Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Language

English

Publication Date

1-22-2026

Journal

Journal of Bacteriology

DOI

10.1128/jb.00387-25

PMID

41347511

PMCID

PMC12826042

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

12-5-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a Gram-negative anaerobe associated with periodontitis and colorectal cancer. It secretes putrescine, a polyamine that promotes biofilm formation by oral co-colonizers and enhances the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the physiological importance of putrescine for F. nucleatum itself remains unexplored. Here, we show that putrescine biosynthesis, mediated by the ornithine decarboxylase gene oda, is essential for F. nucleatum viability. Deletion of oda was only possible when a functional copy was provided in trans, and CRISPR interference of oda expression resulted in complete growth defects. The essentiality of oda was conserved across multiple subspecies. Supplementation with exogenous putrescine enabled the isolation of a conditional oda mutant whose growth was strictly putrescine-dependent. Putrescine depletion caused filamentation, membrane disruption, detergent hypersensitivity, and lysis in hypoosmotic conditions, indicating a critical role in maintaining cell envelope integrity. RNA sequencing revealed broad transcriptional remodeling under putrescine-limited conditions, including upregulation of genes involved in lipid metabolism, osmoprotection, and cell wall remodeling. Notably, oda transcript levels increased when putrescine was depleted, suggesting a negative feedback mechanism. These findings demonstrate that putrescine is not only an extracellular communal metabolite but is also vital for the cellular integrity and survival of F. nucleatum under anaerobic conditions.

Importance: Fusobacterium nucleatum is a prominent member of the oral microbiota and has been linked to various human diseases, including periodontitis, preterm birth, and colorectal cancer. Despite its clinical significance, the metabolic requirements that support its growth and viability remain poorly understood. In this study, we identify the oda gene, which encodes ornithine decarboxylase, as essential for F. nucleatum survival due to its role in putrescine biosynthesis. We demonstrate that depletion of putrescine leads to severe growth and morphological defects, accompanied by widespread transcriptional changes. These findings reveal an underappreciated metabolic vulnerability and highlight the critical role of polyamine homeostasis in maintaining cellular integrity in this notorious anaerobe.

Keywords

Fusobacterium nucleatum, Putrescine, Ornithine Decarboxylase, Bacterial Proteins, Microbial Viability, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Fusobacterium nucleatum, ornithine decarboxylase, putrescine, polyamine, essential genes

Published Open-Access

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