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Journal articleBouffartigues E, Moscoso JA, Duchesne R, et al., 2015,
The absence of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa OprF protein leads to increased biofilm formation through variation in c-di-GMP level
, Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol: 6, ISSN: 1664-302XOprF is the major outer membrane porin in bacteria belonging to the Pseudomonas genus. In previous studies, we have shown that OprF is required for full virulence expression of the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we describe molecular insights on the nature of this relationship and report that the absence of OprF leads to increased biofilm formation and production of the Pel exopolysaccharide. Accordingly, the level of c-di-GMP, a key second messenger in biofilm control, is elevated in an oprF mutant. By decreasing c-di-GMP levels in this mutant, both biofilm formation and pel gene expression phenotypes were restored to wild-type levels. We further investigated the impact on two small RNAs, which are associated with the biofilm lifestyle, and found that expression of rsmZ but not of rsmY was increased in the oprF mutant and this occurs in a c-di-GMP-dependent manner. Finally, the extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors AlgU and SigX displayed higher activity levels in the oprF mutant. Two genes of the SigX regulon involved in c-di-GMP metabolism, PA1181 and adcA (PA4843), were up-regulated in the oprF mutant, partly explaining the increased c-di-GMP level. We hypothesized that the absence of OprF leads to a cell envelope stress that activates SigX and results in a c-di-GMP elevated level due to higher expression of adcA and PA1181. The c-di-GMP level can in turn stimulate Pel synthesis via increased rsmZ sRNA levels and pel mRNA, thus affecting Pel-dependent phenotypes such as cell aggregation and biofilm formation. This work highlights the connection between OprF and c-di-GMP regulatory networks, likely via SigX (ECF), on the regulation of biofilm phenotypes.
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Journal articleWilliams KJ, Jenkins VA, Barton GR, et al., 2015,
Deciphering the metabolic response of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to nitrogen stress.
, Molecular Microbiology, Vol: 97, Pages: 1142-1157, ISSN: 1365-2958A key component to the success of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a pathogen is the ability to sense and adapt metabolically to the diverse range of conditions encountered in vivo, such as oxygen tension, environmental pH and nutrient availability. Although nitrogen is an essential nutrient for every organism, little is known about the genes and pathways responsible for nitrogen assimilation in M. tuberculosis. In this study we have used transcriptomics and ChIP-seq to address this. In response to nitrogen starvation a total of 185 genes were significantly differentially expressed (96 up-regulated and 89 down regulated; 5% genome) highlighting several significant areas of metabolic change during nitrogen limitation such as nitrate/nitrite metabolism, aspartate metabolism and changes in cell wall biosynthesis. We identify GlnR as a regulator involved in the nitrogen response, controlling the expression of at least 33 genes in response to nitrogen limitation. We identify a consensus GlnR binding site and relate its location to known transcriptional start sites. We also show that the GlnR response regulator plays a very different role in M. tuberculosis to that in non-pathogenic mycobacteria, controlling genes involved in nitric oxide detoxification and intracellular survival instead of genes involved in nitrogen scavenging.
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Journal articleFrankel GM, Habibzay M, Crepin-Sevenou V, et al., 2015,
Tir-induced actin remodeling triggers expression of CXCL1 in enterocytes and neutrophil recruitment during Citrobacter rodentium infection
, Infection and Immunity, Vol: 83, Pages: 3342-3354, ISSN: 1098-5522The hallmarks of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) infection are formation of attaching and effacing (A/E) lesions on mucosal surfaces and actin-rich pedestals on cultured cells, both dependent on the type III secretion system effector Tir. Following translocation into cultured cells and clustering by intimin, Tir Y474 is phosphorylated leading to recruitment of Nck, activation of N-WASP and actin polymerization via the Arp2/3 complex. A secondary, weak, actin polymerization pathway is triggered via an NPY motif (Y454). Importantly, Y454 and Y474 play no role in A/E lesion formation on mucosal surfaces following infection with the EPEC-like mouse pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. In this study we investigated the roles of Tir segments located upstream of Y451 and downstream of Y471 in C. rodentium colonization and A/E lesion formation. We also tested the role Tir residues Y451 and Y471 play in host immune responses to C. rodentium infection. We found that deletion of amino acids 382-462 or 478-547 had no impact on the ability of Tir to mediate A/E lesion formation, although deletion of amino acids 478-547 affected Tir translocation. Examination of enterocytes isolated from infected mice revealed that a C. rodentium expressing Tir_Y451A/Y471A recruited significantly less neutrophils to the colon and triggered less colonic hyperplasia on day 14 post infection, compared to infection with the wild type strain. Consistently, enterocytes isolated from mice infected with C. rodentium expressing Tir_Y451A/Y471A expressed significantly less CXCL1. These result show that Tir-induced actin remodeling plays a direct role in modulation of immune responses to C. rodentium infection.
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Journal articleMatthews SJ, Miliara X, Garnett J, et al., 2015,
Structural insight into the TRIAP1/PRELI-like domain family of mitochondrial phospholipid transfer complexes
, EMBO Reports, Vol: 16, Pages: 824-835, ISSN: 1469-221XThe composition of the mitochondrial membrane is important for its architecture and proper function. Mitochondria depend on a tightly regulated supply of phospholipid via intra-mitochondrial synthesis and by direct import from the endoplasmic reticulum. The Ups1/PRELI-like family together with its mitochondrial chaperones (TRIAP1/Mdm35) represent a unique heterodimeric lipid transfer system that is evolutionary conserved from yeast to man. Work presented here provides new atomic resolution insight into the function of a human member of this system. Crystal structures of free TRIAP1 and the TRIAP1–SLMO1 complex reveal how the PRELI domain is chaperoned during import into the intermembrane mitochondrial space. The structural resemblance of PRELI-like domain of SLMO1 with that of mammalian phoshatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) suggest that they share similar lipid transfer mechanisms, in which access to a buried phospholipid-binding cavity is regulated by conformationally adaptable loops.
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Journal articleScanu T, Spaapen RM, Bakker JM, et al., 2015,
Salmonella Manipulation of Host Signaling Pathways Provokes Cellular Transformation Associated with Gallbladder Carcinoma
, CELL HOST & MICROBE, Vol: 17, Pages: 763-774, ISSN: 1931-3128- Author Web Link
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- Citations: 130
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Journal articleHengge R, Gruendling A, Jenal U, et al., 2015,
Bacterial signal transduction by cyclic Di-GMP and other nucleotide second messengers
, Journal of Bacteriology, Vol: 198, Pages: 15-26, ISSN: 1098-5530The first International Symposium on c-Di-GMP Signaling in Bacteria (22 to 25 March 2015, Harnack-Haus, Berlin, Germany) brought together 131 molecular microbiologists from 17 countries to discuss recent progress in our knowledge of bacterial nucleotide second messenger signaling. While the focus was on signal input, synthesis, degradation, and the striking diversity of the modes of action of the current second messenger paradigm, i.e., cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP), “classics” like cAMP and (p)ppGpp were also presented, in novel facets, and more recent “newcomers,” such as c-di-AMP and c-AMP-GMP, made an impressive appearance. A number of clear trends emerged during the 30 talks, on the 71 posters, and in the lively discussions, including (i) c-di-GMP control of the activities of various ATPases and phosphorylation cascades, (ii) extensive cross talk between c-di-GMP and other nucleotide second messenger signaling pathways, and (iii) a stunning number of novel effectors for nucleotide second messengers that surprisingly include some long-known master regulators of developmental pathways. Overall, the conference made it amply clear that second messenger signaling is currently one of the most dynamic fields within molecular microbiology, with major impacts in research fields ranging from human health to microbial ecology.
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Conference paperBernal P, Civantos C, Filloux A, et al., 2015,
Type VI secretion in the plant growth promoting rhizobacteria Pseudomonas putida
, FEMS Microbiology Congress 2015BackgroundBacterial type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are recently discovered nanomachines used to inject effectors into prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells. Therefore, T6SSs are involved in both inter-bacterial competition and bacterial pathogenesis.ObjectivesThe aim is the study of the T6SS of Pseudomonas putida a soil bacterium with the capacity to colonise the root of crop plants. The colonisation by this bacterium provides growth advantages to the plant and, importantly, protection against plant pathogens. This makes P. putida a relevant biocontrol agent. Since T6SS is mainly used by environmental bacteria for interbacterial competition, one might speculate that T6SSs play a relevant role in the biocontrol properties of P. putida. Methods• in silico analysis of P. putida KT2440 genome • Competition assays to determine H1-T6SS activity and for the identification of H1-T6SS targets.• Regulatory studies: qRT-PCR, transcriptional fusionsConclusionsThe in silico analysis has revealed the existence of three putative T6SSs (H1, H2, and H3). The clusters contain the genes encoding the conserved core components and some accessories, including regulatory proteins and toxins-immunity pairs. Additional T6SS-related genes are found scattered on the chromosome.By competition assays we have determined that H1-T6SS is active and that mutants in H1-T6SS structural components lack the ability to kill model prey strains. Moreover, the system can be used to kill serious phytopathogens such as Pseudomonas syringae in in vitro assays. Interestingly, the H1-T6SS is induced in stationary phase and controlled by the global regulators RetS and GacS-GacA, and by two alternative sigma factors, RpoS and RpoN.
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Journal articleSana TG, Baumann C, Merdes A, et al., 2015,
Internalization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain PAO1 into Epithelial Cells Is Promoted by Interaction of a T6SS Effector with the Microtubule Network.
, mBio, Vol: 6, ISSN: 2150-7511Invasion of nonphagocytic cells through rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton is a common immune evasion mechanism used by most intracellular bacteria. However, some pathogens modulate host microtubules as well by a still poorly understood mechanism. In this study, we aim at deciphering the mechanisms by which the opportunistic bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa invades nonphagocytic cells, although it is considered mainly an extracellular bacterium. Using confocal microscopy and immunofluorescence, we show that the evolved VgrG2b effector of P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 is delivered into epithelial cells by a type VI secretion system, called H2-T6SS, involving the VgrG2a component. An in vivo interactome of VgrG2b in host cells allows the identification of microtubule components, including the γ-tubulin ring complex (γTuRC), a multiprotein complex catalyzing microtubule nucleation, as the major host target of VgrG2b. This interaction promotes a microtubule-dependent internalization of the bacterium since colchicine and nocodazole, two microtubule-destabilizing drugs, prevent VgrG2b-mediated P. aeruginosa entry even if the invasion still requires actin. We further validate our findings by demonstrating that the type VI injection step can be bypassed by ectopic production of VgrG2b inside target cells prior to infection. Moreover, such uncoupling between VgrG2b injection and bacterial internalization also reveals that they constitute two independent steps. With VgrG2b, we provide the first example of a bacterial protein interacting with the γTuRC. Our study offers key insight into the mechanism of self-promoting invasion of P. aeruginosa into human cells via a directed and specific effector-host protein interaction. IMPORTANCE: Innate immunity and specifically professional phagocytic cells are key determinants in the ability of the host to control P. aeruginosa infection. However, among various virulence strategies, includi
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Journal articleMessens W, Bolton D, Frankel G, et al., 2015,
Defining pathogenic verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) from cases of human infection in the European Union, 2007-2010
, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Vol: 143, Pages: 1652-1661, ISSN: 0950-2688- Author Web Link
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- Citations: 22
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Journal articleGarnett JA, Diallo M, Matthews SJ, 2015,
Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of the Escherichia coli common pilus chaperone EcpB
, Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology Communications, Vol: 71, Pages: 676-679, ISSN: 2053-230XPili are key cell-surface components that allow the attachment of bacteria to both biological and abiotic solid surfaces, whilst also mediating interactions between themselves. In Escherichia coli, the common pilus (Ecp) belongs to an alternative chaperone-usher (CU) pathway that plays a major role in both early biofilm formation and host-cell adhesion. The chaperone EcpB is involved in the biogenesis of the filament, which is composed of EcpA and EcpD. Initial attempts at crystallizing EcpB using natively purified protein from the bacterial periplasm were not successful; however, after the isolation of EcpB under denaturing conditions and subsequent refolding, crystals were obtained at pH 8.0 using the sitting-drop method of vapour diffusion. Diffraction data have been processed to 2.4 Å resolution. These crystals belonged to the trigonal space group P3121 or P3221, with unit-cell parameters a = b = 62.65, c = 121.14 Å and one monomer in the asymmetric unit. Molecular replacement was unsuccessful, but selenomethionine-substituted protein and heavy-atom derivatives are being prepared for phasing. The three-dimensional structure of EcpB will provide invaluable information on the subtle mechanistic differences in biogenesis between the alternative and classical CU pathways. Furthermore, this is the first time that this refolding strategy has been used to purify CU chaperones, and it could be implemented in similar systems where it has not been possible to obtain highly ordered crystals.
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