Large scale variation in Enterococcus faecalis illustrated by the genome analysis of strain OG1RF.

BACKGROUND: Enterococcus faecalis has emerged as a major hospital pathogen. To explore its diversity, we sequenced E. faecalis strain OG1RF, which is commonly used for molecular manipulation and virulence studies. RESULTS: The 2,739,625 base pair chromosome of OG1RF was found to contain approximately 232 kilobases unique to this strain compared to V583, the only publicly available sequenced strain. Almost no mobile genetic elements were found in OG1RF. The 64 areas of divergence were classified into three categories. First, OG1RF carries 39 unique regions, including 2 CRISPR loci and a new WxL locus. Second, we found nine replacements where a sequence specific to V583 was substituted by a sequence specific to OG1RF. For example, the iol operon of OG1RF replaces a possible prophage and the vanB transposon in V583. Finally, we found 16 regions that were present in V583 but missing from OG1RF, including the proposed pathogenicity island, several probable prophages, and the cpsCDEFGHIJK capsular polysaccharide operon. OG1RF was more rapidly but less frequently lethal than V583 in the mouse peritonitis model and considerably outcompeted V583 in a murine model of urinary tract infections. CONCLUSION: E. faecalis OG1RF carries a number of unique loci compared to V583, but the almost complete lack of mobile genetic elements demonstrates that this is not a defining feature of the species. Additionally, OG1RF's effects in experimental models suggest that mediators of virulence may be diverse between different E. faecalis strains and that virulence is not dependent on the presence of mobile genetic elements.

Oxidative stress enzymes are required for DAF-16-mediated immunity due to generation of reactive oxygen species by Caenorhabditis elegans.

Caenorhabditis elegans has recently been developed as a model for microbial pathogenesis, yet little is known about its immunological defenses. Previous work implicated insulin signaling in mediating pathogen resistance in a manner dependent on the transcriptional regulator DAF-16, but the mechanism has not been elucidated. We present evidence that C. elegans, like mammalian phagocytes, produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) in response to pathogens. Signs of oxidative stress occur in the intestine - the site of the host-pathogen interface - suggesting that ROS release is localized to this tissue. Evidence includes the accumulation of lipofuscin, a pigment resulting from oxidative damage, at this site. In addition, SOD-3, a superoxide dismutase regulated by DAF-16, is induced in intestinal tissue after exposure to pathogenic bacteria. Moreover, we show that the oxidative stress response genes sod-3 and ctl-2 are required for DAF-16-mediated resistance to Enterococcus faecalis using a C. elegans killing assay. We propose a model whereby C. elegans responds to pathogens by producing ROS in the intestine while simultaneously inducing a DAF-16-dependent oxidative stress response to protect adjacent tissues. Because insulin-signaling mutants overproduce oxidative stress response enzymes, the model provides an explanation for their increased resistance to pathogens.

Enterococcus faecalis mutations affecting virulence in the Caenorhabditis elegans model host.

Enterococcus faecalis transposon insertion mutants were screened for attenuated killing of the nematode model host Caenorhabditis elegans. The genes disrupted in the attenuated mutants encode a variety of factors including transcriptional regulators, transporters, and damage control and repair systems. Five of nine mutants tested were attenuated in a mouse peritonitis model.