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Home / Equine Research Bank / PLoS One / Rhodococcus equi’s extreme resistance to hydrogen pero...
PloS one2012; 7(8); e42396; doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042396

Rhodococcus equi’s extreme resistance to hydrogen peroxide is mainly conferred by one of its four catalase genes.

Abstract: Rhodococcus equi is one of the most widespread causes of disease in foals aged from 1 to 6 months. R. equi possesses antioxidant defense mechanisms to protect it from reactive oxygen metabolites such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) generated during the respiratory burst of phagocytic cells. These defense mechanisms include enzymes such as catalase, which detoxify hydrogen peroxide. Recently, an analysis of the R. equi 103 genome sequence revealed the presence of four potential catalase genes. We first constructed ΔkatA-, ΔkatB-, ΔkatC-and ΔkatD-deficient mutants to study the ability of R. equi to survive exposure to H(2)O(2)in vitro and within mouse peritoneal macrophages. Results showed that ΔkatA and, to a lesser extent ΔkatC, were affected by 80 mM H(2)O(2). Moreover, katA deletion seems to significantly affect the ability of R. equi to survive within murine macrophages. We finally investigated the expression of the four catalases in response to H(2)O(2) assays with a real time PCR technique. Results showed that katA is overexpressed 367.9 times (± 122.6) in response to exposure to 50 mM of H(2)O(2) added in the stationary phase, and 3.11 times (± 0.59) when treatment was administered in the exponential phase. In untreated bacteria, katB, katC and katD were overexpressed from 4.3 to 17.5 times in the stationary compared to the exponential phase. Taken together, our results show that KatA is the major catalase involved in the extreme H(2)O(2) resistance capability of R. equi.
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Publication Date: 2012-08-06 PubMed ID: 22879963PubMed Central: PMC3412833DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042396Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research discusses how one of the four catalase genes of “Rhodococcus equi”, a pathogen causing disease in young foals, plays a major role in its resistance to hydrogen peroxide.

Introduction and Background

  • The bacterium “Rhodococcus equi”, causing illnesses in foals aged 1 to 6 months, has mechanisms in place to protect itself from harmful oxygen metabolites like hydrogen peroxide produced by phagocytic cells during respiratory burst.
  • One such protective mechanism includes detoxifying enzymes like catalase which neutralise the effects of hydrogen peroxide.
  • An examination of the “R. equi 103” genome sequence revealed four potential catalase genes.

Research Methodology

  • Four mutants, referred to as ΔkatA, ΔkatB, ΔkatC, and ΔkatD, deficient in each catalase gene, were constructed, in order to study their hydrogen peroxide survival capability in vitro and inside mouse peritoneal macrophages.
  • The expression of the four catalases was investigated via H(2)O(2) tests, using real-time PCR.

Results and Conclusion

  • ΔkatA and ΔkatC mutants were impacted by 80 mM H(2)O(2), with ΔkatA being more affected.
  • The process of removing, or “deleting”, katA appears to significantly hinder “R. equi’s” ability to survive within murine macrophages.
  • The catalase gene katA exhibited an expression increase of 367.9 times (± 122.6) when exposed to 50 mM of H(2)O(2) in the stationary phase, and 3.11 times (± 0.59) in the exponential phase.
  • Without applied bacteria treatment, katB, katC and katD showed increased expression between 4.3 and 17.5 times in the stationary versus exponential phase.
  • The findings suggest that KatA plays a key role in providing “R. equi” with an extreme resistance capability to hydrogen peroxide.

Cite This Article

APA
Bidaud P, Hébert L, Barbey C, Appourchaux AC, Torelli R, Sanguinetti M, Laugier C, Petry S. (2012). Rhodococcus equi’s extreme resistance to hydrogen peroxide is mainly conferred by one of its four catalase genes. PLoS One, 7(8), e42396. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0042396

Publication

PloS one
ISSN: 1932-6203
NlmUniqueID: 101285081
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 7
Issue: 8
Pages: e42396
PII: e42396

Researcher Affiliations

Bidaud, Pauline
  • Dozulé Laboratory for Equine Diseases, Unit Bacteriology and Parasitology, ANSES, Goustranville, France.
Hébert, Laurent
    Barbey, Corinne
      Appourchaux, Anne-Cécile
        Torelli, Riccardo
          Sanguinetti, Maurizio
            Laugier, Claire
              Petry, Sandrine

                MeSH Terms

                • Animals
                • Catalase / genetics
                • Gene Deletion
                • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / drug effects
                • Genes, Bacterial / genetics
                • Hydrogen Peroxide / pharmacology
                • Macrophages / drug effects
                • Macrophages / microbiology
                • Male
                • Mice
                • Mice, Inbred BALB C
                • Microbial Viability / drug effects
                • Phylogeny
                • Rhodococcus equi / drug effects
                • Rhodococcus equi / enzymology
                • Rhodococcus equi / genetics
                • Rhodococcus equi / growth & development

                Conflict of Interest Statement

                The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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                Citations

                This article has been cited 7 times.
                1. Sangkanjanavanich N, Kakuda T, Suzuki Y, Sasaki Y, Takai S. Identification of genes required for the fitness of Rhodococcus equi during the infection of mice via signature-tagged transposon mutagenesis.. J Vet Med Sci 2021 Aug 6;83(8):1182-1190.
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