Elevated exopolysaccharide levels in Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagellar mutants have implications for biofilm growth and chronic infections

PLoS Genetics
Joe J HarrisonMatthew R Parsek

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizes the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, causing infections that can last for decades. During the course of these infections, P. aeruginosa undergoes a number of genetic adaptations. One such adaptation is the loss of swimming motility functions. Another involves the formation of the rugose small colony variant (RSCV) phenotype, which is characterized by overproduction of the exopolysaccharides Pel and Psl. Here, we provide evidence that the two adaptations are linked. Using random transposon mutagenesis, we discovered that flagellar mutations are linked to the RSCV phenotype. We found that flagellar mutants overexpressed Pel and Psl in a surface-contact dependent manner. Genetic analyses revealed that flagellar mutants were selected for at high frequencies in biofilms, and that Pel and Psl expression provided the primary fitness benefit in this environment. Suppressor mutagenesis of flagellar RSCVs indicated that Psl overexpression required the mot genes, suggesting that the flagellum stator proteins function in a surface-dependent regulatory pathway for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Finally, we identified flagellar mutant RSCVs among CF isolates. The CF environment has long been known t...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 1, 2021·Current Opinion in Microbiology·David M Hershey
Apr 2, 2021·Nature Communications·Henrik AlmbladJoe Jonathan Harrison
Apr 1, 2021·Biotechnology Advances·Maria Del Mar Cendra, Eduard Torrents
Apr 4, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Mathilde BouteillerAnnabelle Merieau
Apr 4, 2021·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Irene Jurado-MartínSiobhán McClean
Jun 13, 2021·Science Advances·Eden OzerLital Alfonta
Jul 18, 2021·Science Advances·Christopher W MarshallVaughn S Cooper

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Datasets Mentioned

BETA
PRJNA625996

Methods Mentioned

BETA
protein folding
dot blots
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
ELISA
PCR
Illumina sequencing
electrophoresis

Software Mentioned

Bionumerics Seven
VBMM
Photoshop
Adobe

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