Project description:While significant advances have been made in EHEC pathogenesis, we still do not fully understand the impact of environmental stress on EHEC virulence. During the course of infection, EHEC must evade or overcome several biological barriers, the first of which is the gastric acidity encountered during passage through the stomach. EHEC is remarkable in its ability to tolerate this acidity. There are four different acid resistance systems that provide E. coli O157:H7 protection against exposure to low pH (2-2.5). Interestingly, EHEC uses these acid resistance systems differentially for survival in foods versus the bovine intestinal tract. The glutamate-dependent acid-resistance system is thought to offer the best protection below pH 3. Since the infectious dose of EHEC is so low (50-100 organisms), acid resistance becomes an important virulence trait. Studies of EHEC response to acid stress have focused primarily on levels of acid tolerance and the molecular basis of tolerance. However, the impact of acid stress on EHEC virulence is less well understood. In the related pathogen, EPEC, the plasmid-encoded regulator, Per, that regulates expression of many EPEC virulence factors, is regulated negatively at pH 5.5 and positively at pH 8.0, suggesting that virulence gene expression is repressed during mild acid stress and enhanced in alkaline pH typical of the small intestine. Expression of EPEC type III secreted factors involved in A/E lesion formation has been shown to be influenced by factors including culture media, iron and calcium levels. Protein secretion was inhibited at pH 6 and 8. In a third study, a gadE (encoding acid resistance regulator) mutation resulted in increased adhesion of E.coli O157:H7 to colonic epithelial cells, suggesting negative regulation of one or more adhesins. Other studies have reported that shiga toxin production is sensitive to culture conditions including pH. However, there are no studies of EHEC virulence changes after more severe acid stress nor studies linking stressed EHEC virulence phenotype with transcriptional changes. The goal of this study was to determine how acid stress affects EHEC virulence properties and through microarray analysis, define the genetic basis for these changes. Understanding how acid stress modulates the virulence potential of this pathogen is essential for delineating the pathogenesis of disease caused by EHEC infection and may offer novel approaches to prevent and treat EHEC infections. Bacteria were grown in LB broth overnight, then subcultured into DMEM and grown at 37C, 5%Co2. Bacteria were then subjected to one of three acid stress protocols: 1) UA30: growth in DMEM pH 7.4 followed by growth in DMEM pH 3.0 for 30 minutes; 2) AA30: growth in DMEM pH 5.0 (adaptation) followed by growth in DMEM pH 3.0; 3) UA15: growth in DMEM pH 7.4 followed by growth in DMEM pH 3.0 for 15 minutes. DMEM was supplemented with 25 mM MES (pH 5.0) and in the case of the control (unadapted, unshocked) 25 mM MOPS (pH 7.4) and the adaptation step was again carried out at 37C and 5% CO2. Acid shocking was done at pH 3.0 (unbuffered) at room temperature for all treatments

Project description:EHEC is a food-borne pathogen that colonizes human GI tract and leads to infection. To understand the process of colonization and to decipher if any factors secreted by intestinal epithelial cells help EHEC during the infection process, we studied expression of EHEC virulence gene expression when exposed to intestinal epithelial cell conditioned medium. In our study, we observed that exposure to epithelial cell conditioned medium for 1 h and 3 h increases expression of 32 out of 41 EHEC LEE virulence genes. In addition, expression of the shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) gene is up-regulated at 1 h of exposure. Also, 17 genes encoded by prophage 933W, including those for Stx2, are also upregulated at both time-points. The increase in 933W prophage expression is mirrored by a 2.7-fold increase in intracellular Stx2 phage titers. Consistent with the increase in virulence gene expression, we observed a 5-fold increase in EHEC attachment to epithelial cells when exposed to conditioned medium, suggesting that EHEC utilizes host cell molecules to increase virulence and infectivity. The molecule(s) responsible for increased EHEC virulence is heat-sensitive as heating the conditioned medium to 95oC abolishes the increase in attachment to epithelial cells. A similar decrease was observed when the conditioned medium was treated with proteinase-K to degrade the proteins. The secreted molecule(s) was found to be larger than 3 kDa and strongly suggests that the HCT-8 secreted molecule that increases EHEC virulence and colonization is a protein-based molecule. Affymetrix E. coli Genome 2.0 Arrays were used to determine the changes in EHEC virulence gene expression on exposure to intestinal epithelial cell-secreted factors (through growth in conditioned medium). Overnight cultures of EHEC were diluted in LB medium to a turbidity of 0.1 at 600 nm. The cells were allowed to grow to a turbidity of 1.0 at 600 nm at 37Â°C and the EHEC cells were then resuspended in either fresh or conditioned medium. The cultures were then allowed to grow for 1 h or 3 h before cell pellets were collected by centrifugation and stored at -80Â°C. Total RNA was isolated from the cell pellets (173) and RNA quality was assessed using gel electrophoresis. Escherichia coli Genome 2.0 arrays (Affymetrix, Santa Clara, CA, USA) containing 10,208 probe sets for all 20,366 genes present in four strains of E. coli, including EHEC, were used to profile changes in gene expression using RNA samples for each treatment.

Project description:Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), including serotype O157:H7, cause severe food-borne illness. On route to the human colon, they encounter and resist, numerous anti-microbial ingestion stresses. We hypothesize that these stresses cue EHEC to alter virulence properties. This study investigated the impact of bile salts on virulence properties and examined the genetic basis of the phenotypes. Established assays were used to examine adhesion to human epithelial cells, motility, verotoxin (VT) production and antimicrobial resistance with/without bile salt stress. Bacteria treated for 90 minute in DMEM plus 0.15% (w/v) bile salt mix demonstrated significantly enhanced adhesion to epithelial cells and resistance to several antibiotics but did not increase motility or VT production. To determine the genetic basis of these phenotypes a microarray experiment was conducted. EHEC strain 86-24, in mid-log phase of growth, were grown in DMEM pH 7.4 (control), or DMEM plus bile salt mix (0.15% w/v), for 90 minutes, statically at 37˚C, 5% CO2 prior to harvesting RNA for the microarray study. Four biological replicates were produced for each treatment. Microarray and gene expression analysis (semi-quantitative RT-PCR and beta-galactosidase reporter assays) of bile salt-treated EHEC revealed significant up-regulation of genes for lipid A modification, fimbriae, an efflux pump, and a two-component regulatory system relative to the bacteria grown in DMEM alone. This work points to several mechanisms that EHEC employs to resist the stresses of the human small intestine, notably efflux, antimicrobial resistance, and outer membrane alterations. Bile salts enhanced the virulence-related properties of increased adhesion and resistance to antimicrobials but not VT production or motility. This research contributes to our understanding of how EHEC senses and responds to host environmental signals and the mechanisms this pathogen uses to successfully colonize and infect the human host. Bacteria were grown in LB broth overnight with shaking, then subcultured into DMEM and grown statically at 37˚C, 5%CO2 to mid-log phase. Bacteria were then subjected to one of two 90 minute treatments: 1) Control: DMEM pH 7.4, or 2) Bile Salt Stress: DMEM pH 7.4 plus 0.15%, grown statically at 37˚C, 5%CO2.

Project description:The ability to respond to stress is at the core of an organismâs survival. The hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine play a central role in stress responses in mammals, which require the synchronized interaction of the whole neuroendocrine system. Bacteria also sense and respond to epinephrine and norepinephrine as a means to gauge the metabolic and immune state of the host. Mammalian adrenergic receptors are G-coupled protein receptors (GPCRs), bacteria, however, sense these hormones through histidine sensor kinases (HKs). HKs autophosphorylate in response to multiple signals and transfer this phosphate to response regulators (RRs). Two bacterial adrenergic receptors have been identified in EHEC, QseC and QseE, with QseE being downstream of QseC in this signaling cascade. We mapped the QseC signaling cascade in the deadly pathogen enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), which exploits this signaling system to promote disease. Through QseC, EHEC activates expression of metabolic, virulence and stress response genes, synchronizing the cell response to these stress hormones. Coordination of these responses is achieved by QseC phosphorylating three of the thirty two EHEC RRs. The QseB RR, which is QseCâs cognate RR, activates the flagella regulon which controls bacteria motility and chemotaxis. The QseF RR, which is phosphorylated by the QseE adrenergic sensor, coordinates expression of virulence genes involved in formation of lesions in the intestinal epithelia by EHEC, and the bacterial SOS stress response. The third RR, KdpE, controls potassium uptake, osmolarity response, and also the formation of lesions in the intestine. Adrenergic regulation of bacterial gene expression shares several parallels with mammalian adrenergic signaling having profound effects in the whole organism. Understanding adrenergic regulation of a bacterial cell is a powerful approach to study the underlying mechanisms of stress and cellular survival. Experiment Overall Design: Microarray comparisons reveal some trends with respect to signaling cascades. Comparative methods were used to identify networks.

Project description:While significant advances have been made in EHEC pathogenesis, we still do not fully understand the impact of environmental stress on EHEC virulence. During the course of infection, EHEC must evade or overcome several biological barriers, the first of which is the gastric acidity encountered during passage through the stomach. EHEC is remarkable in its ability to tolerate this acidity. There are four different acid resistance systems that provide E. coli O157:H7 protection against exposure to low pH (2-2.5). Interestingly, EHEC uses these acid resistance systems differentially for survival in foods versus the bovine intestinal tract. The glutamate-dependent acid-resistance system is thought to offer the best protection below pH 3. Since the infectious dose of EHEC is so low (50-100 organisms), acid resistance becomes an important virulence trait. Studies of EHEC response to acid stress have focused primarily on levels of acid tolerance and the molecular basis of tolerance. However, the impact of acid stress on EHEC virulence is less well understood. In the related pathogen, EPEC, the plasmid-encoded regulator, Per, that regulates expression of many EPEC virulence factors, is regulated negatively at pH 5.5 and positively at pH 8.0, suggesting that virulence gene expression is repressed during mild acid stress and enhanced in alkaline pH typical of the small intestine. Expression of EPEC type III secreted factors involved in A/E lesion formation has been shown to be influenced by factors including culture media, iron and calcium levels. Protein secretion was inhibited at pH 6 and 8. In a third study, a gadE (encoding acid resistance regulator) mutation resulted in increased adhesion of E.coli O157:H7 to colonic epithelial cells, suggesting negative regulation of one or more adhesins. Other studies have reported that shiga toxin production is sensitive to culture conditions including pH. However, there are no studies of EHEC virulence changes after more severe acid stress nor studies linking stressed EHEC virulence phenotype with transcriptional changes. The goal of this study was to determine how acid stress affects EHEC virulence properties and through microarray analysis, define the genetic basis for these changes. Understanding how acid stress modulates the virulence potential of this pathogen is essential for delineating the pathogenesis of disease caused by EHEC infection and may offer novel approaches to prevent and treat EHEC infections.

Project description:Opioids analgesics are frequently prescribed in the United States and worldwide. However, serious side effects such as addiction, immunosuppression and gastrointestinal symptoms limit their use. It has been recently demonstrated that morphine treatment results in significant disruption in gut barrier function leading to increased translocation of gut commensal bacteria. Further study indicated distinct alterations in the gut microbiome and metabolome following morphine treatment, contributing to the negative consequences associated with opioid use. However, it is unclear how opioids modulate gut homeostasis in the context of a hospital acquired bacterial infection. In the current study, a mouse model of C. rodentium infection was used to investigate the role of morphine in the modulation of gut homeostasis in the context of a hospital acquired bacterial infection. Citrobacter rodentium is a natural mouse pathogen that models intestinal infection by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and causes attaching and effacing lesions and colonic hyperplasia. Morphine treatment resulted in 1) the promotion of C. rodentium systemic dissemination, 2) increase in virulence factors expression with C. rodentium colonization in intestinal contents, 3) altered gut microbiome, 4) damaged integrity of gut epithelial barrier function, 5) inhibition of C. rodentium-induced increase in goblet cells, and 6) dysregulated IL-17A immune response. This is the first study to demonstrate that morphine promotes pathogen dissemination in the context of intestinal C. rodentium infection, indicating morphine modulates virulence factor-mediated adhesion of pathogenic bacteria and induces disruption of mucosal host defense during C. rodentium intestinal infection in mice. This study demonstrates and further validates a positive correlation between opioid drug use/abuse and increased risk of infections, suggesting over-prescription of opioids may increase the risk in the emergence of pathogenic strains and should be used cautiously. Therapeutics directed at maintaining gut homeostasis during opioid use may reduce the comorbidities associated with opioid use for pain management.

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Enterococcus faecalis downregulates virulence genes of EHEC

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