scholarly journals Cryptococcus neoformanssecretes small molecules that inhibit IL-1β inflammasome-dependent secretion

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Henrique Bürgel ◽  
Clara Luna Marina ◽  
Pedro H. V. Saavedra ◽  
Patrícia Albuquerque ◽  
Paulo Henrique Holanda ◽  
...  

AbstractCryptococcus neoformansis an encapsulated yeast that causes disease mainly in immunosuppressed hosts. It is considered a facultative intracellular pathogen because of its capacity to survive and replicate inside phagocytes, especially macrophages. This capacity is heavily dependent on various virulence factors, particularly the glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) component of the polysaccharide capsule, that render the non- or poorly-activated macrophage ineffective against phagocytosed yeast. Strategies utilized by macrophages to prevent this scenario include pyroptosis (a rapid highly inflammatory cell death) and vomocytosis (the expulsion of the pathogen from the intracellular environment without lysis). Inflammasome activation in phagocytes is usually protective against fungal infections, including cryptococcosis. Nevertheless, recognition ofC. neoformansby inflammasome receptors requires specific changes in morphology or the opsonization of the yeast, impairing a proper inflammasome function. In this context, we analyzed the impact of molecules secreted byC. neoformansB3501 strain and its acapsular mutantΔcap67in an inflammasome activationin vitromodel. Our results showed that conditioned media derived from B3501 was capable of inhibiting inflammasome dependent events (i. e. IL-1β secretion and LDH release via pyroptosis) more strongly than conditioned media fromΔcap67, regardless of GXM presence. We also demonstrated that macrophages treated with conditioned media were less responsive against infection with the virulent strain H99, exhibiting lower rates of phagocytosis, increased fungal burdens and enhanced vomocytosis. Moreover, we showed that the aromatic metabolite DL-Indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) was present in B3501’s conditioned media and that this fungal metabolite is involved in the regulation of inflammasome activation byC. neoformans. Overall, the results presented show that conditioned media from a wild-type strain can inhibit an important recognition pathway and subsequent fungicidal functions of macrophages, contributing to fungal survivalin vitroand suggesting that this serves as an important role for secreted molecules during cryptococcal infections.Author’s SummaryCryptococcus neoformansis the agent of cryptococcal meningitis, a disease that can be life-threatening in immunocompromised hosts such as those infected with HIV. The infection thrives in hosts that poorly activate their immune system, mainly because of the yeast’s ability to survive inside macrophages and migrate towards the central nervous system. Emerging data indicate that cryptococci modulate the host immune response, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely uncharacterized. Here we show that secreted molecules from a wild-type strain ofC. neoformansimpair inflammatory responses driven by inflammasome activation, which in turn impact the macrophage antifungal activity. We further show that this inhibition does not involve GXM, the main constituent of the fungal capsule, but rather is partially dependent on DL-Indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), a metabolite not previously implicated in fungal virulence.

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Yomna A. Hagag ◽  
Abdelaziz Elgaml ◽  
Ramadan Hassan ◽  
Hany I. Kenawy

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen responsible for a large number of infections. In S. aureus, SarA is an important global locus responsible for the regulation of virulence factors, as well as biofilm formation. Objectives: The aim of this work is to clarify the impact of SarA on biofilm formation, immune system evasion, as well as the survival of S. aureus under stress conditions. Methodology: A comparative study between S. aureus wild type strain, sarA mutant and complemented strains was established addressing the biofilm formation, opsonization, phagocytosis, as well as ability of the bacterium to survive in stressful environments including acidic pH, hyperosmotic and oxidative stress. The in vitro experiments were confirmed by challenging of mice via intraperitoneal injection with the wild type strain, sarA mutant and complemented strains. Results: Mutation of sarA diminished significantly biofilm formation. Moreover, this mutation resulted in a slight decrease in the deposition of the most important opsonin in complement-mediated immunity, named C3 on S. aureus cells. However, this mutation was associated with a significant enhancement of bacterial phagocytosis and killing by human neutrophils. Furthermore, this mutation altered bacterial survival in stressful conditions. It is also noteworthy that sarA mutation resulted in a significant higher survival rates during the challenging of mice. Conclusion: SarA plays a role as a key regulator of biofilm formation, which in turn has a great impact on immune system evasion through affecting opsonization and phagocytosis. In addition, SarA improves the ability of S. aureus to survive in stressful conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Pedro Henrique Bürgel ◽  
Clara Luna Marina ◽  
Pedro H. V. Saavedra ◽  
Patrícia Albuquerque ◽  
Stephan Alberto Machado de Oliveira ◽  
...  

Cryptococcus neoformans is an encapsulated yeast that causes disease mainly in immunosuppressed hosts. It is considered a facultative intracellular pathogen because of its capacity to survive and replicate inside phagocytes, especially macrophages. This ability is heavily dependent on various virulence factors, particularly the glucuronoxylomannan (GXM) component of the polysaccharide capsule. Inflammasome activation in phagocytes is usually protective against fungal infections, including cryptococcosis. Nevertheless, recognition of C. neoformans by inflammasome receptors requires specific changes in morphology or the opsonization of the yeast, impairing proper inflammasome function. In this context, we analyzed the impact of molecules secreted by C. neoformans B3501 strain and its acapsular mutant Δcap67 in inflammasome activation in an in vitro model. Our results showed that conditioned media derived from B3501 was capable of inhibiting inflammasome-dependent events (i.e., IL-1β secretion and LDH release via pyroptosis) more strongly than conditioned media from Δcap67, regardless of GXM presence. We also demonstrated that macrophages treated with conditioned media were less responsive against infection with the virulent strain H99, exhibiting lower rates of phagocytosis, increased fungal burdens, and enhanced vomocytosis. Moreover, we showed that the aromatic metabolite DL-Indole-3-lactic acid (ILA) and DL-p-Hydroxyphenyllactic acid (HPLA) were present in B3501’s conditioned media and that ILA alone or with HPLA is involved in the regulation of inflammasome activation by C. neoformans. These results were confirmed by in vivo experiments, where exposure to conditioned media led to higher fungal burdens in Acanthamoeba castellanii culture as well as in higher fungal loads in the lungs of infected mice. Overall, the results presented show that conditioned media from a wild-type strain can inhibit a vital recognition pathway and subsequent fungicidal functions of macrophages, contributing to fungal survival in vitro and in vivo and suggesting that secretion of aromatic metabolites, such as ILA, during cryptococcal infections fundamentally impacts pathogenesis.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (21) ◽  
pp. 6994-7002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine J�hnichen ◽  
Tilo Ihle ◽  
Thomas Petzoldt ◽  
J�rgen Benndorf

ABSTRACT Batch culture experiments with the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806 were performed in order to test the hypothesis that microcystins (MCYSTs) are produced in response to a relative deficiency of intracellular inorganic carbon (Ci,i). In the first experiment, MCYST production was studied under increased Ci,i deficiency conditions, achieved by restricting sodium-dependent bicarbonate uptake through replacement of sodium bicarbonate in the medium with its potassium analog. The same experimental approach was used in a second experiment to compare the response of the wild-type strain M. aeruginosa PCC 7806 with its mcyB mutant, which lacks the ability to produce MCYSTs. In a third experiment, the impact of varying the Ci,i status on MCYST production was examined without suppressing the sodium-dependent bicarbonate transporter; instead, a detailed investigation of a dark-light cycle was performed. In all experiments, a relative Ci,i deficiency was indicated by an elevated variable fluorescence signal and led to enhanced phycocyanin cell quotas. Higher MCYST cell quotas (in the first and third experiments) and increased total (intracellular plus extracellular) MCYST production (in the first experiment) were detected with increased Ci,i deficiency. Furthermore, the MCYST-producing wild-type strain and its mcyB mutant showed basically the same response to restrained inorganic carbon uptake, with elevated variable fluorescence and phycocyanin cell quotas with increased Ci,i deficiency. The response of the wild type, however, was distinctly stronger and also included elevated chlorophyll a cell quotas. These differences indicate the limited ability of the mutant to adapt to low-Ci,i conditions. We concluded that MCYSTs may be involved in enhancing the efficiency of the adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus to fluctuating inorganic carbon conditions in cyanobacterial cells.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 5575-5580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ping Chen ◽  
Rafael E. Ruiz ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Richard F. Silver ◽  
William R. Bishai

ABSTRACT The alternate RNA polymerase sigma factor gene, sigF, which is expressed in stationary phase and under stress conditions in vitro, has been deleted in the virulent CDC1551 strain ofMycobacterium tuberculosis. The growth rate of the ΔsigF mutant was identical to that of the isogenic wild-type strain in exponential phase, although in stationary phase the mutant achieved a higher density than the wild type. The mutant showed increased susceptibility to rifampin and rifapentine. Additionally, the ΔsigF mutant displayed diminished uptake of chenodeoxycholate, and this effect was reversed by complementation with a wild-type sigF gene. No differences in short-term intracellular growth between mutant and wild-type organisms within human monocytes were observed. Similarly, the organisms did not differ in their susceptibilities to lymphocyte-mediated inhibition of intracellular growth. However, mice infected with the ΔsigF mutant showed a median time to death of 246 days compared with 161 days for wild-type strain-infected animals (P < 0.001). These data indicate that M. tuberculosis sigF is a nonessential alternate sigma factor both in axenic culture and for survival in macrophages in vitro. While the ΔsigF mutant produces a lethal infection of mice, it is less virulent than its wild-type counterpart by time-to-death analysis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 445-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Criswell ◽  
Virginia L. Tobiason ◽  
J. Stephen Lodmell ◽  
D. Scott Samuels

ABSTRACT We have isolated and characterized in vitro mutants of the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi that are resistant to spectinomycin, kanamycin, gentamicin, or streptomycin, antibiotics that target the small subunit of the ribosome. 16S rRNA mutations A1185G and C1186U, homologous to Escherichia coli nucleotides A1191 and C1192, conferred >2,200-fold and 1,300-fold resistance to spectinomycin, respectively. A 16S rRNA A1402G mutation, homologous to E. coli A1408, conferred >90-fold resistance to kanamycin and >240-fold resistance to gentamicin. Two mutations were identified in the gene for ribosomal protein S12, at a site homologous to E. coli residue Lys-87, in mutants selected in streptomycin. Substitutions at codon 88, K88R and K88E, conferred 7-fold resistance and 10-fold resistance, respectively, to streptomycin on B. burgdorferi. The 16S rRNA A1185G and C1186U mutations, associated with spectinomycin resistance, appeared in a population of B. burgdorferi parental strain B31 at a high frequency of 6 × 10−6. These spectinomycin-resistant mutants successfully competed with the wild-type strain during 100 generations of coculture in vitro. The aminoglycoside-resistant mutants appeared at a frequency of 3 × 10−9 to 1 ×10−7 in a population and were unable to compete with wild-type strain B31 after 100 generations. This is the first description of mutations in the B. burgdorferi ribosome that confer resistance to antibiotics. These results have implications for the evolution of antibiotic resistance, because the 16S rRNA mutations conferring spectinomycin resistance have no significant fitness cost in vitro, and for the development of new selectable markers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 1671-1677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dora E. Wiskirchen ◽  
Patrice Nordmann ◽  
Jared L. Crandon ◽  
David P. Nicolau

ABSTRACTDoripenem and ertapenem have demonstrated efficacy against several NDM-1-producing isolatesin vivo, despite having high MICs. In this study, we sought to further characterize the efficacy profiles of humanized regimens of standard (500 mg given every 8 h) and high-dose, prolonged infusion of doripenem (2 g given every 8 h, 4-h infusion) and 1 g of ertapenem given intravenously every 24 h and the comparator regimens of ceftazidime at 2 g given every 8 h (2-h infusion), levofloxacin at 500 mg every 24 h, and aztreonam at 2 g every 6 h (1-h infusion) against a wider range of isolates in a murine thigh infection model. An isogenic wild-type strain and NDM-1-producingKlebsiella pneumoniaeand eight clinical NDM-1-producing members of the familyEnterobacteriaceaewere tested in immunocompetent- and neutropenic-mouse models. The wild-type strain was susceptible to all of the agents, while the isogenic NDM-1-producing strain was resistant to ceftazidime, doripenem, and ertapenem. Clinical NDM-1-producing strains were resistant to nearly all five of the agents (two were susceptible to levofloxacin). In immunocompetent mice, all of the agents produced ≥1-log10CFU reductions of the isogenic wild-type and NDM-1-producing strains after 24 h. Minimal efficacy of ceftazidime, aztreonam, and levofloxacin against the clinical NDM-1-producing strains was observed. However, despitein vitroresistance, ≥1-log10CFU reductions of six of eight clinical strains were achieved with high-dose, prolonged infusion of doripenem and ertapenem. Slight enhancements of doripenem activity over the standard doses were obtained with high-dose, prolonged infusion for three of the four isolates tested. Similar efficacy observations were noted in neutropenic mice. These data suggest that carbapenems are a viable treatment option for infections caused by NDM-1-producingEnterobacteriaceae.


1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn J. Merkel ◽  
Barbara A. Scofield ◽  
Frederick J. Rescorla ◽  
Rong Yang ◽  
Jay L. Grosfeld

Stable mutants of Cryptococcus neoformans (strain CSF-1) induced by treatment with ultraviolet light and nitrosoguanidine were isolated that demonstrated reduced adherence to glial cells in culture. Adherence of the mutants, as measured by a radiometric assay, was reduced by 50–70% of that attained for the parent CSF-1 strain. The adherence mutants appeared to be phenotypically similar to the CSF-1 strain. However, all but one mutant (designated as CSF-23) demonstrated slightly slower growth rates than the wild-type strain. The CSF-1 and CSF-23 strains were injected intravenously and intratracheally into normal rats and rats immunosuppressed by cyclophosphamide treatment, and the organ distribution and recovery of viable yeasts determined over 2–96 h. During this relatively short period of observation the majority of the yeasts were localized in the lungs. By either route of injection, the recovery of the CSF-23 adherence mutant was reduced by as much as 90% of that obtained for the wild-type strain. The results indicated that host cell adherence may be important for the persistence of cryptococci in tissue and that further studies with the adherence mutants are warranted.Key words: Cryptococcus, adherence, cryptococcosis, yeast.


2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 299-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Victoria Delpino ◽  
María I. Marchesini ◽  
Silvia M. Estein ◽  
Diego J. Comerci ◽  
Juliana Cassataro ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Choloylglycine hydrolase (CGH), a bile salt hydrolase, has been annotated in all the available genomes of Brucella species. We obtained the Brucella CGH in recombinant form and demonstrated in vitro its capacity to cleave glycocholate into glycine and cholate. Brucella abortus 2308 (wild type) and its isogenic Δcgh deletion mutant exhibited similar growth rates in tryptic soy broth in the absence of bile. In contrast, the growth of the Δcgh mutant was notably impaired by both 5% and 10% bile. The bile resistance of the complemented mutant was similar to that of the wild-type strain. In mice infected through the intragastric or the intraperitoneal route, splenic infection was significantly lower at 10 and 20 days postinfection in animals infected with the Δcgh mutant than in those infected with the wild-type strain. For both routes, no differences in spleen CFU were found between animals infected with the wild-type strain and those infected with the complemented mutant. Mice immunized intragastrically with recombinant CGH mixed with cholera toxin (CGH+CT) developed a specific mucosal humoral (immunoglobulin G [IgG] and IgA) and cellular (interleukin-2) immune responses. Fifteen days after challenge by the same route with live B. abortus 2308 cells, splenic CFU counts were 10-fold lower in mice immunized with CGH+CT than in mice immunized with CT or phosphate-buffered saline. This study shows that CGH confers on Brucella the ability to resist the antimicrobial action of bile salts. The results also suggest that CGH may contribute to the ability of Brucella to infect the host through the oral route.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 1360-1367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Plant ◽  
Johanna Sundqvist ◽  
Susu Zughaier ◽  
Lena Lövkvist ◽  
David S. Stephens ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of Neisseria meningitidis has been implicated in meningococcal interaction with host epithelial cells and is a major factor contributing to the human proinflammatory response to meningococci. LOS mutants of the encapsulated N. meningitidis serogroup B strain NMB were used to further determine the importance of the LOS structure in in vitro adherence and invasion of human pharyngeal epithelial cells by meningococci and to study pathogenicity in a mouse (CD46 transgenic) model of meningococcal disease. The wild-type strain [NeuNAc-Galβ-GlcNAc-Galβ-Glcβ-Hep2 (GlcNAc, Glcα) 3-deoxy-d-manno-2-octulosonic acid (KDO2)-lipid A; 1,4′ bisphosphorylated], although poorly adherent, rapidly invaded an epithelial cell layer in vitro, survived and multiplied early in blood, reached the cerebrospinal fluid, and caused lethal disease in the mouse model. In contrast, the Hep2 (GlcNAc) KDO2-lipid A (pgm) mutant, which was highly adherent to cultured epithelial cells, caused significantly less bacteremia and mortality in the mouse model. The Hep2-KDO2-lipid A (rfaK) mutant was shown to be moderately adherent and to cause levels of bacteremia and mortality similar to those caused by the wild-type strain in the mouse model. The KDO2-lipid A (gmhB) mutant, which lacks the heptose disaccharide in the inner core of LOS, avidly attached to epithelial cells but was otherwise avirulent. Disease development correlated with expression of specific LOS structures and was associated with lower adherence but rapid meningococcal passage to and survival in the bloodstream, induction of proinflammatory cytokines, and the crossing of the blood-brain barrier. Taken together, the results of this study further define the importance of the LOS structure as a virulence component involved in multiple steps in the pathogenesis of N. meningitidis.


2008 ◽  
Vol 76 (12) ◽  
pp. 5438-5446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Suchland ◽  
Brendan M. Jeffrey ◽  
Minsheng Xia ◽  
Ajay Bhatia ◽  
Hencelyn G. Chu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Clinical isolates of Chlamydia trachomatis that lack IncA on their inclusion membrane form nonfusogenic inclusions and have been associated with milder, subclinical infections in patients. The molecular events associated with the generation of IncA-negative strains and their roles in chlamydial sexually transmitted infections are not clear. We explored the biology of the IncA-negative strains by analyzing their genomic structure, transcription, and growth characteristics in vitro and in vivo in comparison with IncA-positive C. trachomatis strains. Three clinical samples were identified that contained a mixture of IncA-positive and -negative same-serovar C. trachomatis populations, and two more such pairs were found in serial isolates from persistently infected individuals. Genomic sequence analysis of individual strains from each of two serovar-matched pairs showed that these pairs were very similar genetically. In contrast, the genome sequence of an unmatched IncA-negative strain contained over 5,000 nucleotide polymorphisms relative to the genome sequence of a serovar-matched but otherwise unlinked strain. Transcriptional analysis, in vitro culture kinetics, and animal modeling demonstrated that IncA-negative strains isolated in the presence of a serovar-matched wild-type strain are phenotypically more similar to the wild-type strain than are IncA-negative strains isolated in the absence of a serovar-matched wild-type strain. These studies support a model suggesting that a change from an IncA-positive strain to the previously described IncA-negative phenotype may involve multiple steps, the first of which involves a translational inactivation of incA, associated with subsequent unidentified steps that lead to the observed decrease in transcript level, differences in growth rate, and differences in mouse infectivity.


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