↓ Skip to main content

Molecular Characterization of the Vacuolating Autotransporter Toxin in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Overview of attention for article published in Journal of Bacteriology, April 2016
Altmetric Badge

About this Attention Score

  • Above-average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (63rd percentile)
  • Above-average Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (55th percentile)

Mentioned by

twitter
1 X user
patent
2 patents

Citations

dimensions_citation
30 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
76 Mendeley
citeulike
1 CiteULike
You are seeing a free-to-access but limited selection of the activity Altmetric has collected about this research output. Click here to find out more.
Title
Molecular Characterization of the Vacuolating Autotransporter Toxin in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli
Published in
Journal of Bacteriology, April 2016
DOI 10.1128/jb.00791-15
Pubmed ID
Authors

Katie B. Nichols, Makrina Totsika, Danilo G. Moriel, Alvin W. Lo, Ji Yang, Daniël J. Wurpel, Amanda E. Rossiter, Richard A. Strugnell, Ian R. Henderson, Glen C. Ulett, Scott A. Beatson, Mark A. Schembri

Abstract

The vacuolating autotransporter (AT) toxin (Vat) contributes to Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) fitness during systemic infection. Here we characterised Vat and investigated its regulation in UPEC. We assessed the prevalence of vat in a collection of 45 UPEC urosepsis strains and showed that it was present in 31 (68%) of the isolates. The isolates containing the vat gene corresponded to three major E. coli sequence types (ST12, 73 and 95) and these strains secreted the Vat protein. Further analysis of the vat genomic locus identified a conserved gene located directly downstream of vat that encodes a putative MarR-like transcriptional regulator, which we termed vatX. The vat-vatX genes were present in the UPEC reference strain CFT073 and RT-PCR revealed both genes are co-transcribed. Over-expression of vatX in CFT073 led to a 3-fold increase in vat gene transcription. The vat promoter region contained three putative nucleation sites for the global transcriptional regulator H-NS; thus the hns gene was mutated in CFT073 (to generate CFT073hns). Western blot analysis using a Vat-specific antibody revealed a significant increase in Vat expression in CFT073hns compared to wild-type CFT073. Direct H-NS binding to the vat promoter region was demonstrated using purified H-NS in combination with electrophoresis mobility shift assays. Finally, Vat-specific antibodies were detected in plasma samples from urosepsis patients infected by vat-containing UPEC strains, demonstrating Vat is expressed during infection. Overall, this study has demonstrated that Vat is a highly prevalent and tightly regulated immunogenic SPATE secreted by UPEC during infection. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the major cause of hospital and community acquired urinary tract infections. The Vacuolating autotransporter toxin (Vat) is a cytotoxin known to contribute to UPEC fitness during murine sepsis infection. In this study, Vat was found to be highly conserved and prevalent among a collection of urosepsis clinical isolates, and expressed at human core body temperature. Regulation of vat was demonstrated to be directly repressed by the global transcriptional regulator H-NS and upregulated by the downstream gene vatX (a new MarR-type transcriptional regulator). Additionally, increased Vat-specific IgG titres were detected in plasma from corresponding urosepsis patients infected with vat-positive isolates. Hence, Vat is a highly conserved and tightly regulated urosepsis-associated virulence factor.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profile of 1 X user who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 76 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 76 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 15 20%
Student > Ph. D. Student 11 14%
Student > Bachelor 10 13%
Researcher 8 11%
Student > Postgraduate 8 11%
Other 12 16%
Unknown 12 16%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Immunology and Microbiology 22 29%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 21 28%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 9 12%
Medicine and Dentistry 4 5%
Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine 2 3%
Other 4 5%
Unknown 14 18%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 4. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 11 July 2023.
All research outputs
#8,262,981
of 25,377,790 outputs
Outputs from Journal of Bacteriology
#6,033
of 16,901 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#109,614
of 312,654 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Journal of Bacteriology
#26
of 58 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,377,790 research outputs across all sources so far. This one has received more attention than most of these and is in the 66th percentile.
So far Altmetric has tracked 16,901 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 4.8. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 312,654 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 58 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 55% of its contemporaries.