Listeria monocytogenes SpxA1 is a global regulator required to activate genes encoding catalase and heme biosynthesis enzymes for aerobic growth.

An imbalance of cellular oxidants and reductants causes redox stress, which must be rapidly detected to restore homeostasis. In bacteria, the Firmicutes encode conserved Spx-family transcriptional regulators that modulate transcription in response to redox stress. SpxA1 is an Spx-family orthologue in the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes that is essential for aerobic growth and pathogenesis. Here, we investigated the role of SpxA1 in growth and virulence by identifying genes regulated by SpxA1 in broth and during macrophage infection. We found SpxA1-activated genes encoding heme biosynthesis enzymes and catalase (kat) were required for L. monocytogenes aerobic growth in rich medium. An Spx-recognition motif previously defined in Bacillus subtilis was identified in the promoters of SpxA1-activated genes and proved necessary for the proper activation of two genes, indicating this regulation by SpxA1 is likely direct. Together, these findings elucidated the mechanism of spxA1 essentiality in vitro and demonstrated that SpxA1 is required for basal expression of scavenging enzymes to combat redox stress generated in the presence of oxygen.

A Redox-Responsive Transcription Factor Is Critical for Pathogenesis and Aerobic Growth of Listeria monocytogenes.

Bacterial pathogens have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to sense and adapt to redox stress in nature and within the host. However, deciphering the redox environment encountered by intracellular pathogens in the mammalian cytosol is challenging, and that environment remains poorly understood. In this study, we assessed the contributions of the two redox-responsive, Spx-family transcriptional regulators to the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen. Spx-family proteins are highly conserved in Firmicutes, and the L. monocytogenes genome contains two paralogues, spxA1 and spxA2 Here, we demonstrate that spxA1, but not spxA2, is required for the oxidative stress response and pathogenesis. SpxA1 function appeared to be conserved with the Bacillus subtilis homologue, and resistance to oxidative stress required the canonical CXXC redox-sensing motif. Remarkably, spxA1 was essential for aerobic growth, demonstrating that L. monocytogenes SpxA1 likely regulates a distinct set of genes. Although the ΔspxA1 mutant did not grow in the presence of oxygen in the laboratory, it was able to replicate in macrophages and colonize the spleens, but not the livers, of infected mice. These data suggest that the redox state of bacteria during infection differs significantly from that of bacteria growing in vitro Further, the host cell cytosol may resemble an anaerobic environment, with tissue-specific variations in redox stress and oxygen concentration.

Delivery of cardiolipins to the Salmonella outer membrane is necessary for survival within host tissues and virulence.

The outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria is an asymmetric lipid bilayer that serves as a barrier to the environment. During infection, Gram-negative bacteria remodel their OM to promote survival and replication within host tissues. Salmonella rely on the PhoPQ two-component regulators to coordinate OM remodeling in response to environmental cues. In a screen for mediators of PhoPQ-regulated OM remodeling in Salmonella Typhimurium, we identified PbgA, a periplasmic domain-containing transmembrane protein, which binds cardiolipin glycerophospholipids near the inner membrane and promotes their PhoPQ-regulated trafficking to the OM. Purified-PbgA oligomers are tetrameric, and the periplasmic domain contains a globular region that binds to the OM in a PhoPQ-dependent manner. Thus, PbgA forms a complex that may bridge the envelope for regulated cardiolipin delivery. PbgA globular region-deleted mutant bacteria are severely attenuated for pathogenesis, suggesting that increased cardiolipin trafficking to the OM is necessary for Salmonella to survive within host tissues that activate PhoPQ.