Electron Acceptors Induce Secretion of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Heat-Labile Enterotoxin under Anaerobic Conditions through Promotion of GspD Assembly

Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT), the major virulence factor of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), can lead to severe diarrhea and promotes ETEC adherence to intestinal epithelial cells. Most previous in vitro studies focused on ETEC pathogenesis were conducted under aerobic conditions, which do not reflect the real situation of ETEC infection because the intestine is anoxic. In this study, the expression and secretion of LT under anaerobic or microaerobic conditions were determined; LT was not efficiently secreted into the supernatant under anaerobic or microaerobic conditions unless terminal electron acceptors (trimethylamine N -oxide dihydrate [TMAO] or nitrate) were available. Furthermore, we found that the restoration effects of TMAO and nitrate on LT secretion could be inhibited by amytal or Δ torCAD and Δ narG E. coli strains, indicating that LT secretion under anaerobic conditions was dependent on the integrity of the respiratory chain. At the same time, electron acceptors increase the ATP level of ETEC, but this increase was not the main reason for LT secretion. Subsequently, the relationship between the integrity of the respiratory chain and the function of the type II secretion system was determined. The GspD protein, the secretin of ETEC, was assembled under anaerobic conditions and was accompanied by LT secretion when TMAO or nitrate was added. Our data also demonstrated that TMAO and nitrate could not induce the GspD assembly and LT secretion in Δ torCAD and Δ narG strains, respectively. Moreover, GspD assembly under anaerobic conditions was assisted by the pilot protein YghG.