Genome-wide analysis of the salmonella Fis regulon and its regulatory mechanism on pathogenicity islands

PLoS One. 2013 May 23;8(5):e64688. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064688. Print 2013.

Abstract

Fis, one of the most important nucleoid-associated proteins, functions as a global regulator of transcription in bacteria that has been comprehensively studied in Escherichia coli K12. Fis also influences the virulence of Salmonella enterica and pathogenic E. coli by regulating their virulence genes, however, the relevant mechanism is unclear. In this report, using combined RNA-seq and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-seq technologies, we first identified 1646 Fis-regulated genes and 885 Fis-binding targets in the S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, and found a Fis regulon different from that in E. coli. Fis has been reported to contribute to the invasion ability of S. enterica. By using cell infection assays, we found it also enhances the intracellular replication ability of S. enterica within macrophage cell, which is of central importance for the pathogenesis of infections. Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 are crucial for the invasion and survival of S. enterica in host cells. Using mutation and overexpression experiments, real-time PCR analysis, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we demonstrated that Fis regulates 63 of the 94 Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 and SPI-2 genes, by three regulatory modes: i) binds to SPI regulators in the gene body or in upstream regions; ii) binds to SPI genes directly to mediate transcriptional activation of themselves and downstream genes; iii) binds to gene encoding OmpR which affects SPI gene expression by controlling SPI regulators SsrA and HilD. Our results provide new insights into the impact of Fis on SPI genes and the pathogenicity of S. enterica.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Genome, Bacterial
  • Genomic Islands*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Humans
  • Macrophages / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Regulon*
  • Salmonella typhimurium / genetics*
  • Salmonella typhimurium / pathogenicity
  • Salmonella typhimurium / physiology
  • Trans-Activators / genetics
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Trans-Activators

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Key Programs for Infectious Diseases of China (2013ZX10004-216-001); the National 973 Program of China Grant (2012CB721001); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Key Program Grant 31030002; the NSFC General Program Grant (81171524, 31270003). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.