Title : Deciphering the role of the rpoS gene in broad-host-range pathogenicity of Klebsiella pneumoniae
Abstract:
The systematic study particularly those affected by the cross-kingdom pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae, remains exclusive in a special domain. We unravel the dynamics of the cross kingdom interactions involving mice and maize plants. Here, we constructed rpoS mutants from three different strains of K. pneumoniae [WKpE4 (from environment), WKpC4 (from maize plant) and WKp138 (clinical)], examining maize and murine response to disease after pathogen inoculation. The integrated approach utilized phenotypic and visual assay of both organisms and histopathological assays with the Murine Grimace Scale (MGS) to gain unprecedented insights into mice subjective pain experiences. We distinguished the mutant from the wild-type response to environmental and virulence factors, demonstrating ΔKpE4 is more sensitive to acid, UV, while ΔKpC4 is more sensitive to temperature, oxidative, osmotic and starvation stress. Mutant strains, particularly ΔKpC4 enhanced growth rates in plants comparable to parental wild strains. ΔKpC4 is less virulent in mice, causing less pain with higher bacterial recovery in various organs. ΔKp138 showed more sensitive towards stress assays whereas less disease occurrence in both plants and mice compared to WKp138 strains. These cross-kingdom findings facilitated the crucial role of rpoS in weakening defense against diseases in organisms. In addition, it bridges existing knowledge gaps in understanding rpoS responses across different organisms, their host-pathogen interactions, adaptive responses to stresses, and food borne illness in animals providing new avenues for therapeutic interventions and management approaches in pathosystem.
