title: Membrane-bound nitrate reductase is required for anaerobic growth in cystic fibrosis sputum.
abstract: The autosomal recessive disorder cystic fibrosis (CF) affects approximately 70,000 people worldwide and is characterized by chronic bacterial lung infections with the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. To form a chronic CF lung infection, P. aeruginosa must grow and proliferate within the CF lung, and the highly viscous sputum within the CF lung provides a likely growth substrate. Recent evidence indicates that anaerobic microenvironments may be present in the CF lung sputum layer. Since anaerobic growth significantly enhances P. aeruginosa biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance, it is important to examine P. aeruginosa physiology and metabolism in anaerobic environments. Measurement of nitrate levels revealed that CF sputum contains sufficient nitrate to support significant P. aeruginosa growth anaerobically, and mutational analysis revealed that the membrane-bound nitrate reductase is essential for P. aeruginosa anaerobic growth in an in vitro CF sputum medium. In addition, expression of genes coding for the membrane-bound nitrate reductase complex is responsive to CF sputum nitrate levels. These findings suggest that the membrane-bound nitrate reductase is critical for P. aeruginosa anaerobic growth with nitrate in the CF lung.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Kelli L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Stacie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Whiteley
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D050296:Microbial Viability; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D050901:Nitrate Reductase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D001616:beta-Galactosidase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009566:Nitrates; D050901:Nitrate Reductase; D001616:beta-Galactosidase