Cyclic-di-GMP regulates lipopolysaccharide modification and contributes to Pseudomonas aeruginosa immune evasion

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterial pathogen associated with acute and chronic infections. The universal c-di-GMP second messenger is instrumental in the switch from a motile lifestyle to resilient biofilm as in the cystic fibrosis lung. The SadC diguanylate cyclase is associated with this patho-adaptive transition. Here we identified an unrecognized SadC partner, WarA, which we show is a methyltransferase in complex with a putative kinase WarB. We established that WarA binds to c-di-GMP, which potentiates its methyltransferase activity. Together, WarA and WarB have structural similarities with the bi-functional Escherichia coli LPS O antigen regulator WbdD. Strikingly, WarA influences P. aeruginosa O antigen modal distribution and interacts with the LPS biogenesis machinery. LPS is known to modulate the immune response in the host, and by using a zebrafish infection model, we implicate WarA in the ability of P. aeruginosa to evade detection by the host.