Interplay Between Genetic Regulation of Phosphate Homeostasis and Bacterial Virulence

Overview

Journal Virulence

Specialty Microbiology

Date 2014 Dec 9

PMID 25483775

Citations 43

Authors

Samuel Mohammed Chekabab

Josee Harel

Charles M Dozois

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Bacterial pathogens, including those of humans, animals, and plants, encounter phosphate (Pi)-limiting or Pi-rich environments in the host, depending on the site of infection. The environmental Pi-concentration results in modulation of expression of the Pho regulon that allows bacteria to regulate phosphate assimilation pathways accordingly. In many cases, modulation of Pho regulon expression also results in concomitant changes in virulence phenotypes. Under Pi-limiting conditions, bacteria use the transcriptional-response regulator PhoB to translate the Pi starvation signal sensed by the bacterium into gene activation or repression. This regulator is employed not only for the maintenance of bacterial Pi homeostasis but also to differentially regulate virulence. The Pho regulon is therefore not only a regulatory circuit of phosphate homeostasis but also plays an important adaptive role in stress response and bacterial virulence. Here we focus on recent findings regarding the mechanisms of gene regulation that underlie the virulence responses to Pi stress in Vibrio cholerae, Pseudomonas spp., and pathogenic E. coli.

Citing Articles

Unveiling the role of the PhoP master regulator in arsenite resistance through downregulation in .

Corrales D, Alcantara C, Velez D, Devesa V, Monedero V, Zuniga M Curr Res Microb Sci. 2025; 8:100357.

PMID: 40027449 PMC: 11870197. DOI: 10.1016/j.crmicr.2025.100357.

Increased Motility in and Changes in Its Virulence, Fitness, and Morphology Following Protein Expression on Ribosomes with Altered RsmA Methylation.

Salamaszynska-Guz A, Murawska M, Bacal P, Ostrowska A, Kwiecien E, Stefanska I Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(18).

PMID: 39337285 PMC: 11431728. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25189797.

Candida albicans' inorganic phosphate transport and evolutionary adaptation to phosphate scarcity.

Acosta-Zaldivar M, Qi W, Mishra A, Roy U, King W, Li Y PLoS Genet. 2024; 20(8):e1011156.

PMID: 39137212 PMC: 11343460. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011156.

Chemical Reaction Models in Synthetic Promoter Design in Bacteria.

Kahramanogullari O Methods Mol Biol. 2024; 2844:3-31.

PMID: 39068329 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-4063-0_1.

inorganic phosphate transport and evolutionary adaptation to phosphate scarcity.

Acosta-Zaldivar M, Qi W, Mishra A, Roy U, King W, Patton-Vogt J bioRxiv. 2024; .

PMID: 38352318 PMC: 10862840. DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.29.577887.

References

Schlenker C, Surawicz C . Emerging infections of the gastrointestinal tract. Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2009; 23(1):89-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.bpg.2008.11.014. View

Hengge R . Principles of c-di-GMP signalling in bacteria. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009; 7(4):263-73. DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2109. View

Zaborin A, Romanowski K, Gerdes S, Holbrook C, Lepine F, Long J . Red death in Caenorhabditis elegans caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009; 106(15):6327-32. PMC: 2669342. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0813199106. View

Cheng C, Tennant S, Azzopardi K, Bennett-Wood V, Hartland E, Robins-Browne R . Contribution of the pst-phoU operon to cell adherence by atypical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli and virulence of Citrobacter rodentium. Infect Immun. 2009; 77(5):1936-44. PMC: 2681749. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01246-08. View

OMay G, Jacobsen S, Longwell M, Stoodley P, Mobley H, Shirtliff M . The high-affinity phosphate transporter Pst in Proteus mirabilis HI4320 and its importance in biofilm formation. Microbiology (Reading). 2009; 155(Pt 5):1523-1535. PMC: 2889415. DOI: 10.1099/mic.0.026500-0. View

Pratt J, McDonough E, Camilli A . PhoB regulates motility, biofilms, and cyclic di-GMP in Vibrio cholerae. J Bacteriol. 2009; 191(21):6632-42. PMC: 2795287. DOI: 10.1128/JB.00708-09. View

Sultan S, Silva A, Benitez J . The PhoB regulatory system modulates biofilm formation and stress response in El Tor biotype Vibrio cholerae. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2009; 302(1):22-31. PMC: 2792938. DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01837.x. View

Glattard E, Welters I, Lavaux T, Muller A, Laux A, Zhang D . Endogenous morphine levels are increased in sepsis: a partial implication of neutrophils. PLoS One. 2010; 5(1):e8791. PMC: 2808358. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0008791. View

Lamarche M, Harel J . Membrane homeostasis requires intact pst in extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. Curr Microbiol. 2009; 60(5):356-9. DOI: 10.1007/s00284-009-9549-x. View

10.

Hsieh Y, Wanner B . Global regulation by the seven-component Pi signaling system. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2010; 13(2):198-203. PMC: 2847643. DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2010.01.014. View

11.

Pratt J, Ismail A, Camilli A . PhoB regulates both environmental and virulence gene expression in Vibrio cholerae. Mol Microbiol. 2010; 77(6):1595-605. PMC: 2981138. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07310.x. View

12.

Monds R, Newell P, Wagner J, Schwartzman J, Lu W, Rabinowitz J . Di-adenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) metabolism impacts biofilm formation by Pseudomonas fluorescens via modulation of c-di-GMP-dependent pathways. J Bacteriol. 2010; 192(12):3011-23. PMC: 2901679. DOI: 10.1128/JB.01571-09. View

13.

Bertrand N, Houle S, LeBihan G, Poirier E, Dozois C, Harel J . Increased Pho regulon activation correlates with decreased virulence of an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O78 strain. Infect Immun. 2010; 78(12):5324-31. PMC: 2981337. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00452-10. View

14.

Crepin S, Chekabab S, Le Bihan G, Bertrand N, Dozois C, Harel J . The Pho regulon and the pathogenesis of Escherichia coli. Vet Microbiol. 2011; 153(1-2):82-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2011.05.043. View

15.

Santos-Beneit F, Barriuso-Iglesias M, Fernandez-Martinez L, Martinez-Castro M, Sola-Landa A, Rodriguez-Garcia A . The RNA polymerase omega factor RpoZ is regulated by PhoP and has an important role in antibiotic biosynthesis and morphological differentiation in Streptomyces coelicolor. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2011; 77(21):7586-94. PMC: 3209170. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.00465-11. View

16.

Chakraborty S, Sivaraman J, Leung K, Mok Y . Two-component PhoB-PhoR regulatory system and ferric uptake regulator sense phosphate and iron to control virulence genes in type III and VI secretion systems of Edwardsiella tarda. J Biol Chem. 2011; 286(45):39417-30. PMC: 3234765. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M111.295188. View

17.

Zaborin A, Gerdes S, Holbrook C, Liu D, Zaborina O, Alverdy J . Pseudomonas aeruginosa overrides the virulence inducing effect of opioids when it senses an abundance of phosphate. PLoS One. 2012; 7(4):e34883. PMC: 3325935. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034883. View

18.

Crepin S, Houle S, Charbonneau M, Mourez M, Harel J, Dozois C . Decreased expression of type 1 fimbriae by a pst mutant of uropathogenic Escherichia coli reduces urinary tract infection. Infect Immun. 2012; 80(8):2802-15. PMC: 3434566. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00162-12. View

19.

Bains M, Fernandez L, Hancock R . Phosphate starvation promotes swarming motility and cytotoxicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2012; 78(18):6762-8. PMC: 3426718. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.01015-12. View

20.

Mah T . Biofilm-specific antibiotic resistance. Future Microbiol. 2012; 7(9):1061-72. DOI: 10.2217/fmb.12.76. View