Shotgun proteomic analysis of Bordetella parapertussis provides insights into the physiological response to iron starvation and potential new virulence determinants absent in Bordetella pertussis

JUAN MARCOS OVIEDO; KRISITIN SURMANN; JUAN PABLO GORGOJO; HUGO VALDEZ; VISHNU DHOPLE; YANINA A. LAMBERTI; UWE VÖLKER; MARIA EUGENIA RODRIGUEZ

JOURNAL OF PROTEOMICS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019

1874-3919

Bordetella parapertussis is one of the pathogens that cause whooping cough. Even though its incidence has been rising in the last decades, this species remained poorly investigated. This study reports the first extensive proteome analysis of this bacterium. In an attempt to gain some insight into the infective phenotype, we evaluated the response of B. parapertussis to iron starvation, a critical stress the bacteria face during infection. Among other relevant findings, we observed that the adaptation to this condition involves significant changes in the abundance of two important virulence factors of this pathogen, namely, adenylate cyclase and the O-antigen. We further used the proteomic data to search for B. parapertussis proteins that are absent or classified as pseudogens in the genome of Bordetella pertussis to unravel differences between both whooping cough causative agents. Among them, we identified proteins involved in stress resistance and virulence determinants that might help to explain the differences in the pathogenesis of these species and the lack of cross-protection of current acellular vacines. Altogether, these results contribute to a better understanding of B. parapertussis biology and pathogenesis