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The Small Protein YmoA Controls the Csr System and Adjusts Expression of Virulence-Relevant Traits of Yersinia

Katja Böhme1, Ann Kathrin Heroven1, Stephanie Lobedann1

  • 1Department of Molecular Infection Biology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|August 20, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The small protein YmoA regulates virulence in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis by stabilizing the CsrC RNA, impacting bacterial stress and infection stages. A YmoA mutant shows reduced host cell entry and dissemination.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Bacterial virulence gene expression is tightly regulated by environmental cues during infection.
  • The small protein YmoA, belonging to the Hha family, is implicated in controlling virulence in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the role of YmoA in regulating virulence gene expression, bacterial stress responses, and metabolic functions in Yersinia pseudotuberculosis.
  • To investigate the mechanism by which YmoA modulates the Csr system and its impact on infection progression.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of YmoA's function in controlling temperature- and nutrient-dependent virulence genes.
  • Investigation of YmoA's interaction with the Csr system, focusing on CsrC RNA stability.
  • Assessment of a YmoA-deficient mutant's ability to infect host cells and disseminate in a mouse model.

Main Results:

  • YmoA differentially controls early and late-stage virulence genes and co-regulates stress and metabolic functions.
  • YmoA enhances CsrC RNA stability through a specific stem-loop structure, dependent on H-NS but not Hfq.
  • A mutant lacking YmoA exhibited significantly reduced host cell invasion and dissemination to key organs (Peyer's patches, lymph nodes, liver, spleen) in mice.

Conclusions:

  • YmoA acts as a key regulator of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis virulence by modulating the Csr system, specifically stabilizing CsrC RNA.
  • YmoA is crucial for the transition from intestinal colonization to deeper tissue invasion, influencing the infection's establishment and severity.
  • The findings propose a model where YmoA orchestrates the switch between initial colonization and host defense phases of infection.
Keywords:
CsrAHhaYersiniaYmoAgene regulationregulatory RNAvirulence

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