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A Functional ClpXP Protease is Required for Induction of the Accessory Toxin Genes, tst, sed, and sec

Schelin, Jenny LU ; Cohn, Marianne Thorup ; Frisk, Barbro and Frees, Dorte (2020) In Toxins 12(9).
Abstract

Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome is a potentially lethal illness attributed to superantigens produced by Staphylococcus aureus, in particular toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), but staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are also implicated. The genes encoding these important toxins are carried on mobile genetic elements, and the regulatory networks controlling expression of these toxins remain relatively unexplored. We show here that the highly conserved ClpXP protease stimulates transcription of tst (TSST-1), sec (SEC), and sed (SED) genes in the prototypical strains, SA564 and RN4282. In the wild-type cells, the post-exponential upregulation of toxin gene transcription was proposed to occur via RNAIII-mediated downregulation of the... (More)

Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome is a potentially lethal illness attributed to superantigens produced by Staphylococcus aureus, in particular toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), but staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are also implicated. The genes encoding these important toxins are carried on mobile genetic elements, and the regulatory networks controlling expression of these toxins remain relatively unexplored. We show here that the highly conserved ClpXP protease stimulates transcription of tst (TSST-1), sec (SEC), and sed (SED) genes in the prototypical strains, SA564 and RN4282. In the wild-type cells, the post-exponential upregulation of toxin gene transcription was proposed to occur via RNAIII-mediated downregulation of the Rot repressor. Contradictive to this model, we showed that the post-exponential induction of tst, sed, and sec transcription did not occur in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, despite the Rot level being diminished. To identify transcriptional regulators with a changed expression in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, RNA sequencing was performed. The RNAseq analysis revealed a number of global virulence regulators that might act downstream of ClpXP, to control expression of tst and other virulence genes. Collectively, the results extend our understanding of the complex transcriptional regulation of the tst, sed, and sec genes.

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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Toxins
volume
12
issue
9
article number
553
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • pmid:32872362
  • scopus:85090180478
ISSN
2072-6651
DOI
10.3390/toxins12090553
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
404aa7a9-0ddb-48d9-87a5-e190c385c1dd
date added to LUP
2020-09-07 19:01:30
date last changed
2024-06-26 22:10:41
@article{404aa7a9-0ddb-48d9-87a5-e190c385c1dd,
  abstract     = {{<p>Staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome is a potentially lethal illness attributed to superantigens produced by Staphylococcus aureus, in particular toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1), but staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) are also implicated. The genes encoding these important toxins are carried on mobile genetic elements, and the regulatory networks controlling expression of these toxins remain relatively unexplored. We show here that the highly conserved ClpXP protease stimulates transcription of tst (TSST-1), sec (SEC), and sed (SED) genes in the prototypical strains, SA564 and RN4282. In the wild-type cells, the post-exponential upregulation of toxin gene transcription was proposed to occur via RNAIII-mediated downregulation of the Rot repressor. Contradictive to this model, we showed that the post-exponential induction of tst, sed, and sec transcription did not occur in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, despite the Rot level being diminished. To identify transcriptional regulators with a changed expression in cells devoid of ClpXP activity, RNA sequencing was performed. The RNAseq analysis revealed a number of global virulence regulators that might act downstream of ClpXP, to control expression of tst and other virulence genes. Collectively, the results extend our understanding of the complex transcriptional regulation of the tst, sed, and sec genes.</p>}},
  author       = {{Schelin, Jenny and Cohn, Marianne Thorup and Frisk, Barbro and Frees, Dorte}},
  issn         = {{2072-6651}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  number       = {{9}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Toxins}},
  title        = {{A Functional ClpXP Protease is Required for Induction of the Accessory Toxin Genes, tst, sed, and sec}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/toxins12090553}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/toxins12090553}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}