Desiccation tolerance in Acinetobacter baumannii is mediated by the two-component response regulator BfmR

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

John M,Wells,Greg,Pesci,Everett C Farrow (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: For the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, desiccation tolerance is thought tocontribute significantly to the persistence of these bacteria in the healthcare environment.We investigated the ability of A. baumannii to survive rapid drying, and found that somestrains exhibited a profoundly desiccation-resistant phenotype, characterized by the abilityof a large proportion of cells to survive on a dry surface for an extended period of time. However, this phenotype was only displayed during the stationary phase of growth. Most interestingly, we found that drying resistance could be lost after extended cultivation in liquidmedium. Genome sequencing of isolates that became drying-sensitive identified mutationsin bfmR, which encodes a two-component response regulator that is important for A. baumannii virulence. Additionally, BfmR was necessary for the expression of stress-related proteins during stationary phase, and one of these, KatE, was important for long-term dryingsurvival. These results suggested that BfmR may control stress responses, and we demonstrated that the ΔbfmR mutant was more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide, nutrient starvation,and increased osmolarity. We also found that cross-protection against drying could be stimulated by either starvation, which required BfmR, or increased osmolarity. These resultsimply that BfmR plays a role in controlling stress responses in A. baumannii which help protect cells during desiccation, and they provide a regulatory link between this organism"s ability to persist in the environment and pathogenicity.

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Language: English

Date: 2018

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