Phase variation of Clostridioides difficile colony morphology occurs via modulation of cell division

Phase variation of C. difficile colony morphology occurs via modulation of transcription of cmrRST, which encodes a three-protein signal transduction system. Response regulators CmrR and CmrT promote rough colony development, cell elongation and chaining, surface motility, and disease in the hamster model of infection, while impairing swimming motility and biofilm formation. Using RNA-Seq, we identified the CmrR and CmrT-dependent transcriptional differences in rough and smooth colonies. Further analysis showed that CmrT, but not CmrR, is required for differential expression of most of the genes. Two CmrT-regulated genes, herein named mrpA and mrpB, were together sufficient for restoring all CmrT-dependent in vitro phenotypes in a cmrT mutant and alleviating selection of cmr phase ON cells during growth on an agar surface. MrpA and MrpB are uncharacterized proteins with no known function but are highly conserved in C. difficile. Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to identify interacting partners, we found that MrpA interacts with the septum-site determining protein MinD and several other proteins involved in cell division and cell shape determination. Ectopic expression of mrpAB resulted in atypical cell division, consistent with MrpAB interference with MinD function. Our findings reveal a potential mechanism by which phase variation of CmrRST modulates colony morphology and motility: in cmr phase ON cells, CmrT-mediated expression of mrpAB interferes with normal cell division resulting elongated cells that enable expansion of the population across a surface while limiting swimming motility.