LeuO, a LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator, Is Involved in Biofilm Formation and Virulence of Acinetobacter baumannii

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that can survive in different environmental conditions and poses a severe threat to public health due to its multidrug resistance properties. Research on transcriptional regulators, which play an essential role in adjusting to new environments, could provide new insights into A. baumannii pathogenesis. LysR-type transcriptional regulators (LTTRs) are structurally conserved among bacterial species and regulate virulence in many pathogens. We identified a novel LTTR, designated as LeuO encoded in the A. baumannii genome. After construction of LeuO mutant strain, transcriptome analysis showed that LeuO regulates the expression of 194 upregulated genes and 108 downregulated genes responsible for various functions and our qPCR validation of several differentially expressed genes support transcriptome data. Our results demonstrated that disruption of LeuO led to increased biofilm formation and increased pathogenicity in an animal model. However, the adherence and surface motility of the LeuO mutant were reduced compared with those of the wild-type strain. We observed some mutations on amino acids sequence of LeuO in clinical isolates. These mutations in the A. baumannii biofilm regulator LeuO may cause hyper-biofilm in the tested clinical isolates. This study is the first to demonstrate the association between the LTTR member LeuO and virulence traits of A. baumannii.