Project description:Staphylococcus aureus thymidine-dependent small-colony variants (TD-SCVs) are frequently isolated from patients with chronic S. aureus infections after long-term treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX). In TD-SCVs, mutations of thymidylate synthase (thyA, TS), essential for DNA synthesis, occur. However, it has never been shown, that TMP-SMX is responsible for the induction and selection of TD-SCVs. Short-term exposure of TMP-SMX induced the TD-SCV phenotype morphologically as shown in transmission electron-microscopy and on the transcriptional level by qRT-PCR in wild-type S. aureus, while selection of TD-SCVs with thyA mutations occurred only rarely after long-term exposure. In reversion experiments with clinical TD-SCVs, all revertants revealed compensating mutations at the initially identified mutation site. Whole DNA microarray analysis of a thyA deletion mutant (M-bM-^HM-^FthyA), which exhibited the typical TD-SCV phenotype, identified tremendous alterations compared to the wild-type. Important virulence regulators such as agr, arlRS, sarA and major virulence determinants including hla, hlb, sspA, sspB and geh were down-regulated, while genes associated with the colonization capacity like fnbA, fnbB, spa, clfB, sdrC and sdrD were up-regulated. The expression of genes involved in pyrimidine and purine metabolism as well as in nucleotide interconversion changed significantly. The M-bM-^HM-^FthyA-mutant was attenuated in virulence in both, a Caenorhabditis elegans killing model and an acute murine pneumonia model. Furthermore, competition experiments in vitro and in vivo (using a chronic pneumonia mouse model) revealed a survival and growth advantage of the M-bM-^HM-^FthyA-mutant under low thymidine conditions and TMP-SMX exposure. In conclusion, our results clearly show for the first time that TMP-SMX induces the TD-SCV phenotype after short-term exposure in S. aureus and that long-term exposure selects thyA mutations providing an advantage for TD-SCVs under specified conditions. Thus, our results help to understand the dynamic processes of induction and selection of S. aureus TD-SCVs during TMP-SMX exposure. 18 independent samples were analysed; for each isolate and time point 3 replicates were performed

Project description:We have observed that for a number of S. aureus strains as they switch to a SCV lifestyle there is the formation of an extracellular matrix. We focused our analysis on one strain, WCH-SK2. For bacterial survival in the host, the combination of low nutrients and the prolonged timeframe forms a stress that selects for a specific cell-type from the population. In this context, we used steady-state growth conditions with low nutrients and a controlled low growth rate, for a prolonged time and with methylglyoxal. These conditions induced S. aureus WCH-SK2 into a stable SCV cell-type, they did not revert after sub-culturing. Methods: Transcriptomic profiles of wild-type (WT) and SCV were generated in continuous culture in the presence of stress (high and low level of methylglyoxal). Results: Analysis revealed these cells possessed a metabolic and surface profile that was different from previously described SCVs or biofilm cells. The extracellular matrix was protein and extracellular DNA; but not polysaccharide. The SCV cells induced expression of certain surface proteins (such as Ebh) and lantibiotic synthesis while down-regulating factors that stimulates immune response (leucocidin, capsule, carotenoid). We also studied further their genetic characteristics. They possessed an increased viability in the presence of antibiotics compared to their non-SCV form. Their stability implied there had been genetic changes, we determined the whole genome sequence of WCH-SK2 and its stable SCV forms at a single base resolution, employing Single Molecular Real-Time (SMRT) sequencing that also enables the methylome to be determined. The genetic features of this isolate have been identified; the SCCmec type, the pathogenicity and genetic islands and virulence factors. The comparison has identified a set of genetic changes that occurred in the stable SCV form; most notably to the global regulator MgrA and the phosphoserine phosphatase RsbU (part of the regulatory pathway of the sigma factor SigB). There was a shift in the methylation across the genome. Conclusions: Our data reveal a cell heterogeneity within a S. aureus population and using conditions that resemble long-term survival in the host has identified a previously unnoticed S. aureus cell-type, with a distinctive metabolic and molecular profile. The results from this study represent a unique identification of a suite of epigenetic, genetic and transcriptional factors that are implicated in the switch in S. aureus to its persistent SCV form

Project description:Background Small colony variants (SCVs) are slow-growing bacteria, which often show increased resistance to antibiotics and cause latent or recurrent infections. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms at the basis of this phenotypic switch. Methodology/Principal findings One SCV (termed PAO-SCV) was isolated, showing high resistance to gentamicin and to the cephalosporine cefotaxime. PAO-SCV was prone to reversion as evidenced by emergence of large colonies with a frequency of 10-5 on media without antibiotics while it was stably maintained in presence of gentamicin. PAO-SCV showed a delayed growth, defective motility, and strongly reduced levels of the quorum sensing Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). Whole genome expression analysis further suggested a multi-layered antibiotic resistance mechanism, including simultaneous over-expression of two drug efflux pumps (MexAB-OprM, MexXY-OprM), the LPS modification operon arnBCADTEF, and the PhoP-PhoQ two-component system. Conversely, the genes for the synthesis of PQS were strongly down-regulated in PAOSCV. Finally, genomic analysis revealed the presence of mutations in phoP and phoQ genes as well as in the mexZ gene encoding a repressor of the mexXY and mexABoprM genes. Only one mutation occurred only in REV, at nucleotide 1020 of the tufA gene, a paralog of tufB, both encoding the elongation factor Tu, causing a change of the rarely used aspartic acid codon GAU to the more common GAC, possibly causing an increase of tufA mRNA translation. High expression of phoP and phoQ was confirmed for the SCV variant while the revertant showed expression levels reduced to wild-type levels. Conclusions By combining data coming from phenotypic, gene expression and proteome analysis, we could demonstrate that resistance to aminoglycosides in one SCV mutant is multifactorial including overexpression of efflux mechanisms, LPS modification and is accompanied by a drastic down-regulation of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal quorum sensing system. We used microarrays to study changes in gene expression during early and late stationary phase of SCV and WT strains. SCV and WT cultures were grown in triplicate until early (24h) and late (48h) stationary phase. RNA was extracted, labelled and hybridised on Affymetrix P. aeruginosa expression microarrays.

Project description:Background Small colony variants (SCVs) are slow-growing bacteria, which often show increased resistance to antibiotics and cause latent or recurrent infections. It is therefore important to understand the mechanisms at the basis of this phenotypic switch. Methodology/Principal findings One SCV (termed PAO-SCV) was isolated, showing high resistance to gentamicin and to the cephalosporine cefotaxime. PAO-SCV was prone to reversion as evidenced by emergence of large colonies with a frequency of 10-5 on media without antibiotics while it was stably maintained in presence of gentamicin. PAO-SCV showed a delayed growth, defective motility, and strongly reduced levels of the quorum sensing Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS). Whole genome expression analysis further suggested a multi-layered antibiotic resistance mechanism, including simultaneous over-expression of two drug efflux pumps (MexAB-OprM, MexXY-OprM), the LPS modification operon arnBCADTEF, and the PhoP-PhoQ two-component system. Conversely, the genes for the synthesis of PQS were strongly down-regulated in PAOSCV. Finally, genomic analysis revealed the presence of mutations in phoP and phoQ genes as well as in the mexZ gene encoding a repressor of the mexXY and mexABoprM genes. Only one mutation occurred only in REV, at nucleotide 1020 of the tufA gene, a paralog of tufB, both encoding the elongation factor Tu, causing a change of the rarely used aspartic acid codon GAU to the more common GAC, possibly causing an increase of tufA mRNA translation. High expression of phoP and phoQ was confirmed for the SCV variant while the revertant showed expression levels reduced to wild-type levels. Conclusions By combining data coming from phenotypic, gene expression and proteome analysis, we could demonstrate that resistance to aminoglycosides in one SCV mutant is multifactorial including overexpression of efflux mechanisms, LPS modification and is accompanied by a drastic down-regulation of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal quorum sensing system. We used microarrays to study changes in gene expression during early and late stationary phase of SCV and WT strains.

Dataset Information

The iron starvation response of the Staphylococcus aureus hemB small colony variant (SCV)

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure