State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.
Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Jiangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanchang, China.
Microbiol Res. 2018 Mar;207:177-187. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2017.11.008. Epub 2017 Nov 14.
Spermidine (Spd), spermine (Spm), and putrescine (Put), which are the most widely distributed cellular polyamines, are essential for normal growth and multiplication of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. In this study, we identified the only putative polyamine transport system PotABCD in Streptococcus suis, a worldwide zoonotic Gram-positive pathogen causing lethal infections in humans and pigs. It was discovered that S. suis could uptake polyamines preferably Spd and Spm. By constructing a potA deleted mutant, we confirmed that PotABCD was responsible for polyamine uptake, and PotD bound to the protein of polyamines. The four PotABCD genes were co-transcribed with murB, a gene involved in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis. Furthermore the roles of polyamine transport system in maintaining the PG structure were detected to understand the biological significance of this co-transcription. In contrast to the wild type, the mutant ΔpotA exhibited elongated chain length and abnormal cell division morphology. Phenotypic changes were attributed to be the up-regulation of genes involved in PG synthesis and hydrolysis in ΔpotA. Additionally, polyamines functioned not only as feedback regulators of PotA by inhibiting PotA activity but also as regulators on potABCD and genes involved in PG synthesis. This study reveals the functions of PotABCD in polyamine transport and the regulatory roles of polyamines in PG synthesis. Results provide new insights into the machineries contributing to normal growth and cell division of S. suis.
精胺(Spd)、亚精胺(Spm)和腐胺(Put)是最广泛分布的细胞多胺,它们对真核和原核细胞的正常生长和增殖都是必不可少的。在这项研究中,我们鉴定了猪链球菌中唯一的假定多胺转运系统 PotABCD,猪链球菌是一种全球性的人畜共患病革兰氏阳性病原体,可导致人类和猪的致命感染。研究发现,猪链球菌可以优先摄取多胺,尤其是 Spd 和 Spm。通过构建 potA 缺失突变体,我们证实了 PotABCD 负责多胺摄取,而 PotD 与多胺蛋白结合。四个 PotABCD 基因与参与肽聚糖(PG)合成的 murB 基因共同转录。此外,还检测了多胺转运系统在维持 PG 结构中的作用,以了解这种共转录的生物学意义。与野生型相比,突变体 ΔpotA 表现出链长延长和异常细胞分裂形态。表型变化归因于 ΔpotA 中参与 PG 合成和水解的基因上调。此外,多胺不仅作为 PotA 的反馈调节剂通过抑制 PotA 活性,而且作为多胺转运系统和参与 PG 合成的基因的调节剂发挥作用。本研究揭示了 PotABCD 在多胺转运中的功能以及多胺在 PG 合成中的调节作用。研究结果为了解猪链球菌正常生长和细胞分裂的机制提供了新的见解。