Pseudomonas aeruginosa mutants defective in glucose uptake have pleiotropic phenotype and altered virulence in non-mammal infection models

Pseudomonas spp. are endowed with a complex pathway for glucose uptake that relies on multiple transporters. In this work we report the construction and characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa single and multiple mutants with unmarked deletions of genes encoding outer membrane (OM) and inner membrane (IM) proteins involved in glucose uptake. We found that a triple \u394gltKGF \u394gntP \u394kguT mutant lacking all known IM transporters (named GUN for Glucose Uptake Null) is unable to grow on glucose as unique carbon source. More than 500 genes controlling both metabolic functions and virulence traits show differential expression in GUN relative to the parental strain. Consistent with transcriptomic data, the GUN mutant displays a pleiotropic phenotype. Notably, the genome-wide transcriptional profile and most phenotypic traits differ between the GUN mutant and the wild type strain irrespective of the presence of glucose, suggesting that the investigated genes may have additional roles besides glucose transport. Finally, mutants carrying single or multiple deletions in the glucose uptake genes showed attenuated virulence relative to the wild type strain in Galleria mellonella, but not in Caenorhabditis elegans infection model, supporting the notion that metabolic functions may deeply impact P. aeruginosa adaptation to specific environments found inside the host

The Language theory, epistemology, and aesthetics of Jean Lerond d'Alembert

I. Introduction II. Language theory i. Elements of language: The Origin of language; Definitions and scientific principles ii. The Propositional statement: Rationalist grammar theory; Alembert and the propositional statement iii. Conclusion III. Epistemology i. Analysis and synthesis ii. Rationalism iii. Empiricism iv. Conclusion IV. Aesthetics i. General aesthetic theory ii. Music iii. Translation iv. Stylistics v. Conclusion V. Implications i. The Retreat into the knowable ii. The Judgement of posterity Works consulte

LuxR homolog-independent gene regulation by acyl-homoserine lactones in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum control of gene expression involves three LuxR-type signal receptors LasR, RhlR, and QscR that respond to the LasI- and RhlI-generated acyl-homoserine lactone (acyl-HSL) signals 3OC12-HSL and C4-HSL. We found that a LasR-RhlR-QscR triple mutant responds to acyl-HSLs by regulating at least 37 genes. LuxR homolog-independent activation of the representative genes antA and catB also occurs in the wild type. Expression of antA was influenced the most by C10-HSL and to a lesser extent by other acyl-HSLs, including the P. aeruginosa 3OC12-HSL and C4-HSL signals. The ant and cat operons encode enzymes for the degradation of anthranilate to tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates. Our results indicate that LuxR homolog-independent acyl-HSL control of the ant and cat operons occurs via regulation of antR, which codes for the transcriptional activator of the ant operon. Although P. aeruginosa has multiple pathways for anthranilate synthesis, one pathway—the kynurenine pathway for tryptophan degradation—is required for acyl-HSL activation of the ant operon. The kynurenine pathway is also the critical source of anthranilate for energy metabolism via the antABC gene products, as well as the source of anthranilate for synthesis of the P. aeruginosa quinolone signal. Our discovery of LuxR homolog-independent responses to acyl-HSLs provides insight into acyl-HSL signaling

Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence genes identified in a Dictyostelium host model.

The human pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been shown previously to use similar virulence factors when infecting mammalian hosts or Dictyostelium amoebae. Here we randomly mutagenized a clinical isolate of P. aeruginosa, and identified mutants with attenuated virulence towards Dictyostelium. These mutant strains also exhibited a strong decrease in virulence when infecting Drosophila and mice, confirming that P. aeruginosa makes use of similar virulence traits to confront these very different hosts. Further characterization of these bacterial mutants showed that TrpD is important for the induction of the quorum-sensing circuit, while PchH and PchI are involved in the induction of the type III secretion system. These results demonstrate the usefulness and the relevance of the Dictyostelium host model to identify and analyse new virulence genes in P. aeruginosa