PvrA is a novel regulator that contributes to Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis by controlling bacterial utilization of long chain fatty acids

During infection of a host, Pseudomonas aeruginosa orchestrates global gene expression to adapt to the host environment and counter the immune attacks. P. aeruginosa harbours hundreds of regulatory genes that play essential roles in controlling gene expression. However, their contributions to the bacterial pathogenesis remain largely unknown. In this study, we analysed the transcriptomic profile of P. aeruginosa cells isolated from lungs of infected mice and examined the roles of upregulated regulatory genes in bacterial virulence. Mutation of a novel regulatory gene pvrA (PA2957) attenuated the bacterial virulence in an acute pneumonia model. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-Seq and genetic analyses revealed that PvrA directly regulates genes involved in phosphatidylcholine utilization and fatty acid catabolism. Mutation of the pvrA resulted in defective bacterial growth when phosphatidylcholine or palmitic acid was used as the sole carbon source. We further demonstrated that palmitoyl coenzyme A is a ligand for the PvrA, enhancing the binding affinity of PvrA to its target promoters. An arginine residue at position 136 was found to be essential for PvrA to bind palmitoyl coenzyme A. Overall, our results revealed a novel regulatory pathway that controls genes involved in phosphatidylcholine and fatty acid utilization and contributes to the bacterial virulence.