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Vesiculation from Pseudomonas aeruginosa under SOS

Reshma Maredia1, Navya Devineni, Peter Lentz

  • 1Department of Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA.

Thescientificworldjournal
|March 27, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Antibiotic treatment can worsen bacterial infections by triggering the SOS response and outer membrane vesicle (OMV) production. Our study shows that the SOS response plays a role in this antibiotic-induced bacterial vesiculation and cytotoxicity.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis
  • Antibiotic Resistance

Background:

  • Antibiotic treatment can paradoxically exacerbate bacterial infections.
  • This exacerbation is linked to the induction of the bacterial SOS response and increased production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs).
  • The precise relationship between the SOS response and antibiotic-induced vesiculation remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between the bacterial SOS response and antibiotic-induced outer membrane vesiculation.
  • To determine the role of the SOS response in the increased cytotoxicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa under antibiotic stress.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa wild-type and a LexA non-cleavable (lexAN) mutant strain.
  • Induction of the SOS response using ciprofloxacin in the wild-type strain.
  • Repression of the SOS response in the lexAN mutant strain.
  • Quantification of OMV protein and lipid content.
  • Assessment of OMV-mediated cytotoxicity.
  • Subproteomic analysis of OMVs.

Main Results:

  • Antibiotic treatment significantly increased OMV production, protein, and lipid content in both wild-type and lexAN strains.
  • The increase in OMV production and cytotoxicity was significantly suppressed in the lexAN strain, where the SOS response was repressed.
  • Subproteomic analysis revealed changes in OMV composition correlating with cellular physiology and cytotoxicity under SOS induction.

Conclusions:

  • The bacterial SOS response is a significant factor contributing to the stimulation of outer membrane vesiculation during antibiotic treatment.
  • Antibiotic-induced vesiculation, influenced by the SOS response, plays a role in bacterial cytotoxicity.
  • These findings highlight a mechanism by which bacteria can adapt to antibiotic stress, potentially leading to increased virulence.

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