Pseudomonas aeruginosa OspR is an oxidative stress sensing regulator that affects pigment production, antibiotic resistance and dissemination during infection

Oxidative stress is one of the main challenges bacteria must cope with during infection. Here, we identify a new oxidative stress sensing and response ospR (oxidative stress response and pigment production Regulator) gene in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Deletion of ospR leads to a significant induction in H2O2 resistance. This effect is mediated by de-repression of PA2826, which lies immediately upstream of ospR and encodes a glutathione peroxidase. Constitutive expression of ospR alters pigment production and beta-lactam resistance in P. aeruginosa via a PA2826-independent manner. We further discovered that OspR regulates additional genes involved in quorum sensing and tyrosine metabolism. These regulatory effects are redox-mediated as addition of H2O2 or cumene hydroperoxide leads to the dissociation of OspR from promoter DNA. A conserved Cys residue, Cys-24, plays the major role of oxidative stress sensing in OspR. The serine substitution mutant of Cys-24 is less susceptible to oxidation in vitro and exhibits altered pigmentation and beta-lactam resistance. Lastly, we show that an ospR null mutant strain displays a greater capacity for dissemination than wild-type MPAO1 strain in a murine model of acute pneumonia. Thus, OspR is a global regulator that senses oxidative stress and regulates multiple pathways to enhance the survival of P. aeruginosa inside host.