The CtsR regulator controls the expression of clpC, clpE and clpP and is required for the virulence of Enterococcus faecalis in an invertebrate model

• Published in: Antonie van Leeuwenhoek Vol. 109; no. 9; pp. 1253 - 1259
• Main Authors: Cassenego, Ana Paula Vaz, de Oliveira, Naira Elane Moreira, Laport, Marinella Silva, Abranches, Jaqueline, Lemos, José A., Giambiagi-deMarval, Marcia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.09.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphatases - biosynthesis; Adenosine Triphosphatases - genetics; Adenosine Triphosphatases - metabolism; Animals; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - biosynthesis; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Base Sequence; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Endopeptidase Clp - biosynthesis; Endopeptidase Clp - metabolism; Enterococcus faecalis; Enterococcus faecalis - genetics; Enterococcus faecalis - metabolism; Enterococcus faecalis - pathogenicity; Galleria mellonella; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Heat-Shock Proteins - biosynthesis; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Heat-Shock Proteins - metabolism; Heat-Shock Response - genetics; Invertebrata; Invertebrates; Lepidoptera - microbiology; Life Sciences; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Original Paper; Plant Sciences; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Repressor Proteins - biosynthesis; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Soil Science & Conservation; Virulence; Virulence Factors - biosynthesis; Virulence Factors - genetics; Thermotolerance; genes; Virulence; ctsR regulon; Enterococcus faecalis; clp genes
• ISSN: 0003-6072; 1572-9699
• DOI: 10.1007/s10482-016-0727-0

The intrinsic ruggedness of Enterococcus faecalis is responsible for its widespread distribution in nature and is often viewed as an important virulence determinant. Previously, we showed that the ClpB ATPase is negatively regulated by CtsR and is required for thermotolerance and virulence in a Galleria mellonella invertebrate model. Here, we used in silico, Northern blot and quantitative real-time PCR analyses to identify additional members of the CtsR regulon, namely the clpP peptidase and the clpC and clpE ATPases. When compared to the parent strain, virulence of the Δ ctsR strain in G. mellonella was significantly attenuated.