-
Nature Microbiology Aug 2023Efficient colonization of mucosal surfaces is essential for opportunistic pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but how bacteria collectively and individually adapt to...
Efficient colonization of mucosal surfaces is essential for opportunistic pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but how bacteria collectively and individually adapt to optimize adherence, virulence and dispersal is largely unclear. Here we identified a stochastic genetic switch, hecR-hecE, which is expressed bimodally and generates functionally distinct bacterial subpopulations to balance P. aeruginosa growth and dispersal on surfaces. HecE inhibits the phosphodiesterase BifA and stimulates the diguanylate cyclase WspR to increase c-di-GMP second messenger levels and promote surface colonization in a subpopulation of cells; low-level HecE-expressing cells disperse. The fraction of HecE cells is tuned by different stress factors and determines the balance between biofilm formation and long-range cell dispersal of surface-grown communities. We also demonstrate that the HecE pathway represents a druggable target to effectively counter P. aeruginosa surface colonization. Exposing such binary states opens up new ways to control mucosal infections by a major human pathogen.
Topics: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Bacterial Adhesion; Biofilms
PubMed: 37291227
DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01403-0 -
Cell Metabolism Oct 2023Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of pulmonary infection. As a Gram-negative pathogen, it can initiate a brisk and highly destructive inflammatory response;...
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of pulmonary infection. As a Gram-negative pathogen, it can initiate a brisk and highly destructive inflammatory response; however, most hosts become tolerant to the bacterial burden, developing chronic infection. Using a murine model of pneumonia, we demonstrate that this shift from inflammation to disease tolerance is promoted by ketogenesis. In response to pulmonary infection, ketone bodies are generated in the liver and circulate to the lungs where they impose selection for P. aeruginosa strains unable to display surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Such keto-adapted LPS strains fail to activate glycolysis and tissue-damaging cytokines and, instead, facilitate mitochondrial catabolism of fats and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which maintains airway homeostasis. Within the lung, P. aeruginosa exploits the host immunometabolite itaconate to further stimulate ketogenesis. This environment enables host-P. aeruginosa coexistence, supporting both pathoadaptive changes in the bacteria and the maintenance of respiratory integrity via OXPHOS.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Lipopolysaccharides; Lung; Inflammation; Ketone Bodies
PubMed: 37793346
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.09.001 -
Cell Nov 2023Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) poses an emerging threat to human health with urgent need for alternative therapeutic approaches. Here, we deciphered the B...
Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) poses an emerging threat to human health with urgent need for alternative therapeutic approaches. Here, we deciphered the B cell and antibody response to the virulence-associated type III secretion system (T3SS) in a cohort of patients chronically infected with PA. Single-cell analytics revealed a diverse B cell receptor repertoire directed against the T3SS needle-tip protein PcrV, enabling the production of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) abrogating T3SS-mediated cytotoxicity. Mechanistic studies involving cryoelectron microscopy identified a surface-exposed C-terminal PcrV epitope as the target of highly neutralizing mAbs with broad activity against drug-resistant PA isolates. These anti-PcrV mAbs were as effective as treatment with conventional antibiotics in vivo. Our study reveals that chronically infected patients represent a source of neutralizing antibodies, which can be exploited as therapeutics against PA.
Topics: Humans; Antibodies, Bacterial; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Immunoglobulins; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Antibodies, Neutralizing; Pseudomonas Infections
PubMed: 37918395
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.10.002 -
Biometals : An International Journal on... Aug 2023In the genus Pseudomonas, zinc homeostasis is mediated by a complete set of import and export systems, whose expression is precisely controlled by three transcriptional... (Review)
Review
In the genus Pseudomonas, zinc homeostasis is mediated by a complete set of import and export systems, whose expression is precisely controlled by three transcriptional regulators: Zur, CzcR and CadR. In this review, we describe in detail our current knowledge of these systems, their regulation, and the biological significance of zinc homeostasis, taking Pseudomonas aeruginosa as our paradigm. Moreover, significant parts of this overview are dedicated to highlight interactions and cross-regulations between zinc and copper import/export systems, and to shed light, through a review of the literature and comparative genomics, on differences in gene complement and function across the whole Pseudomonas genus. The impact and importance of zinc homeostasis in Pseudomonas and beyond will be discussed throughout this review.
Topics: Pseudomonas; Zinc; Homeostasis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Copper; Bacterial Proteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
PubMed: 36472780
DOI: 10.1007/s10534-022-00475-5 -
Ugeskrift For Laeger Jan 2024We present a case report detailing therapeutic application of two lytic antipseudomonal bacteriophages to treat a chronic relapsing Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of a...
We present a case report detailing therapeutic application of two lytic antipseudomonal bacteriophages to treat a chronic relapsing Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection of a prosthetic aortic graft. As there are currently no Danish laboratories offering phages for clinical therapy, and this case, to our knowledge represents the first applied phage therapy in Denmark, the practical and regulatory aspects of offering this treatment option in Denmark is briefly reviewed along with the clinical case.
Topics: Humans; Bacteriophages; Pseudomonas; Pseudomonas Phages; Blood Vessel Prosthesis; Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PubMed: 38305316
DOI: 10.61409/V09230617 -
PLoS Pathogens Aug 2023Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) can cause severe acute infections, including pneumonia and sepsis, and cause chronic infections, commonly in patients with...
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) can cause severe acute infections, including pneumonia and sepsis, and cause chronic infections, commonly in patients with structural respiratory diseases. However, the molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms of P. aeruginosa respiratory infection are largely unknown. Here, we performed assays for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), transcriptomics, and quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics and ubiquitin-proteomics in P. aeruginosa-infected lung tissues for multi-omics analysis, while ATAC-seq and transcriptomics were also examined in P. aeruginosa-infected mouse macrophages. To identify the pivotal factors that are involved in host immune defense, we integrated chromatin accessibility and gene expression to investigate molecular changes in P. aeruginosa-infected lung tissues combined with proteomics and ubiquitin-proteomics. Our multi-omics investigation discovered a significant concordance for innate immunological and inflammatory responses following P. aeruginosa infection between hosts and alveolar macrophages. Furthermore, we discovered that multi-omics changes in pioneer factors Stat1 and Stat3 play a crucial role in the immunological regulation of P. aeruginosa infection and that their downstream molecules (e.g., Fas) may be implicated in both immunosuppressive and inflammation-promoting processes. Taken together, these findings indicate that transcription factors and their downstream signaling molecules play a critical role in the mobilization and rebalancing of the host immune response against P. aeruginosa infection and may serve as potential targets for bacterial infections and inflammatory diseases, providing insights and resources for omics analyses.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Multiomics; Pneumonia; Chromatin; Ubiquitins
PubMed: 37643174
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011570 -
Current Opinion in Chemical Biology Feb 2024Exopolysaccharides are produced and excreted by bacteria in the generation of biofilms to provide a protective environment. These polysaccharides are generally generated... (Review)
Review
Exopolysaccharides are produced and excreted by bacteria in the generation of biofilms to provide a protective environment. These polysaccharides are generally generated as heterogeneous polymers of varying length, featuring diverse substitution patterns. To obtain well-defined fragments of these polysaccharides, organic synthesis often is the method of choice, as it allows for full control over chain length and the installation of a pre-determined substitution pattern. This review presents several recent syntheses of exopolysaccharide fragments of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus and illustrates how these have been used to study biosynthesis enzymes and generate synthetic glycoconjugate vaccines.
Topics: Polysaccharides, Bacterial; Biofilms; Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PubMed: 38134611
DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2023.102418 -
International Journal of Infectious... Mar 2024Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens) is not generally considered a bacterial pathogen in humans; however, multiple culture-based and culture-independent studies have...
Pseudomonas fluorescens (P. fluorescens) is not generally considered a bacterial pathogen in humans; however, multiple culture-based and culture-independent studies have identified it in the indigenous microbiota of multiple body sites. We herein report a rare case of pneumonia caused by P. fluorescens. A man in his 80 s with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes mellitus was diagnosed with stage II rectal cancer. He underwent laparoscopic surgery, and on the 6th postoperative day, he developed a high fever. Chest computed tomography revealed infiltration in the left lower lung. Gram staining of the sputum showed Gram-negative rods phagocytosed by neutrophils, suggesting postoperative nosocomial pneumonia. The patient was started on tazobactam/piperacillin, and his pneumonia quickly improved. Later, only P. fluorescens was detected in a sputum culture. It was susceptible to common antipseudomonal agents. Gram staining of P. fluorescens appears to show a slightly thicker and larger morphology in comparison to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although there have been reports of opportunistic infections caused by P. fluorescens in immunosuppressed patients, including those with advanced cancer, most have been bloodstream infections, with very few reports of pneumonia alone. Clinicians should be aware that patients, who are not necessarily immunosuppressed, may develop pneumonia caused by P. fluorescens.
Topics: Male; Humans; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Pseudomonas Infections; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Piperacillin, Tazobactam Drug Combination; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Anti-Bacterial Agents
PubMed: 38218379
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.01.007 -
Nature Communications Sep 2023The bacterial Tight adherence Secretion System (TadSS) assembles surface pili that drive cell adherence, biofilm formation and bacterial predation. The structure and...
The bacterial Tight adherence Secretion System (TadSS) assembles surface pili that drive cell adherence, biofilm formation and bacterial predation. The structure and mechanism of the TadSS is mostly unknown. This includes characterisation of the outer membrane secretin through which the pilus is channelled and recruitment of its pilotin. Here we investigate RcpA and TadD lipoprotein from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Light microscopy reveals RcpA colocalising with TadD in P. aeruginosa and when heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. We use cryogenic electron microscopy to determine how RcpA and TadD assemble a secretin channel with C13 and C14 symmetries. Despite low sequence homology, we show that TadD shares a similar fold to the type 4 pilus system pilotin PilF. We establish that the C-terminal four residues of RcpA bind TadD - an interaction essential for secretin formation. The binding mechanism between RcpA and TadD appears distinct from known secretin-pilotin pairings in other secretion systems.
Topics: Secretin; Gastrointestinal Hormones; Bacterial Secretion Systems; Cell Aggregation; Escherichia coli; Pseudomonas aeruginosa
PubMed: 37704603
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41200-1 -
International Journal of Biological... Jul 2023Alginates are natural polysaccharides widely participating in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications due to their excellent gelling capacity. Their... (Review)
Review
Alginates are natural polysaccharides widely participating in food, pharmaceutical, and environmental applications due to their excellent gelling capacity. Their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability further extend their application to biomedical fields. The low consistency in molecular weight and composition of algae-based alginates may limit their performance in advanced biomedical applications. It makes microbial alginate production more attractive due to its potential for customizing alginate molecules with stable characteristics. Production costs remain the primary factor limiting the commercialization of microbial alginates. However, carbon-rich wastes from sugar, dairy, and biodiesel industries may serve as potential substitutes for pure sugars for microbial alginate production to reduce substrate costs. Fermentation parameter control and genetic engineering strategies may further improve the production efficiency and customize the molecular composition of microbial alginates. To meet the specific needs of biomedical applications, alginates may need functionalization, such as functional group modifications and crosslinking treatments, to achieve enhanced mechanical properties and biochemical activities. The development of alginate-based composites incorporated with other polysaccharides, gelatin, and bioactive factors can integrate the advantages of each component to meet multiple requirements in wound healing, drug delivery, and tissue engineering applications. This review provided a comprehensive insight into the sustainable production of high-value microbial alginates. It also discussed recent advances in alginate modification strategies and alginate-based composites for representative biomedical applications.
Topics: Alginates; Pseudomonas; Azotobacter; Wound Healing; Tissue Engineering; Drug Delivery Systems; Fermentation; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Humans
PubMed: 37236570
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.125048