Glucose 6-phosphate transport regulatory protein UhpA regulates the virulent genes in Edwardsiella piscicida

Abstract

Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida) is an important zoonotic pathogen, which infects animals by colonizing the intestine. Glucose 6-phosphate (Glu6P) was an important carbohydrate in intestine and could be used as a regulate signal. Here we identify a virulence-regulating pathway named Glu6P transport regulatory protein UhpA, which affects the virulent genes of hemolysins, flagellar, T3SS, T6SS and metabolism related genes how to promote E. piscicida infect the host. The results showed that the metabolism related gene expression of cysteine synthase (orf 1134) and sulfate transporter (ychM) in the uhpA mutant strain ΔuhpA was 0.76-fold and 0.68-fold lower than the ones in the wild strains (P < 0.05), the gene expression of ethA and ethB in the ΔuhpA strain was 0.80-fold and 0.72-fold lower than the ones in the wild strains (P < 0.05). However, the gene expression of fliC and flgN in the ΔuhpA was 1.51-fold and 1.21-fold higher than the ones in the wild strains (P < 0.05), the gene expression of T3SS (esrB and esrC) and T6SS (evpB and evpC) in the ΔuhpA was 1.27-fold, 1.13-fold 1.28-fold and 1.23-fold higher than the ones in the wild strains (P < 0.05). Besides, the survival rate of fish challenged with E. piscicida EIB202 and ΔuhpA was 50% and 30% respectively. These suggested that although the uhpA gene deletion decreased the metabolic level and the hemolysins related gene expression in E. piscicida, the uhpA gene could down regulate the key virulent gene expression to decrease the pathogenicity of E. piscicida in fish.