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Identification and characterization of Clostridium sordellii toxin gene regulator

Apoorva Reddy Sirigi Reddy1, Brintha Parasumanna Girinathan, Ryan Zapotocny

  • 1Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.

Journal of Bacteriology
|July 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Researchers identified TcsR as a key regulator for the TcsL toxin in Clostridium sordellii. This discovery sheds light on controlling C. sordellii pathogenicity and toxin production.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Toxigenic Clostridium sordellii causes severe infections, with TcsL toxin being crucial for pathogenicity.
  • An increase in C. sordellii infections among women undergoing obstetric interventions has been noted.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize the regulator of the TcsL toxin gene (tcsL) in C. sordellii.
  • To understand the role of TcsR in regulating toxin production.

Main Methods:

  • High-throughput sequencing to locate the tcsR gene within the toxin gene cluster.
  • ClosTron technology to create a tcsR mutant strain.
  • Complementation studies and heterologous expression of a related regulator.

Main Results:

  • The tcsR gene was identified adjacent to genes encoding TcsL, TcsH, and TcsE.
  • Inactivation of tcsR significantly reduced TcsL toxin production and tcsL transcription.
  • Complementation restored toxin production, and the Clostridium difficile TcdR regulator was functionally interchangeable.

Conclusions:

  • TcsR is a critical regulator of tcsL transcription and TcsL toxin production in C. sordellii.
  • The sigma factor TcsR is essential for C. sordellii virulence.
  • TcsR and TcdR from C. difficile are functionally conserved, suggesting a conserved regulatory mechanism for clostridial toxins.

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