The C. difficile clnRAB operon initiates adaptations to the host environment in response to LL-37

PLoS Pathog. 2018 Aug 20;14(8):e1007153. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007153. eCollection 2018 Aug.

Abstract

To cause disease, Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile must resist killing by innate immune effectors in the intestine, including the host antimicrobial peptide, cathelicidin (LL-37). The mechanisms that enable C. difficile to adapt to the intestine in the presence of antimicrobial peptides are unknown. Expression analyses revealed an operon, CD630_16170-CD630_16190 (clnRAB), which is highly induced by LL-37 and is not expressed in response to other cell-surface active antimicrobials. This operon encodes a predicted transcriptional regulator (ClnR) and an ABC transporter system (ClnAB), all of which are required for function. Analyses of a clnR mutant indicate that ClnR is a pleiotropic regulator that directly binds to LL-37 and controls expression of numerous genes, including many involved in metabolism, cellular transport, signaling, gene regulation, and pathogenesis. The data suggest that ClnRAB is a novel regulatory mechanism that senses LL-37 as a host signal and regulates gene expression to adapt to the host intestinal environment during infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / immunology
  • Cathelicidins
  • Clostridioides difficile / physiology*
  • Clostridium Infections / genetics
  • Clostridium Infections / immunology
  • Cricetinae
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Genes, Bacterial / genetics
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions / physiology
  • Immune Evasion / genetics*
  • Male
  • Mesocricetus
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Operon / genetics*

Substances

  • Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
  • Cathelicidins