Delineation of the pH-responsive regulon controlled by the Helicobacter pylori ArsRS two2 component system

ABSTRACT: Helicobacter pylori encounters a wide range of pH within the human stomach. In a comparison of H. pylori cultured in vitro under neutral or acidic conditions, about 15% of genes are26 differentially expressed, and corresponding changes are detectable for many of the encoded proteins. The ArsRS two-component system (TCS), comprised of the sensor kinase ArsS and its cognate response regulator ArsR, has an important role in mediating pH-responsive changes in H. pylori gene expression. In this study, we sought to delineate the pH-responsive ArsRS regulon and further define the role of ArsR in pH-responsive gene expression. We compared H. pylori strains containing an intact ArsRS system with an arsS null mutant or strains containing site32 specific mutations of a conserved aspartate residue (D52) in ArsR, which is phosphorylated in response to signals relayed by the cognate sensor kinase ArsS. We identified 178 genes that were pH-responsive in strains containing an intact ArsRS system but not in ∆arsS or arsR mutants. These constituents of the pH-responsive ArsRS regulon include genes involved in acid acclimatization (ureAB, amidases), oxidative stress responses (katA, sodB), transcriptional regulation related to iron or nickel homeostasis (fur, nikR), and genes encoding outer membrane proteins [including sabA, alpA, alpB, hopD (labA), and horA]. When comparing H. pylori strains containing an intact ArsRS TCS with arsRS mutants, each cultured at neutral pH, relatively few genes are differentially expressed. Collectively, these data suggest that ArsRS41 mediated gene regulation has an important role in H. pylori adaptation to changing pH conditions.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive

ORGANISM(S): Helicobacter Pylori J99 (campylobacter Pylori J99)

SUBMITTER: Hayes McDonald  

LAB HEAD: Timothy L. Cover

PROVIDER: PXD023679 | Pride | 2022-02-16

REPOSITORIES: Pride