CRISPR-Cas3 of Salmonella Upregulates Bacterial Biofilm
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pathogens Article CRISPR-cas3 of Salmonella Upregulates Bacterial Biofilm Formation and Virulence to Host Cells by Targeting Quorum-Sensing Systems Luqing Cui 1,2, Xiangru Wang 1 , Deyu Huang 3, Yue Zhao 1, Jiawei Feng 1, Qirong Lu 3, Qinqin Pu 2, Yulian Wang 3, Guyue Cheng 3, Min Wu 2,* and Menghong Dai 1,* 1 The Cooperative Innovation Center for Sustainable Pig Production, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; [email protected] (L.C.); [email protected] (X.W.); [email protected] (Y.Z.); [email protected] (J.F.) 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA; [email protected] 3 MOA Key Laboratory of Food Safety Evaluation/National Reference Laboratory of Veterinary Drug Residue (HZAU), Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China; [email protected] (D.H.); [email protected] (Q.L.); [email protected] (Y.W.); [email protected] (G.C.) * Correspondence: [email protected] (M.W.); [email protected] (M.D.); Tel.: +1-701-777-4875 (M.W.); +86-027-8767-2232 (M.D.); Fax: +1-701-777-2382 (M.W.); +86-027-8767-2232 (M.D.) Received: 8 December 2019; Accepted: 7 January 2020; Published: 10 January 2020 Abstract: Salmonella is recognized as one of the most common microbial pathogens worldwide. The bacterium contains the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated (Cas) systems, providing adaptive immunity against invading foreign nucleic acids. Previous studies suggested that certain bacteria employ the Cas proteins of CRISPR-Cas systems to target their own genes, which also alters the virulence during invasion of mammals. However, whether CRISPR-Cas systems in Salmonella have similar functions during bacterial invasion of host cells remains unknown. Here, we systematically analyzed the genes that are regulated by Cas3 in a type I-E CRISPR-Cas system and the virulence changes due to the deletion of cas3 in Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Compared to the cas3 gene wild-type (cas3 WT) Salmonella strain, cas3 deletion upregulated the lsrFGBE genes in lsr (luxS regulated) operon related to quorum sensing (QS) and downregulated biofilm-forming-related genes and Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) genes related to the type three secretion system (T3SS). Consistently, the biofilm formation ability was downregulated in the cas3 deletion mutant (Dcas3). The bacterial invasive and intracellular capacity of Dcas3 to host cells was also reduced, thereby increasing the survival of infected host cells and live chickens. By the transcriptome-wide screen (RNA-Seq), we found that the cas3 gene impacts a series of genes related to QS, the flagellum, and SPI-1-T3SS system, thereby altering the virulence phenotypes. As QS SPI-1-T3SS and CRISPR-Cas systems are widely distributed in the bacteria kingdom, our findings extend our understanding of virulence regulation and pathogenicity in mammalian hosts for Salmonella and potentially other bacteria. Keywords: type I-E CRISPR-Cas system; cas3; Salmonella virulence; RNA-Seq; quorum sensing; biofilm formation; SPI-1-T3SS 1. Introduction Salmonella is a significant pathogen for humans and animals. It not only causes a variety of diseases in livestock and poultry but also causes food poisoning in humans [1]. Among the foods that cause Pathogens 2020, 9, 53; doi:10.3390/pathogens9010053 www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens Pathogens 2020, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 20 1. Introduction Pathogens 2020, 9, 53 2 of 20 Salmonella is a significant pathogen for humans and animals. It not only causes a variety of diseases in livestock and poultry but also causes food poisoning in humans [1]. Among the foods that causeSalmonella Salmonellapoisoning, poisoning, more thanmore 90% than are 90% meat are and meat other and animal other animal products products [2,3]. It [2,3]. is a highly It is a diversehighly diversespecies comprisingspecies comprising of two species of two divided species into divided six subspecies into six andsubspecies over 2500 and serovars over 2500 [4]. Statistics serovars show [4]. Statisticsthat Salmonella show entericathat Salmonellaserovar Enteritidis enterica serovar (S. Enteritidis), EnteritidisS. Choleraesuis,(S. Enteritidis), and S.S. Choleraesuis,Typhimurium and are theS. Typhimuriummajor pathogenic are the bacteria major that pathogenic contaminate bacteria animal that products contaminate and animal cause human productsSalmonella and causepoisoning. human SalmonellaThese bacteria poisoning. cause significant These bacteria harm tocause human significant health and harm livestock to human development health [ 5].and In thislivestock study, developmentthe Salmonella [5].strain In this SE211 study, serotype the Salmonella is identified strain asSE211S. Enteritidis, serotype is one identified of the as dominant S. Enteritidis, serotypes. one ofSE211 the dominant is characterized serotypes. as a SE211 highly is pathogeniccharacterizedSalmonella as a highlyharboring pathogenic a type Salmonella I-E clustered harboring interspaced a type I-Eshort clustered palindromic interspaced repeats short (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associ (Cas) system. Theated system (Cas) comprises system. The two systemmajor molecularcomprises constituents:two major molecular A set of constituents:cas genes and A CRISPR set of cas arrays genes (Figure and CRISPR1). CRISPR arrays arrays (Figure have 1). CRISPRbeen widely arrays used have in been the serotyping widely used of inSalmonella the serotypingaccording of Salmonella to the variety according in the to spacers the variety [6,7], in and the it spacerswas shown [6,7], thatand theit was results shown from that CRISPR the results typing from had CRISPR a good typing correspondence had a good correspondence with whole genome with wholesequence genome typing sequence [8,9]. Furthermore, typing [8,9]. CRISPR-multi-virulence-locus Furthermore, CRISPR-multi-v sequenceirulence-locus typing (MVLST) sequence has typing been (MVLST)frequently has used been to subtypefrequentlySalmonella used toserovars subtype [ 10Salmonella,11]. The conservedserovars [10,11]. genetic The organization conserved of genetic the cas organizationgenes in some of Salmonellathe cas genesserovars in some is consistentSalmonella withserovars its biological is consistent function with its in biological these bacteria function [12–14 in]. theseIn addition, bacteria some [12–14]. reports In addi foundtion, that some in reportsS. Typhi, found this systemthat in S. consists Typhi, ofthis five system transcriptional consists of units, five transcriptionalincluding two messengerunits, including ribonucleic two messenger acids (CRISPR-cas ribonucleicand acidscas3), (CRISPR-cas one sense ribonucleic and cas3), acidone (sensescse2), ribonucleicand two antisense acid (scse2 RNAs), and (ascse2-1 two antisenseand ascas2-1 RNAs)[ 15(ascse2-1]. and ascas2-1) [15]. FigureFigure 1. 1. SchematicSchematic of of the the SalmonellaSalmonella typetype I-E I-E clustered clustered interspaced interspaced short short palindromic palindromic repeats repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated(CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated (Cas) (Cas) operon. operon. SalmonellaSalmonella hashas two two CRISPR CRISPR loci, loci, CRISPR1 CRISPR1 and and CRISPR2, CRISPR2, bothboth encoded encoded on on the the minus minus strand. strand. There There are are eight eight cascas genesgenes that that are are located located upstream upstream of of CRISPR1, CRISPR1, shownshown as as colored colored boxed boxed arrows. arrows. Type Type I I system system signature signature gene, gene, cas3cas3,, is is shown shown (red). (red). The The cas1cas1 andand cas2cas2 genesgenes are universal, andand presentpresent in in all all CRISPR-Cas CRISPR-Cas systems systems (orange). (orange). The The remaining remainingcas genescas genes are typeare typeI-E-dependent I-E-dependent (green). (green). The CRISPR The CRISPR locus compriseslocus comprises a leader a regionleader and region repeats and (black repeats cross (black lines) cross that lines)are separated that are separated by unique by spacers unique (vertical spacers colored(vertical lines). colored crRNA lines). (CRISPR crRNA (C RNA)RISPR consists RNA) consists of a spacer of aflanked spacer byflanked partial by repeats. partial repeats. CRISPR array and cas genes are broadly present in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms, such as CRISPR array and cas genes are broadly present in the genomes of prokaryotic organisms, such bacteria and archaea. CRISPR-Cas is a prokaryotic immune system that confers resistance to foreign as bacteria and archaea. CRISPR-Cas is a prokaryotic immune system that confers resistance to genetic elements, such as those present within plasmids and phages [16–18] that provide a form of foreign genetic elements, such as those present within plasmids and phages [16–18] that provide a acquired immunity. crRNA (CRISPR RNA), which harbors the spacer sequence, helps Cas proteins form of acquired immunity. crRNA (CRISPR RNA), which harbors the spacer sequence, helps Cas recognize and cut the DNA of foreign pathogens [19], and RNA-guided Cas proteins can also cleave proteins recognize and cut the DNA of foreign pathogens [19], and RNA-guided Cas proteins can invading RNA [20], for example, type III-A CRISPR-Cas Csm complex of Thermus thermophilus target also cleave invading RNA [20], for example, type III-A CRISPR-Cas Csm complex of Thermus