The type I protein secretion system ofRhizobium leguminosarumbv. viciae encoded by theprsDandprsEgenes is responsible for secretion of the exopolysaccharide (EPS)-glycanases PlyA and PlyB. The formation of a ring of biofilm on the surface of the glass in shaken cultures by both theprsDandprsEsecretion mutants was greatly affected. Confocal laser scanning microscopy analysis of green-fluorescent-protein-labeled bacteria showed that during growth in minimal medium,R. leguminosarumwild type developed microcolonies, which progress to a characteristic three-dimensional biofilm structure. However, theprsDandprsEsecretion mutants were able to form only an immature biofilm structure. A mutant disrupted in the EPS-glycanaseplyBgene showed altered timing of biofilm formation, and its structure was atypical. A mutation in an essential gene for EPS synthesis (pssA) or deletion of several otherpssgenes involved in EPS synthesis completely abolished the ability ofR. leguminosarumto develop a biofilm. Extracellular complementation studies of mixed bacterial cultures confirmed the role of the EPS and the modulation of the biofilm structure by the PrsD-PrsE secreted proteins. Protein analysis identified several additional proteins secreted by the PrsD-PrsE secretion system, and N-terminal sequencing revealed peptides homologous to the N termini of proteins from the Rap family (Rhizobiumadheringproteins), which could have roles in cellular adhesion inR. leguminosarum. We propose a model forR. leguminosarumin which synthesis of the EPS leads the formation of a biofilm and several PrsD-PrsE secreted proteins are involved in different aspects of biofilm maturation, such as modulation of the EPS length or mediating attachment between bacteria.

Rhizobium leguminosarum is a soil bacterium that infects root hairs and induces the formation of nitrogen-fixing nodules on leguminous plants. Light, oxygen, and voltage (LOV)-domain proteins are blue-light receptors found in higher plants and many algae, fungi, and bacteria. The genome of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841, a pea-nodulating endosymbiont, encodes a sensor histidine kinase containing a LOV domain at the N-terminal end (R-LOV-HK). R-LOV-HK has a typical LOV domain absorption spectrum with broad bands in the blue and UV-A regions and shows a truncated photocycle. Here we show that the R-LOV-HK protein regulates attachment to an abiotic surface and production of flagellar proteins and exopolysaccharide in response to light. Also, illumination of bacterial cultures before inoculation of pea roots increases the number of nodules per plant and the number of intranodular bacteroids. The effects of light on nodulation are dependent on a functional lov gene. The results presented in this work suggest that light, sensed by R-LOV-HK, is an important environmental factor that controls adaptive responses and the symbiotic efficiency of R. leguminosarum .

Brucella is responsible for brucellosis, one of the most common zoonoses worldwide that causes important economic losses in several countries. Increasing evidence indicates that adhesion of Brucella spp. to host cells is an important step to establish infection. We have previously shown that the BmaC unipolar monomeric autotransporter mediates the binding of Brucella suis to host cells through cell-associated fibronectin. Our genome analysis shows that the B. suis genome encodes several additional potential adhesins. In this work, we characterized a predicted trimeric autotransporter that we named BtaE. By expressing btaE in a nonadherent Escherichia coli strain and by phenotypic characterization of a B. suis Δ btaE mutant, we showed that BtaE is involved in the binding of B. suis to hyaluronic acid. The B. suis Δ btaE mutant exhibited a reduction in the adhesion to HeLa and A549 epithelial cells compared with the wild-type strain, and it was outcompeted by the wild-type strain in the binding to HeLa cells. The knockout btaE mutant showed an attenuated phenotype in the mouse model, indicating that BtaE is required for full virulence. BtaE was immunodetected on the bacterial surface at one cell pole. Using old and new pole markers, we observed that both the BmaC and BtaE adhesins are consistently associated with the new cell pole, suggesting that, in Brucella , the new pole is functionally differentiated for adhesion. This is consistent with the inherent polarization of this bacterium, and its role in the invasion process.

Brucella is an intracellular pathogen responsible of a zoonotic disease called brucellosis. Brucella survives and proliferates within several types of phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells. Like in other pathogens, adhesion of brucellae to host surfaces was proposed to be an important step in the infection process. Indeed, Brucella has the capacity to bind to culture human cells and key components of the extracellular matrix, such as fibronectin. However, little is known about the molecular bases of Brucella adherence. In an attempt to identify bacterial genes encoding adhesins, a phage display library of Brucella suis was panned against fibronectin. Three fibronectin-binding proteins of B. suis were identified using this approach. One of the candidates, designated BmaC was a very large protein of 340 kDa that is predicted to belong to the type I (monomeric) autotransporter family. Microscopy studies showed that BmaC is located at one pole on the bacterial surface. The phage displaying the fibronectin-binding peptide of BmaC inhibited the attachment of brucellae to both, HeLa cells and immobilized fibronectin in vitro. In addition, a bmaC deletion mutant was impaired in the ability of B. suis to attach to immobilized fibronectin and to the surface of HeLa and A549 cells and was out-competed by the wild-type strain in co-infection experiments. Finally, anti-fibronectin or anti-BmaC antibodies significantly inhibited the binding of wild-type bacteria to HeLa cells. Our results highlight the role of a novel monomeric autotransporter protein in the adhesion of B. suis to the extracellular matrix and non-phagocytic cells via fibronectin binding.

Brucella spp., like other pathogens, must cope with the environment of diverse host niches during the infection process. In doing this, pathogens evolved different type of transport systems to help them survive and disseminate within the host. Members of the TolC family have been shown to be involved in the export of chemically diverse molecules ranging from large protein toxins to small toxic compounds. The role of proteins from the TolC family in Brucella and otherα -2-proteobacteria has been explored little. The gene encoding the unique member of the TolC family from Brucella suis (BepC) was cloned and expressed in an Escherichia coli mutant disrupted in the gene encoding TolC, which has the peculiarity of being involved in diverse transport functions. BepC fully complemented the resistance to drugs such as chloramphenicol and acriflavine but was incapable of restoring hemolysin secretion in the tolC mutant of E. coli . An insertional mutation in the bepC gene strongly affected the resistance phenotype of B. suis to bile salts and toxic chemicals such as ethidium bromide and rhodamine and significantly decreased the resistance to antibiotics such as erythromycin, ampicillin, tetracycline, and norfloxacin. Moreover, the B. suis bepC mutant was attenuated in the mouse model of infection. Taken together, these results suggest that BepC-dependent efflux processes of toxic compounds contribute to B. suis survival inside the host.

The RND-type efflux pumps are responsible for the multidrug resistance phenotype observed in many clinically relevant species. Also, RND pumps have been implicated in physiological processes, with roles in the virulence mechanisms of several pathogenic bacteria. We have previously shown that the BepC outer membrane factor ofBrucella suisis involved in the efflux of diverse drugs, probably as part of a tripartite complex with an inner membrane translocase. In the present work, we characterize two membrane fusion protein-RND translocases ofB. suisencoded by thebepDEandbepFGloci. MIC assays showed that theB. suisΔbepEmutant was more sensitive to deoxycholate (DOC), ethidium bromide, and crystal violet. Furthermore, multicopybepDEincreased resistance to DOC and crystal violet and also to other drugs, including ampicillin, norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, and doxycycline. In contrast to the ΔbepEmutant, the resistance profile ofB. suisremained unaltered when the other RND gene (bepG) was deleted. However, the ΔbepEΔbepGdouble mutant showed a more severe phenotype than the ΔbepEmutant, indicating that BepFG also contributes to drug resistance. An open reading frame (bepR) coding for a putative regulatory protein of the TetR family was found upstream of thebepDElocus. BepR strongly repressed the activity of thebepDEpromoter, but DOC released the repression mediated by BepR. A clear induction of thebepFGpromoter activity was observed only in the BepDE-defective mutant, indicating a regulatory interplay between the two RND efflux pumps. Although only the BepFG-defective mutant showed a moderate attenuation in model cells, the activities of bothbepDEandbepFGpromoters were induced in the intracellular environment of HeLa cells. Our results show thatB. suisharbors two functional RND efflux pumps that may contribute to virulence.