Showing papers by "Agnès Fouet published in 2007"

Cloning and Molecular Characterization of Three Arylamine N-Acetyltransferase Genes from Bacillus anthracis: Identification of Unusual Enzymatic Properties and Their Contribution to Sulfamethoxazole Resistance†

Abstract: The arylamine N-acetyltransferases (NATs) are xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes that catalyze the N-acetylation of arylamines and their N-hydroxylated metabolites. These enzymes play a key role in detoxication of numerous drugs and xenobiotics. We report here the cloning, functional expression, and characterization of three new NAT genes (termed banatA, banatB, and banatC) from the pathogen Bacillus anthracis. The sequences of the corresponding proteins are approximately 30% identical with those of characterized eukaryotic and prokaryotic NAT enzymes, and the proteins were recognized by an anti-NAT antibody. The three genes were endogenously expressed in B. anthracis, and NAT activity was found in cell extracts. The three NAT homologues exhibited distinct structural and enzymatic properties, some of which have not previously been observed with other NAT enzymes. Recombinant BanatC displayed strong NAT activity toward several prototypic NAT substrates, including the sulfonamide antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SMX). As opposed to BanatC, BanatB also had acetyl-CoA (AcCoA) and p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA) hydrolysis activity in the absence of arylamine substrates, indicating that it may act as an AcCoA hydrolase. BanatA was devoid of NAT or AcCoA/PNPA hydrolysis activities, suggesting that it may be a new bacterial NAT-like protein with unknown function. Expression of BanatC in Escherichia coli afforded higher-than-normal resistance to SMX in the recombinant bacteria, whereas an inactive mutant of the enzyme did not. These data indicate that BanatC could contribute to the resistance of B. anthracis to SMX.

The stringent response of Bacillus anthracis contributes to sporulation but not to virulence.

Abstract: The Gram-positive, spore-forming pathogen Bacillus anthracis is the aetiological agent of anthrax. Its main virulence factors are two toxins and an anti-phagocytic capsule. When B. anthracis is grown in laboratory culture, the highest expression of the anthrax toxin genes occurs during entry into stationary phase, suggesting that nutrient limitation is an environmental cue which induces toxin production. A common bacterial response to starvation is the so-called stringent response, in which the hyperphosphorylated guanosine nucleotide (p)ppGpp is the effector molecule. In Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and other bacteria, accumulation of this molecule leads to down-regulation of stable RNA synthesis and upregulation of the expression of genes involved in survival under nutrient-poor conditions. This study focuses on the stringent response of B. anthracis. We show that in B. anthracis the relA gene is responsible for the synthesis of (p)ppGpp and the stringent down-regulation of stable RNA synthesis upon starvation for the essential amino acids isoleucine, leucine and valine. The deletion of relA did not affect the expression of the virulence gene pagA or virulence in a mouse model of infection. In contrast, spore counts upon growth and sporulation in a defined medium were approximately 10 000-fold lower for the relA deletion mutant than for the parental strain. The contribution of the stringent response to efficient sporulation of B. anthracis is notable, as this suggests that the stringent response may contribute to the persistence of B. anthracis in the natural environment.