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Project description:Intestinal colonization by Klebsiella pneumoniae is recognized as a pivotal prerequisite for its systemic dissemination and subsequent invasive infection; however, the metabolic basis and regulatory mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. In this study, we employed transposon insertion sequencing (Tn-seq) to systematically identify metabolic genes associated with intestinal colonization in hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp). By integrating high-throughput screening with in vivo phenotypic validation, we identified the global transcriptional regulator DksA as a key factor that markedly enhances hvKp intestinal colonization. Mechanistically, DksA appears to promote colonization by enhancing carbon source metabolism. Combined transcriptomic analyses with homology modeling and molecular dynamics simulations further revealed that DksA induces cascade allosteric remodeling of key RNA polymerase structural domains, thereby enhancing hvKp utilization of common intestinal carbon sources and facilitating intestinal colonization. Collectively, our findings highlight the critical role of transcriptionally regulated metabolic plasticity in hvKp intestinal colonization and provide a theoretical framework and potential targets for developing anti-colonization strategies that exploit pathogen metabolic vulnerabilities.
2026-03-18 | GSE324122 | GEO
Project description:High-resolution single-cell RNA-seq reveals the immune landscape of hvKp-infected lungs
2023-12-26 | GSE220594 | GEO
Project description:Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is a significant pathogen causing severe community-acquired infections, characterized by the presence of a virulence plasmid. The plasmid-encoded regulator of mucoid phenotype A (RmpA) activates the expression of capsule genes, resulting in a hypermucoviscosity phenotype strongly associated with increased virulence. RmpA features a LuxR DNA-binding domain and a signaling-responsive domain, typical of proteins that regulate multiple biological processes. However, the comprehensive regulatory mechanisms of RmpA in hvKp remain unclear. Herein, RNA-seq showed that RmpA activates carbohydrate metabolism pathways while repressing those related to DNA replication, ribosome metabolism, and biofilm formation. ChIP-seq further confirmed RmpA’s role as a global regulator that not only enhances capsule production by activating transcripts within the capsule locus, but also upregulates the expression of key genes involved in synthesizing capsule precursors. RmpA regulates the phenotypic switch between hypermucoviscosity and biofilm formation by repressing type III fimbriae genes. In addition, Expression of RmpA in Escherichia coli induced global transcriptional changes, suggesting it functions as a global regulator across species. These findings position RmpA as a central regulator in hvKp, orchestrating metabolic pathways and phenotypic traits essential for virulence.
2025-01-14 | GSE286111 | GEO
Project description:Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (HvKP) is an emerging human pathogen causing invasive infection in immune-competent hosts. The hypervirulence is strongly linked to the overproduction of hypermucovisous capsule, but the underlining regulatory mechanism of hypermucoviscosity (HMV) has been elusive, especially at the post-transcriptional level mediated by small RNAs (sRNAs). Using a recently developed RNA interactome profiling approach, we have investigated the Hfq-associated sRNA regulatory network and established the first in vivo RNA-RNA interactome in HvKP. Our data reveal numerous interactions between sRNAs and HMV-related mRNAs, and identify a plethora of sRNA that inhibit or promote HMV. One of the strongest repressors of HMV was ArcZ, a conserved sRNA in the Enterobacteriaceae family. We found that ArcZ is activated by the master regulator of catabolite repression Crp, and down-regulates the expression of mlaA encoding an outer-membrane lipoprotein, leading to decreased HMV and virulence attenuation in mice. ArcZ significantly reduced HMV in several carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent clinical isolates with diverse genetic background, suggesting it is an antisense RNA inhibitor of HMV with therapeutic potential. In summary, our work provides a comprehensive map of the RNA-RNA interaction network of HvKP and identifies ArcZ as a conserved repressor of HMV, providing novel insights into the mechanisms of posttranscriptional regulations of virulence.
2024-07-17 | GSE260738 | GEO
Project description:The emergence of hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKP) strains poses a significant threat to public health due to their high mortality rates and propensity to cause severe community-acquired infections in otherwise healthy individuals. The ability of hvKP to form biofilms and produce a protective capsule contributes to its enhanced virulence and is a significant challenge to effective antibiotic treatment. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying hvKP virulence and biofilm formation is crucial for developing new therapeutic strategies. Polyphosphate Kinase 1 (PPK1) is an enzyme responsible for inorganic polyphosphate synthesis and plays a vital role in regulating various physiological processes in bacteria. In this study, we investigated the impact of polyP metabolism on the biofilm and capsule formation and virulence traits in hvKP using Dictyostelium discoideum amoeba as a model host. We found that the PPK1 null-mutant was impaired in biofilm and capsule formation and showed attenuated virulence in D. discoideum compared to the wild-type strain. We performed a shotgun proteomic analysis of the PPK1 mutant and wild-type strain to gain further insight into the underlying molecular mechanism. The results revealed that the PPK1 mutant had a differential expression of proteins (DEP) involved in capsule synthesis (Wzi - Ugd), biofilm formation (MrkC-D-H), synthesis of the colibactin genotoxin precursor (ClbB), as well as proteins associated with the synthesis and modification of lipid A (ArnB -LpxC - PagP). These proteomic findings corroborate the phenotypic observations and indicate that the PPK1 mutation is associated with impaired biofilm and capsule formation and attenuated virulence in hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. Overall, our study highlights the importance of polyP synthesis in regulating extracellular biomolecules and virulence in K. pneumoniae and provides insights into potential therapeutic targets for treating K. pneumoniae infections.
2024-08-23 | PXD046644 | Pride
Project description:Hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (hvKp) is a significant pathogen causing severe community-acquired infections, characterized by the presence of a virulence plasmid. The plasmid-encoded regulator of mucoid phenotype A (RmpA) activates the expression of capsule genes, resulting in a hypermucoviscosity phenotype strongly associated with increased virulence. RmpA features a LuxR DNA-binding domain and a signaling-responsive domain, typical of proteins that regulate multiple biological processes. However, the comprehensive regulatory mechanisms of RmpA in hvKp remain unclear. Herein, RNA-seq showed that RmpA activates carbohydrate metabolism pathways while repressing those related to DNA replication, ribosome metabolism, and biofilm formation. ChIP-seq further confirmed RmpA’s role as a global regulator that not only enhances capsule production by activating transcripts within the capsule locus, but also upregulates the expression of key genes involved in synthesizing capsule precursors. RmpA regulates the phenotypic switch between hypermucoviscosity and biofilm formation by repressing type III fimbriae genes. In addition, Expression of RmpA in Escherichia coli induced global transcriptional changes, suggesting it functions as a global regulator across species. These findings position RmpA as a central regulator in hvKp, orchestrating metabolic pathways and phenotypic traits essential for virulence.
2025-01-14 | GSE286114 | GEO