The pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections is multifactorial. Golden pigment is an eponymous feature of the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus that shields the microbe from oxidation-based clearance, an innate host immune response to infection. Here, we screened a collection of S. aureus transposon mutants for pigment production variants. A total of 15 previously unidentified genes were discovered. Notably, disrupting metabolic pathways such as the tricarboxylic acid cycle, purine biosynthesis, and oxidative phosphorylation yields mutants with enhanced pigmentation. The dramatic effect on pigment production seems to correlate with altered expression of virulence determinants. Microarray analysis further indicates that purine biosynthesis impacts the expression of ϳ400 genes involved in a broad spectrum of functions including virulence. The purine biosynthesis mutant and oxidative phosphorylation mutant strains exhibit significantly attenuated virulence in a murine abscess model of infection. Inhibition of purine biosynthesis with a known smallmolecule inhibitor results in altered virulence gene expression and virulence attenuation during infection. Taken together, these results suggest an intimate link between metabolic processes and virulence gene expression in S. aureus. This study also establishes the importance of purine biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation for in vivo survival.Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of infections in humans, ranging from minor skin and wound infections to lifethreatening diseases (31). The pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections is a multifactorial process that depends on the expression of different virulence factors controlled by multiple regulatory systems in conjunction with environmental and nutritional signals (46). The high degree of variability in the expression of virulence genes is modulated by a complex network regulated by factors such as the agr locus (RNAIII), SarA, and SigB (5, 9), which allows the bacterium to adapt to changing environmental conditions for survival and developing infection.The species epithet of S. aureus reflects its characteristic surface pigmentation (aureus, meaning "golden" in Latin) (43). The yellowish-orange (golden) pigment produced by S. aureus has been linked to virulence, owing to its antioxidant property (29,30). The golden pigmentation of S. aureus is the product of a C 30 triterpenoid carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, and the carotenoid pigment biosynthesis genes are organized in an operon crtOPQMN controlled by the alternative sigma factor SigB (3, 39). Since many virulence genes are coordinately regulated in S. aureus (5, 9, 31), we hypothesized that genes affecting pigmentation may also influence the production of virulence determinants and have an impact on the pathogenesis of S. aureus.Herein, we present an analysis of S. aureus golden pigment biosynthesis and regulatory pathways at the genomic level by screening the Phoenix (⌽N⌶) library, a collection of defined transposon insertions into 1,812 open reading frame...
Background:Macrophages play an important role in inflammation and injury as well as resolution of the response. Results: Mitochondrial Cu,Zn-SOD-mediated H 2 O 2 polarizes macrophages to an M2 phenotype. Conclusion: A prolonged predominance of M2 macrophages can induce a fibrotic phenotype. Significance: The antioxidant enzyme, Cu,Zn-SOD, increases mitochondrial H 2 O 2 levels, which is linked to pulmonary fibrosis.
We report the development and optimization of reagents for in-solution, hybridization-based capture of the mouse exome. By validating this approach in a multiple inbred strains and in novel mutant strains, we show that whole exome sequencing is a robust approach for discovery of putative mutations, irrespective of strain background. We found strong candidate mutations for the majority of mutant exomes sequenced, including new models of orofacial clefting, urogenital dysmorphology, kyphosis and autoimmune hepatitis.
The release of H 2 O 2 from alveolar macrophages has been linked to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, but little is known about its source or mechanism of production. We found that alveolar macrophages from asbestosis patients spontaneously produce high levels of H 2 O 2 and have high expression of Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD). Because Cu,Zn-SOD is found in the mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS), we hypothesized that mitochondrial Cu,Zn-SOD-mediated H 2 O 2 generation contributed to pulmonary fibrosis. Asbestos-induced translocation of Cu,Zn-SOD to the IMS was unique to macrophages and dependent on functional mitochondrial respiration and the presence of at least one of the conserved cysteines required for disulfide bond formation. These conserved cysteine residues were also necessary for enzyme activation and
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