolic response is coordinated by three transcriptional regulators, Fur, BasR, and CysB. Fur alone was responsible for more than 80% of the serum-induced transcriptional response. Consistent with its role as a major serum response regulator, deletion of Fur renders the bacteria completely serum sensitive. These results highlight the role of metabolic adaptation in colisepticemia and virulence. IMPORTANCE: Drug-resistant extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) strains have emerged as major pathogens, especially in community- and hospital-acquired infections. These bacteria cause a large spectrum of syndromes, the most serious of which is septicemia, a condition with a high mortality rate. These bacterial strains are characterized by high resistance to serum, otherwise highly toxic to most bacteria. To understand the basis of this resistance, we carried out system-wide analyses of the response of ExPEC strains to serum by using proteomics and deep RNA sequencing. The major changes in gene expression induced by exposure to serum involved metabolic genes, not necessarily implicated in relation to virulence. One metabolic regulator-Fur-involved in iron metabolism was responsible for more than 80% of the serum-induced response, and its deletion renders the bacteria completely serum sensitive. These results highlight the role of metabolic adaptation in virulence. | 2014 | 25118243 |
| 6314 | 5 | 0.9996 | Identification of genes involved in the resistance of mycobacteria to killing by macrophages. The survival of M. leprae and M. tuberculosis in the human host is dependent upon their ability to produce gene products that counteract the bactericidal activities of macrophages. To identify such mycobacterial genes and gene products, recombinant DNA libraries of mycobacterial DNA in E. coli were passed through macrophages to enrich for clones carrying genes that endow the normally susceptible E. coli bacteria with an enhanced ability to survive within macrophages. Following three cycles of enrichment, 15 independent clones were isolated. Three recombinants were characterized in detail, and each confers significantly enhanced survival on E. coli cells carrying them. Two of the cloned genetic elements also confer enhanced survival onto M. smegmatis cells. Further characterization of these genes and gene products should provide insights into the survival of mycobacteria within macrophages and may identify new approaches of targets for combatting these important pathogens. | 1994 | 8080180 |
| 8964 | 6 | 0.9996 | Analysis of the Oxidative Stress Regulon Identifies soxS as a Genetic Target for Resistance Reversal in Multidrug-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. In bacteria, the defense system deployed to counter oxidative stress is orchestrated by three transcriptional factors, SoxS, SoxR, and OxyR. Although the regulon that these factors control is known in many bacteria, similar data are not available for Klebsiella pneumoniae. To address this data gap, oxidative stress was artificially induced in K. pneumoniae MGH78578 using paraquat and the corresponding oxidative stress regulon recorded using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). The soxS gene was significantly induced during oxidative stress, and a knockout mutant was constructed to explore its functionality. The wild type and mutant were grown in the presence of paraquat and subjected to RNA-seq to elucidate the soxS regulon in K. pneumoniae MGH78578. Genes that are commonly regulated both in the oxidative stress and soxS regulons were identified and denoted as the oxidative SoxS regulon; these included a group of genes specifically regulated by SoxS. Efflux pump-encoding genes and global regulators were identified as part of this regulon. Consequently, the isogenic soxS mutant was found to exhibit a reduction in the minimum bactericidal concentration against tetracycline compared to that of the wild type. Impaired efflux activity, allowing tetracycline to be accumulated in the cytoplasm to bactericidal levels, was further evaluated using a tetraphenylphosphonium (TPP(+)) accumulation assay. The soxS mutant was also susceptible to tetracycline in vivo in a zebrafish embryo model. We conclude that the soxS gene could be considered a genetic target against which an inhibitor could be developed and used in combinatorial therapy to combat infections associated with multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae. IMPORTANCE Antimicrobial resistance is a global health challenge. Few new antibiotics have been developed for use over the years, and preserving the efficacy of existing compounds is an important step to protect public health. This paper describes a study that examines the effects of exogenously induced oxidative stress on K. pneumoniae and uncovers a target that could be useful to harness as a strategy to mitigate resistance. | 2021 | 34098732 |
| 8324 | 7 | 0.9996 | Bile Sensing: The Activation of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Virulence. Bacteria must develop resistance to various inhospitable conditions in order to survive in the human gastrointestinal tract. Bile, which is secreted by the liver, and plays an important role in food digestion also has antimicrobial properties and is able to disrupt cellular homeostasis. Paradoxically, although bile is one of the guts defenses, many studies have reported that bacteria such as Vibrio parahaemolyticus can sense bile and use its presence as an environmental cue to upregulate virulence genes during infection. This article aims to discuss how bile is detected by V. parahaemolyticus and its role in regulating type III secretion system 2 leading to human infection. This bile-bacteria interaction pathway gives us a clearer understanding of the biochemical and structural analysis of the bacterial receptors involved in mediating a response to bile salts which appear to be a significant environmental cue during initiation of an infection. | 2017 | 28484445 |
| 6328 | 8 | 0.9996 | Inactivation of MarR gene homologs increases susceptibility to antimicrobials in Bacteroides fragilis. Bacteroides fragilis is the strict anaerobic bacteria most commonly found in human infections, and has a high mortality rate. Among other virulence factors, the remarkable ability to acquire resistance to a variety of antimicrobial agents and to tolerate nanomolar concentrations of oxygen explains in part their success in causing infection and colonizing the mucosa. Much attention has been given to genes related to multiple drug resistance derived from plasmids, integrons or transposon, but such genes are also detected in chromosomal systems, like the mar (multiple antibiotic resistance) locus, that confer resistance to a range of drugs. Regulators like MarR, that control expression of the locus mar, also regulate resistance to organic solvents, disinfectants and oxygen reactive species are important players in these events. Strains derived from the parental strain 638R, with mutations in the genes hereby known as marRI (BF638R_3159) and marRII (BF638R_3706) were constructed by gene disruption using a suicide plasmid. Phenotypic response of the mutant strains to hydrogen peroxide, cell survival assay against exposure to oxygen, biofilm formation, resistance to bile salts and resistance to antibiotics was evaluated. The results showed that the mutant strains exhibit statistically significant differences in their response to oxygen stress, but no changes were observed in survival when exposed to bile salts. Biofilm formation was not affected by either gene disruption. Both mutant strains however, became more sensitive to multiple antimicrobial drugs tested. This indicates that as observed in other bacterial species, MarR are an important resistance mechanism in B. fragilis. | 2018 | 28847541 |
| 8893 | 9 | 0.9996 | Transcriptome of uropathogenic Escherichia coli during urinary tract infection. A uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain CFT073-specific DNA microarray that includes each open reading frame was used to analyze the transcriptome of CFT073 bacteria isolated directly from the urine of infected CBA/J mice. The in vivo expression profiles were compared to that of E. coli CFT073 grown statically to exponential phase in rich medium, revealing the strategies this pathogen uses in vivo for colonization, growth, and survival in the urinary tract environment. The most highly expressed genes overall in vivo encoded translational machinery, indicating that the bacteria were in a rapid growth state despite specific nutrient limitations. Expression of type 1 fimbriae, a virulence factor involved in adherence, was highly upregulated in vivo. Five iron acquisition systems were all highly upregulated during urinary tract infection, as were genes responsible for capsular polysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide synthesis, drug resistance, and microcin secretion. Surprisingly, other fimbrial genes, such as pap and foc/sfa, and genes involved in motility and chemotaxis were downregulated in vivo. E. coli CFT073 grown in human urine resulted in the upregulation of iron acquisition, capsule, and microcin secretion genes, thus partially mimicking growth in vivo. On the basis of gene expression levels, the urinary tract appears to be nitrogen and iron limiting, of high osmolarity, and of moderate oxygenation. This study represents the first assessment of any E. coli pathotype's transcriptome in vivo and provides specific insights into the mechanisms necessary for urinary tract pathogenesis. | 2004 | 15501767 |
| 771 | 10 | 0.9996 | The multiple antibiotic resistance operon of enteric bacteria controls DNA repair and outer membrane integrity. The multiple antibiotic resistance (mar) operon of Escherichia coli is a paradigm for chromosomally encoded antibiotic resistance in enteric bacteria. The locus is recognised for its ability to modulate efflux pump and porin expression via two encoded transcription factors, MarR and MarA. Here we map binding of these regulators across the E. coli genome and identify an extensive mar regulon. Most notably, MarA activates expression of genes required for DNA repair and lipid trafficking. Consequently, the mar locus reduces quinolone-induced DNA damage and the ability of tetracyclines to traverse the outer membrane. These previously unrecognised mar pathways reside within a core regulon, shared by most enteric bacteria. Hence, we provide a framework for understanding multidrug resistance, mediated by analogous systems, across the Enterobacteriaceae. Transcription factors MarR and MarA confer multidrug resistance in enteric bacteria by modulating efflux pump and porin expression. Here, Sharma et al. show that MarA also upregulates genes required for lipid trafficking and DNA repair, thus reducing antibiotic entry and quinolone-induced DNA damage. | 2017 | 29133912 |
| 8891 | 11 | 0.9996 | Analysis of Shigella flexneri Resistance, Biofilm Formation, and Transcriptional Profile in Response to Bile Salts. The Shigella species cause millions of cases of watery or bloody diarrhea each year, mostly in children in developing countries. While many aspects of Shigella colonic cell invasion are known, crucial gaps in knowledge regarding how the bacteria survive, transit, and regulate gene expression prior to infection remain. In this study, we define mechanisms of resistance to bile salts and build on previous research highlighting induced virulence in Shigella flexneri strain 2457T following exposure to bile salts. Typical growth patterns were observed within the physiological range of bile salts; however, growth was inhibited at higher concentrations. Interestingly, extended periods of exposure to bile salts led to biofilm formation, a conserved phenotype that we observed among members of the Enterobacteriaceae Characterization of S. flexneri 2457T biofilms determined that both bile salts and glucose were required for formation, dispersion was dependent upon bile salts depletion, and recovered bacteria displayed induced adherence to HT-29 cells. RNA-sequencing analysis verified an important bile salt transcriptional profile in S. flexneri 2457T, including induced drug resistance and virulence gene expression. Finally, functional mutagenesis identified the importance of the AcrAB efflux pump and lipopolysaccharide O-antigen synthesis for bile salt resistance. Our data demonstrate that S. flexneri 2457T employs multiple mechanisms to survive exposure to bile salts, which may have important implications for multidrug resistance. Furthermore, our work confirms that bile salts are important physiological signals to activate S. flexneri 2457T virulence. This work provides insights into how exposure to bile likely regulates Shigella survival and virulence during host transit and subsequent colonic infection. | 2017 | 28348056 |
| 8968 | 12 | 0.9996 | Antibiotic stress, genetic response and altered permeability of E. coli. BACKGROUND: Membrane permeability is the first step involved in resistance of bacteria to an antibiotic. The number and activity of efflux pumps and outer membrane proteins that constitute porins play major roles in the definition of intrinsic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria that is altered under antibiotic exposure. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we describe the genetic regulation of porins and efflux pumps of Escherichia coli during prolonged exposure to increasing concentrations of tetracycline and demonstrate, with the aid of quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction methodology and western blot detection, the sequence order of genetic expression of regulatory genes, their relationship to each other, and the ensuing increased activity of genes that code for transporter proteins of efflux pumps and down-regulation of porin expression. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrates that, in addition to the transcriptional regulation of genes coding for membrane proteins, the post-translational regulation of proteins involved in the permeability of Gram-negative bacteria also plays a major role in the physiological adaptation to antibiotic exposure. A model is presented that summarizes events during the physiological adaptation of E. coli to tetracycline exposure. | 2007 | 17426813 |
| 641 | 13 | 0.9995 | Bile salts induce resistance to polymyxin in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7. Many enteric bacteria use bile as an environmental cue to signal resistance and virulence gene expression. Microarray analysis of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC) treated with bile salts revealed upregulation of genes for an efflux system (acrAB), a two-component signal transduction system (basRS/pmrAB), and lipid A modification (arnBCADTEF and ugd). Bile salt treatment of EHEC produced a basS- and arnT-dependent resistance to polymyxin. | 2011 | 21725004 |
| 8965 | 14 | 0.9995 | Resistance characterization and transcriptomic analysis of imipenem-induced drug resistance in Escherichia coli. BACKGROUND: Bacteria can develop resistance to various antibiotics under selective pressure, leading to multifaceted changes in resistance mechanisms. Transcriptomic sequencing allows for the observation of transcriptional level alterations in cells under antibiotic stress. Understanding the bacterial response to such stress is essential for deciphering their strategy against drug-resistant antibiotics and identifying potential targets for antibiotic development. METHODS: This study using wild-type (WT) Escherichia coli (E. coli) discovered that continuous in vitro induction screening for imipenem-resistant strains resulted in bacteria with enhanced biofilm-forming ability and mutations in antibiotic target sites. Transcriptomic sequencing of the resistant bacteria revealed significant changes in carbon and amino acid metabolism, nutrient assimilation, substance transport, nucleotide metabolism, protein biosynthesis, and cell wall biosynthesis. The up-regulated drug efflux genes were disrupted using gene knockout technology. Drug sensitivity tests indicated that drug efflux has a minimal effect on imipenem resistance. RESULTS: This suggests a strategy for E. coli drug resistance involving the reduction of unnecessary substance synthesis and metabolism, coupled with an increase in activities that aid in resisting foreign threats. | 2024 | 39624129 |
| 8966 | 15 | 0.9995 | Gene expression profile of Campylobacter jejuni in response to macrolide antibiotics. Campylobacter jejuni is a foodborne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis in humans and has developed resistance to various antibiotics. The primary objective of this research was to examine the network of antibiotic resistance in C. jejuni. The study involved the wild and antibiotic-resistant strains placed in the presence and absence of antibiotics to review their gene expression profiles in response to ciprofloxacin via microarray. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Network studies were performed for these genes. The results showed that the resistance network of C. jejuni is modular, with different genes involved in bacterial motility, capsule synthesis, efflux, and amino acid and sugar synthesis. Antibiotic treatment resulted in the down-regulation of cluster genes related to translation, flagellum formation, and chemotaxis. In contrast, cluster genes involved in homeostasis, capsule formation, and cation efflux were up-regulated. The study also found that macrolide antibiotics inhibit the progression of C. jejuni infection by inactivating topoisomerase enzymes and increasing the activity of epimerase enzymes, trying to compensate for the effect of DNA twisting. Then, the bacterium limits the movement to conserve energy. Identifying the antibiotic resistance network in C. jejuni can aid in developing drugs to combat these bacteria. Genes involved in cell division, capsule formation, and substance transport may be potential targets for inhibitory drugs. Future research must be directed toward comprehending the underlying mechanisms contributing to the modularity of antibiotic resistance and developing strategies to disrupt and mitigate the growing threat of antibiotic resistance effectively. | 2024 | 38393387 |
| 8308 | 16 | 0.9995 | PhoPQ Regulates Quinolone and Cephalosporin Resistance Formation in Salmonella Enteritidis at the Transcriptional Level. The two-component system (TCS) PhoPQ has been demonstrated to be crucial for the formation of resistance to quinolones and cephalosporins in Salmonella Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis). However, the mechanism underlying PhoPQ-mediated antibiotic resistance formation remains poorly understood. Here, it was shown that PhoP transcriptionally regulated an assortment of genes associated with envelope homeostasis, the osmotic stress response, and the redox balance to confer resistance to quinolones and cephalosporins in S. Enteritidis. Specifically, cells lacking the PhoP regulator, under nalidixic acid and ceftazidime stress, bore a severely compromised membrane on the aspects of integrity, fluidity, and permeability, with deficiency to withstand osmolarity stress, an increased accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species, and dysregulated redox homeostasis, which are unfavorable for bacterial survival. The phosphorylated PhoP elicited transcriptional alterations of resistance-associated genes, including the outer membrane porin ompF and the aconitate hydratase acnA, by directly binding to their promoters, leading to a limited influx of antibiotics and a well-maintained intracellular metabolism. Importantly, it was demonstrated that the cavity of the PhoQ sensor domain bound to and sensed quinolones/cephalosporins via the crucial surrounding residues, as their mutations abrogated the binding and PhoQ autophosphorylation. This recognition mode promoted signal transduction that activated PhoP, thereby modulating the transcription of downstream genes to accommodate cells to antibiotic stress. These findings have revealed how bacteria employ a specific TCS to sense antibiotics and combat them, suggesting PhoPQ as a potential drug target with which to surmount S. Enteritidis. IMPORTANCE The prevalence of quinolone and cephalosporin-resistant S. Enteritidis is of increasing clinical concern. Thus, it is imperative to identify novel therapeutic targets with which to treat S. Enteritidis-associated infections. The PhoPQ two-component system is conserved across a variety of Gram-negative pathogens, by which bacteria adapt to a range of environmental stimuli. Our earlier work has demonstrated the importance of PhoPQ in the resistance formation in S. Enteritidis to quinolones and cephalosporins. In the current work, we identified a global profile of genes that are regulated by PhoP under antibiotic stresses, with a focus on how PhoP regulated downstream genes, either positively or negatively. Additionally, we established that PhoQ sensed quinolones and cephalosporins in a manner of directly binding to them. These identified genes and pathways that are mediated by PhoPQ represent promising targets for the development of a drug potentiator with which to neutralize antibiotic resistance in S. Enteritidis. | 2023 | 37184399 |
| 8876 | 17 | 0.9995 | Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli produces outer membrane vesicles as an active defence system against antimicrobial peptide LL-37. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of the innate immune system. Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), a food-borne pathogen causing serious diarrheal diseases, must overcome attack by AMPs. Here, we show that resistance of EHEC against human cathelicidin LL-37, a primary AMP, was enhanced by butyrate, which has been shown to act as a stimulant for the expression of virulence genes. The increase of resistance depended on the activation of the ompT gene, which encodes the outer membrane protease OmpT for LL-37. The expression of the ompT gene was enhanced through the activation system for virulence genes. The increase in ompT expression did not result in an increase in OmpT protease in bacteria but in enhancement of the production of OmpT-loaded outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which primarily contributed to the increase in LL-37-resistance. Furthermore, a sublethal dosage of LL-37 stimulated the production of OMVs. Finally, we showed that OMVs produced by OmpT-positive strains protect the OmpT-negative strain, which is susceptible to LL-37 by itself more efficiently than OMVs from the ompT mutant. These results indicate that EHEC enhances the secretion of OmpT-loaded OMVs in coordination with the activation of virulence genes during infection and blocks bacterial cell attack by LL-37. | 2017 | 28622430 |
| 6318 | 18 | 0.9995 | Phenotypic differences between Salmonella and Escherichia coli resulting from the disparate regulation of homologous genes. Phenotypic differences among closely related bacteria have been largely ascribed to species-specific genes, such as those residing in pathogenicity islands. However, we now report that the differential regulation of homologous genes is the mechanism responsible for the divergence of the enteric bacteria Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli in their ability to make LPS modifications mediating resistance to the antibiotic polymyxin B. In S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, the PmrA/PmrB two-component system governing polymyxin B resistance is induced in low Mg(2+) in a process that requires the PmrD protein and by Fe(3+) in a PmrD-independent fashion. We establish that E. coli K-12 induces PmrA-activated gene transcription and polymyxin B resistance in response to Fe(3+), but that it is blind to the low Mg(2+) signal. The highly divergent PmrD protein is responsible for this phenotype as replacement of the E. coli pmrD gene by its Salmonella counterpart resulted in an E. coli strain that transcribed PmrA-activated genes and displayed polymyxin B resistance under the same conditions as Salmonella. Molecular analysis of natural isolates of E. coli and Salmonella revealed that the PmrD proteins are conserved within each genus and that selection might have driven the divergence between the Salmonella and E. coli PmrD proteins. Investigation of PmrD function demonstrated statistically different distributions for the Salmonella and E. coli isolates in PmrD-dependent transcription occurring in low Mg(2+). Our results suggest that the differential regulation of conserved genes may have ecological consequences, determining the range of niches a microorganism can occupy. | 2004 | 15569938 |
| 8946 | 19 | 0.9995 | Role of the CpxAR two-component signal transduction system in control of fosfomycin resistance and carbon substrate uptake. Although fosfomycin is an old antibiotic, it has resurfaced with particular interest. The antibiotic is still effective against many pathogens that are resistant to other commonly used antibiotics. We have found that fosfomycin resistance of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is controlled by the bacterial two-component signal transduction system CpxAR. A cpxA mutant lacking its phosphatase activity results in constitutive activation of its cognate response regulator, CpxR, and fosfomycin resistance. We have shown that fosfomycin resistance requires CpxR because deletion of the cpxR gene in the cpxA mutant restores fosfomycin sensitivity. We have also shown that CpxR directly represses the expression of two genes, glpT and uhpT, which encode transporters that cotransport fosfomycin with their native substrates glycerol-3-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate, and repression of these genes leads to a decrease in fosfomycin transport into the cpxA mutant. However, the cpxA mutant had an impaired growth phenotype when cultured with glycerol-3-phosphate or glucose-6-phosphate as a sole carbon substrate and was outcompeted by the parent strain, even in nutrient-rich medium. This suggests a trade-off between fosfomycin resistance and the biological fitness associated with carbon substrate uptake. We propose a role for the CpxAR system in the reversible control of fosfomycin resistance. This may be a beneficial strategy for bacteria to relieve the fitness burden that results from fosfomycin resistance in the absence of fosfomycin. | 2014 | 24163343 |