Serratia marcescens DUF1471-Containing Protein SrfN Is Needed for Adaptation to Acid and Oxidative Stresses.

Bacteria can quickly adapt to constantly changing environments through a number of mechanisms, including secretion of secondary metabolites, peptides, and proteins. Serratia marcescens, an emerging pathogen with growing clinical importance due to its intrinsic resistance to several classes of antibiotics, can cause an array of infections in immunocompromised individuals. To better control the spread of S. marcescens infections, it is critical to identify additional targets for bacterial growth inhibition. We found that extracellular metabolites produced by the wild-type organism in response to peroxide exposure had a protective effect on an otherwise-H2O2-sensitive ΔmacAB indicator strain. Detailed analysis of the conditioned medium demonstrated that the protective effect was associated with a low-molecular-weight heat-sensitive and proteinase K-sensitive metabolite. Furthermore, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the low-molecular-weight proteins present in the conditioned medium led to identification of the previously uncharacterized DUF1471-containing protein TBU67220 (SrfN). We found that loss of the srfN gene did not have an impact on the production of extracellular enzymes. However, the S. marcescens mutant lacking SrfN was significantly more sensitive to growth in medium with a low pH and to exposure to oxidative stress. Both defects were fully rescued by complementation. Thus, our results indicate that SrfN, a low-molecular-weight DUF1471-containing protein, is involved in S. marcescens SM6 adaptation to adverse environmental conditions. IMPORTANCE Serratia marcescens is ubiquitous in the environment and can survive in water, soil, plants, insects, and animals, and it can also cause infections in humans. In the face of disturbances such as oxidative or low-pH stress, bacteria adapt, survive, and recover through several mechanisms, including changes in their secretome. We show that a hydrogen peroxide-exposed S. marcescens milieu contains a small previously uncharacterized DUF1471-containing protein similar to the SrfN protein in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and we illustrate the role of this protein in bacterial survival during acid and oxidative stresses.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Changes in the Gut: Focus on Kazan Patients.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have highlighted the role of host-microbiome interactions in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), resulting in an increasing amount of data mainly focusing on Western patients. Because of the increasing prevalence of IBD in newly industrialized countries such as those in Asia, the Middle East, and South America, there is mounting interest in elucidating the gut microbiota of these populations. We present a comprehensive analysis of several IBD-related biomarkers and gut microbiota profiles and functions of a unique population of patients with IBD and healthy patients from Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan, Russia). METHODS: Blood and fecal IBD biomarkers, serum cytokines, and fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content were profiled. Finally, fecal microbiota composition was analyzed by 16S and whole-genome shotgun sequencing. RESULTS: Fecal microbiota whole-genome sequencing confirmed the presence of classic IBD dysbiotic features at the phylum level, with increased abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria and decreased abundance of Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia. At the genus level, the abundance of both fermentative (SCFA-producing and hydrogen (H2)-releasing) and hydrogenotrophic (H2-consuming) microbes was affected in patients with IBD. This imbalance was confirmed by the decreased abundance of SCFA species in the feces of patients with IBD and the change in anaerobic index, which mirrors the redox status of the intestine. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses highlighted how IBD-related dysbiotic microbiota-which are generally mainly linked to SCFA imbalance-may affect other important metabolic pathways, such as H2 metabolism, that are critical for host physiology and disease development.