title: Hydrogen sulfide is a novel potential virulence factor of Mycoplasma pneumoniae: characterization of the unusual cysteine desulfurase/desulfhydrase HapE.
abstract: Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a human pathogen causing atypical pneumonia with a minimalized and highly streamlined genome. So far, hydrogen peroxide production, cytadherence, and the ADP-ribosylating CARDS toxin have been identified as pathogenicity determinants. We have studied haemolysis caused by M. pneumoniae, and discovered that hydrogen peroxide is responsible for the oxidation of heme, but not for lysis of erythrocytes. This feature could be attributed to hydrogen sulfide, a compound that has previously not been identified as virulence factor in lung pathogens. Indeed, we observed hydrogen sulfide production by M. pneumoniae. The search for a hydrogen sulfide-producing enzyme identified HapE, a protein with similarity to cysteine desulfurases. In contrast to typical cysteine desulfurases, HapE is a bifunctional enzyme: it has both the cysteine desulfurase activity to produce alanine and the cysteine desulfhydrase activity to produce pyruvate and hydrogen sulfide. Experiments with purified HapE showed that the enzymatic activity of the protein is responsible for haemolysis, demonstrating that HapE is a novel potential virulence factor of M. pneumoniae.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Großhennig
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biochemistry, Georg-August-University, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Till
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ischebeck
authors.affiliation: Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gibhardt
authors.affiliation: Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busse
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biochemistry, Georg-August-University, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute, Justus-von-Liebig Weg 11, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.|Georg-August-University, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Feussner
authors.affiliation: Department of General Microbiology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Grisebachstr. 8, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.|Georg-August-University, Göttingen Center for Molecular Biosciences (GZMB), 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stülke
mesh_terms: D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003545:Cysteine / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006461:Hemolysis; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors; D013437:Carbon-Sulfur Lyases; C080546:cysteine desulfurase; D003542:Cystathionine gamma-Lyase; D003545:Cysteine; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide