Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

In Vivo Gene Expression: Contributions to Infection, Virulence, and Pathogenesis

  • Chapter
Bacterial Infection: Close Encounters at the Host Pathogen Interface

Part of the book series: Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology ((CT MICROBIOLOGY,volume 225))

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria are distinguished by their ability to proliferate within host cells or fluids that are forbidden to commensal species. Viewed from this perspective, bacterial products that lead to enhanced growth and persistence at these sites are key attributes that determine a microbe’s pathogenic potential (Falkow 1996; Heithoff et al. 1997). Many virulence determinants that contribute to this unique ability share a common phenotype, i.e., induction in host tissues. In this review, we will describe two complementary genetic strategies developed in Salmonella typhimurium that allow the isolation of bacterial genes induced or required during infection. The identification of such genes and the products they encode provides a means to understand their contributions to infection, virulence, and pathogenesis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Baruch DI, Pasloske BL, Singh HB, Bi X, Ma XC, Feldman M, Taraschi TF, Howard RJ (1995) Cloning of the P. falciparum gene encoding PfEMP1, a malarial variant antigen and adherence receptor on the surface of parasitized human erythrocytes. Cell 82:77–87

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin WH Jr, Hall P, Briles DE (1991) A hemA mutation renders Salmonella typhimurium avirulent in mice, yet capable of eliciting protection against intravenous injection with S. typhimurium. Microb Pathog 1:289–295

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernardini ML, Fontaine A, Sansonetti PJ (1990) The two-component regulatory system OmpR-EnvZ controls the virulence of Shigella flexneri. J Bacteriol 172:6274–6281

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borst P, Bitter W, McCulloch R, Van Leeuwen F, Rudenko G (1995) Antigenic variation in malaria. Cell 82:1–4

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buchmeier NA, Lipps CJ, So MY, Heffron F (1993) Recombination-deficient mutants of Salmonella typhimurium are avirulent and sensitive to the oxidative burst of macrophages. Mol Microbiol 7:933–936

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bull PC, Cox DW (1994) Wilson disease and Menkes disease: new handles on heavy-metal transport. Trends Genet 10:246–252

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bullen JJ, Griffiths E (1987) Iron and infection. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Camilli A, Beattie DT, Melalanos JJ (1994) Use of genetic recombination as a reporter of gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 91:2634–2638

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cashel M, Gentry DR, Hernandez VJ, Vinella D (1996) The stringent response. In: Neidhardt FC (ed) Escherichia coli and Salmonella cellular and molecular biology, 2nd edn. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, pp 1458–1496

    Google Scholar 

  • Dorman CJ, Chatfield S, Higgins CF, Hay ward C, Dougan G (1989) Characterization of porin and ompR mutants of a virulent strain of Salmonella typhimurium: ompR mutants are attenuated in vivo. Infect Immun 57:2136–2140

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Durand JM, Okada N, Tobe T, Watarai M, Fukuda I, Suzuki T, Nakata N, Kamatsu K, Yoshikawa M, Sasakawa C (1994) vacC, a virulence-associated locus on the chromosome of Shigella flexneri, is homologous to tgt, a gene encoding tRNA-guanine transglycosylase of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 176:4627–4634

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falkow S (1996) The evolution of pathogenicity in Escherichia, Shigella, and Salmonella. In: Neidhardt FC (ed) Escherichia coli and Salmonella cellular and molecular biology, 2nd edn. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, pp 2723–2729

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang FC, Krause M, Roudier C, Fierer J, Guiney DG (1991) Growth regulation of a Salmonella plasmid gene essential for virulence. J Bacteriol 173:6783–6789

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang FC, Libby SJ, Buchmeier NA, Loewen PC, Switala J, Harwood J, Guiney DG (1992) The alternative sigma factor katF (rpoS) regulates Salmonella virulence. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:11978–11982

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fields PI, Swanson RV, Haidaris CJ, Heffron F (1986) Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium that cannot survive within the macrophage are avirulent. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 83:5189–5193

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fleckenstein JM, Kopecko DJ, Warren RL, Elsinghorst EA (1996) Molecular characterization of the tia invasion locus from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Infect Immun 64:2256–2265

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galan JE, Curtiss R III (1989) Cloning and molecular characterization of genes whose products allow Salmonella typhimurium to penetrate tissue culture cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 86:6383–6387

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garcia-del Portillo F, Foster JW, Maguire ME, Finlay BB (1992) Characterization of the micro-environment of Salmonella typhimurium-containing vacuoles within MDCK epithelial cells. Mol Microbiol 6:3289–3297

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gitter B, Diefenbach R, Keweloh H, Riesenberg D (1995) Influence of stringent and relaxed response on excretion of recombinant proteins and fatty acid composition in Escherichia coli. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 43:89–92

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg JT, Demple B (1988) Overproduction of peroxide-scavenging enzymes in Escherichia coli suppresses spontaneous mutagenesis and sensitivity to redox-cycling agents in oxyR-mutants. EMBO J 7:2611–2617

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Groisman A, Heffron F (1995) Regulation of Salmonella virulence by two-component regulatory systems. In: Hoch JA, Silhavy TJ (eds) Two-component signal transductions. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, pp 319–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Groisman EA, Sturmoski MA, Solomon FR, Lin R, Ochman H (1993) Molecular, functional, and evolutionary analysis of sequences specific to Salmonella. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:1033–1037

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gulig PA, Danbara H, Guiney DG, Lax AJ, Norel F, Rhen M (1993) Molecular analysis of spv virulence genes of the Salmonella virulence plasmids. Mol Microbiol 7:825–830

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heithoff DM, Conner CP, Hanna PC, Julio SM, Hentschel U, Mahan MJ (1997) Bacterial infection as assessed by in vivo gene expression. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:934–939

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hengge-Aronis R, Kleine W, Lange R, Rimmele M, Boos W (1991) Trehalose synthesis genes are controlled by the putative sigma factor encoded by rpoS and are involved in stationary phase thermotolerance in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 173:7918–7924

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hensel M, Shea JE, Gleeson C, Jones MD, Dalton E, Holden DW (1995) Simultaneous identification of bacterial virulence genes by negative selection. Science 269:400–403

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kaasen I, Falkenberg P, Styrvold OB, Strom AR (1992) Molecular cloning and physical mapping of the otsBA genes which encode the osmoregulatory trehalose pathway of Escherichia coli: evidence that transcription is regulated by katF (AppR). J Bacteriol 174:889–898

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kutchai HC (1993) The gastroinstestinal system, pp 615–716. In: Berne RM, Levy MN (eds) Physiology, 3rd edn. Mosby Year Book, St. Louis

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutwyche P, Rupps R, Cavanagh J, Warren RA, Brooks DE (1994) Cloning, sequencing, and viscometric adhesion analysis of heat resistant agglutinin 1, an integral membrane hemagglutinin from Escherichia coli 09:H10:K99. Infect Immun 62:5020–5026

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mahan MJ, Slauch JM, Mekalanos JJ (1993) Selection of bacterial virulence genes that are specifically induced in host tissues. Science 259:666–668

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahan MJ, Tobias JW, Slauch JM, Hanna PC, Collier JR, Mekalanos JJ (1995) Antibiotic-based selection for bacterial genes that are specifically induced during infection of a host. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:669–673

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mahan MJ, Slauch JM, Mekalanos JJ (1996) Environmental regulation of virulence gene expression in Escherichia, Salmonella, and Shigella. In: Neidhardt FC (ed) Escherichia coli and Salmonella cellular and molecular biology, 2nd edn. American Society for Microbiology, Washington DC, pp 2802–2815

    Google Scholar 

  • McFarland WC, Stocker BAD (1987) Effect of different purine auxotrophic mutations on mouse-virulence of a Vi-positive strain of Salmonella dublin and of two strains of Salmonella typhimurium. J Microb Pathol 3:129–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mekalanos JJ (1992) Environmental signals controlling the expression of virulence determinants in bacteria. J Bacteriol 174:1–7

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller JF, Mekalanos J J, Falkow S (1989) Coordinate regulation and sensory transduction in the control of bacterial virulence genes. Science 243:916–922

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Odermatt A, Suter H, Krapf R, Solioz M (1993) Primary structure of two P-type ATPases involved in copper homeostasis in Enterococcus hirae. J Biol Chem 268:12775–12779

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Olson ER (1993) Influence of pH on bacterial gene expression. Mol Microbiol 8:5–14

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pollack C, Straley SC, Klempner MS (1986) Probing the phagolysosomal environment of human macrophages with a Ca2+-responsive-operon fusion in Yersinia pestis. Nature 322:834–836

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ritter A, Blum G, Emody L, Kerenyi M, Bock A, Neuhierl B, Rabsch W, Scheutz F, Hacker J (1995) tRNA genes and pathogenicity islands: influence on virulence and metabolic properties of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Mol Microbiol 17:109–121

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roland K, Martin LE, Esther CR, Spitznagel J (1993) Spontaneous pmrA mutants of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 define a new two-component regulatory system with a possible role in virulence. J Bacteriol 75:4154–4164

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosqvist R, Hakansson S, Forsberg A, Wolf-Watz H (1995) Functional conservation of the secretion and translocation machinery for virulence proteins of Yersiniae, Salmonellae and Shigellae. EMBO J 14:4187–4195

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shea JE, Hensel M, Gleeson C, Holden DW (1996) Identification of a virulence locus encoding a second type III secretion system in Salmonella typhimurium. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93:2593–2597

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Strom AR, Kaasen I (1993) Trehalose metabolism in Escherichia coli: stress protection and stress regulation of gene expression. Mol Microbiol 8:205–210

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tobe T, Sasakawa C, Okada N, Honma Y, Yoshikawa M (1992) vacB, a novel chromosomal gene required for expression of virulence genes on the large plasmid of Shigella flexneri. J Bacteriol 174:6359–6367

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vescovi EG, Soncini FC, Groisman EA (1996) Mg2+ as an extracellular signal: environmental regulation of Salmonella virulence. Cell 84:165–174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang AY, Cronan JE Jr (1994) The growth phase-dependent synthesis of cyclopropane fatty acids in Escherichia coli is the result of an RpoS(KatF)-dependent promoter plus enzyme instability. Mol Microbiol 11:1009–1017

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson N, Dunyak DS, Rosey EL, Slonczewski JL, Olson ER (1992) Identification of elements involved in transcriptional regulation of the Escherichia coli cad operon by external pH. J Bacteriol 174:530–540

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winans SC, Kerstetter RA, Nester EW (1988) Transcriptional regulation of the vir A and virG genes of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. J Bacteriol 170:4047–4054

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge KG, Williams PH (1993) Iron uptake mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Rev 12:325–348

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan Y, Lee RE, Besra GS, Belisle JT, Barry CE 3rd (1995) Identification of a gene involved in the biosynthesis of cyclopropanated mycolic acids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:6630–6634

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 93106, USA

    C. P. Conner, D. M. Heithoff & M. J. Mahan

Authors
  1. C. P. Conner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. D. M. Heithoff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M. J. Mahan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Oncovirology, BCC 239, Department of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, 92037, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Peter K. Vogt Ph.D.

  2. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, 93106, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Michael J. Mahan Ph.D.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Conner, C.P., Heithoff, D.M., Mahan, M.J. (1998). In Vivo Gene Expression: Contributions to Infection, Virulence, and Pathogenesis. In: Vogt, P.K., Mahan, M.J. (eds) Bacterial Infection: Close Encounters at the Host Pathogen Interface. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 225. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-80451-9_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-80451-9_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-80453-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-80451-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation