novel protein quality control mechanism contributes to heat shock resistance of worldwide‐distributed Pseudomonas aeruginosa clone C strains

• Published in: Environmental microbiology 2015-11, Vol.17 (11), p.4511-4526
• Main Authors: Lee, Changhan, Wigren, Edvard, Trček, Janja, Peters, Verena, Kim, Jihong, Hasni, Muhammad Sharif, Nimtz, Manfred, Lindqvist, Ylva, Park, Chankyu, Curth, Ute, Lünsdorf, Heinrich, Römling, Ute
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Base Sequence; cross infection; Cross Infection - microbiology; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; genomic islands; Genomic Islands - genetics; heat shock proteins; heat stability; Heat-Shock Proteins - genetics; Heat-Shock Response - physiology; Hot Temperature; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Molecular Sequence Data; operon; pathogens; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - classification; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - genetics; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - metabolism; quality control; Sequence Analysis, DNA; temperature
• ISSN: 1462-2912; 1462-2920; 1462-2920
• DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12915

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a highly successful nosocomial pathogen capable of causing a wide variety of infections with clone C strains most prevalent worldwide. In this study, we initially characterize a molecular mechanism of survival unique to clone C strains. We identified a P. aeruginosa clone C‐specific genomic island (PACGI‐1) that contains the highly expressed small heat shock protein sHsp20c, the founding member of a novel subclass of class B bacterial small heat shock proteins. sHsp20c and adjacent gene products are involved in resistance against heat shock. Heat stable sHsp20c is unconventionally expressed in stationary phase in a wide temperature range from 20 to 42°C. Purified sHsp20c has characteristic features of small heat shock protein class B as it is monodisperse, forms sphere‐like 24‐meric oligomers and exhibits significant chaperone activity. As the P. aeruginosa clone C population is significantly more heat shock resistant than genetically unrelated P. aeruginosa strains without sHsp20c, the horizontally acquired shsp20c operon might contribute to the survival of worldwide‐distributed clone C strains.