Vibrio choleraePhosphoenolpyruvate Phosphotransferase System Control of Carbohydrate Transport, Biofilm Formation, and Colonization of the Germfree Mouse Intestine

Abstract

The bacterial phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a highly conserved phosphotransfer cascade whose components modulate many cellular functions in response to carbohydrate availability. Here, we further elucidate PTS control of Vibrio cholerae carbohydrate transport and activation of biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces. We then define the role of the PTS in V. cholerae colonization of the adult germfree mouse intestine. We report that V. cholerae colonizes both the small and large intestines of the mouse in a distribution that does not change over the course of a month-long experiment. Because V. cholerae possesses many PTS-independent carbohydrate transporters, the PTS is not essential for bacterial growth in vitro. However, we find that the PTS is essential for colonization of the germfree adult mouse intestine and that this requirement is independent of PTS regulation of biofilm formation. Therefore, competition for PTS substrates may be a dominant force in the success of V. cholerae as an intestinal pathogen. Because the PTS plays a role in colonization of environmental surfaces and the mammalian intestine, we propose that it may be essential to successful transit of V. cholerae through its life cycle of pathogenesis and environmental persistence.

Effect of Periodontal Pathogens on the Metatranscriptome of a Healthy Multispecies Biofilm Model

“…Finally, the gene set PTS, which is related to the use of different sugars, was also upregulated during biofilm formation in the pathogenic biofilm. In Vibrio cholerae, the phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system is essential for biofilm formation (27,28). As the PTS is highly conserved among bacteria, it may be relevant to a number of biofilm-forming organisms.…”

275 The Role of Curcumin in Modulating Colonic Microbiota During Colitis and Colon Cancer Prevention

“…40,62 Analysis with the focus on the most abundant KEGG orthologs, which were affected by curcuminsupplementation in AOM/Il10 −/− mice showed reduced abundance of functions involved in transport, transcription factors, bacterial chemotaxis and bacterial motility proteins. 56,57,61,[63][64][65][66][67] Curcumin has been observed to inhibit bacterial motility and cytotoxicity of Vibrio vulnificus 68 , to arrest Helicobacter pylori growth during infections 69 , as well as inhibit biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa 70 . This suggests that the protective effect of 0.5% curcumin diet shifts the microbial composition to be more stationary, which may contribute to a decrease in microbial invasiveness and a decrease in overall disease severity.…”

Integration of Global Regulatory Mechanisms Controlling Vibrio Cholerae Behavior

“…Pretreatment of mice with commensal bacteria engineered to express CAI-1 affords protection against a cholera challenge (Duan and March, 2010). A second set of attractive targets are the PTS components that modulate biofilm formation (Houot et al, 2008(Houot et al, , 2010(Houot et al, , 2010a. A comparative genomic analysis of 202 fully sequenced genomes (174 bacterial, 19 archaeal, and 9 eukaryotic) did not reveal components of the PTS system in eukaryotic cells (Barabote et al, 2005).…”

“…For instance, in minimal medium, phosphoryl transfer from EI to HPr and FPr represses vps expression (Houot et al, 2008); in LB medium, glucose-specific EIIA glc and nitrogen-specific EIIA Ntr1 and EIIA Ntr2 activate and repress vps expression, respectively (Houot et al, 2010). …”