Mutation of lasA and lasB reduces Pseudomonas aeruginosa invasion of epithelial cells

Microbiology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 149 (8) ◽  
pp. 2291-2299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte A. Cowell ◽  
Sally S. Twining ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hobden ◽  
Mary S. F. Kwong ◽  
Suzanne M. J. Fleiszig
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Sensing Systems ◽  
Steady State Levels ◽  
Tight Junction Disruption

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen implicated in a variety of devastating conditions. Its flexibility as a pathogen is attributed to a myriad of virulence factors and regulatory elements that respond to prevailing environmental conditions. ExoS and ExoT are type III secreted effector proteins, regulated by the transcriptional activator ExsA, that can inhibit invasion of epithelial cells by cytotoxic strains of P. aeruginosa. This study sought to understand why invasive strains, which can secrete both ExoS and ExoT, still invade epithelial cells. The results showed that LasA and elastase (LasB), which are regulated by the Las and Rhl quorum-sensing systems, modulated P. aeruginosa invasion. Mutation of lasA and/or lasB reduced P. aeruginosa invasion, which was not fully restored by extracellularly added LasB, P. aeruginosa conditioned medium containing LasA and LasB, or EGTA pretreatment of cells. This indicated that protease effects on invasion involved factors additional to tight junction disruption and subsequent alterations to cell polarity. Upon mutation of lasA and/or lasB, steady-state levels of ExoS and ExoT were increased in culture medium of P. aeruginosa grown under conditions stimulatory for these toxins. The increase in ExoS was significantly correlated with reduced invasion. In vitro experiments showed that purified LasB degraded recombinant ExoS. Taken together, these studies suggest a mechanism by which invasive strains can synthesize inhibitors of invasion, ExoS and ExoT, yet still invade epithelial cells. By this mechanism, LasA and LasB decrease the levels of the toxins directly or indirectly, and thus reduce inhibition of invasion.

scholarly journals Acquisition of Expression of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoU Cytotoxin Leads to Increased Bacterial Virulence in a Murine Model of Acute Pneumonia and Systemic Spread

2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 3998-4004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Allewelt ◽  
Fadie T. Coleman ◽  
Martha Grout ◽  
Gregory P. Priebe ◽  
Gerald B. Pier
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Murine Model ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Systemic Spread ◽  
Acute Pneumonia ◽  
Cultured Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the nosocomial bacterial pathogen most commonly isolated from the respiratory tract. Animal models of this infection are extremely valuable for studies of virulence and immunity. We thus evaluated the utility of a simple model of acute pneumonia for analyzing P. aeruginosa virulence by characterizing the course of bacterial infection in BALB/c mice following application of bacteria to the nares of anesthetized animals. Bacterial aspiration into the lungs was rapid, and 67 to 100% of the inoculum could be recovered within minutes from the lungs, with 0.1 to 1% of the inoculum found intracellularly shortly after infection. At later time points up to 10% of the bacteria were intracellular, as revealed by gentamicin exclusion assays on single-cell suspensions of infected lungs. Expression of exoenzyme U (ExoU) by P. aeruginosa is associated with a cytotoxic effect on epithelial cells in vitro and virulence in animal models. Insertional mutations in the exoU gene confer a noncytotoxic phenotype on mutant strains and decrease virulence for animals. We used the model of acute pneumonia to determine whether introduction of the exoUgene into noncytotoxic strains of P. aeruginosa lacking this gene affected virulence. Seven phenotypically noncytotoxicP. aeruginosa strains were transformed with pUCP19exoUspcU which carries the exoU gene and its associated chaperone. Three of these strains became cytotoxic to cultured epithelial cells in vitro. These strains all secreted ExoU, as confirmed by detection of the ExoU protein with specific antisera. The 50% lethal dose of exoU-expressing strains was significantly lower for all three P. aeruginosa isolates carrying plasmid pUCP19exoUspcU than for the isogenicexoU-negative strains. mRNA specific for ExoU was readily detected in the lungs of animals infected with the transformed P. aeruginosa strains. Introduction of the exoU gene confers a cytotoxic phenotype on some, but not all, otherwise-noncytotoxic P. aeruginosa strains and, for recombinant strains that could express ExoU, there was markedly increased virulence in a murine model of acute pneumonia and systemic spread.

Role of pili in adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to mammalian buccal epithelial cells

1980 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1146-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
D E Woods ◽  
D C Straus ◽  
W G Johanson ◽  
V K Berry ◽  
J A Bass
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
In Vitro System ◽  
Heterologous Antiserum ◽  
Buccal Epithelial Cells ◽  
Serological Studies ◽  
Seriously Ill Patients

Adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa organisms to the upper respiratory epithelium of seriously ill patients in vitro is correlated with subsequent colonization of the respiratory tract by this opportunistic pathogen. The role of pili in the attachment to epithelial cells of P. aeruginosa was studied in an in vitro system employing human buccal epithelial cells and P. aeruginosa pretreated by various means. Pretreatment of the bacteria with proteases, heat, or Formalin caused a significant decrease in adherence. A decrease when compared with controls was also noted in the adherence of P. aeruginosa organisms to buccal epithelial cells preincubated with purified pili prepared from the strain used for adherence testing; however, pili prepared from a heterologous strain failed to block adherence. Similar results were obtained in serological studies when antisera to purified pili prepared from the strain used for adherence testing decreased adherence, whereas heterologous antiserum to pili did not decrease adherence. From these results it appears that pili mediate the adherence of P. aeruginosa organisms to human buccal epithelial cells.

In vitro interactions between epithelial cells and Gyrodactylus derjavini

2000 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 203-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Buchmann ◽  
C.V. Nielsen ◽  
J. Bresciani
Keyword(s):  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Cell Cultures ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Epithelioma Papulosum Cyprini ◽  
Skin Responses ◽  
Enzyme Reactivity ◽  
In Vitro Interactions

AbstractSkin responses of fish to various parasites have been shown to involve various immunologically competent cells producing factors which guide the reactions of epithelial cells. However, the present study has demonstrated that a monoculture of epithelial cells has the ability to encapsulate and partially degrade ectoparasites without involvement of leukocytes. The ectoparasitic monogeneanGyrodactylus derjavini was kept on a monolayer of Epithelioma Papulosum Cyprini (EPC) cells in 24-well multidishes supplied with tissue culture medium. Gyrodactylus derjavini did not reproduce but survived an incubation period of up to139 h in the system. Due to sterile conditions, dead gyrodactylids were not subjected to microbial degradation and remained intact for several weeks. However, at 40 days G. derjavini was overgrown by EPC-cells and became partly degraded during the following 15 days. Analysis of enzyme reactivity in EPC-cells showed reactions for ten enzymes including esterases, amidases, phosphatases and phosphohydrolases. No marked differences for the ten enzymes between cell cultures with and without the ectoparasites were found but it cannot be excluded that some of these enzymes took part in parasite degradation. The study showed the in vitro capability of epithelial cells to interact, encapsulate and degrade G. derjavini without the involvement of leukocytes. This response probably is non-specific and will not exclude that various immunocompetent cells and their products normally optimize and accelerate elimination of invading parasites in vivo.

scholarly journals cAMP and Vfr Control Exolysin Expression and Cytotoxicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Taxonomic Outliers

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Berry ◽  
Kook Han ◽  
Julian Trouillon ◽  
Mylène Robert-Genthon ◽  
Michel Ragno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Intracellular Camp ◽  
Virulence Determinants ◽  
Cell Infection ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT The two-partner secretion system ExlBA, expressed by strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa belonging to the PA7 group, induces hemorrhage in lungs due to disruption of host cellular membranes. Here we demonstrate that the exlBA genes are controlled by a pathway consisting of cAMP and the virulence factor regulator (Vfr). Upon interaction with cAMP, Vfr binds directly to the exlBA promoter with high affinity (equilibrium binding constant [ K eq ] of ≈2.5 nM). The exlB and exlA expression was diminished in the Vfr-negative mutant and upregulated with increased intracellular cAMP levels. The Vfr binding sequence in the exlBA promoter was mutated in situ , resulting in reduced cytotoxicity of the mutant, showing that Vfr is required for the exlBA expression during intoxication of epithelial cells. Vfr also regulates function of type 4 pili previously shown to facilitate ExlA activity on epithelial cells, which indicates that the cAMP/Vfr pathway coordinates these two factors needed for full cytotoxicity. As in most P. aeruginosa strains, the adenylate cyclase CyaB is the main provider of cAMP for Vfr regulation during both in vitro growth and eukaryotic cell infection. We discovered that the absence of functional Vfr in the reference strain PA7 is caused by a frameshift in the gene and accounts for its reduced cytotoxicity, revealing the conservation of ExlBA control by the CyaB-cAMP/Vfr pathway in P. aeruginosa taxonomic outliers. IMPORTANCE The human opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa provokes severe acute and chronic human infections associated with defined sets of virulence factors. The main virulence determinant of P. aeruginosa taxonomic outliers is exolysin, a membrane-disrupting pore-forming toxin belonging to the two-partner secretion system ExlBA. In this work, we demonstrate that the conserved CyaB-cAMP/Vfr pathway controls cytotoxicity of outlier clinical strains through direct transcriptional activation of the exlBA operon. Therefore, despite the fact that the type III secretion system and exolysin are mutually exclusive in classical and outlier strains, respectively, these two major virulence determinants share similarities in their mechanisms of regulation.

scholarly journals Phage steering of antibiotic-resistance evolution in the bacterial pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (1) ◽  
pp. 148-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Gurney ◽  
Léa Pradier ◽  
Joanne S Griffin ◽  
Claire Gougat-Barbera ◽  
Benjamin K Chan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Antibiotic Resistance ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Antibiotic Sensitivity ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Phage Resistance ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Trade Off

Abstract Background and objectives Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global concern and has spurred increasing efforts to find alternative therapeutics. Bacteriophage therapy has seen near constant use in Eastern Europe since its discovery over a century ago. One promising approach is to use phages that not only reduce bacterial pathogen loads but also select for phage resistance mechanisms that trade-off with antibiotic resistance—so called ‘phage steering’. Methodology Recent work has shown that the phage OMKO1 can interact with efflux pumps and in so doing select for both phage resistance and antibiotic sensitivity of the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We tested the robustness of this approach to three different antibiotics in vitro (tetracycline, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin) and one in vivo (erythromycin). Results We show that in vitro OMKO1 can reduce antibiotic resistance of P. aeruginosa (Washington PAO1) even in the presence of antibiotics, an effect still detectable after ca.70 bacterial generations in continuous culture with phage. Our in vivo experiment showed that phage both increased the survival times of wax moth larvae (Galleria mellonella) and increased bacterial sensitivity to erythromycin. This increased antibiotic sensitivity occurred both in lines with and without the antibiotic. Conclusions and implications Our study supports a trade-off between antibiotic resistance and phage sensitivity. This trade-off was maintained over co-evolutionary time scales even under combined phage and antibiotic pressure. Similarly, OMKO1 maintained this trade-off in vivo, again under dual phage/antibiotic pressure. Our findings have implications for the future clinical use of steering in phage therapies. Lay Summary: Given the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection, new approaches to treatment are urgently needed. Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial viruses. The use of such viruses to treat infections has been in near-continuous use in several countries since the early 1900s. Recent developments have shown that these viruses are not only effective against routine infections but can also target antibiotic resistant bacteria in a novel, unexpected way. Similar to other lytic phages, these so-called ‘steering phages’ kill the majority of bacteria directly. However, steering phages also leave behind bacterial variants that resist the phages, but are now sensitive to antibiotics. Treatment combinations of these phages and antibiotics can now be used to greater effect than either one independently. We evaluated the impact of steering using phage OMKO1 and a panel of three antibiotics on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an important pathogen in hospital settings and in people with cystic fibrosis. Our findings indicate that OMKO1, either alone or in combination with antibiotics, maintains antibiotic sensitivity both in vitro and in vivo, giving hope that phage steering will be an effective treatment option against antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection of Airway Epithelial Cells Modulates Expression of Kruppel-Like Factors 2 and 6 via RsmA-Mediated Regulation of Type III Exoenzymes S and Y

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 5893-5902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eoin P. O'Grady ◽  
Heidi Mulcahy ◽  
Julie O'Callaghan ◽  
Claire Adams ◽  
Fergal O'Gara
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial Cells ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Airway Epithelial ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Enhanced Expression

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important opportunistic pathogen which is capable of causing both acute and chronic infections in immunocompromised patients. Successful adaptation of the bacterium to its host environment relies on the ability of the organism to tightly regulate gene expression. RsmA, a small RNA-binding protein, controls the expression of a large number of virulence-related genes in P. aeruginosa, including those encoding the type III secretion system and associated effector proteins, with important consequences for epithelial cell morphology and cytotoxicity. In order to examine the influence of RsmA-regulated functions in the pathogen on gene expression in the host, we compared global expression profiles of airway epithelial cells in response to infection with P. aeruginosa PAO1 and an rsmA mutant. The RsmA-dependent response of host cells was characterized by significant changes in the global transcriptional pattern, including the increased expression of two Kruppel-like factors, KLF2 and KLF6. This increased expression was mediated by specific type III effector proteins. ExoS was required for the enhanced expression of KLF2, whereas both ExoS and ExoY were required for the enhanced expression of KLF6. Neither ExoT nor ExoU influenced the expression of the transcription factors. Additionally, the increased gene expression of KLF2 and KLF6 was associated with ExoS-mediated cytotoxicity. Therefore, this study identifies for the first time the human transcription factors KLF2 and KLF6 as targets of the P. aeruginosa type III exoenzymes S and Y, with potential importance in host cell death.

scholarly journals Interactions between effector proteins of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system do not significantly affect several measures of disease severity in mammals

Microbiology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciara M. Shaver ◽  
Alan R. Hauser
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Disease Process ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Secreted Proteins ◽  
Secretion Systems ◽  
Type Iii

The effector proteins of the type III secretion systems of many bacterial pathogens act in a coordinated manner to subvert host cells and facilitate the development and progression of disease. It is unclear whether interactions between the type-III-secreted proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa result in similar effects on the disease process. We have previously characterized the contributions to pathogenesis of the type-III-secreted proteins ExoS, ExoT and ExoU when secreted individually. In this study, we extend our prior work to determine whether these proteins have greater than expected effects on virulence when secreted in combination. In vitro cytotoxicity and anti-internalization activities were not enhanced when effector proteins were secreted in combinations rather than alone. Likewise in a mouse model of pneumonia, bacterial burden in the lungs, dissemination and mortality attributable to ExoS, ExoT and ExoU were not synergistically increased when combinations of these effector proteins were secreted. Because of the absence of an appreciable synergistic increase in virulence when multiple effector proteins were secreted in combination, we conclude that any cooperation between ExoS, ExoT and ExoU does not translate into a synergistically significant enhancement of disease severity as measured by these assays.

scholarly journals Pseudolipasin A Is a Specific Inhibitor for Phospholipase A2 Activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Cytotoxin ExoU

2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1089-1098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent T. Lee ◽  
Stefan Pukatzki ◽  
Hiromi Sato ◽  
Eriya Kikawada ◽  
Anastasia A. Kazimirova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Effector Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Cytotoxic Effects ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Secretion Pathway ◽  
Phospholipase A2 Activity

ABSTRACT A number of bacterial pathogens utilize the type III secretion pathway to deliver effector proteins directly into the host cell cytoplasm. Certain strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa associated with acute infections express a potent cytotoxin, exoenzyme U (ExoU), that is delivered via the type III secretion pathway directly into contacting host cells. Once inside the mammalian cell, ExoU rapidly lyses the intoxicated cells via its phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. A high-throughput cell-based assay was developed to screen libraries of compounds for those capable of protecting cells against the cytotoxic effects of ExoU. A number of compounds were identified in this screen, including one group that blocks the intracellular activity of ExoU. In addition, these compounds specifically inhibited the PLA2 activity of ExoU in vitro, whereas eukaryotic secreted PLA2 and cytosolic PLA2 were not inhibited. This novel inhibitor of ExoU-specific PLA2 activity, named pseudolipasin A, may provide a new lead for virulence factor-based therapeutic design.

scholarly journals Control of hsp70 RNA levels in human lymphocytes.

1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Kaczmarek ◽  
B Calabretta ◽  
H T Kao ◽  
N Heintz ◽  
J Nevins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Culture Medium ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Human Peripheral Blood ◽  
Human Lymphocytes ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽  
Growth State ◽  
Steady State Levels ◽  
Rna Blots

The expression of a hsp70 gene in human cells has previously been shown to be related to the growth state of the cells. As an alternative to in vitro synchronization procedures, we have measured steady-state levels of the RNA for a heat-shock protein 70 (hsp70) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) that are naturally quiescent in a G0 state. The probe used recognized, on RNA blots, one single band. The levels of this hsp70 RNA are elevated in circulating PBMC and decrease when the cells are incubated with serum, or phytohemagglutinin, or simply when they are incubated in culture medium. The levels of hsp70 RNA decrease within 30 min after in vitro culture, and are accompanied by an increase in the levels of c-fos RNA. These findings, together with other recent reports in the literature, suggest a possible role of the hsp70 proteins in the regulation of cell growth.

scholarly journals Chromatin accessibility dynamics of Chlamydia-infected epithelial cells

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regan J. Hayward ◽  
James W. Marsh ◽  
Michael S. Humphrys ◽  
Wilhelmina M. Huston ◽  
Garry S.A. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Intracellular Signaling ◽  
Chlamydial Infection ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Chromatin Accessibility ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Transmitted Infection ◽  
The Impact

AbstractChlamydia are Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens responsible for a broad spectrum of human and animal diseases. In humans, Chlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide and is the causative agent of trachoma (infectious blindness) in disadvantaged populations. Over the course of its developmental cycle, Chlamydia extensively remodels its intracellular niche and parasitises the host cell for nutrients, with substantial resulting changes to the host cell transcriptome and proteome. However, little information is available on the impact of chlamydial infection on the host cell epigenome and global gene regulation. Regions of open eukaryotic chromatin correspond to nucleosome-depleted regions, which in turn are associated with regulatory functions and transcription factor binding. We applied Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements enrichment followed by sequencing (FAIRE-Seq) to generate temporal chromatin maps of C. trachomatis-infected human epithelial cells in vitro over the chlamydial developmental cycle. We detected both conserved and distinct temporal changes to genome-wide chromatin accessibility associated with C. trachomatis infection. The observed differentially accessible chromatin regions, including several Clusters of Open Regulatory Elements (COREs) and temporally-enriched sets of transcription factors, may help shape the host cell response to infection. These regions and motifs were linked to genomic features and genes associated with immune responses, re-direction of host cell nutrients, intracellular signaling, cell-cell adhesion, extracellular matrix, metabolism and apoptosis. This work provides another perspective to the complex response to chlamydial infection, and will inform further studies of transcriptional regulation and the epigenome in Chlamydia-infected human cells and tissues

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