Increased synthesis of DnaK, GroEL, and GroES homologs by Francisella tularensis LVS in response to heat and hydrogen peroxide

The response of the facultative intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis LVS to stress was assayed by pulse-labeling with [35S]methionine followed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. A temperature increase from 37 to 42'C or exposure to 5 mM hydrogen peroxide induced increased syntheses of at least 15 proteins. Among these proteins were a 75-, a 60-, and a 10-kDa protein. By N-terminal sequence analysis, these three proteins were found to be extensively homologous to the highly conserved chaperone proteins DnaK, GroEL, and GroES of Escherichia coli. Antibodies specific to the DnaK homolog of E. coli reacted with the 75-kDa protein, and antibodies to the GroEL homolog of Legionella micdadei reacted with the 60-kDa protein. A readiness to respond to hydrogen peroxide with synthesis of the chaperone components may be fundamental to the intracellular survival of pathogens such as F. tularensis, which are exposed to oxidative stress while invading the host macrophages. Tularemia is a zoonotic disease. It occurs among hares, rabbits, and rodents and spreads by various routes to hu-mans. The causative agent, Francisella tularensis, is a facultative intracellular bacterium. Histopathological exam-ination of the infected host shows granulomas with abundan