Name: culture of small colony variant of pseudomonas aeruginosa and quantitation of its alginate
Uploaded: 2020-02-22T12:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Culture of Small Colony Variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Quantitation of its Alginate at JoVE.com

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants R44GM113545 and P20GM103434.

1. SCV Growth Conditions and Physiological Activation of the Salvage Pathway
<ol>
	<li>Detection of SCV.
	<ol>
		<li>Streak the P. aeruginosa strains PAO1, PAO1&#916;pyrD, PAO581, and PAO581&#916;pyrD on prewarmed Pseudomonas isolation agar (PIA) plates and grow at 37 &#176;C for 48 h. On the growth plate identify a single colony isolate that has the SCV phenotype (colony size of 1&#8722;3 mm as opposed to the normal 3&#8722;5 mm colony size).</li>
		<li>Repeat step 1.1.1 to obtain a...

<ol>
	<li>Govan, J. R., Deretic, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Microbial+pathogenesis+in+cystic+fibrosis:+mucoid+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+and+Burkholderia+cepacia.">Microbial pathogenesis in cystic fibrosis: mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Burkholderia cepacia.</a> Microbiological Reviews. 60 (3), 539-574 (1996).</li><li>Hogardt, M., Heesemann, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adaptation+of+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+during+persistence+in+the+cystic+fibrosis+lung.">Adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during persistence in the cystic fibrosis lung.</a> International Journal of Medical Microbiology. 300 (8), 557-562 (2010).</li><li>Evans, T. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Small+colony+variants+of+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+in+chronic+bacterial+infection+of+the+lung+in+cystic+fibrosis.">Small colony variants of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chronic bacterial infection of the lung in cystic fibrosis.</a> Future Microbiology. 10 (2), 231-239 (2015).</li><li>Johns, B. E., Purdy, K. J., Tucker, N. P., Maddocks, S. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phenotypic+and+Genotypic+Characteristics+of+Small+Colony+Variants+and+Their+Role+in+Chronic+Infection.">Phenotypic and Genotypic Characteristics of Small Colony Variants and Their Role in Chronic Infection.</a> Microbiology Insights. 8, 15-23 (2015).</li><li>Pestrak, M. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+rugose+small-colony+variants+evade+host+clearance,+are+hyper-inflammatory,+and+persist+in+multiple+host+environments.">Pseudomonas aeruginosa rugose small-colony variants evade host clearance, are hyper-inflammatory, and persist in multiple host environments.</a> PLoS Pathogones. 14 (2), e1006842 (2018).</li><li>Al Ahmar, R., Kirby, B. D., Yu, H. D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pyrimidine+Biosynthesis+Regulates+Small+Colony+Variant+and+Mucoidy+in+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+Through+Sigma+Factor+Competition.">Pyrimidine Biosynthesis Regulates Small Colony Variant and Mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Through Sigma Factor Competition.</a> Journal of Bacteriology. 201 (1), e00575-e00618 (2019).</li><li>Ramsey, D. M., Wozniak, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+the+control+of+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+alginate+synthesis+and+the+prospects+for+management+of+chronic+infections+in+cystic+fibrosis.">Understanding the control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate synthesis and the prospects for management of chronic infections in cystic fibrosis.</a> Molecular Microbiology. 56 (2), 309-322 (2005).</li><li>Mathee, K., McPherson, C. J., Ohman, D. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Posttranslational+control+of+the+algT+(algU)-encoded+sigma22+for+expression+of+the+alginate+regulon+in+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+and+localization+of+its+antagonist+proteins+MucA+and+MucB+(AlgN).">Posttranslational control of the algT (algU)-encoded sigma22 for expression of the alginate regulon in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and localization of its antagonist proteins MucA and MucB (AlgN).</a> Journal of Bacteriology. 179 (11), 3711-3720 (1997).</li><li>Schurr, M. J., Yu, H., Martinez-Salazar, J. M., Boucher, J. C., Deretic, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Control+of+AlgU,+a+member+of+the+sigma+E-like+family+of+stress+sigma+factors,+by+the+negative+regulators+MucA+and+MucB+and+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+conversion+to+mucoidy+in+cystic+fibrosis.">Control of AlgU, a member of the sigma E-like family of stress sigma factors, by the negative regulators MucA and MucB and Pseudomonas aeruginosa conversion to mucoidy in cystic fibrosis.</a> Journal of Bacteriology. 178 (16), 4997-5004 (1996).</li><li>Rehm, B. H. A., Rehm, B. H. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Alginate+Production:+Precursor+Biosynthesis,+Polymerization+and+Secretion.">Alginate Production: Precursor Biosynthesis, Polymerization and Secretion.</a> Alginates: Biology and Applications. , 55-71 (2009).</li><li>Remminghorst, U., Rehm, B. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Bacterial+alginates:+from+biosynthesis+to+applications.">Bacterial alginates: from biosynthesis to applications.</a> Biotechnology Letters. 28 (21), 1701-1712 (2006).</li><li>Potvin, E., Sanschagrin, F., Levesque, R. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Sigma+factors+in+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa.">Sigma factors in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.</a> FEMS Microbiology Reviews. 32 (1), 38-55 (2008).</li><li>Damron, F. H., Goldberg, J. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Proteolytic+regulation+of+alginate+overproduction+in+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa.">Proteolytic regulation of alginate overproduction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.</a> Molecular Microbiology. 84 (4), 595-607 (2012).</li><li>Bowness, J. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Application+of+the+carbazole+reaction+to+the+estimation+of+glucuronic+acid+and+flucose+in+some+acidic+polysaccharides+and+in+urine.">Application of the carbazole reaction to the estimation of glucuronic acid and flucose in some acidic polysaccharides and in urine.</a> The Biochemical Journal. 67 (2), 295-300 (1957).</li><li>Fazio, S. A., Uhlinger, D. J., Parker, J. H., White, D. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Estimations+of+uronic+acids+as+quantitative+measures+of+extracellular+and+cell+wall+polysaccharide+polymers+from+environmental+samples.">Estimations of uronic acids as quantitative measures of extracellular and cell wall polysaccharide polymers from environmental samples.</a> Applied Environmental Microbiology. 43 (5), 1151-1159 (1982).</li><li>Knutson, C. A., Jeanes, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+modification+of+the+carbazole+analysis:+application+to+heteropolysaccharides.">A new modification of the carbazole analysis: application to heteropolysaccharides.</a> Analytical Biochemistry. 24 (3), 470-481 (1968).</li></ol>

Both SCV and alginate are important disease markers implicated in several chronic infections. Therefore, the ability to grow SCV as well as study the regulation and production of alginate by P. aeruginosa is integral to the discovery of novel treatments for these chronic illnesses.
SCV strains are notoriously difficult to grow due to their slow growth rate4 as compared to other P. aeruginosa strains, which aids in their antimicrobial resistance<sup cla...

Chronic lung infections with Pseudomonas aeruginosa are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). During early childhood, patients are colonized by multiple bacterial pathogens including nonmucoid isolates of P. aeruginosa1,2. Emergence of the small colony variant (SCV) isolates as well as mucoid isolates is a marker for the onset to chronic infections. SCV isolates are highly drug resistant3 due to their slow growth rates4, which renders them a severe deterrent in the treatment regiments and other chronic infections5 by P. aeruginosa. Work by Al Ahmar et al.6 showed a link between SCV and mucoidy linked by de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Pyrimidine starvation, due to mutations in genes involved with pyrimidine production, resulted in SCV phenotype in the nonmucoid reference strain PAO1 and the mucoid derivative, PAO581 (PAO1mucA25).
Even though alginate overproduction is an important disease marker for chronic lung infections in CF, it is not clear whether there is a direct correlation between the amount of alginate and lung pathology, and it is unclear if alginate can be used as a prognosis marker for treatment7. Alginate production is mainly regulated by two operons, a regulatory operon (algUmucABCD)8,9 and the biosynthetic operon (algD operon)10,11. Alginate production is tightly regulated by the sigma factor AlgU9,12 (also known as AlgT) and the degradation of the anti-sigma factor MucA13. The ability to monitor the production of alginate in situ from the patients&#39; sputum specimens can aid in the development of novel therapeutic options.
Here, we describe a growth condition that detects the presence of SCV caused by mutants that cannot synthesize the pyrimidine de novo. Supplementation of uracil and/or cytosine, the nitrogenous base of pyrimidine nucleotide, to the medium activates the salvage pathway, thus restoring the normal growth in mutants. This growth method for these specific SCV mutants may be used as a screening method to identify pyrimidine mutations in patient samples. In addition, we discuss two methods for detection and measurement of alginate produced and secreted by P. aeruginosa. The first is the traditional method14,15,16 of degrading the polysaccharide using a high concentration of acid and then adding a colorimetric indicator to quantitate the concentration in the sample. The second method, developed in our laboratory, utilizes the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) using an anti-alginate monoclonal antibody (mAb) developed by QED Biosciences. The ELISA method proves to be more specific and sensitive than the uronic acid assay and allows for safer use due to the avoidance of the highly concentrated sulfuric acid. With the ability of the ELISA to be used directly on patient sputum samples to measure alginate, it can be developed as a monitoring diagnostic tool to follow the amount of alginate present in the lungs at different periods of the infection.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>1-Step Ultra TMB-ELISA</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>34028</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Absolute Ethanol (200 Proof)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP2818-4</td>
			<td>Molecular Bio-grade</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Accu Block Digital Dry Bath</td>
			<td>Labnet</td>
			<td>NC0205808</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Assay Plates 96-well</td>
			<td>CoStar</td>
			<td>2021-12-20</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bench Top Vortex-Genie 2</td>
			<td>Scientific Industries</td>
			<td>G560</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Boric Acid</td>
			<td>Research Products International Corp.</td>
			<td>10043-35-3</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cabinet Incubator</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>1540</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Carbazole</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C-5132</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Carbonate-Bicarbonate Buffer</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>C3041</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge Tubes (50 ml)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>05-539-13</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Culture Test Tubes</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14-956-6D</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cuvette Polystyrene (1.5 ml)</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14955127</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cytosine</td>
			<td>Acros Organics</td>
			<td>71-30-7</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Diposable Inoculation Loops</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>22-363-597</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>D-Mannuronic Acid Sodium</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>SMB00280</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FMC Alginate</td>
			<td>FMC</td>
			<td>2133</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycerol</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP906-5</td>
			<td>For Molecular Biology</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mouse Anti-Alginate Monoclonal Antibody</td>
			<td>QED Biosciences</td>
			<td>N/A</td>
			<td>Lot # :15725/15726</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate Buffered Saline Powder (PBS)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P3813</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pierce Goat Anti-Mouse Poly-HRP Antibody</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>32230</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Potassium Hydroxide</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>1310-58-3</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Prism 7</td>
			<td>GraphPad</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pseudomonas Isolation Agar (PIA)</td>
			<td>Difco</td>
			<td>292710</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pseudomonas Isolation Broth (PIB)</td>
			<td>Alpha Biosciences</td>
			<td>P16-115</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Round Toothpicks</td>
			<td>Diamond</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Any brand</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Seaweed alginate (Protanal CR 8133)</td>
			<td>FMC Corporation</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Skim Milk</td>
			<td>Difco</td>
			<td>232100</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SmartSpec Plus Spectrophotometer</td>
			<td>BioRad</td>
			<td>170-2525</td>
			<td>or preferred vendor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Chloride (NaCl)</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>S-5886</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SpectraMax i3x Multi-mode MicroPlate Reader</td>
			<td>Molecular Devices</td>
			<td>i3x</td>
			<td>or preferred vendor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sterile Petri Dish 100mm x 15mm</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB0875713</td>
			<td>via Fisher Scientific</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sulfuric Acid</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A298-212</td>
			<td>Technical Grade</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sulfuric Acid (2 Normal -Stop Solution)</td>
			<td>R&#38;D Systems</td>
			<td>DY994</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tween 20</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P2287</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Uracil</td>
			<td>Acros Organics</td>
			<td>66-22-8</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

culture of small colony variant of pseudomonas aeruginosa and quantitation of its alginate

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterial pathogen, can overproduce an exopolysaccharide alginate resulting in a unique phenotype called mucoidy. Alginate is linked to chronic lung infections resulting in poor prognosis in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Understanding the pathways that regulate the production of alginate can aid in the development of novel therapeutic strategies targeting the alginate formation. Another disease-related phenotype is the small colony variant (SCV). SCV is due to the slow growth of bacteria and often associated with increased resistance to antimicrobials. In this paper, we first show a method of culturing a genetically defined form of P. aeruginosa SCV due to pyrimidine biosynthesis mutations. Supplementation of nitrogenous bases, uracil or cytosine, returns the normal growth to these mutants, demonstrating the presence of a salvage pathway that scavenges free bases from the environment. Next, we discuss two methods for the measurement of bacterial alginate. The first method relies on the hydrolysis of the polysaccharide to its uronic acid monomer followed by derivatization with a chromogenic reagent, carbazole, while the second method uses an ELISA based on a commercially available, alginate-specific mAb. Both methods require a standard curve for quantitation. We also show that the immunological method is specific for alginate quantification and may be used for the measurement of alginate in the clinical specimens.

Figure 1 shows plates of PAO1 and PAO581 with or without in-frame deletion in the pyrD gene (a gene in the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway) that results in SCV6. The PAO1 SCV mutant was restored to normal growth in response to uracil supplementation (Figure 1A,B). Furthermore, the PAO581&#916;pyrDSCV mutant was returned to mucoidy with the same uracil treatment, because t...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Culture of Small Colony Variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Quantitation of its Alginate at JoVE.com

Culture of Small Colony Variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Quantitation of its Alginate

Here, we describe a growth condition to culture the small colony variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We also describe two separate methods for the detection and quantitation of the exopolysaccharide alginate produced by P. aeruginosa using a traditional uronic acid carbazole assay and an alginate-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) based ELISA.

Culture of Small Colony Variant of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Quantitation of its Alginate

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic Gram-negative bacterial pathogen, can overproduce an exopolysaccharide alginate resulting in a unique phenotype ...

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