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Lipopolysaccharide phase variation determines the complement-mediated serum susceptibility of Coxiella burnetii.

Phase variation of Coxiella burnetii is due to variation of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a phenomenon analogous to smooth-to-rough LPS variation of gram-negative enteric bacteria. Virulent enterobacteria usually have a smooth LPS and resist serum killing, whereas avirulent rough LPS mutants are sensitive to complement-mediated serum killing. Like gram-negative enterobacteria, smooth LPS phase variants of C. burnetii are virulent, whereas the rough LPS variants are avirulent. We therefore studied the effects of human serum on the LPS variants of the Nine Mile strain of C. burnetii. Analogous to gram-negative enterobacteria, the smooth and intermediate LPS C. burnetii phase variants were resistant to complement-mediated serum killing, whereas the rough LPS variants were killed by serum complement. Although the smooth and intermediate LPS variants were serum resistant, they differed in their interactions with the complement system. The smooth LPS variant activated complement poorly and did not bind C3b; however, the intermediate LPS variant activated complement and bound C3b. The rough LPS variant activated complement via the alternative pathway, whereas the intermediate LPS variant activated the classical pathway. These results provide an explanation for the avirulent nature of the rough LPS variant of C. burnetii and suggest that differences in C. burnetii LPS structure influence the interactions of the LPS phase variants with the complement system.

Animals↗

Characterization of Shigella type 1 fimbriae: expression, FimA sequence, and phase variation.

This study documents the presence of type 1 fimbriae on Shigella and confirms these mannose-sensitive adherence structures to be bona fide components of the Shigella surface. While laboratory-passaged Shigella strains and lyophilized clinical isolates failed to express type 1 fimbriae, 6 of 20 recent clinical isolates, including 4 Shigella flexneri strains, 1 Shigella boydii strain, and 1 Shigella dysenteriae strain, produced type 1 fimbriae as detected by mannose-sensitive hemagglutination (MSHA) and electron microscopy. Optimal production of a predominantly Fim+ population required serial passage every 48 to 72 h in unshaken brain heart infusion broth at 37 degrees C. Fim+ Shigella cultures were capable of reversibly switching to a non-MSHA, afimbriated phase during serial aerobic cultivation on tryptic soy agar plates. The amino acid sequence of S. flexneri type 1 FimA contained 18 substitutions compared to that of Escherichia coli fimbrillin. Indirect immunoelectron microscopy suggested the presence of both shared and unique epitopes on E. coli and S. flexneri type 1 fimbriae. Random phase variation between fimbriated and afimbriated states in Shigella was accompanied by the genomic rearrangement associated with phase variation in E. coli.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Fimbrial phase variation in Bordetella pertussis: a novel mechanism for transcriptional regulation.

Fimbriae belong to a class of extracellular filamentous proteins which are involved in the attachment of bacteria to host tissues. Bordetella pertussis, the etiological agent of whooping cough, produces two serologically distinct fimbriae. We show that, like a number of other B. pertussis virulence genes, transcription of the fimbrial subunit genes (fim) is positively controlled by trans-acting polypeptides encoded by the bvg locus. In addition to this coordinate control, transcription of the fim genes is regulated at an individual level by phase variation. This process is characterized by a switching between a high and low level of expression of a particular fim gene. We have identified a conserved DNA region, located close to the start of the fim genes, which is likely to be involved in both positive regulation by the bvg locus, and phase variation. This promoter region contains a stretch of approximately 15 C residues and it appears that phase transitions occur by small insertions or deletions in this C-rich region. We propose that these mutations affect transcription of the fim genes by varying the distance between the binding site for an activator and the -10 box. The fim promoter shows homology with the pertussis toxin promoter, which is also positively regulated by the bvg locus.

Base Sequence↗

Phase variation in Xenorhabdus luminescens: cloning and sequencing of the lipase gene and analysis of its expression in primary and secondary phases of the bacterium.

The phenomenon of phase variation in the insect-pathogenic bacterium Xenorhabdus luminescens was investigated. Differential activity of the lipase enzyme (EC 3.1.1.3) was observed between the two phases of the bacteria. The enzyme was found to be secreted into the culture medium, and about five to six times greater specific activity was secreted by the primary phase than by the secondary form. The lipase gene (lip-1) was cloned and sequenced. The data imply that there is only a single Tween 80-utilizing lipase gene in X. luminescens K122. The sequence revealed a translation product of 645 amino acids, from which a hydrophobic leader sequence of 24 amino acids is removed during processing. The structure of the gene was shown to be the same in the primary and secondary forms of X. luminescens. In addition, transcription was found to start at the same position, 169 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon, in the two forms of the bacteria. Equal amounts of lipase RNA accumulated in the two forms, and at least as much lipase protein was secreted by the secondary form as by the primary. This suggests that the difference in specific activity between the enzymes secreted by the two phases probably arises from a posttranslational type of regulation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Neisseria meningitidis undergoes PilC phase variation and PilE sequence variation during invasive disease.

Neisseria meningitidis colonizes the upper respiratory tract (URT), enters the blood stream, and reaches the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In the present study, we show that bacteria isolated from the URT adhere better to human epithelial cells, compared with bacteria from blood or CSF, which suggests that important changes of virulence-associated proteins take place during bacterial dissemination. Phase variation in the pilus adhesin PilC and sequence variation in the pilus subunit PilE occurred among strains from 1 patient. Changes were not found in the invasion-associated opacity proteins or in lipooligosaccharides. PilC was frequently expressed in serogroup B strains and in URT strains but was often switched off in other serogroups and in CSF strains. Strains lacking PilC showed impaired adhesion to epithelial cells. These data argue that N. meningitidis undergoes PilC phase variation and PilE sequence variation during invasive disease.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Modulation of the susceptibility of intestinal bacteria to bacteriophages in response to Ag43 phase variation -- a hypothesis.

Escherichia coli is a Gram-negative bacterium which colonizes the intestinal tract of man and other animals. In addition to being a part of the normal bacterial flora of the human intestine, there are a number of enteropathogenic strains of E. coli which cause infections ranging in consequence from diarrhoea to colitis. Antigen 43 (Ag43) is the major phase-variable protein in the outer membrane of E. coli. One benefit for bacteria resulting from phase variation of surface antigens is usually ascribed to evasion of host defences. However, results of recent studies indicate that infection of E. coli by different bacteriophages is inhibited in the presence of certain bile salts and carbohydrates (components present in the human intestine but absent in standard bacteriological media) when cells are in the 'OFF' state for production of Ag43. The inhibition of bacteriophage development was found to be due to a significant impairment in the process of phage adsorption and evidence was presented for the binding of phage to Ag43. Here we present a hypothesis that in the case of Ag43, phase-variation might benefit the host bacterium by modulating the susceptibility to phage infection in the gut. If this hypothesis is true, it may have important implications not only for basic research but also for development of bacteriophage therapy, a re-discovered method of treatment of patients with infectious diseases.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗

Detection of phase variation in expression of proteins involved in hemoglobin and hemoglobin-haptoglobin binding by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Haemophilus influenzae can utilize different protein-bound forms of heme for growth in vitro. A previous study (I. Maciver, J. L. Latimer, H. H. Liem, U. Muller-Eberhard, Z. Hrkal, and E. J. Hansen. Infect. Immun. 64:3703-3712, 1996) indicated that nontypeable H. influenzae (NTHI) strain TN106 expressed a protein that bound hemoglobin-haptoglobin and was encoded by an open reading frame (ORF) that contained a CCAA nucleotide repeat. Southern blot analysis revealed that several NTHI strains contained between three and five chromosomal DNA fragments that bound an oligonucleotide probe for CCAA repeats. Three ORFs containing CCAA repeats were identified in NTHI strain N182; two of these ORFs were arranged in tandem. The use of translational fusions involving these three ORFs and the beta-lactamase gene from pBR322 revealed that these three ORFs, designated hgbA, hgbB, and hgbC, encoded proteins that could bind hemoglobin, hemoglobin-haptoglobin, or both compounds. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for the HgbA, HgbB, and HgbC proteins were produced by immunizing mice with synthetic peptides unique to each protein. Both HgbA and HgbB were readily detected by Western blot analysis in N182 cells grown in the presence of hemoglobin as the sole source of heme, whereas expression of HgbC was found to be much less abundant than that of HgbA and HgbB. The use of these MAbs in a colony blot radioimmunoassay analysis revealed that expression of both HgbA and HgbB was subject to phase variation. PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis were used in conjunction with Western blot analyses to demonstrate that this phase variation involved the CCAA repeats in the hgbA and hgbB ORFs.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interaction of FimB and FimE with the fim switch that controls the phase variation of type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli K-12.

The phase variation of type 1 fimbriae in Escherichia coli is associated with the site-specific inversion of a short DNA element. Recombination at fim requires fimB and fimE, and their products are considered to be the fim recombinases. In this study, FimB and FimE were overproduced and extracts containing the proteins were shown to (i) bind to and (ii) invert the fim switch in vitro. Phenanthroline-copper protection of DNA-protein complexes showed that both FimB and FimE bind to half-sites that flank, and overlap with, the left and right inverted repeats (IRL and IRR, respectively) of the fim switch. Alignment of the four half-sites identified a conserved 5'-CA doublet; mutation of these two bases lowers the affinity of binding of both FimB and FimE to the inverted repeats, and greatly diminishes inversion of the fim switch in vivo. The specificity of the fim recombinases observed in vivo (FimB switching in both directions; FimE switching from on-to-off only) was maintained in vitro. Furthermore, the different binding affinities of FimB and FimE for the various half-site combinations suggests that the specificity of FimE could arise, in part, from the low affinity of FimE for IRL (off).

Bacterial Proteins↗

The leucine-responsive regulatory protein binds to the fim switch to control phase variation of type 1 fimbrial expression in Escherichia coli K-12.

Phase variation of type 1 fimbriation in Escherichia coli is associated with the site-specific recombination of a 314-bp DNA invertible element. The fim switch directs transcription of fimA, the major fimbrial subunit gene, in one orientation (on) but not the other (off). Switching requires either fimB (on-to-off or off-to-on inversion) or fimE (on-to-off inversion only) and is reduced sharply in strains containing lrp::Tn10 mutations. Both fimE-promoted switching and fimB-promoted switching are stimulated by the amino acids alanine, isoleucine, leucine, and valine, and this regulation requires lrp. Here it is shown that the leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) binds in and adjacent to the fim switch. Mutations in fim that lower Lrp binding in vitro have corresponding effects on both fimB-promoted switching and fimE-promoted switching in vivo. Lrp initiates binding at one of two sites within the fim switch. Additional cooperative binding results in an extensive region of protection from both DNase I and 1,10-phenanthroline-copper complex-activated DNA cleavage. The region of protection can extend to within 12 bp of the right inverted repeat (switch off) and occupies over one-third of the switch. It is proposed that wrapping of fim DNA around an Lrp complex is required to form a recombination-proficient structure.

Bacterial Proteins↗

The length of a tetranucleotide repeat tract in Haemophilus influenzae determines the phase variation rate of a gene with homology to type III DNA methyltransferases.

Haemophilus influenzae is an obligate commensal of the upper respiratory tract of humans that uses simple repeats (microsatellites) to alter gene expression. The mod gene of H. influenzae strain Rd has homology to DNA methyltransferases of type III restriction/modification systems and has 40 tetranucleotide (5'-AGTC) repeats within its open reading frame. This gene was found in 21 out of 23 genetically distinct H. influenzae strains, and in 13 of these strains the locus contained repeats. H. influenzae strains were constructed in which a lacZ reporter was fused to a chromosomal copy of mod downstream of the repeats. Phase variation occurred at a high frequency in strains with the wild-type number of repeats. Mutation rates were derived for similarly engineered strains, containing different numbers of repeats. Rates increased linearly with tract length over the range 17-38 repeat units. The majority of tract alterations were insertions or deletions of one repeat unit with a 2:1 bias towards contractions of the tract. These results demonstrate the number of repeats to be an important determinant of phase variation rate in H. influenzae for a gene containing a microsatellite.

Base Sequence↗

Phase variation in the Helicobacter pylori phospholipase A gene and its role in acid adaptation.

Previously, we have shown that Helicobacter pylori can spontaneously and reversibly change its membrane lipid composition, producing variants with low or high content of lysophospholipids. The "lyso" variant contains a high percentage of lysophospholipids, adheres better to epithelial cells, and releases more proteins such as urease and VacA, compared to the "normal" variant, which has a low content of lysophospholipids. Prolonged growth of the normal variant at pH 3.5, but not under neutral conditions, leads to enrichment of lyso variant colonies, suggesting that the colony switch is relevant to acid adaptation. In this study we show that the change in membrane lipid composition is due to phase variation in the pldA gene. A change in the (C) tract length of this gene results in reversible frameshifts, translation of a full-length or truncated pldA, and the production of active or inactive outer membrane phospholipase A (OMPLA). The role of OMPLA in determining the colony morphology was confirmed by the construction of an OMPLA-negative mutant. Furthermore, variants with an active OMPLA were able to survive acidic conditions better than variants with the inactive form. This explains why the lyso variant is selected at low pH. Our studies demonstrate that phase variation in the pldA gene, resulting in an active form of OMPLA, is important for survival under acidic conditions. We also demonstrated the active OMPLA genotype in fresh isolates of H. pylori from patients referred to gastroscopy for dyspepsia.

Acids↗

A putative iron-regulated TonB-dependent receptor of Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica A1: possible mechanism for phase variation.

A recombinant plasmid that codes for a novel iron receptor protein (Irp) of Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica A1 was isolated by the partial complementation of an Escherichia coli fur mutant. The deduced amino acid sequence of Irp exhibited characteristics typical of TonB-dependent receptors. These include: a TonB-box at the N-terminal; a 50 amino acid region homologous to the "plug" domain of the E. coli FhuA and FepA receptors; and a C-terminal TonB-dependent signature which likely functions as an outer membrane anchoring domain. Previously uncharacterized Irp homologues were detected by BLAST analysis of available databases and incomplete microbial genomes. When the irp homologues from Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis were cloned by PCR and expressed in E. coli, novel proteins of the predicted size (84kDa) were detected in cell lysates, demonstrating that these are functional genes. The M. haemolytica A1 irp gene undergoes phase variation at a nucleotide region which contain the sequence AAAAAAATTAAAA (7A-2T-4A) flanked by a short inverted repeat. Site-specific mutagenesis of the 7A-2T-4A sequence as well as replacement of the inverted repeats resulted in a stable construct that expressed the Irp protein without phase variation. The expression of irp in M. haemolytica A1 was regulated by iron concentrations and most likely a Fur homologue, consistent with the proposed function of Irp in iron metabolism. The irp genes may represent contingency loci that play a role in iron acquisition during infection.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Growth conditions mediate differential transcription of fim genes involved in phase variation of type 1 pili.

Type 1 pili in Escherichia coli undergo phase variation in which individual cells in a population reversibly switch between piliated (Pil+) and nonpiliated (Pil-) states. The switching process is mediated by an invertible DNA fragment which contains the promoter for fimA, the gene encoding the major structural subunit of type 1 pili. Although type 1 pili randomly phase vary in broth cultures, many clinical isolates of E. coli do not express type 1 pili when cultured on agar media. We investigated the role of the invertible element and the upstream genes, fimB and fimE, in the agar-mediated suppression of pili in an agar-negative clinical isolate, strain 149. Southern hybridization and polymerase chain reaction analyses of the fimA promoter region in broth-grown 149 cells indicated that the invertible element was present in orientations corresponding to both Pil+ and Pil- phenotypes. In contrast, only one orientation of the invertible element, corresponding to the Pil- phenotype, was observed in strain 149 cells cultured on agar. A second clinical isolate, strain 2-7, which expresses type 1 pili on agar was also examined; the invertible element was found in both the Pil+ and Pil- orientations during growth of this strain on agar as well as in broth. The introduction of the fim gene cluster from strain J96 on a multicopy plasmid into agar-negative strain 149 resulted in the production of both J96 and 149 pili during growth on agar. Experiments with subclones of the J96 genes indicated that the presence of an intact fimB gene allowed strain 149 pili to be produced on agar. Differences in pilus production between agar and broth cultures appear to be the result of differential transcription of fimB and fimE under the two growth conditions. In contrast, the pattern of expression of these genes in agar phase-variable strain 2-7 did not differ between broth- and agar-grown cells.

Bacterial Proteins↗

In vivo phase variation and serologic response to lipooligosaccharide of Campylobacter jejuni in experimental human infection.

Some Campylobacter jejuni strains which exhibit mimicry of gangliosides in their lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) are associated with development of Guillain-Barré syndrome, which complicates the selection of a suitable C. jejuni strain in a live-attenuated vaccine. C. jejuni 81-176 is the most well characterized strain available, but structurally, LOS of C. jejuni 81-176 exhibits mimicry of predominantly GM2 and GM3 gangliosides. We compared the antiganglioside human serologic responses of 22 volunteers post-oral vaccination (two-dose series, 14 days apart) with a killed whole-cell C. jejuni vaccine, those of volunteers (22 following initial challenge and 5 upon rechallenge) experimentally infected with the homologous C. jejuni vaccine strain 81-176, and those of 12 volunteers used as controls (placebo recipients). All volunteers were evaluated using thin-layer chromatography immuno-overlay and a panel of nine gangliosides at days 0, 21, and 28 either postvaccination or postinoculation. Antiganglioside antibodies were identified at baseline in 6 of the 61 volunteers (9.8%). There were no antiganglioside antibodies observed following vaccination or experimental infection rechallenge. Evidence of seroconversion was observed in 2 of 22 (9.1%) in the initial infection challenge group, comparable to 1 of 12 (8.3%) in the placebo recipients. Additional testing of seven selected volunteers in the initial challenge group at days 0, 3, 7, 10, 21, 28, and 60 showed that when antiganglioside antibodies occurred (mostly anti-GM1 and -GM2), responses were weak and transient. Furthermore, evidence from serologic probing of LOSs of isolates recovered from stools of six volunteers indicated that the isolates had undergone antigenic phase variation in ganglioside mimicry during passage in vivo. Collectively, with the exception of one volunteer with anti-GM2 antibodies at day 60, the results show an absence of persistent antiganglioside antibodies after experimental infection with C. jejuni or following administration of a killed C. jejuni whole-cell oral vaccine, although LOS phase variation occurred.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

100+ years of phase variation: the premier bacterial bet-hedging phenomenon.

Stochastic, reversible switches in the expression of Salmonella flagella variants were first described by Andrewes in 1922. Termed phase variation (PV), subsequent research found that this phenomenon was widespread among bacterial species and controlled expression of major determinants of bacterial-host interactions. Underlying mechanisms were not discovered until the 1970s/1980s but were found to encompass intrinsic aspects of DNA processes (i.e. DNA slippage and recombination) and DNA modifications (i.e. DNA methylation). Despite this long history, discoveries are ongoing with expansions of the phase-variable repertoire into new organisms and novel insights into the functions of known loci and switching mechanisms. Some of these discoveries are somewhat controversial as the term 'PV' is being applied without addressing key aspects of the phenomenon such as whether mutations or epigenetic changes are reversible and generated prior to selection. Another 'missing' aspect of PV research is the impact of these adaptive switches in real-world situations. This review provides a perspective on the historical timeline of the discovery of PV, the current state-of-the-art, controversial aspects of classifying phase-variable loci and possible 'missing' real-world effects of this phenomenon.

Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial↗

Phase Variation in Xenorhabdus nematophilus and Photorhabdus luminescens: Differences in Respiratory Activity and Membrane Energization.

Phase variation in Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus spp. has a significant impact on their symbiotic relationship with entomopathogenic nematodes by altering the metabolic by-products upon which the nematodes feed. The preferential retention of the phase I variant by the infective-stage nematode and its better support for nematode reproduction than phase II indicates its importance in the bacterial-nematode interactions. However, there is no obvious role for phase II in these interactions. This study has revealed differences in the respiratory activity between the two phases of Xenorhabdus nematophilus A24 and Photorhabdus luminescens Hm. After experiencing periods of starvation, phase II cells recommenced growth within 2 to 4 h from the addition of nutrients, compared with 14 h for phase I cells, indicating a more efficient nutrient uptake ability in the former. The levels of activity of major respiratory enzymes were 15 to 100% higher in phase II cells from stationary cultures in complex media than in phase I cells. Transmembrane proton motive force measurements were also higher by 20% in phase II under the same conditions. The increased membrane potentials reflect upon the ability of the phase II variant to respond to nutrients, both through growth and nutrient uptake. It is postulated that while phase I cells are better adapted to conditions in the insect and the nematode, phase II cells may be better adapted to conditions in soil as free-living organisms.

Journal Article↗

The role of Dam methylation in phase variation of Haemophilus influenzae genes involved in defence against phage infection.

Haemophilus influenzae uses phase variation (PV) to modulate the activity of its defence systems against phage infection. The PV of the restriction-modification (R-M) system HindI, the main defence system against phage infection and incoming chromosomal and phage DNA in H. influenzae Rd, is driven by changes of the pentanucleotide repeat tract within the coding sequence of the hsdM gene and is influenced by lack of Dam methylation. Phase-variable resistance/sensitivity to phage infection correlates with changes in lipooligosaccharide (LOS) structure and occurs by slippage of tetranucleotide repeats within the gene lic2A, coding for a step in the biosynthesis of LOS. The lack of Dam activity destabilizes the tetranuclotide (5'-CAAT) repeat tract and increases the frequency of switching from sensitivity to resistance to phage infection more than in the opposite direction. The PV of the lgtC gene does not influence resistance or sensitivity to phage infection. Insertional inactivation of lic2A, but not lgtC or lgtF, leads to resistance to phage infection and to the same structure of the LOS as observed among phase-variable phage-resistant variants. This indicates that in the H. influenzae Rd LOS only the first two sugars (Glc-Gal) extending from the third heptose are part of bacterial phage receptors.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Mutations in Haemophilus influenzae mismatch repair genes increase mutation rates of dinucleotide repeat tracts but not dinucleotide repeat-driven pilin phase variation rates.

High-frequency, reversible switches in expression of surface antigens, referred to as phase variation (PV), are characteristic of Haemophilus influenzae. PV enables this bacterial species, an obligate commensal and pathogen of the human upper respiratory tract, to adapt to changes in the host environment. Phase-variable hemagglutinating pili are expressed by many H. influenzae isolates. PV involves alterations in the number of 5' TA repeats located between the -10 and -35 promoter elements of the overlapping, divergently orientated promoters of hifA and hifBCDE, whose products mediate biosynthesis and assembly of pili. Dinucleotide repeat tracts are destabilized by mismatch repair (MMR) mutations in Escherichia coli. The influence of mutations in MMR genes of H. influenzae strain Rd on dinucleotide repeat-mediated PV rates was investigated by using reporter constructs containing 20 5' AT repeats. Mutations in mutS, mutL, and mutH elevated rates approximately 30-fold, while rates in dam and uvrD mutants were increased 14- and 3-fold, respectively. PV rates of constructs containing 10 to 12 5' AT repeats were significantly elevated in mutS mutants of H. influenzae strains Rd and Eagan. An intact hif locus was found in 14 and 12% of representative nontypeable H. influenzae isolates associated with either otitis media or carriage, respectively. Nine or more tandem 5' TA repeats were present in the promoter region. Surprisingly, inactivation of mutS in two serotype b H. influenzae strains did not alter pilin PV rates. Thus, although functionally analogous to the E. coli MMR pathway and active on dinucleotide repeat tracts, defects in H. influenzae MMR do not affect 5' TA-mediated pilin PV.

5' Flanking Region↗