The two-component system PrlS/PrlR of Brucella melitensis is required for persistence in mice and appears to respond to ionic strength

Microbiology (Reading). 2012 Oct;158(Pt 10):2642-2651. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.060863-0. Epub 2012 Aug 2.

Abstract

Bacterial adaptation to environmental conditions is essential to ensure maximal fitness in the face of several stresses. In this context, two-component systems (TCSs) represent a predominant signal transduction mechanism, allowing an appropriate response to be mounted when a stimulus is sensed. As facultative intracellular pathogens, Brucella spp. face various environmental conditions, and an adequate response is required for a successful infection process. Recently, bioinformatic analysis of Brucella genomes predicted a set of 15 bona fide TCS pairs, among which some have been previously investigated. In this report, we characterized a new TCS locus called prlS/R, for probable proline sensor-regulator. It encodes a hybrid histidine kinase (PrlS) with an unusual Na(+)/solute symporter N-terminal domain and a transcriptional regulator (belonging to the LuxR family) (PrlR). In vitro, Brucella spp. with a functional PrlR/S system form bacterial aggregates, which seems to be an adaptive response to a hypersaline environment, while a prlS/R mutant does not. We identified ionic strength as a possible signal sensed by this TCS. Finally, this work correlates the absence of a functional PrlR/S system with the lack of hypersaline-induced aggregation in particular marine Brucella spp.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Brucella melitensis / genetics
  • Brucella melitensis / metabolism
  • Brucella melitensis / pathogenicity*
  • Brucella melitensis / physiology*
  • Brucellosis / microbiology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial*
  • Histidine Kinase
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Osmolar Concentration
  • Protein Kinases / genetics*
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Trophoblasts / microbiology
  • Virulence

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Protein Kinases
  • Histidine Kinase