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Journal articleAle A, Crepin VF, Collins, et al., 2016,
Model of host-pathogen Interaction dynamics links In vivo optical imaging and immune responses
, Infection and Immunity, Vol: 85, ISSN: 1098-5522Tracking disease progression in vivo is essential for the development of treatments against bacterial infection. Optical imaging has become a central tool for in vivo tracking of bacterial population development and therapeutic response. For a precise understanding of in vivo imaging results in terms of disease mechanisms derived from detailed postmortem observations, however, a link between the two is needed. Here, we develop a model that provides that link for the investigation of Citrobacter rodentium infection, a mouse model for enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). We connect in vivo disease progression of C57BL/6 mice infected with bioluminescent bacteria, imaged using optical tomography and X-ray computed tomography, to postmortem measurements of colonic immune cell infiltration. We use the model to explore changes to both the host immune response and the bacteria and to evaluate the response to antibiotic treatment. The developed model serves as a novel tool for the identification and development of new therapeutic interventions.
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Journal articleThurston T, Matthews S, Jennings E, et al., 2016,
Growth inhibition of cytosolic Salmonella by caspase-1 and caspase-11 precedes host cell death
, Nature Communications, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2041-1723Sensing bacterial products in the cytosol of mammalian cells by NOD-like receptors leads to the activation of caspase-1 inflammasomes, and the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-1β. In addition, mouse caspase-11 (represented in humans by its orthologs, caspase-4 and caspase-5) detects cytosolic bacterial LPS directly. Activation of caspase-1 and caspase-11 initiates pyroptotic host cell death that releases potentially harmful bacteria from the nutrient-rich host cell cytosol into the extracellular environment. Here we use single cell analysis and time-lapse microscopy to identify a subpopulation of host cells, in which growth of cytosolic Salmonella Typhimurium is inhibited independently or prior to the onset of cell death. The enzymatic activities of caspase-1 and caspase-11 are required for growth inhibition in different cell types. Our results reveal that these proteases have important functions beyond the direct induction of pyroptosis and proinflammatory cytokine secretion in the control of growth and elimination of cytosolic bacteria.
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Journal articleGrabe GJ, Zhang Y, Przydacz M, et al., 2016,
The Salmonella effector SpvD is a cysteine hydrolase with a serovar-specific polymorphism influencing catalytic activity, suppression of immune responses and bacterial virulence
, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol: 291, Pages: 25853-25863, ISSN: 1083-351XMany bacterial pathogens secrete virulence (effector) proteins that interfere with immune signaling in their host. SpvD is a Salmonella enterica effector protein that we previously demonstrated to negatively regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway and promote virulence of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium in mice. To shed light on the mechanistic basis for these observations, we determined the crystal structure of SpvD and show that it adopts a papain-like fold with a characteristic cysteine-histidine-aspartate catalytic triad comprising C73, H162, and D182. SpvD possessed an in vitro deconjugative activity on aminoluciferin-linked peptide and protein substrates in vitro. A C73A mutation abolished SpvD activity, demonstrating that an intact catalytic triad is required for its function. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that SpvD is a cysteine protease. The amino acid sequence of SpvD is highly conserved across different S. enterica serovars, but residue 161, located close to the catalytic triad, is variable, with serovar Typhimurium SpvD having an arginine and serovar Enteritidis a glycine at this position. This variation affected hydrolytic activity of the enzyme on artificial substrates and can be explained by substrate accessibility to the active site. Interestingly, the SpvDG161 variant more potently inhibited NF-κB mediated immune responses in cells in vitro and increased virulence of serovar Typhimurium in mice. In summary, our results explain the biochemical basis for the effect of virulence protein SpvD and demonstrate that a single amino acid polymorphism can affect the overall virulence of a bacterial pathogen in its host.
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Journal articleGoddard AD, Bali S, Mavridou DAI, et al., 2016,
The Paracoccus denitrificans NarK-like nitrate and nitrite transporters; probing nitrate uptake and nitrate/nitrite exchange mechanisms
, Molecular Microbiology, Vol: 103, Pages: 117-133, ISSN: 1365-2958Nitrate and nitrite transport across biological membranes is often facilitated by protein transporters that are members of the major facilitator superfamily. Paracoccus denitrificans contains an unusual arrangement whereby two of these transporters, NarK1 and NarK2, are fused into a single protein, NarK, which delivers nitrate to the respiratory nitrate reductase and transfers the product, nitrite, to the periplasm. Our complementation studies, using a mutant lacking the nitrate/proton symporter NasA from the assimilatory nitrate reductase pathway, support that NarK1 functions as a nitrate/proton symporter while NarK2 is a nitrate/nitrite antiporter. Through the same experimental system, we find that Escherichia coli NarK and NarU can complement deletions in both narK and nasA in P. denitrificans, suggesting that, while these proteins are most likely nitrate/nitrite antiporters, they can also act in the net uptake of nitrate. Finally, we argue that primary sequence analysis and structural modelling do not readily explain why NasA, NarK1 and NarK2, as well as other transporters from this protein family, have such different functions, ranging from net nitrate uptake to nitrate/nitrite exchange.
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Journal articleLee RBY, Mavridou DAI, Papadakos G, et al., 2016,
The uronic acid content of coccolith-associated polysaccharides provides insight into coccolithogenesis and past climate
, Nature Communications, Vol: 7, ISSN: 2041-1723Unicellular phytoplanktonic algae (coccolithophores) are among the most prolific producers of calcium carbonate on the planet, with a production of ∼1026 coccoliths per year. During their lith formation, coccolithophores mainly employ coccolith-associated polysaccharides (CAPs) for the regulation of crystal nucleation and growth. These macromolecules interact with the intracellular calcifying compartment (coccolith vesicle) through the charged carboxyl groups of their uronic acid residues. Here we report the isolation of CAPs from modern day coccolithophores and their prehistoric predecessors and we demonstrate that their uronic acid content (UAC) offers a species-specific signature. We also show that there is a correlation between the UAC of CAPs and the internal saturation state of the coccolith vesicle that, for most geologically abundant species, is inextricably linked to carbon availability. These findings suggest that the UAC of CAPs reports on the adaptation of coccolithogenesis to environmental changes and can be used for the estimation of past CO2 concentrations.
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Journal articlePader V, Hakim S, Painter KL, et al., 2016,
Staphylococcus aureus inactivates daptomycin by releasing membrane phospholipids
, Nature Microbiology, Vol: 2, Pages: 1-8, ISSN: 2058-5276Daptomycin is a bactericidal antibiotic of last resort for serious infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)1,2. Although resistance is rare, treatment failure can occur in more than 20% of cases3,4 and so there is a pressing need to identify and mitigate factors that contribute to poor therapeutic outcomes. Here, we show that loss of the Agr quorum-sensing system, which frequently occurs in clinical isolates, enhances S. aureus survival during daptomycin treatment. Wild-type S. aureus was killed rapidly by daptomycin, but Agr-defective mutants survived antibiotic exposure by releasing membrane phospholipids, which bound and inactivated the antibiotic. Although wild-type bacteria also released phospholipid in response to daptomycin, Agr-triggered secretion of small cytolytic toxins, known as phenol soluble modulins, prevented antibiotic inactivation. Phospholipid shedding by S. aureus occurred via an active process and was inhibited by the β-lactam antibiotic oxacillin, which slowed inactivation of daptomycin and enhanced bacterial killing. In conclusion, S. aureus possesses a transient defence mechanism that protects against daptomycin, which can be compromised by Agr-triggered toxin production or an existing therapeutic antibiotic.
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Journal articlePollard DJ, Young JC, Covarelli V, et al., 2016,
The type III secretion system effector SeoC of Salmonella enterica subspecies salamae and arizonae ADP-ribosylates Src and inhibits opsono-phagocytosis
, Infection and Immunity, Vol: 84, Pages: 3618-3628, ISSN: 1098-5522Salmonella spp. utilize type III secretion systems (T3SS) to translocate effectors into the cytosol of mammalian host cells, subverting cell signaling and facilitating the onset of gastroenteritis. In this study we compared a draft genome assembly of S. enterica subsp. salamae strain 3588/07 (S. salamae) against the genomes of S. enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium strain LT2 and S. bongori strain 12419. S. salamae encode the Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1; SPI-2 and the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) T3SSs. Though several key S. Typhimurium effector genes are missing (e.g. avrA, sopB and sseL), S. salamae invades HeLa cells and contain homologues of S. bongori sboK and sboC, which we named seoC. SboC and SeoC are homologues of EspJ from enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EPEC and EHEC), which inhibits Src kinase-dependent phagocytosis by ADP-ribosylation. By screening 73 clinical and environmental Salmonella isolates we identified EspJ homologues in S. bongori, S. salamae and S. enterica subsp. arizonae (S. arizonae). The β-lactamase TEM-1 reporter system showed that SeoC is translocated by the SPI-1 T3SS. All the Salmonella SeoC/SboC homologues ADP-ribosylate Src E310 in vitro. Ectopic expression of SeoC/SboC inhibited phagocytosis of IgG-opsonized bead into Cos-7 cells stably expressing GFP-FcγRIIa. Concurrently, S. salamae infection of J774.A1 macrophages inhibited phagocytosis of beads, in a seoC dependent manner. These results show that S. bongori, S. salamae and S. arizonae share features of the infection strategy of extracellular pathogens EPEC and EHEC and sheds light on the complexities of the T3SS effector repertoires of Enterobacteriaceae.
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Journal articleMavridou DAI, Gonzalez D, Clements A, et al., 2016,
The pUltra plasmid series: a robust and flexible tool for fluorescent labeling of Enterobacteria
, Plasmid, Vol: 87-88, Pages: 65-71, ISSN: 1095-9890Fluorescent labeling has been an invaluable tool for the study of living organisms andbacterial species are no exception to this. Here we present and characterize the pUltraplasmids which express constitutively a fluorescent protein gene (GFP, RFP, YFP or CFP)from a strong synthetic promoter and are suitable for the fluorescent labeling of a broad rangeof Enterobacteria. The amount of expressed fluorophore from these genetic constructs issuch, that the contours of the cells can be delineated on the basis of the fluorescent signalonly. In addition, labeling through the pUltra plasmids can be used successfully forfluorescence and confocal microscopy while unambiguous distinction of cells labeled withdifferent colors can be carried out efficiently by microscopy or flow cytometry. We comparethe labeling provided by the pUltra plasmids with that of another plasmid series encodingfluorescent proteins and we show that the pUltra constructs are vastly superior in signalintensity and discrimination power without having any detectable growth rate effects for thebacterial population. We also use the pUltra plasmids to produce mixtures of differentiallylabeled pathogenic Escherichia, Shigella and Salmonella species which we test duringinfection of mammalian cells. We find that even inside the host cell, different strains can bedistinguished effortlessly based on their fluorescence. We, therefore, conclude that the pUltraplasmids are a powerful labeling tool especially useful for complex biological experimentssuch as the visualization of ecosystems of different bacterial species or of enteric pathogensin contact with their hosts.
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Journal articleGrundling A, Lee V, 2016,
Old concepts, new molecules and current approaches applied to the bacterial nucleotide signalling field
, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol: 371, ISSN: 1471-2970Signalling nucleotides are key molecules that help bacteria to rapidly coordinate cellular pathways and adaptto changes in their environment. During the past ten years, the nucleotide-signalling field has seen muchexcitement, as several new signalling nucleotides have been discovered in both eukaryotic and bacterial cells.The fields have since advanced quickly, aided by the development of important tools such as the synthesis ofmodified nucleotides, which combined with sensitive mass spectrometry methods, allowed for the rapididentification of specific receptor proteins along with other novel genome-wide screening methods. In thisreview, we will describe the principle concepts of nucleotide signalling networks and summarize the recentwork that led to the discovery of the novel signalling nucleotides. We will also highlight current approachesapplied to the research in the field as well as resources and methodological advances aiding in a rapididentification of nucleotide specific receptor proteins.
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Journal articleCrepin VF, Collins JW, Habibzay M, et al., 2016,
Citrobacter rodentium mouse model of bacterial infection.
, Nature Protocols, Vol: 11, Pages: 1851-1876, ISSN: 1754-2189Infection of mice with Citrobacter rodentium is a robust model to study bacterial pathogenesis, mucosal immunology, the health benefits of probiotics and the role of the microbiota during infection. C. rodentium was first isolated by Barthold from an outbreak of mouse diarrhea in Yale University in 1972 and was 'rediscovered' by Falkow and Schauer in 1993. Since then the use of the model has proliferated, and it is now the gold standard for studying virulence of the closely related human pathogens enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively). Here we provide a detailed protocol for various applications of the model, including bacterial growth, site-directed mutagenesis, mouse inoculation (from cultured cells and after cohabitation), monitoring of bacterial colonization, tissue extraction and analysis, immune responses, probiotic treatment and microbiota analysis. The main protocol, from mouse infection to clearance and analysis of tissues and host responses, takes ∼5 weeks to complete.
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