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Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0

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A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 14162

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Prof. Dr. Ines Arana

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Guest Editor

Department of Immunology, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Leioa, Spain
Interests: stress-resistance and persistence of microbe; vbnc state
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Vladimir R. Kaberdin

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, 48340 Leioa, Spain
2. IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48013 Bilbao, Spain
Interests: Escherichia coli and vibrio; molecular microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is the continuation of our 2020 Special Issue “Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence”.

Escherichia coli and Vibrio species are common model organisms widely used to study adaptation, survival, and pathogenicity of enterobacteria and their counterparts present in natural aquatic systems. While often striving in continuously changing environments, these microorganisms are able to trigger a large number of adaptation mechanisms that ensure cell fitness and proliferation in their natural habitats under a wide range of adverse conditions.

Since some E. coli and Vibrio spp. are pathogenic to humans and marine organisms essential for sea food industry (e.g., shrimps, mussels, and fish), their increasing antibiotic resistance, appearance of new multidrug-resistant strains, and fast adaptation to climate change and polluted environments increase public awareness and concern. Given the above trends, further characterization of bacterial stress responses essential for cell adaptation and host–pathogen interactions could help to identify new drug targets and develop efficient tools to control the presence and virulence of these pathogens in natural and artificial settings.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to attract new research articles that address the key mechanisms and strategy adopted by E. coli and Vibrio spp. to cope with single and multiple stresses that affect their capacity to survive and elicit infections.

Prof. Dr. Ines Arana
Prof. Dr. Vladimir R. Kaberdin
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bacterial stress responses
host-pathogen interactions
climate change
adaptation mechanisms

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 216 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Recent Insights into Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Pathogenicity and Responses to Stress

by Vladimir R. Kaberdin and Inés Arana

Microorganisms 2022, 10(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10010038 - 26 Dec 2021

Viewed by 1967

Abstract

The ubiquitous presence of microorganisms is largely attributed to their tremendous capacity to successfully adapt and survive in highly adverse environments [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

15 pages, 4323 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Addressing the Joint Impact of Temperature and pH on Vibrio harveyi Adaptation in the Time of Climate Change

by Kaan Gundogdu, Ander Orus Iturriza, Maite Orruño, Itxaso Montánchez, Harkaitz Eguiraun, Iciar Martinez, Inés Arana and Vladimir R. Kaberdin

Microorganisms 2023, 11(4), 1075; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11041075 - 20 Apr 2023

Viewed by 1617

Abstract

Global warming and acidification of the global ocean are two important manifestations of the ongoing climate change. To characterize their joint impact on Vibrio adaptation and fitness, we analyzed the temperature-dependent adaptation of Vibrio harveyi at different pHs (7.0, 7.5, 8.0, 8.3 and 8.5) that mimic the pH of the world ocean in the past, present and future. Comparison of V. harveyi growth at 20, 25 and 30 °C show that higher temperature per se facilitates the logarithmic growth of V. harveyi in nutrient-rich environments in a pH-dependent manner. Further survival tests carried out in artificial seawater for 35 days revealed that cell culturability declined significantly upon incubation at 25 °C and 30 °C but not at 20 °C. Moreover, although acidification displayed a negative impact on cell culturability at 25 °C, it appeared to play a minor role at 30 °C, suggesting that elevated temperature, rather than pH, was the key player in the observed reduction of cell culturability. In addition, analyses of the stressed cell morphology and size distribution by epifluorescent microscopy indicates that V. harveyi likely exploits different adaptation strategies (e.g., acquisition of coccoid-like morphology) whose roles might differ depending on the temperature–pH combination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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13 pages, 1767 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Role of the Vibriolysin VemA Secreted by the Emergent Pathogen Vibrio europaeus in the Colonization of Manila Clam Mucus

by Clara Martinez, Sergio Rodriguez, Ana Vences, Juan L. Barja, Alicia E. Toranzo and Javier Dubert

Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2475; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122475 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1708

Abstract

Vibrio europaeus is an emergent pathogen affecting clams, oysters and scallops produced in the most important countries for bivalve aquaculture. Studies concerning virulence factors involved in the virulence of V. europaeus are very scarce despite its global significance for aquaculture. Zinc-metalloproteases have been described as a major virulence factor in some Vibrio spp., although their contribution and role in the virulence of V. europaeus is not clear. To address this, we have studied an extracellular zinc-metalloprotease (VemA) encoded by V. europaeus, which was identified as a vibriolysin, highly conserved in this species and homologous in other pathogenic and non-pathogenic species. Virulence challenge experiments demonstrated that infection processes were faster when Manila clam larvae and juveniles were infected with the wildtype rather than with a mutant defective in the vemA gene (ΔvemA). V. europaeus was able to resist the bactericidal action of mucus and displayed a chemotaxis ability favoured by VemA to colonize the body mucus of clams and form a biofilm. The overall results suggest that VemA, although it is not a major virulence factor, plays a role in the colonization of the Manila clam mucus, and thus boosts the infection process as we observed in virulence challenge experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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19 pages, 5318 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanisms Underlying the Virulence Regulation of Vibrio alginolyticus ND-01 pstS and pstB with a Transcriptomic Analysis

by Xin Yi, Xiaojin Xu, Xin Qi, Yunong Chen, Zhiqin Zhu, Genhuang Xu, Huiyao Li, Emma-Katharine Kraco, Haoyang Shen, Mao Lin, Jiang Zheng, Yingxue Qin and Xinglong Jiang

Microorganisms 2022, 10(11), 2093; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10112093 - 22 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1470

Abstract

Vibrio alginolyticus is a common opportunistic pathogen of fish, shrimp, and shellfish, and many diseases it causes can result in severe economic losses in the aquaculture industry. Causing host disease was confirmed by several virulence factors of V. alginolyticus. To date, there have been no reports on the effect of the pstS gene on its virulence regulation of V. alginolyticus. The virulence mechanism of target genes regulating V. alginolyticus is worthy of further study. Previous studies found that Fructus schisandrae (30 mg/mL) inhibited the growth of V. alginolyticus ND-01 (OD₆₀₀ = 0.5) for 4 h, while the expressions of pstS and pstB were significantly affected by F. schisandrae stress. So, we speculated that pstS and pstB might be the virulence genes of V. alginolyticus, which were stably silenced by RNAi to construct the silencing strains pstS-RNAi and pstB-RNAi, respectively. After the expression of pstS or pstB gene was inhibited, the adhesion capacity and biofilm formation of V. alginolyticus were significantly down-regulated. The chemotaxis and biofilm formation ability of pstS-RNAi was reduced by 33.33% and 68.13% compared with the wild-type strain, respectively. Sequence alignment and homology analysis showed that pstS was highly conserved, which suggested that pstS played a vital role in the secretion system of V. alginolyticus. The pstS-RNAi with the highest silencing efficiency was selected for transcriptome sequencing. The Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and GO terms were mapped to the reference genome of V. alginolyticus, including 1055 up-regulated genes and 1134 down-regulated genes. The functions of the DEGs were analyzed by GO and categorized into different enriched functional groups, such as ribosome synthesis, organelles, biosynthesis, pathogenesis, and secretion. These DEGs were then mapped to the reference KEGG pathways of V. alginolyticus and enriched in commonalities in the metabolic, ribosomal, and bacterial secretion pathways. Therefore, pstS and pstB could regulate the bacterial virulence of V. alginolyticus by affecting its adhesion, biofilm formation ability, and motility. Understanding the relationship between the expressions of pstS and pstB with bacterial virulence could provide new perspectives to prevent bacterial diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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17 pages, 2880 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Transcription of Flagella of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O127:H6 Is Activated in Response to Environmental and Nutritional Signals

by Fabiola Avelino-Flores, Jorge Soria-Bustos, Zeus Saldaña-Ahuactzi, Ygnacio Martínez-Laguna, Jorge A. Yañez-Santos, María L. Cedillo-Ramírez and Jorge A. Girón

Microorganisms 2022, 10(4), 792; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10040792 - 09 Apr 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2081

Abstract

The flagella of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) O127:H6 E2348/69 mediate adherence to host proteins and epithelial cells. What environmental and nutritional signals trigger or down-regulate flagella expression in EPEC are largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the influence of pH, oxygen tension, cationic and anionic salts (including bile salt), carbon and nitrogen sources, and catecholamines on the expression of the flagellin gene (fliC) of E2348/69. We found that sodium bicarbonate, which has been shown to induce the expression of type III secretion effectors, down-regulated flagella expression, explaining why E2348/69 shows reduced motility and flagellation when growing in Dulbecco’s Minimal Essential Medium (DMEM). Further, growth under a 5% carbon dioxide atmosphere, in DMEM adjusted to pH 8.2, in M9 minimal medium supplemented with 80 mM glucose or sucrose, and in DMEM containing 150 mM sodium chloride, 0.1% sodium deoxycholate, or 30 µM epinephrine significantly enhanced fliC transcription to different levels in comparison to growth in DMEM alone. When EPEC was grown in the presence of HeLa cells or in supernatants of cultured HeLa cells, high levels (4-fold increase) of fliC transcription were detected in comparison to growth in DMEM alone. Our data suggest that nutritional and host signals that EPEC may encounter in the intestinal niche activate fliC expression in order to favor motility and host colonization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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20 pages, 3714 KiB

Open AccessArticle

CsrA Regulates Swarming Motility and Carbohydrate and Amino Acid Metabolism in Vibrio alginolyticus

by Bing Liu, Qian Gao, Xin Zhang, Huizhen Chen, Ying Zhang, Yuehong Sun, Shan Yang and Chang Chen

Microorganisms 2021, 9(11), 2383; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9112383 - 18 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2147

Abstract

Vibrio alginolyticus, like other vibrio species, is a widely distributed marine bacterium that is able to outcompete other species in variable niches where diverse organic matters are supplied. However, it remains unclear how these cells sense and adjust metabolic flux in response to the changing environment. CsrA is a conserved RNA-binding protein that modulates critical cellular processes such as growth ability, central metabolism, virulence, and the stress response in gamma-proteobacteria. Here, we first characterize the csrA homolog in V. alginolyticus. The results show that CsrA activates swarming but not swimming motility, possibly by enhancing the expression of lateral flagellar associated genes. It is also revealed that CsrA modulates the carbon and nitrogen metabolism of V. alginolyticus, as evidenced by a change in the growth kinetics of various carbon and nitrogen sources when CsrA is altered. Quantitative RT-PCR shows that the transcripts of the genes encoding key enzymes involved in the TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism change significantly, which is probably due to the variation in mRNA stability given by CsrA binding. This may suggest that CsrA plays an important role in sensing and responding to environmental changes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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13 pages, 1383 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Occurrence of Hybrid Diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli Associated with Multidrug Resistance in Environmental Water, Johannesburg, South Africa

by John Y. Bolukaoto, Atheesha Singh, Ntando Alfinete and Tobias G. Barnard

Microorganisms 2021, 9(10), 2163; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9102163 - 17 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2230

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) in environmental waters of Johannesburg, South Africa. Samples were collected and cultured on selective media. An 11-plex PCR assay was used to differentiate five DEC, namely: enteroaggregative (EAEC), enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC) and enterotoxigenic (ETEC). The antibiotic resistance profile of isolates was determined using the VITEK^®-2 automated system. The virulence profiles of 170 E. coli tested showed that 40% (68/170) were commensals and 60% (102/170) were pathogenic. EPEC had a prevalence of 19.2% (32/170), followed by ETEC 11.4% (19/170), EAEC 6% (10/170) and EHEC 3% (5/170). Hybrid DEC carrying a combination of simultaneously two and three pathogenic types was detected in twenty-eight and nine isolates, respectively. The antibiotic susceptibility testing showed isolates with multidrug resistance, including cefuroxime (100%), ceftazidime (86%), cefotaxime (81%) and cefepime (79%). This study highlighted the widespread occurrence of DEC and antibiotic resistance strains in the aquatic ecosystem of Johannesburg. The presence of hybrid pathotypes detected in this study is alarming and might lead to more severe diseases. There is a necessity to enhance surveillance in reducing the propagation of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant strains in this area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacterial Responses to Environmental Stress and Their Specific Contribution to Escherichia coli and Vibrio spp. Survival and Virulence 2.0)

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