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  • 1
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Springer Science and Business Media LLC ; 2020
    In:  Scientific Reports Vol. 10, No. 1 ( 2020-06-10)
    In: Scientific Reports, Springer Science and Business Media LLC, Vol. 10, No. 1 ( 2020-06-10)
    Abstract: Neisseria gonorrhoeae , the causative agent of gonorrhea, is an exclusive human pathogen whose growing antibiotic resistance is causing worldwide concern. The increasing rise of antibiotic resistance expressed by gonococci highlights the need to find alternative approaches to current gonorrhea treatment such as vaccine development or novel therapeutics. The gonococcal OmpA protein was previously identified as a potential vaccine candidate due to its conservation and stable expression amongst strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae . However, factors that might modulate levels of OmpA and therefore potential vaccine efficacy are unknown. Earlier work indicated that ompA is part of the MisR/MisS regulon and suggested that it was a MisR-activated gene. Herein, we confirmed MisR/MisS regulation of ompA and report that the MisR response regulator can bind upstream of the ompA translational start codon. Further, we describe the contribution of a DNA sequence upstream of the ompA promoter that is critical for MisR activation of ompA transcription. Our results provide a framework for understanding the transcription of gonococcal ompA through a regulatory system known to be important for survival of gonococci during experimental infection.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2045-2322
    Language: English
    Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2615211-3
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  • 2
    In: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 60, No. 8 ( 2016-08), p. 4690-4700
    Abstract: During infection, the sexually transmitted pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae (the gonococcus) encounters numerous host-derived antimicrobials, including cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) produced by epithelial and phagocytic cells. CAMPs have both direct and indirect killing mechanisms and help link the innate and adaptive immune responses during infection. Gonococcal CAMP resistance is likely important for avoidance of host nonoxidative killing systems expressed by polymorphonuclear granulocytes (e.g., neutrophils) and intracellular survival. Previously studied gonococcal CAMP resistance mechanisms include modification of lipid A with phosphoethanolamine by LptA and export of CAMPs by the MtrCDE efflux pump. In the related pathogen Neisseria meningitidis , a two-component regulatory system (2CRS) termed MisR-MisS has been shown to contribute to the capacity of the meningococcus to resist CAMP killing. We report that the gonococcal MisR response regulator but not the MisS sensor kinase is involved in constitutive and inducible CAMP resistance and is also required for intrinsic low-level resistance to aminoglycosides. The 4- to 8-fold increased susceptibility of misR -deficient gonococci to CAMPs and aminoglycosides was independent of phosphoethanolamine decoration of lipid A and the levels of the MtrCDE efflux pump and seemed to correlate with a general increase in membrane permeability. Transcriptional profiling and biochemical studies confirmed that expression of lptA and mtrCDE was not impacted by the loss of MisR. However, several genes encoding proteins involved in membrane integrity and redox control gave evidence of being MisR regulated. We propose that MisR modulates the levels of gonococcal susceptibility to antimicrobials by influencing the expression of genes involved in determining membrane integrity.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0066-4804 , 1098-6596
    RVK:
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2016
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1496156-8
    SSG: 12
    SSG: 15,3
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  • 3
    In: mBio, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 11, No. 3 ( 2020-06-30)
    Abstract: Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an obligate human pathogen and causative agent of the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhea. The most predominant and clinically important multidrug efflux system in N. gonorrhoeae is the m ultiple t ransferrable r esistance (Mtr) pump, which mediates resistance to a number of different classes of structurally diverse antimicrobial agents, including clinically used antibiotics (e.g., β-lactams and macrolides), dyes, detergents and host-derived antimicrobials (e.g., cationic antimicrobial peptides and bile salts). Recently, it has been found that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the mtrD gene can result in amino acid changes that increase the MtrD multidrug efflux pump activity, probably by influencing antimicrobial recognition and/or extrusion to elevate the level of antibiotic resistance. Here, we report drug-bound solution structures of the MtrD multidrug efflux pump carrying a mosaic-like sequence using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy, with the antibiotics bound deeply inside the periplasmic domain of the pump. Through this structural approach coupled with genetic studies, we identify critical amino acids that are important for drug resistance and propose a mechanism for proton translocation. IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae has become a highly antimicrobial-resistant Gram-negative pathogen. Multidrug efflux is a major mechanism that N. gonorrhoeae uses to counteract the action of multiple classes of antibiotics. It appears that gonococci bearing mosaic-like sequences within the gene mtrD , encoding the most predominant and clinically important transporter of any gonococcal multidrug efflux pump, significantly elevate drug resistance and enhance transport function. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy (EM) structures of N. gonorrhoeae MtrD carrying a mosaic-like sequence that allow us to understand the mechanism of drug recognition. Our work will ultimately inform structure-guided drug design for inhibiting these critical multidrug efflux pumps.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2161-2129 , 2150-7511
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2020
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2557172-2
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  • 4
    In: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 66, No. 5 ( 2022-05-17)
    Abstract: The continued emergence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates which are resistant to first-line antibiotics has reinvigorated interest in alternative therapies such as expanded use of gentamicin (Gen). We hypothesized that expanded use of Gen promotes emergence of gonococci with clinical resistance to this aminoglycoside. To understand how decreased susceptibility of gonococci to Gen might develop, we selected spontaneous low-level Gen-resistant (Gen R ) mutants (Gen MIC = 32 μg/mL) of the Gen-susceptible strain FA19. Consequently, we identified a novel missense mutation in fusA , which encodes elongation factor G (EF-G), causing an alanine (A) to valine (V) substitution at amino acid position 563 in domain IV of EF-G; the mutant allele was termed fusA2 . Transformation analysis showed that fusA2 could increase the Gen MIC by 4-fold. While possession of fusA2 did not impair either in vitro gonococcal growth or protein synthesis, it did result in a fitness defect during experimental infection of the lower genital tract in female mice. Through bioinformatic analysis of whole-genome sequences of 10,634 international gonococcal clinical isolates, other fusA alleles were frequently detected, but genetic studies revealed that they could not decrease Gen susceptibility in a similar manner to fusA2 . In contrast to these diverse international fusA alleles, the fusA2- encoded A563V substitution was detected in only a single gonococcal clinical isolate. We hypothesize that the rare occurrence of fusA2 in N. gonorrhoeae clinical isolates is likely due to a fitness cost during infection, but compensatory mutations which alleviate this fitness cost could emerge and promote Gen R in global strains.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0066-4804 , 1098-6596
    RVK:
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2022
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1496156-8
    SSG: 12
    SSG: 15,3
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  • 5
    Online Resource
    Online Resource
    Oxford University Press (OUP) ; 2023
    In:  Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy Vol. 78, No. 7 ( 2023-07-05), p. 1769-1778
    In: Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Oxford University Press (OUP), Vol. 78, No. 7 ( 2023-07-05), p. 1769-1778
    Abstract: Gentamicin is used in several alternative treatments for gonorrhoea. Verified clinical Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with gentamicin resistance are mainly lacking and understanding the mechanisms for gonococcal gentamicin resistance is imperative. We selected gentamicin resistance in gonococci in vitro, identified the novel gentamicin-resistance mutations, and examined the biofitness of a high-level gentamicin-resistant mutant. Methods Low- and high-level gentamicin resistance was selected in WHO X (gentamicin MIC = 4 mg/L) on gentamicin-gradient agar plates. Selected mutants were whole-genome sequenced. Potential gentamicin-resistance fusA mutations were transformed into WT strains to verify their impact on gentamicin MICs. The biofitness of high-level gentamicin-resistant mutants was examined using a competitive assay in a hollow-fibre infection model. Results WHO X mutants with gentamicin MICs of up to 128 mg/L were selected. Primarily selected fusA mutations were further investigated, and fusAR635L and fusAM520I + R635L were particularly interesting. Different mutations in fusA and ubiM were found in low-level gentamicin-resistant mutants, while fusAM520I was associated with high-level gentamicin resistance. Protein structure predictions showed that fusAM520I is located in domain IV of the elongation factor-G (EF-G). The high-level gentamicin-resistant WHO X mutant was outcompeted by the gentamicin-susceptible WHO X parental strain, suggesting lower biofitness. Conclusions We describe the first high-level gentamicin-resistant gonococcal isolate (MIC = 128 mg/L), which was selected in vitro through experimental evolution. The most substantial increases of the gentamicin MICs were caused by mutations in fusA (G1560A and G1904T encoding EF-G M520I and R635L, respectively) and ubiM (D186N). The high-level gentamicin-resistant N. gonorrhoeae mutant showed impaired biofitness.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0305-7453 , 1460-2091
    Language: English
    Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1467478-6
    SSG: 15,3
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  • 6
    In: Infection and Immunity, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 84, No. 5 ( 2016-05), p. 1514-1525
    Abstract: Haemophilus ducreyi causes the sexually transmitted disease chancroid in adults and cutaneous ulcers in children. In humans, H. ducreyi resides in an abscess and must adapt to a variety of stresses. Previous studies (D. Gangaiah, M. Labandeira-Rey, X. Zhang, K. R. Fortney, S. Ellinger, B. Zwickl, B. Baker, Y. Liu, D. M. Janowicz, B. P. Katz, C. A. Brautigam, R. S. Munson, Jr., E. J. Hansen, and S. M. Spinola, mBio 5:e01081-13, 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01081-13 ) suggested that H. ducreyi encounters growth conditions in human lesions resembling those found in stationary phase. However, how H. ducreyi transcriptionally responds to stress during human infection is unknown. Here, we determined the H. ducreyi transcriptome in biopsy specimens of human lesions and compared it to the transcriptomes of bacteria grown to mid-log, transition, and stationary phases. Multidimensional scaling showed that the in vivo transcriptome is distinct from those of in vitro growth. Compared to the inoculum (mid-log-phase bacteria), H. ducreyi harvested from pustules differentially expressed ∼93 genes, of which 62 were upregulated. The upregulated genes encode homologs of proteins involved in nutrient transport, alternative carbon pathways ( l -ascorbate utilization and metabolism), growth arrest response, heat shock response, DNA recombination, and anaerobiosis. H. ducreyi upregulated few genes ( hgbA , flp-tad , and lspB-lspA2 ) encoding virulence determinants required for human infection. Most genes regulated by CpxRA, RpoE, Hfq, (p)ppGpp, and DksA, which control the expression of virulence determinants and adaptation to a variety of stresses, were not differentially expressed in vivo , suggesting that these systems are cycling on and off during infection. Taken together, these data suggest that the in vivo transcriptome is distinct from those of in vitro growth and that adaptation to nutrient stress and anaerobiosis is crucial for H. ducreyi survival in humans.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0019-9567 , 1098-5522
    RVK:
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2016
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1483247-1
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  • 7
    In: Infection and Immunity, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 83, No. 8 ( 2015-08), p. 3281-3292
    Abstract: The (p)ppGpp-mediated stringent response is important for bacterial survival in nutrient limiting conditions. For maximal effect, (p)ppGpp interacts with the cofactor DksA, which stabilizes (p)ppGpp's interaction with RNA polymerase. We previously demonstrated that (p)ppGpp was required for the virulence of Haemophilus ducreyi in humans. Here, we constructed an H. ducreyi dksA mutant and showed it was also partially attenuated for pustule formation in human volunteers. To understand the roles of (p)ppGpp and DksA in gene regulation in H. ducreyi , we defined genes potentially altered by (p)ppGpp and DksA deficiency using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). In bacteria collected at stationary phase, lack of (p)ppGpp and DksA altered expression of 28% and 17% of H. ducreyi open reading frames, respectively, including genes involved in transcription, translation, and metabolism. There was significant overlap in genes differentially expressed in the (p)ppGpp mutant relative to the dksA mutant. Loss of (p)ppGpp or DksA resulted in the dysregulation of several known virulence determinants. Deletion of dksA downregulated lspB and rendered the organism less resistant to phagocytosis and increased its sensitivity to oxidative stress. Both mutants had reduced ability to attach to human foreskin fibroblasts; the defect correlated with reduced expression of the Flp adhesin proteins in the (p)ppGpp mutant but not in the dksA mutant, suggesting that DksA regulates the expression of an unknown cofactor(s) required for Flp-mediated adherence. We conclude that both (p)ppGpp and DksA serve as major regulators of H. ducreyi gene expression in stationary phase and have both overlapping and unique contributions to pathogenesis.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 0019-9567 , 1098-5522
    RVK:
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2015
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 1483247-1
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  • 8
    In: mBio, American Society for Microbiology
    Abstract: Herein, we report that the gene encoding a conserved gonococcal surface-exposed vaccine candidate (OmpA) is activated by a heretofore undescribed XRE family transcription factor, which we term NceR. We report that NceR regulation of ompA expression in N. gonorrhoeae is mediated by an iron-dependent mechanism, while the previously described MisR regulatory system is iron-independent. Our study highlights the importance of defining the complexity of coordinated genetic and physiologic systems that regulate genes encoding vaccine candidates to better understand their availability during infection.
    Type of Medium: Online Resource
    ISSN: 2150-7511
    Language: English
    Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
    Publication Date: 2023
    detail.hit.zdb_id: 2557172-2
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