OxyR-activated expression of Dps is important for Vibrio cholerae oxidative stress resistance and pathogenesis.
Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera, a dehydrating diarrheal disease. This Gram-negative pathogen is able to modulate its gene expression in order to combat stresses encountered in both aquatic and host environments, including stress posed by reactive oxygen species (ROS). In order to further the understanding of V. cholerae's transcriptional response to ROS, we performed an RNA sequencing analysis to determine the transcriptional profile of V. cholerae when exposed to hydrogen hydroperoxide. Of 135 differentially expressed genes, VC0139 was amongst the genes with the largest induction. VC0139 encodes a protein homologous to the DPS (DNA-binding protein from starved cells) protein family, which are widely conserved and are implicated in ROS resistance in other bacteria. Using a promoter reporter assay, we show that during exponential growth, dps is induced by H2O2 in a manner dependent on the ROS-sensing transcriptional regulator, OxyR. Upon entry into stationary phase, the major stationary phase regulator RpoS is required to transcribe dps. Deletion of dps impaired V. cholerae resistance to both inorganic and organic hydroperoxides. Furthermore, we show that Dps is involved in resistance to multiple environmental stresses. Finally, we found that Dps is important for V. cholerae adult mouse colonization, but becomes dispensable in the presence of antioxidants. Taken together, our results suggest that Dps plays vital roles in both V. cholerae stress resistance and pathogenesis.
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.|State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
Xiaoyun
X
Xia
Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Jessie
J
Larios-Valencia
Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.|Department of Biotechnology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Zhi
Z
Liu
College of Life Sciences, Huanggang Normal University, Huanggang, China.
Fu
F
Xiang
State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China.
Biao
B
Kan
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Hui
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8865-3599
H
Wang
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.|Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
Jun
J
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D002771:Cholera / Q000382:microbiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D014157:Transcription Factors; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide