scholarly journals Extracellular ATP as an Inter-Kingdom Signaling Molecule: Release Mechanisms by Bacteria and Its Implication on the Host

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5590
Author(s):  
Daniel Spari ◽  
Guido Beldi

The purine adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is not only a universal intracellular energy carrier but plays also an important role as extracellular signaling molecule. Purinergic signaling is involved in many physiological and pathological processes like coagulation, inflammation, or sepsis in mammals. ATP is well-known as a messenger for intercellular communications in multicellular organisms, but phylogenetically much older unicellular organisms like yeast or bacteria use ATP as an extracellular signaling molecule as well. However, the mechanisms of ATP secretion by bacteria and its extracellular implications still have to be elucidated. This review will provide an overview of the current knowledge about bacterial extracellular ATP (eATP) under homeostatic conditions and during growth. Possible secretion mechanisms of ATP by bacteria will be discussed and implications of bacterial ATP are shown, with a focus on bacteria–host interactions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 318 (5) ◽  
pp. C832-C835 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Di Virgilio ◽  
Alba Clara Sarti ◽  
Robson Coutinho-Silva

Danger sensing is one of the most fundamental evolutionary features enabling multicellular organisms to perceive potential threats, escape from risky situations, fight actual intruders, and repair damage. Several endogenous molecules are used to “signal damage,” currently referred to as “alarmins” or “damage-associated molecular patterns” (DAMPs), most being already present within all cells (preformed DAMPs), and thus ready to be released, and others neosynthesized following injury. Over recent years it has become overwhelmingly clear that adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is a ubiquitous and extremely efficient DAMP (thus promoting inflammation), and its main metabolite, adenosine, is a strong immunosuppressant (thus dampening inflammation). Extracellular ATP ligates and activates the P2 purinergic receptors (P2Rs) and is then degraded by soluble and plasma membrane ecto-nucleotidases to generate adenosine acting at P1 purinergic receptors (P1Rs). Extracellular ATP, P2Rs, ecto-nucleotidases, adenosine, and P1Rs are basic elements of the purinergic signaling network and fundamental pillars of inflammation.


Author(s):  
Andrew Clarke

Freezing is a widespread ecological challenge, affecting organisms in over half the terrestrial environment as well as both polar seas. With very few exceptions, if a cell freezes internally, it dies. Polar teleost fish in shallow waters avoid freezing by synthesising a range of protein or glycoprotein antifreezes. Terrestrial organisms are faced with a far greater thermal challenge, and exhibit a more complex array of responses. Unicellular organisms survive freezing temperatures by preventing ice nucleating within the cytosol, and tolerating the cellular dehydration and membrane disruption that follows from ice forming in the external environment. Multicellular organisms survive freezing temperatures by manipulating the composition of the extracellular body fluids. Terrestrial organisms may freeze at high subzero temperatures, often promoted by ice nucleating proteins, and small molecular mass cryoprotectants (often sugars and polyols) moderate the osmotic stress on cells. A range of chaperone proteins (dehydrins, LEA proteins) help maintain the integrity of membranes and macromolecules. Thermal hysteresis (antifreeze) proteins prevent damaging recrystallisation of ice. In some cases arthropods and higher plants prevent freezing in their extracellular fluids and survive by supercooling. Vitrification of extracellular water, or of the cell cytosol, may be a more widespread response to very cold temperatures than recognised to date.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Ping Li ◽  
Lu Lu Zhou ◽  
Yan Hua Guo ◽  
Jian Wen Wang

Abstract Background Adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) plays both a central role as an intracellular energy source, and a crucial extracellular signaling role in diverse physiological processes of animals and plants. However, there are less reports concerning the signaling role of microbial extracellular ATP (eATP). Hypocrellins are effective anticancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents from bambusicolous Shiraia fungi. The co-culture of Shiraia sp. S9 and a bacterium Pseudomonas fulva SB1 isolated from Shiraia fruiting bodies was established for enhanced hypocrellin A (HA) production. The signaling roles of eATP to mediate hypocrellin biosynthesis were investigated in the co-culture. Results The co-culture induced release of eATP at 378 nM to the medium around 4 h. The eATP release was interdependent on cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, respectively. The eATP production could be suppressed by the Ca2+ chelator EGTA or abolished by the channel blocker La3+, ROS scavenger vitamin C and NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI). The bacterium-induced H2O2 production was strongly inhibited by reactive blue (RB), a specific inhibitor of membrane purinoceptors, but dependent on the induced Ca2+ influx in the co-culture. On the other hand, the application of exogenous ATP (exATP) at 10–300 µM to Shiraia cultures also promoted fungal conidiation and HA production, both of which were blocked effectively by the purinoceptor inhibitors pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2′, 4′-disulfonic acid (PPADS) and RB, and ATP hydrolase apyrase. Both the induced expression of HA biosynthetic genes and HA accumulation were inhibited significantly under the blocking of the eATP or Ca2+ signaling, and the scavenge of ROS in the co-culture. Conclusions Our results indicate that eATP release is an early event during the intimate bacterial–fungal interaction and eATP plays a signaling role in the bacterial elicitation on fungal metabolites. Ca2+ and ROS are closely linked for activation of the induced ATP release and its signal transduction. This is the first report on eATP production in the fungal–bacterial co-culture and its involvement in the induced biosynthesis of fungal metabolites. Graphic abstract


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arisa H. Oda ◽  
Miki Tamura ◽  
Kunihiko Kaneko ◽  
Kunihiro Ohta ◽  
Tetsuhiro S. Hatakeyama

When organisms face crises, such as starvation, every individual should adapt to environmental changes (1, 2), or the community alters their behaviour (3–5). Because a stressful environment reduces the carrying capacity (6), the population size of unicellular organisms shrinks in such conditions (7, 8). However, the uniform stress response of the cell community may lead to overall extinction or severely damage their entire fitness. How microbial communities accommodate this dilemma remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate an elaborate strategy of the yeast community against glucose starvation, named the voluntary triage. During starvation, yeast cells release some autotoxins, such as leucic acid and L-2keto-3methylvalerate, which can even kill the cells producing them. Although it may look like mass suicide at first glance, cells use epigenetic “tags” to adapt to the autotoxin inheritably. If non-tagged latecomers, regardless of whether they are closely related, try to invade the habitat, autotoxins kill them and inhibit their growth, but the tagged cells can selectively survive. Phylogenetically distant fission and budding yeast (9) share this strategy using the same autotoxins, which implies that the universal system of voluntary triage may be relevant to the major evolutional transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms (10).


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tozzi ◽  
Jacob B. Hansen ◽  
Ivana Novak

One-sentence summaryInsulin inhibits ATP release in adipocytesAbstractExtracellular ATP signaling is involved in many physiological and pathophysiological processes, and purinergic receptors are targets for drug therapy in several diseases, including obesity and diabetes. Adipose tissue has crucial functions in lipid and glucose metabolism and adipocytes express purinergic receptors. However, the sources of extracellular ATP in adipose tissue are not yet characterized.Here, we show that upon adrenergic stimulation white adipocytes release ATP through the pannexin-1 pore that is regulated by a cAMP-PKA dependent pathway. The ATP release correlates with increased cell metabolism, and extracellular ATP induces Ca2+ signaling and lipolysis in adipocytes and promotes macrophages migration. Most importantly, ATP release is markedly inhibited by insulin, and thereby auto/paracrine purinergic signaling in adipose tissue would be attenuated. Furthermore, we define the signaling pathway for insulin regulated ATP release.Our findings reveal the insulin-pannexin-1-purinergic signaling cross-talk in adipose tissue and we propose that deregulation of this signaling may underlie adipose tissue inflammation and type-2 diabetes.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Bielli ◽  
Vittoria Pagliarini ◽  
Marco Pieraccioli ◽  
Cinzia Caggiano ◽  
Claudio Sette

Brain tumors are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms ranging from almost benign to highly aggressive phenotypes. The malignancy of these tumors mostly relies on gene expression reprogramming, which is frequently accompanied by the aberrant regulation of RNA processing mechanisms. In brain tumors, defects in alternative splicing result either from the dysregulation of expression and activity of splicing factors, or from mutations in the genes encoding splicing machinery components. Aberrant splicing regulation can generate dysfunctional proteins that lead to modification of fundamental physiological cellular processes, thus contributing to the development or progression of brain tumors. Herein, we summarize the current knowledge on splicing abnormalities in brain tumors and how these alterations contribute to the disease by sustaining proliferative signaling, escaping growth suppressors, or establishing a tumor microenvironment that fosters angiogenesis and intercellular communications. Lastly, we review recent efforts aimed at developing novel splicing-targeted cancer therapies, which employ oligonucleotide-based approaches or chemical modulators of alternative splicing that elicit an impact on brain tumor biology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (14) ◽  
pp. 4973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Wirsching ◽  
Michael Fauler ◽  
Giorgio Fois ◽  
Manfred Frick

The distal lung provides an intricate structure for gas exchange in mammalian lungs. Efficient gas exchange depends on the functional integrity of lung alveoli. The cells in the alveolar tissue serve various functions to maintain alveolar structure, integrity and homeostasis. Alveolar epithelial cells secrete pulmonary surfactant, regulate the alveolar surface liquid (ASL) volume and, together with resident and infiltrating immune cells, provide a powerful host-defense system against a multitude of particles, microbes and toxicants. It is well established that all of these cells express purinergic P2 receptors and that purinergic signaling plays important roles in maintaining alveolar homeostasis. Therefore, it is not surprising that purinergic signaling also contributes to development and progression of severe pathological conditions like pulmonary inflammation, acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) and pulmonary fibrosis. Within this review we focus on the role of P2 purinergic signaling in the distal lung in health and disease. We recapitulate the expression of P2 receptors within the cells in the alveoli, the possible sources of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) within alveoli and the contribution of purinergic signaling to regulation of surfactant secretion, ASL volume and composition, as well as immune homeostasis. Finally, we summarize current knowledge of the role for P2 signaling in infectious pneumonia, ALI/ARDS and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).


2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aton M. Holzer ◽  
Richard D. Granstein

Background: The nucleotide adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has long been known to drive and participate in countless intracellular processes. Extracellular ATP and its metabolite adenosine have also been shown to exert a variety of effects on nearly every cell type in human skin. Knowledge of the sources and effects of extracellular ATP in human skin may help shape new therapies for skin injury, inflammation, and numerous other cutaneous disorders. Objective: The objective of this review is to introduce the reader to current knowledge regarding the sources and effects of extracellular ATP in human skin and to outline areas in which further research is necessary to clarify the nature and mechanism of these effects. Conclusion: Extracellular ATP seems to play a direct role in triggering skin inflammatory, regenerative, and fibrotic responses to mechanical injury, an indirect role in melanocyte proliferation and apoptosis, and a complex role in Langerhans cell-directed adaptive immunity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (22) ◽  
pp. 8512
Author(s):  
Carla Trapero ◽  
Mireia Martín-Satué

Endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent gynecological disease, with an associated chronic inflammatory component, characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity. Its predominant symptom is pain, a condition notably altering the quality of life of women with the disease. This review is intended to exhaustively gather current knowledge on purinergic signaling in endometriosis-associated pain. Altered extracellular ATP hydrolysis, due to changes in ectonucleotidase activity, has been reported in endometriosis; the resulting accumulation of ATP in the endometriotic microenvironment points to sustained activation of nucleotide receptors (P2 receptors) capable of generating a persistent pain message. P2X3 receptor, expressed in sensory neurons, mediates nociceptive, neuropathic, and inflammatory pain, and is enrolled in endometriosis-related pain. Pharmacological inhibition of P2X3 receptor is under evaluation as a pain relief treatment for women with endometriosis. The role of other ATP receptors is also discussed here, e.g., P2X4 and P2X7 receptors, which are involved in inflammatory cell–nerve and microglia–nerve crosstalk, and therefore in inflammatory and neuropathic pain. Adenosine receptors (P1 receptors), by contrast, mainly play antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory roles. Purinome-targeted drugs, including nucleotide receptors and metabolizing enzymes, are potential non-hormonal therapeutic tools for the pharmacological management of endometriosis-related pain.


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