Memoria para optar el título de Bioquímico / La shigelosis es una infección intestinal aguda causada por bacterias del género Shigella, cuyos síntomas varían desde diarrea acuosa hasta disentería bacilar inflamatoria grave. Shigella es un patógeno cuyo único hospedero es el humano, presenta una muy baja dosis infectiva (solo 10 organismos viables pueden producir enfermedad) y se contagia principalmente por vía fecal-oral. Esta bacteria permanece dentro de las cuatro principales causas de diarrea moderada-grave en niños menores de 5 años en países en vías de desarrollo, predominando el serogrupo S. flexneri, a diferencia de nuestro país donde predomina el serogrupo S. sonnei. Con el transcurso del tiempo, Shigella ha sido capaz de adquirir rápidamente diversos mecanismos de resistencia a los antibióticos utilizados en su tratamiento, lo que genera la necesidad de conocer el patrón de susceptibilidad que presenta este patógeno antes de comenzar la terapia. Uno de los antibióticos utilizados en su tratamiento es el trimetoprim (Tmp), el cual inhibe la actividad de la enzima dihidrofolato reductasa (DHFR). La resistencia a este antibiótico se genera principalmente por la adquisición de genes dfr que codifican para una enzima DHFR resistente a Tmp. En nuestro país, la resistencia a Tmp en cepas de S. sonnei aisladas entre los años 1995 y 1997 se atribuye principalmente a la presencia de los genes dfrA1 y dfrA8, pero en un brote de S. sonnei surgido en los años 2008 y 2009, esta resistencia se debe a otro mecanismo no identificado. Además, la mayoría de las cepas de S. sonnei aisladas después del brote, presentan resistencia a Tmp pero su mecanismo de resistencia no ha sido estudiado. Debido a esto, en el presente trabajo se propuso determinar el mecanismo de resistencia a trimetoprim y evaluar su distribución en cepas de S. sonnei aisladas en nuestro país entre los años 1995 y 2013. Este mecanismo de resistencia se identificó mediante el uso de una genoteca construida con el ADN de una cepa de S. sonnei resistente a Tmp, revelando mediante secuenciación, un cassette genético que incluye al gen dfrA14 como responsable de la resistencia a este antibiótico. Posteriormente, se determinó la distribución del gen dfrA14 y de los genes previamente descritos dfrA1 y dfrA8 mediante reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) en las cepas aisladas entre los años 1995 y 2013. De esta forma, se obtuvo que entre los años 1995-1997 y 2004- 2006 predominó dfrA8, en tanto que el 100% de las cepas aisladas durante el brote 2008-2009 presentaron dfrA14. Posteriormente, en los años 2010-2011 se detectó la presencia de dfrA1 y dfrA14 en proporciones similares y luego en el 2012-2013 reapareció además dfrA8. Adicionalmente, se determinó que la totalidad de las cepas que presentan dfrA14, lo hacen en el contexto genético de un plásmido de 6779 pb, capaz de otorgar resistencia a cotrimoxazol (mezcla de Tmp y sulfonamidas), denominado pABC-3. Este plásmido es prácticamente idéntico a un plásmido de E. coli denominado pCERC1, salvo por la ausencia de una repetición de 11 pb en su secuencia. También es similar a otros plásmidos presentes en Shigella, cuya principal diferencia es la ausencia de dfrA14. Esto sugiere dos posibles orígenes del pABC-3: uno es la adquisición del plásmido desde una E. coli y el otro es la inserción del cassette que contiene dfrA14 en los plásmidos presentes en Shigella. En conclusión, en el presente trabajo se describe que la resistencia a Tmp en cepas de S. sonnei aisladas en nuestro país se debe mayoritariamente a la presencia de los genes dfrA1, dfrA8 y dfrA14 y que este último se encuentra en el contexto genético del plásmido pABC-3, confiriendo resistencia a Tmp a la mayoría de las cepas de S. sonnei aisladas en nuestro país desde el año 2004 hasta 2013 / Shigellosis is an acute intestinal infection caused by bacterial genus Shigella. Its symptoms vary from watery diarrhea to severe inflammatory bacillary dysentery. Shigella, a strictly human-pathogen, has a very low infectious dose (10 bacterial cells can produce illness) and is transmitted via faecal-oral. This pathogen affects mainly children under 5 years in developing countries, where S. flexneri is the most important serogroup, while in Chile S. sonnei is the prevalent serogroup. The use of antibiotics against Shigella is the first line therapy, however lately the acquisition of resistance mechanisms has increased. Therefore, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles are required before starting any treatment. Trimethoprim (Tmp), one of selected antibiotics against this pathogen, inhibits the activity of the dihydrofolate reductase enzyme (DHFR). Tmpresistant (TmpR) bacteria are mainly due to acquisition of dfr genes, coding for DHFR enzymes. S. sonnei strains isolated in Chile between 1995 and 1997 showed the presence of dfrA1 and dfrA8 genes, but the mechanism of Tmp-resistance in a later outbreak (2008-2009) is unknown. The majority of S. sonnei strains isolated after the outbreak are TmpR, but their resistance mechanism has not been studied yet. The general aim of this study was to identify the genetic marker responsible of the Tmp resistance mechanism in S. sonnei strains isolated between 1995 and 2013. A DNA library was obtained from a representative TmpR S. sonnei strain from the outbreak and a recombinant E. coli TmpR was isolated. Further, the sequenced clone was identified as harbouring the dfrA14 gene. We evaluated the distribution of the dfrA14 gene and the previously described genes, dfrA1 and dfrA8 in a laboratory collection of S. sonnei from 1995 – 2013. The results show that within periods 1995- 1997 and 2004-2006 the dfrA8 gene was the most prevalent, while 100% of the isolated strains during the 2008-2009 outbreak present the dfrA14 gene. Later, between 2010 and 2011 dfrA1 and dfrA14 were detected in similar proportions, and then, between 2012 and 2013 dfrA8 reappeared. In addition, it was determined that the dfrA14 gene is harboured in a 6779 bp plasmid, named pABC-3, which confers cotrimoxazole resistance. This plasmid is nearly identical to the pCERC1 plasmid isolated from E. coli, except for an 11 bp sequence missing in pABC-3, and similar to other Shigella plasmids, without the insertion of the dfrA14 gene cassette. This suggests two possible origins for the pABC-3 plasmid. One of them is the acquisition of the whole plasmid from E. coli and the other is the insertion of the dfrA14 gene cassette into a Shigella dfrA14 -less plasmid. In conclusion, the present study showed that Tmp resistance in S. sonnei strains isolated in Chile is mainly due to the presence of the dfrA1, dfrA8 and dfrA14 genes. This last gene is found inside the pABC-3 plasmid conferring Tmp resistance to the majority of S. sonnei strains isolated between years 2004 and 2013 in our country / Fondecyt

Orientador: Wanderley Dias da Silveira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T11:08:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angelini_Michelle_D.pdf: 4094056 bytes, checksum: b80e9ba086ee8f30b823ce5b5718f3c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: As bactérias do gênero Shigella spp. são responsáveis por infecções intestinais endêmicas e epidêmicas denominadas shigueloses. As shigueloses, transmitidas por via fecal-oral, principalmente através das mãos e água contaminadas, são responsáveis por 10% dos casos de diarréia entre crianças até cinco anos de idade em países em desenvolvimento. Estima-se que, anualmente, 1,1 milhões de pessoas morram de infecções causadas por Shigella. No Brasil, estudos revelam que as shigueloses estão entre as principais causas de diarréia. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo analisar a análise clonal comparativa de 119 linhagens de Shigella spp., entre elas 57 S. flexneri e 62 S. sonnei, isoladas de diferentes casos de shiguelose ocorridos nas regiões metropolitanas de Campinas e Ribeirão Preto, Estado de São Paulo, pelos métodos de PCR da seqüência consenso intergênica repetitiva enterobacteriana (ERIC-PCR), de PCR de elementos extragênicos palindrômicos repetitivos (REP-PCR), análise do padrão de macro-restrição em gel de eltroforese com campo pulsado e análise da presença de integrons. A maior parte dos casos de shiguelose estudados aconteceram no verão, estação de maior precipitação de chuvas. Do total de casos, 57,9% das infecções causadas por S. sonnei e 64,4% das causadas por S. flexneri afetaram crianças com menos de 5 anos de idade. Pela análise de ERIC e REP-PCR foram caracterizados grupos de identidade entre as linhagens isoladas em ambas regiões. Pela análise de PFGE caracterizaram-se os genótipos circulantes nas regiões. Não foi possível determinar uma correlação entre a presença dos integrons, o perfil de resistência a antimicrobianos e os resultados obtidos pelos métodos utilizados neste trabalho nas linhagens de S. sonnei pesquisadas. / Abstract: The bacteria of the genus Shigella spp. are responsible for endemic and epidemic intestinal infections called shigellosis. The shigellosis, transmitted by fecal-oral route, mainly through the hands and contaminated water, are responsible for 10% of cases of diarrhea among children under five years of age in developing countries. It is estimated that annually 1.1 million people die from infections caused by Shigella. In Brazil, studies show that shigellosis are among the main causes of diarrhea. The present study was carried out to examine the clonal variation of 119 strains of Shigella spp., including 57 S. flexneri and 62 S. sonnei, isolated from different cases of shigellosis occurred in the metropolitan regions of Campinas and Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state, by ERIC-PCR, REP-PCR, and PFGE methods and by integrons profile analysis. Most of shigellosis cases happened in summer, season of highest precipitation of rain. Of the total cases, 57.9% of infections caused by S. sonnei and 64.4% of infections caused by S. flexneri affected children under 5 years of age. By analysis of ERIC and REP-PCR groups were characterized for identity between the strains isolated in both regions. By the analysis of PFGE circulating genotypes were characterized in the regions. It was not possible to determine a correlation among the presence of integrons, the profile of resistance to antibiotics and the results obtained by the methods used in this work in strains of S. sonnei investigated. / Doutorado / Doutor em Genetica e Biologia Molecular

Shigella spp. está entre as quatro bactérias mais isoladas de fezes diarreicas no Brasil. No mundo cerca de 164,7 milhões de casos de shigelose ocorrem anualmente, sendo a maioria em países em desenvolvimento. O gênero Shigella spp. possui quatro espécies, sendo Shigella sonnei e Shigella flexneri as espécies mais frequentemente isoladas no Brasil e no mundo. O monitoramento de linhagens resistentes de Shigella spp. é essencial, pois este garante uma terapia eficiente quando necessária. Especificamente, a maioria dos estudos realizados com linhagens de S. sonnei no país verificaram apenas a ocorrência dessa e há poucos estudos que investigaram o potencial patogênico e a diversidade genotípica dessa espécie. Os objetivos desse projeto foram analisar o potencial patogênico, o perfil de resistência a antimicrobianos e a diversidade genotípica de linhagens de S. sonnei isoladas durante três décadas no Estado de São Paulo. No total foram caracterizadas 72 linhagens de S. sonnei isoladas de humanos, entre os anos de 1983 a 2014, quanto à presença de 12 genes de virulência por PCR, perfil de suscetibilidade frente a 16 antimicrobianos por disco difusão e tipagem molecular por Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), Enterobacterial repetitve intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR), Multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) e 20 linhagens tipadas por Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Todas as linhagens apresentaram os genes de virulência ipaH, iuc e sigA. O gene ipaBCD foi encontrado em 14 (19%) linhagens, os genes ial e virF em 13 (18%) linhagens e o gene sen em sete (10%) linhagens. Os genes set1A, set1B, pic, sat e sepA não foram detectados. As mais altas taxas de resistência foram frente à sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim encontrada em 42 (58,3%) linhagens e frente à tetraciclina encontrada em 30 (41,6%) linhagens. Onze (15,5%) linhagens foram resistentes à ampicilina e piperacilina. Três (4,2%) linhagens foram resistentes à cefotaxima. Três (4,2%) linhagens foram resistentes ao cloranfenicol. Duas (2,8%) linhagens foram resistentes à ampicilina-sulbactam. Duas (2,8%) linhagens foram resistentes ao ácido nalidíxico. Uma (1,4%) linhagem foi resistente à amoxicilina-ácido clavulânico. Cinco (7%) linhagens foram multidroga resistentes (MDR). O dendrograma gerado pelo PFGE agrupou as 72 linhagens de S. sonnei em dois clusters designados PFGE-A e PFGE-B. O cluster PFGE-A agrupou 39 linhagens isoladas entre 1983-2014 com uma similaridade >=73,6% e mais especificamente 35 dessas linhagens apresentaram uma similaridade >=80,3%. O cluster PFGE-B agrupou 33 linhagens de S. sonnei isoladas entre 1984-2014 com uma similaridade >=74,7% e 27 dessas linhagens exibiram uma similaridade >=83,0%. Similarmente, o dendrograma gerado pelo ERIC-PCR agrupou as 72 linhagens de S. sonnei em dois clusters designados ERIC-A e ERIC-B. O cluster ERIC-A agrupou 37 linhagens isoladas entre 1983-2014 que exibiram uma similaridade >=78,8% e mais especificamente 36 dessas linhagens apresentaram uma similaridade >=82,3%. O cluster ERIC-B agrupou 34 linhagens de S. sonnei isoladas entre 1987-2014 que exibiram uma similaridade >=84,0%. Também por MLVA as linhagens foram agrupadas em dois clusters designados MLVA-A e MLVA-B. O cluster MLVA-A agrupou 31 linhagens isoladas entre 1983-2014 com uma similaridade >=40%. O cluster MLVA-B agrupou 41 linhagens isoladas entre 1983-2014 com uma similaridade >=21,6%. Todas as 20 S. sonnei foram tipadas por MLST como ST152. Conclui-se que o potencial patogênico das linhagens estudadas foi destacado pela presença de importantes genes de virulência. A alta porcentagem de resistência para alguns antimicrobianos testados, tais como, sulfametoxazol-trimetoprim e tetraciclina é preocupante e pode levar à falha terapêutica. Os resultados da tipagem molecular sugerem que existam dois subtipos prevalentes nas linhagens de S. sonnei estudadas que se diferenciaram pouco geneticamente e contaminaram humanos durante 31 anos na região metropolitana de Ribeirão Preto no Estado de São Paulo. O resultado do MLST indica que as linhagens estudadas de Shigella sonnei isoladas no Brasil descendem de um precursor comum / Shigella spp. is among the four most isolated bacteria from diarrheal faeces in Brazil. In the world about 164.7 million cases of shigellosis occur annually, mostly in developing countries. The genus Shigella spp. comprises four species, being Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri the most frequently isolated species in Brazil and worldwide. The monitoring of resistant strains of Shigella spp. is essential and ensures an effective therapy when necessary. Specifically, the majority of the studies with S. sonnei performed in the country verified only the occurrence of this bacterium and there are few studies that investigated the pathogenic potential and genotypic diversity of this species. The aims of this project were to analyze the pathogenic potential, antimicrobial resistance profile and genotypic diversity of S. sonnei strains isolated during three decades in the State of São Paulo. In total, 72 of S. sonnei strains isolated from humans, between the years 1983-2014, were characterized for the presence of 12 virulence genes by PCR, resistance profile against 16 antimicrobials by disk diffusion and molecular typing by Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), Enterobacterial repetitve intergenic consensus PCR (ERIC-PCR), Multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) and 20 strains typed by Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). All the strains contained the ipaH, iuc and sigA genes. The ipaBCD gene was detected in 14 (19%) strains, the ial and virF genes in 13 (18%) strains and the sen gene in seven (10%) strains. The set1A, set1B, pic, sepA and sat genes were not detected. The highest resistance rates were against trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole found in 42 (58.3%) strains and against tetracycline found in 30 (41.6%) strains. Eleven (15.5%) strains were resistant to ampicillin and piperacillin. Three (4.2%) strains were resistant to cefotaxime. Three (4.2%) strains were resistant to chloramphenicol. Two (2.8%) strains were resistant to ampicillin-sulbactam. Two (2.8%) strains were resistant to nalidixic acid. One (1.4%) strain was resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Five (7%) strains were multidrug resistant (MDR). The dendrogram generated by PFGE grouped the 72 S. sonnei strains into two clusters designated PFGE-A and PFGE-B. The PFGE-A cluster comprised, 39 S. sonnei strains isolated between 1983 and 2014 with a similarity above 73.6% and more specifically 35 of those strains exhibited a similarity >= 80.3%. The PFGE-B cluster grouped, 33 S. sonnei strains isolated between 1984 and 2014 with a similarity above 74.7%, and 27 of those strains exhibited a similarity above 83.0.Similarly, the dendrogram generated by ERIC-PCR grouped the 72 S. sonnei strains into two clusters designated ERIC-A and ERIC-B. The ERIC-A cluster comprised, 37 S. sonnei strains isolated between 1983 and 2014 that exhibited a similarity above 78.8% and specifically 36 strains of those exhibited a similarity >= 82.3%. The ERIC-B cluster grouped, 34 S. sonnei strains isolated between 1987 and 2014 that exhibited a similarity above 84.0%. Also, by MLVA strains were grouped into two clusters designated MLVA-A and MLVA-B. The MLVA-A cluster comprised 31 strains isolated between 1983 and 2014 with a similarity >=40%. The MLVA-B cluster comprised 41 strains isolated between 1983 and 2014 with a similarity >=21.6%. All the 20 S. sonnei were typed by MLST as ST152. In conclusion, the possible pathogenic potential of the strains studied was highlighted by the presence of important virulence genes. The high percentage of resistance to some of the antimicrobials tested such as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and tetracycline is worrying and may lead to therapeutic failure. Molecular typing results may suggest that there are two prevalent subtypes of S. sonnei strains studied that differed little genetically and have been contaminating humans over 31 years in the metropolitan region of Ribeirão Preto in the São Paulo State in Brazil. The result of MLST indicates that the Shigella sonnei strains studied isolated in Brazil descended from a common precursor

Orientador: Wanderley Dias da Silveira / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T03:48:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Penatti_MarioPauloAmante_D.pdf: 3721430 bytes, checksum: 2233dee3467177800c9c87d56e40c34c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Bactérias do ¿gênero¿ Shigella spp. apresentam-se como bacilos gram-negativos, anaeróbios facultativos, imóveis, não formam esporos e pertencem à família Enterobacteriaceae. De acordo com testes de aglutinação com anti-soros específicos, estas bactérias são classificadas em quatro sorogrupos: Sorogrupo A (Shigella dysenteriae), Sorogrupo B (Shigella flexneri), Sorogrupo C (Shigella boydii) e Sorogrupo D (Shigella sonnei). Estas bactérias são responsáveis pela Shiguelose ou Disenteria Bacilar enfermidade endêmica que anualmente acomete milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo, sendo que mais de 70% de todos os casos ocorrem em crianças de 1 até 5 anos de idade, possuindo grande importância epidemiológica devido à alta morbi-mortalidade. Os principais determinantes de patogenicidade neste grupo bacteriano são: o plasmídio de alto peso molecular, que determina o fenótipo invasivo desta espécie; genes cromossômicos, que regulam a expressão dos genes de virulência no plasmídio e a produção de uma exotoxina que atua destruindo a barreira de células epiteliais. No Brasil, até então, não foram encontrados trabalhos publicados que comparem as diferentes amostras bacterianas de Shigella spp. isoladas de casos de Shiguelose, relacionando suas características biológicas e estrutura clonal. Sendo assim, neste trabalho, estudamos as características biológicas (sorotipagem, perfil de resistência a antimicrobianos, adesão e invasão, análise do perfil de DNA plasmidial) de diferentes amostras de Shigella spp. relacionando-as através de técnicas de Biologia Molecular (ERIC-PCR, REPPCR e DRE-PCR) permitindo, assim, determinar a clonalidade epidemiológica destas. As amostras de Shigella spp. foram isoladas de diferentes surtos, de diversas cidades das regiões de Campinas e de São João da Boa Vista, e pertencem à coleção do Instituto Adolfo Lutz de Campinas / Abstract: Shigella spp are gram-negative, anaerobic facultative, non-motile, and non-sporulated bacilli of the Enterobacteriaceae family, responsible for ¿Shigellosis¿ or the Bacillary Dysentery (BD) disease, an important cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. The pathogenic determinants of Shigella spp include high molecular weight plasmids responsible for the bacterial invasive capacity, as well as chromosomal genes encoding for different pathogenic, factors such as exotoxins that destroy epithelial host cells. Little is known about the antibiotic resistance profiles and the population structure of Shigella species isolated from humans in Brazil. In this work, we have studied the antibiotic resistance profiles and the clonal structure of Shigella strains isolated from humans in different cities located in the region of Campinas, a city in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. We have also related the antibiotic resistance of these strains with the bacterial clonal groups determined by the molecular techniques ERIC, REP, and DRE-PCR. Our data indicate that many strains of S. flexneri and S. sonnei are multiresistant, and our results also support the circulation of specific clones among the cities. These data indicate that the human sanitary conditions in the cities analyzed herein should be improved. / Doutorado / Microbiologia / Doutor em Genetica e Biologia Molecular

The aromatic beta-glucosides of plant origin, salicin and arbutin, serve as carbon sources for the sustenance of bacteria when ‘preferred’ sugars are absent in the environment. In the family Enterobacteriaceae, there are varied patterns for utilization of these beta-glucosides, wherein, in some members the ability to utilize salicin or arbutin is cryptic while in others it is completely absent. Escherichia coli harbors silent or cryptic genetic systems for the utilization of arbutin and salicin, which are activated by spontaneous mutation(s). Of these systems, the bgl operon of E.coli has been used as a paradigm for silent genes and extensive studies have been carried out to understand its silencing and activating mechanisms. Mutational activation of the wild type bgl operon in E.coli leads to the acquisition of the ability to utilize both arbutin and salicin. Preliminary studies have shown that aromatic beta-glucoside utilization in Shigella sonnei, which is evolutionarily related to E.coli, shows a two-step activation process wherein the wild type strain first becomes Arb+, which subsequently mutates to Sal+. The genetic systems responsible for beta-glucoside utilization, including the bgl operon, are conserved in S.sonnei to a large extent. A major difference is that the bglB gene encoding the phosphor-β-glucosidase B is insertionally inactivated in S.sonnei. As a result, activation of the bgl operon in the first stage leads to expression of the permease, BglF, which along with the phosphor-β-glucosidase A expressed from an unlinked constitutive gene, bglA, confers an Arb+phenotype. Salicin is not a substrate for the enzyme BglA and therefore a second mutational event is required for the acquisition of the Sal+ phenotype. Interestingly, the insertion within bglB is retained in AK102, the Sal+ second step mutant of S.sonnei. Therefore, the locus involved in conferring salicin utilization ability is unknown. However, S.sonnei is not amenable to routine genetic echniques and an E.coli bglB model was generated by creating an insertion in the bglB gene to identify the locus involved in conferring the Sal+ phenotype. Like S.sonnei, this E.coli strain, SD-1.3, also showed a two-step activation process for the utilization of salicin. Utilization of salicin in the Sal+ second step mutant of SD-1.3 could require activation of other silent genetic systems such as the asc operon and the chb operon or mutation in loci such as bglB or bglA. Linkage analysis by P1 transduction showed that activation of the asc operon is required for conferring a Sal+ phenotype in the second step mutant. The asc operon comprises of two genes, ascF encoding a PTS permease and ascB encoding a phosphor-β-glucosidaseB.The Precise mechanism of activation of the asc operon is not known but, it has been speculated that AscG, encoded by an upstream gene, acts as a repressor. Results presented in this thesis show that BglF is responsible for the transport of salicin and AscB provides the phosphor-β-glucosidase B in the Sal+ second step mutant of the E.coli strain SD-1.3. Analysis of the expression of the ascFB operon by measuring the transcripts as well as the activity of phosphor-β-glucosidase B showed that it is enhanced in the Sal+ second step mutant of SD-1.3 in the presence of the inducer. The expression of the ascFB operon is also increased constitutively when ascG is replaced by an antibiotic cassette in the parent strain SD-1.3 and the Arb+ first step mutant, indicating that AscG acts as a repressor for the asc operon. Moreover, inactivation of ascG in the parent leads to utilization of salicin in a single step by the activation of the bgl operon to provide the transport function, indicating that the inactivation of ascG is sufficient to activate the expression of ascB. Similarly, loss of AscG–mediated repression of the asc operon confers salicin utilization ability to the Arb+ first step mutant of SD-1.3. Interestingly, measurement of phosphor-β-glucosidase B activity in a Sal+ second step mutant derivative deleted for ascG showed a constitutive increase in the expression of the ascFB operon. Thus, AscG mediates the induction of the asc operon in response to salicin. In order to study the mechanism of activation of the asc operon, the ascB gene was cloned from the Arb+ first step mutant and the Sal+ second step mutant of SD-1.3 in a low copy number vector. Both these constructs were able to confer a Sal+ phenotype to the Arb+ first step mutant indicating absence of any genetic change in ascB in the Sal+ second step mutant. This was also confirmed by sequencing of ascB gene from the strains that showed no changes in the nucleotide sequence. Absence of any insertions within ascG showed that activation of the ascoperon is not achieved through disruption of ascG in the Sal+ second step mutants analyzed. AscG belongs to the GalR family of repressors in which some members require a mutation to enable the binding of sugar to mediate induction. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed that there was no change in the ascG gene in the Sal+ mutants analyzed. However, when the upstream regulatory region of the ascFB operon was analyzed a mutation was found in the -10 sequence of the putative promoter of the ascFB genes. This change leads to a stronger promoter as it brings the -10 sequence closer to the consensus sequence. Therefore, salicin utilization is achieved in the Sal+ second step mutant analyzed by an increase in expression of the asc operon by a promoter-up mutation. The negative effect of binding of AscG on expression of the ascFB operon is relieved in presence of the inducer, salicin. The possible role of the asc operon in salicin utilization in S.sonnei was tested by replacing the ascB gene by anantibiotic cassette in AK102, the Sal+ second step mutant of S. sonnei. This did not lead to loss of salicin utilization. By gene targeting approach it was also found that none of the phosphor-β-glucosidases known in E.coli are involved in degradation of salicin in AK102. A search of the S. sonnei genome database indicated the presence of two putative phosphor-β-glucosidases encoded by glvG and SSO1595. Replacement of glvG gene by anantibiotic cassette in AK102 did not lead to loss of salicin utilization. However, a similar replacement of SSO1595 in AK102 resulted in a Sal+ phenotype indicating that SSO1595 provides the phosphor-β-glucosidase in the Sal+ second step mutant of S. sonnei. A homolog of this enzyme is not present in E.coliorinany of the other members of the Shigella genus. Transcription alanalysis as well as measurement of phosphor-β-glucosidase B activity showed that expression of SSO1595 is enhanced constitutively in AK102. To study the mechanism of mutational activation for achieving salicin utilization in S. sonnei, SSO1595 was cloned from AK101, theArb+ first step mutant and AK102, the Sal+ second step mutant in a low copy numbe rvector. Both these constructs were able to confer a Sal+ phenotype to AK101 indicating an absence of genetic change in SSO1595 in AK102. This was also confirmed by sequencing of SSO1595 gene from the strains. Analysis of the upstream regulatory region of SSO1595 in AK102 indicated a deletion of around 1.0kbp sequence. This was also confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of the region. By primer extension analysis it was found that a new transcriptional start site is generated upstream to the deletion in the Sal+ second stepmutant of S.sonnei. Acquisition of the Sal+ phenotype in AK102 is therefore the resultof the SSO1595 gene being brought under a new promoter as a result of a DNA rearrangement. Overall, this study suggests that a high degree of similarity at the genomic level between organisms does not always ensure similarity in genetic mechanisms as two distinct pathways are responsible for conferring utilization of salicinin S. sonnei and E.coli.

Bacteria are ubiquitous in all ecosystems and are often challenged by multiple stresses such as extreme temperatures, high salt concentrations, nutrient limitation, pH variations, radiation, predation and the presence of antibiotics/toxins. The most challenging among them is predation pressure which is one of the major causes of their mortality in different niches. Bacteria have evolved different adaptive measures to counter predation. Some of them include change in shape, size, motility, and unpalatable aggregate formation. Aromatic β-glucosides such as salicin, produced by plants as secondary metabolites, play a significant role in protecting them from herbivores. Members of the family Enterobaceriaceae primarily present in soil, e.g. Erwinia chrysanthemi (a phytopathogen) and Klebsiella aerogenes, can utilize the aromatic β-glucosides salicin and arbutin (likely to be present in soil derived from decomposing plant materials) as a carbon source unlike their fellow members such as Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei, and Salmonella present in the gut environment. Bacteria can obtain energy by metabolizing β-glucosides in the form of glucose. Whether they can also use these molecules as defense tools in a manner similar to plants is an intriguing possibility. In such an event, Bgl+ bacteria could derive a dual advantage in terms of energy generation and protection from predation. The current study was initiated to investigate a possible link between β-glucoside metabolism and self-defense in Enterobacteriaceae. Different members of Enterobacteriaceae comprising of both laboratory strains and natural isolates were considered as prey. Predators included were laboratory strains and soil isolates of bacteriovorous nematodes of the Rhabditidae family, the amoeba Dictyostelium discoidium and a bacteriovorous Streptomyces sp. The predator-prey interaction was analyzed by performing viability and behavioral assays in the context of β-glucoside metabolism Results presented in Chapter 2 show that active catabolism of aromatic β¬glucosides like salicin, arbutin and esculin by Bgl+ bacteria decreases the viability of their predators. The aglycone products released during β-glucosides metabolism, e.g. saligenin in the case of salicin, are the causative agents of the mortality of the predators. The lethality is reversible up to a specific threshold of exposure. Saligenin acts as a chemo-attractant that lures and kills Caenorhabditis elegans N2. In the case of nematodes that succumb, bacteria can derive nutrition from the dead predators indicating a conversion of prey to predator. Experiments with mutant strains of Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that the dopaminergic receptor dop-1 is involved in mediating saligenin toxicity. Studies mentioned in Chapter 3 revolve around the relevance of the predator-prey interaction discussed in Chapter 2 in the natural environment. Members of Enterobacteriaceae and their predator amoebae (cellular slime molds) and nematodes were isolated from soil. They show coexistence in most of the soil samples analyzed. All the predators isolated from soil and other natural isolates of Caenorhabditis succumb to saligenin as their laboratory counterparts with higher sensitivity in some of the strains. Soil nematodes belonging to genera Oscheius and Mesorhabditis avoid saligenin unlike the members of Caenorhabditis genus which are attracted towards saligenin. This indicates that the soil nematodes are often exposed to saligenin or saligenin-like compounds, resulting in the evolution of a genetic machinery to avoid these toxic compounds. Studies with quasi-natural environments like soil and fruit indicate that β-glucoside metabolism have similar effects on predator prey interaction in these environments, reinforcing the relevance of these observations to the natural ecology of the organisms. The studies reported in Chapter 2 and 3 shed light on a novel defense strategy of otherwise non-pathogenic members of Enterobacteriaceae which comes with a dual advantage. These results have also brought into focus issues such as the benefit derived by bacterial populations that are genetically heterogeneous, consisting of both Bgl+ and Bgl-strains. The broad implications and future directions of the work are discussed in Chapter 4. Work presented in Appendix deals with the investigation of the pattern of cellobiose utilization in Shigella sonnei. As mentioned in Chapter 1, it is known that members of Enterobacteriaceae exhibit diversity in their pattern of β-glucoside utilization. Wild type strains of both E. coli and Shigella sonnei are unable to utilize Arbutin, Salicin and Cellobiose. While E. coli can acquire cellobiose utilizing ability directly from the wild type state (Arb-Sal-Cel-), Shigella sonnei strains, though closely related to E. coli, have to undergo a series of mutations in a specific sequence to become capable of utilizing these sugars. Characterization of a few Shigella sonnei Cel+ mutants showed a different mode of activation of the chb operon (known to be involved in cellobiose utilization in E. coli). Considering the ecological significance of the ability to hydrolyze aromatic β-glucosides, a detailed understanding of the metabolic capability of different strains and the molecular mechanism involved becomes significant.

The chb operon constitutes the genes essential for utilization of chitooligosaccharides in Escherichia coli and related species. The six genes of the operon code for a transcriptional regulator (ChbR) of the operon, a permease (ChbBCA), a monodeacetylase (ChbG), and a phospho-beta-glucosidase (ChbF). In the absence of the substrate, the operon is maintained in a transcriptionally repressed state, while presence of the substrate leads to transcriptional activation. Regulation of the chb operon is brought about by the concerted action of three proteins, the negative regulator NagC coded by the nag operon, the dual function regulator ChbR coded by the chb operon and the universal regulatory protein CRP. Mutations that lead to alterations in the regulation of the operon can facilitate utilization of cellobiose, in addition to chitooligosaccharides by E. coli. The studies presented in Chapter II were aimed at understanding the evolution of cellobiose utilization in Shigella sonnei, which is phylogenetically very close to E. coli. Cel+ mutants were isolated from a Cel- wild type S. sonnei strain. Interestingly, Cel+ mutants arose relatively faster on MacConkey cellobiose agar from the S. sonnei wild type strain compared to E. coli. Similar to E. coli, the Cel+ phenotype in S. sonnei mutants was linked to the chb operon. Deletion of the phospho-β-glucosidase gene, chbF also resulted in loss of the Cel+ phenotype, indicating that ChbF is responsible for hydrolysis of cellobiose in these mutants. Previous work from the lab has shown that acquisition of two classes of mutations is necessary and sufficient to give rise to Cel+ mutants in E. coli. The first class of mutations either within the nagC locus or at the NagC binding site within the chb promoter, lead to NagC derepression. The second class consisting of gain-of-function mutations in chbR enable the recognition of cellobiose as an inducer by ChbR and subsequent activation of the operon. However, in S. sonnei a single mutational event of an IS element insertion resulted in acquisition of this phenotype. Depending on the type and location of the insertion, the mutants were grouped as Type I, and Type II. In Type I mutants an 1S600 insertion between the inherent -10 and -35 elements within the chb promoter leads to ChbR-independent constitutive activation of the operon, while in Type II mutants, an IS2/600 insertion at -113/-114, leads to ChbR-dependent, cellobiose-inducible expression of the operon. The results presented also indicate that in addition to relieving NagC mediated repression, the insertion in Type II mutants also leads to increase in basal transcription from the chb promoter. Constitutive expression of the chb operon also results in utilization of the aromatic β-glucosides salicin and arbutin, in addition to cellobiose in Type I mutants, which indicates the promiscuous nature of permease and hydrolysis enzyme of the chb operon. This part of the thesis essentially demonstrates the different trajectories taken for the evolution of new metabolic function under conditions of nutrient stress by two closely related species. It emphasizes the significance of the strain background, namely the diversity of transposable elements in the acquisition of the novel function. The second part of this research investigation, detailed in Chapter III deals with experiments to characterize the eukaryotic orthologs of the last gene of the chb operon. The chbG gene of E. coli codes for a monodeacetylase of chitooligosaccharides like chitobiose and chitotriose. The protein belongs to a highly conserved, but less explored family of proteins called YdjC, whose orthologs are present in many prokaryotes and eukaryotes including mammals. The human YDJC locus located on chromosome 22 is linked to a variety of inflammatory diseases and the transcript levels are relatively high in stem cells and a few cancer cells. In silico analysis suggested that the mammalian YdjC orthologs possess sequence and structural similarity with the prokaryotic counterpart. The full length mouse YdjC ortholog, which is 85% identical to the human ortholog was cloned into a bacterial vector and expressed in a chbG deletion strain of E. coli. The mouse YdjC ortholog could neither promote growth of the strain on chitobiose nor induce transcription from the chb promoter. The purified mouse YdjC ortholog could not deacetylate chitobiose in vitro as well, suggesting that the mouse ortholog failed to complement the function of the E. coli counterpart, ChbG under the conditions tested in this study. In order to characterize the mammalian YdjC orthologs more elaborately, further experimentation was performed in mammalian cell lines. The results indicate that YdjC is expressed in mammalian cell lines of different tissue origin and the expression was seen throughout the cell. Overexpression of mouse Ydjc in a few mammalian cells also resulted in increased proliferation and migration, indicating a direct or indirect role of this protein in cell growth/proliferation. The mammalian orthologs of ChbG therefore appear to have related but distinct activities and substrates compared to the bacterial counterpart that need to be elucidated further.