Mechanisms of adaptation to stress and control of virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: the OxyR regulons

Oxidative stress caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species (ROS), is a major challenge for aerobic and especially anaerobic organisms. Bacteria coordinate the response to oxidative stress through the LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) OxyR. Extensive studies have focused on the classical Escherichia coli system to shed light on the mode of action of defensive weapons against oxidative stress. The underlying mechanism is mediated via the formation of redox-dependent disulfide bond between two conserved cysteines of OxyR, thus activating transcription of members of the OxyR regulon. However, only fragmentary information on the regulation and function of OxyR has been gleaned through genetic and biochemical analyses in the important opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa. In this report, we used a comprehensive transcriptional profiling analysis to delineate the OxyR regulon under three conditions (Kings A medium [Pseudomonas medium or PM], Luria Broth (LB), and LB when oxyR is overexpressed), to investigate its roles in different cellular aspects that are independent of the classical oxidative stress response. Interestingly, when grown in LB, OxyR was found to regulating many genes involved in the process of inter-cellular communication known as quorum sensing (QS). In contrast, when grown in PM, OxyR regulate the expression of a newly identified CSS (cell-surface signaling) system in an OxyR-dependent fashion. In addition, the results from oxyR overexpression further confirmed that OxyR was linked to regulation of QS and Type 3 Secretion (T3SS) in addition to the regulation of antioxidative genes.

15