Chemical signaling and virulence in Escherichia coli enterohemorrhagic mediated by members of the microbiota

• Grant number: 18/22042-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: January 01, 2019
• End date: June 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Cristiano Gallina Moreira
• Grantee: Karine Melchior
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas (FCFAR). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araraquara. Araraquara , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/06779-2 - Role of chemical signaling and auxiliary mechanisms in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium virulence and other enteropathogens, AP.JP
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/14833-0 - Immune response and chemical signaling upon Citrobacter rodentium infection in vivo, BE.EP.MS

Abstract

Escherichia coli Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) is known as a gastrointestinal pathogen with ability to cause hemorrhagic diarrhea, and in some cases lead to the development of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome in humans, characterized by microangiopathic anemia, renal failure and thrombocytopenia, becoming a microorganism of great clinical importance. It has in its genome the Island of pathogenicity locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE), responsible for encoding genes related to important factors of virulence. Recently, our group demonstrated that commensal bacteria beneficial to the microbiota such as Bacteroides tethaitaomicron (Bt), can antagonistically increase the expression of virulence genes in pathogenic bacteria such as EHEC. This modulation occurs through the change of the metabolic landscape for a gluconeogenic environment, and increasing Bt-mediated secretion of succinate in the intestine, which is interpreted by EHEC as a nutritional signal for the activation of virulence gene expression. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is an important representative of the phylum Firmicutes, and is idealized as a promising new generation of probiotics, associated mainly with its characteristic of butyrate production, which is related to the improvement of infections and an important anti-inflammatory, however, is not well understood the response of pathogens to this commensal bacterium, as well as butyrate can modulate the virulence in bacteria. In this way, in vivo and in vitro assays will be performed with EHEC in the presence of Bt and F. prausnitzii, in order to understand the relationship between microbiota - pathogen, how the pathogen responds and modulate its response to the environment, as well as the signaling involved in these processes, and could be an interesting way to create therapeutic alternatives for the prevention and treatment of infections. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

MELCHIOR, KARINE; SALGACO, MATEUS KAWATA; SIVIERI, KATIA; MOREIRA, CRISTIANO GALLINA. QseC sensor kinase modulates the human microbiota during enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection in the Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME (R)). Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, v. N/A, p. 14-pg., 2022-12-05. (19/03049-7, 18/22042-0)

MELCHIOR, KARINE; MOREIRA, CRISTIANO GALLINA. Novel non-flagellated surface motility mediated by chemical signaling in Citrobacter rodentium. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, v. 50, n. 4, p. 881-886, OCT 2019. (14/06779-2, 18/22042-0)

BRAZ, VANIA SANTOS; MELCHIOR, KARINE; MOREIRA, CRISTIANO GALLINA. Escherichia coli as a Multifaceted Pathogenic and Versatile Bacterium. FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY, v. 10, DEC 21 2020. (14/06779-2, 19/03049-7, 18/22412-2, 18/22042-0)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MELCHIOR, Karine. Análise da sinalização química e virulência em Escherichia coli enterohemorrágica e Citrobacter rodentium mediado por membros da microbiota. 2020. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas. Araraquara Araraquara.