Summary Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play key roles in mucosal defense, yet how they are induced and the consequences for pathogens are unclear. We report that ROS generated by epithelial NADPH oxidases (Nox1/Duox2) during Campylobacter jejuni infection impair bacterial capsule formation and virulence by altering bacterial signal transduction. Upon C. jejuni invasion, ROS released from the intestinal mucosa inhibit the bacterial phosphotyrosine network that is regulated by the outer membrane tyrosine kinase Cjtk (Cj1170/OMP50). ROS-mediated Cjtk inactivation results in an overall decrease in the phosphorylation of C. jejuni outer membrane / periplasmic proteins including UDP-GlcNAc/Glc 4-epimerase (Gne), an enzyme required for N-glycosylation and capsule formation. Cjtk positively regulates Gne by phosphorylating an active site tyrosine, while loss of Cjtk or ROS treatment inhibits Gne activity, causing altered polysaccharide synthesis. Thus, epithelial NADPH oxidases are an early antibacterial defense system in the intestinal mucosa that modifies virulence by disrupting bacterial signaling.

No abstract

bCampylobacter jejuni is the etiologic agent of human bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. In contrast, despite heavy colonization, C. jejuni maintains a commensal mode of existence in chickens. The consumption of contaminated chicken products is thought to be the principal mode of C. jejuni transmission to the human population. C. jejuni harbors a system for N-linked protein glycosylation that has been well characterized and modifies more than 60 periplasmic and membrane-bound proteins. However, the precise role of this modification in the biology of C. jejuni remains unexplored. We hypothesized that the N-glycans protect C. jejuni surface proteins from the action of gut proteases. The C. jejuni pglB mutant, deficient in the expression of the oligosaccharyltransferase, exhibited reduced growth in medium supplemented with chicken cecal contents (CCC) compared with that of wild-type (WT) cells. Inactivation of the cecal proteases by heat treatment or with protease inhibitors completely restored bacterial viability and partially rescued bacterial growth. Physiological concentrations of trypsin, but not chymotrypsin, also reduced C. jejuni pglB mutant CFU. Live or dead staining indicated that CCC preferentially influenced C. jejuni growth as opposed to bacterial viability. We identified multiple chicken cecal proteases by mass fingerprinting. The use of protease inhibitors that target specific classes indicated that both metalloproteases and serine proteases were involved in the attenuated growth of the oligosaccharyltransferase mutant. In conclusion, protein N-linked glycosylation of surface proteins may enhance C. jejuni fitness by protecting bacterial proteins from cleavage due to gut proteases.