Guanosine tetra- and pentaphosphate increase antibiotic tolerance by reducing reactive oxygen species production in Vibrio cholerae

Abstract

The pathogen Vibrio cholerae is the causative agent of cholera. Emergence of antibiotic-resistant V. cholerae strains is increasing, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Herein, we report that the stringent response regulator and stress alarmone guanosine tetra- and pentaphosphate ((p)ppGpp) significantly contributes to antibiotic tolerance in V. cholerae. We found that N16961, a pandemic V. cholerae strain, and its isogenic (p)ppGpp-overex-pressing mutant relAspoT are both more antibiotic-resistant than (p)ppGpp0 (relArelVspoT) and dksA mutants, which cannot produce or utilize (p)ppGpp, respectively. We also found that additional disruption of the aconitase B– encoding and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle gene acnB in the (p)ppGpp0 mutant increases its antibiotic tolerance. Moreover, expression of TCA cycle genes, including acnB, was increased in (p)ppGpp0, but not in the antibiotic-resistant relAspoT mutant, suggesting that (p)ppGpp suppresses TCA cycle activity, thereby entailing antibiotic resistance. Importantly, when grown anaerobically or incubated with an iron chelator, the (p)ppGpp0 mutant became antibiotic-tolerant, suggesting that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are involved in antibiotic-mediated bacterial killing. Consistent with that hypothesis, tetracycline treatment markedly increased ROS production in the antibiotic-susceptible mutants. Interestingly, expression of the Fe(III) ABC transporter substrate–binding protein FbpA was increased 10-fold in (p)ppGpp0, and fbpA gene deletion restored viability of tetracycline-exposed (p)ppGpp0 cells. Of note, FbpA expression was repressed in the (p)ppGpp-accumulating mutant, resulting in a reduction of intracellular free iron, required for the ROS-generating Fenton reaction. Our results indicate that (p)ppGpp-mediated suppression of central metabolism and iron uptake reduces antibiotic-induced oxidative stress in V. cholerae.