scholarly journals Protein Aggregation is Associated with Acinetobacter baumannii Desiccation Tolerance

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xun Wang ◽  
Cody G. Cole ◽  
Cory D. DuPai ◽  
Bryan W. Davies

Desiccation tolerance has been implicated as an important characteristic that potentiates the spread of the bacterial pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii on dry surfaces. Here we explore several factors influencing desiccation survival of A. baumannii. At the macroscale level, we find that desiccation tolerance is influenced by cell density and growth phase. A transcriptome analysis indicates that desiccation represents a unique state for A. baumannii compared to commonly studied growth phases and strongly influences pathways responsible for proteostasis. Remarkably, we find that an increase in total cellular protein aggregates, which is often considered deleterious, correlates positively with the ability of A. baumannii to survive desiccation. We show that inducing protein aggregate formation prior to desiccation increases survival and, importantly, that proteins incorporated into cellular aggregates can retain activity. Our results suggest that protein aggregates may promote desiccation tolerance in A. baumannii through preserving and protecting proteins from damage during desiccation until rehydration occurs.

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (162) ◽  
pp. 20190775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Axel Petzold ◽  
Ching-Hua Lu ◽  
Mike Groves ◽  
Johan Gobom ◽  
Henrik Zetterberg ◽  
...  

Human proteins have not been reported to survive in free nature, at ambient temperature, for long periods. Particularly, the human brain rapidly dissolves after death due to auto-proteolysis and putrefaction. The here presented discovery of 2600-year-old brain proteins from a radiocarbon dated human brain provides new evidence for extraordinary long-term stability of non-amyloid protein aggregates. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed the preservation of neurocytoarchitecture in the ancient brain, which appeared shrunken and compact compared to a modern brain. Resolution of intermediate filaments (IFs) from protein aggregates took 2–12 months. Immunoassays on micro-dissected brain tissue homogenates revealed the preservation of the known protein topography for grey and white matter for type III (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) and IV (neurofilaments, Nfs) IFs. Mass spectrometry data could be matched to a number of peptide sequences, notably for GFAP and Nfs. Preserved immunogenicity of the prehistoric human brain proteins was demonstrated by antibody generation (GFAP, Nfs, myelin basic protein). Unlike brain proteins, DNA was of poor quality preventing reliable sequencing. These long-term data from a unique ancient human brain demonstrate that aggregate formation permits for the preservation of brain proteins for millennia.


2016 ◽  
Vol 397 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Richter-Landsberg

Abstract Oligodendrocytes are dependent on an intact, dynamic microtubule (MT) network, which participates in the elaboration and stabilization of myelin forming extensions, and is essential for cellular sorting processes. The microtubule-associated protein tau is constituent of oligodendrocytes. During culture maturation it is developmentally regulated and important for MT stability, MT formation and intracellular trafficking. Downregulation of tau impairs process outgrowth and the transport of myelin basic protein (MBP) mRNA to the cell periphery. Cells fail to differentiate into MBP-expressing, sheet-forming oligodendrocytes. Tau-positive inclusions originating in oligodendrocytes and white matter pathology are prominent in frontotemporal dementias, such as Pick’s disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration. An impairment or overload of the proteolytic degradation systems, i.e. the ubiquitin proteasomal system and the lysosomal degradation pathway, has been connected to the formation of protein aggregates. Large protein aggregates are excluded from the proteasome and degraded by autophagy, which is a highly selective process and requires receptor proteins for ubiquitinated proteins, including histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6). HDAC6 is present in oligodendrocytes, and α-tubulin and tau are substrates of HDAC6. In this review our current knowledge of the role of tau and protein aggregate formation in oligodendrocyte cell culture systems is summarized.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogesh Tak ◽  
Silviya S. Lal ◽  
Shilpa Gopan ◽  
Madhumitha Balakrishnan ◽  
Amit K. Verma ◽  
...  

AbstractHsp70s and J-domain proteins (JDPs) are among the most critical components of the cellular protein quality control machinery, playing crucial roles in preventing and solubilizing cytotoxic protein aggregates. Bacteria, yeast and plants additionally have large, multimeric Hsp100-class disaggregases which, allow the resolubilization of otherwise “dead-end” aggregates, including amyloids. JDPs interact with aggregated proteins and specify the aggregate remodeling activities of Hsp70s and Hsp100s. Plants have a complex network of cytosolic Hsp70s and JDPs, however the aggregate remodeling properties of plant JDPs are not well understood. Here we identify evolutionary-conserved Class II JDPs in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana with distinct aggregate remodeling functionalities. We identify eight plant orthologs of the yeast protein, Sis1, the principal JDP responsible for directing the yeast chaperone machinery for remodeling protein aggregates. Expression patterns vary dramatically among the eight paralogous proteins under a variety of stress conditions, indicating their subfunctionalization to address distinct stressors. Consistent with a role in solubilizing cytotoxic protein aggregates, six of these plant JDPs associate with heat-induced protein aggregates in vivo as well as colocalize with plant Hsp101 to distinct heat-induced protein aggregate centers. Finally, we show that these six JDPs can differentially remodel multiple model protein aggregates in yeast confirming their involvement in aggregate resolubilization. These results demonstrate that compared to complex metazoans, plants have a robust network of JDPs involved in aggregate remodeling activities with the capacity to process a variety of protein aggregate conformers.


1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Freeman ◽  
V Hornsey ◽  
D S Pepper ◽  
P R Foster ◽  
L Winkelman ◽  
...  

Heating of blood products to reduce viral infectivity is now a standard practice. Such treatment may also modify the constituent proteins, reducing their activity or altering their structure with potentially harmful consequences for the recipient. Partially denatured proteins frequently form aggregates, which are often immunogenic and could precipitate immune complex formation, allergic reactions and kidney damage. In addition they may contribute to the development of AIDS after HIV infection by inducing a persistent state of T-cell activation.Protein aggregate formation in factor VIII and factor IX (II + X) concentrates has been investigated by fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), which proved to be a rapid, convenient method for this purpose. Freeze-drying alone resulted in aggregate formation in intermediate purity FVIII concentrates, but not in FIX concentrates. However, aggregates were detected after heating the FIX concentrate at 80°C for 72h in the dry state. Dry heating of intermediate purity FVIII concentrates to 68°C for 24h also increased the content of protein aggregates, which contained fibrinogen and fibronectin but little IgG. In this product, the aggregate content after heating correlated with total protein concentration. A higher purity FVIII concentrate selectively depleted in fibrinogen and fibronectin also contained protein aggregates after freeze-drying, but heating this product at 80°C for 72h resulted in a relatively small increase in aggregate content. Haemophiliacs receiving regular injections of heated concentrates are constantly exposed to protein aggregates. They should be monitored for any harmful effects, and manufacturers should aim to reduce the aggregate content of their products.


Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 96
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Dollery ◽  
Daniel V. Zurawski ◽  
Elena K. Gaidamakova ◽  
Vera Y. Matrosova ◽  
John K. Tobin ◽  
...  

Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacterial pathogen that is often multidrug-resistant (MDR) and causes a range of life-threatening illnesses, including pneumonia, septicemia, and wound infections. Some antibiotic treatments can reduce mortality if dosed early enough before an infection progresses, but there are few other treatment options when it comes to MDR-infection. Although several prophylactic strategies have been assessed, no vaccine candidates have advanced to clinical trials or have been approved. Herein, we rapidly produced protective whole-cell immunogens from planktonic and biofilm-like cultures of A. baumannii, strain AB5075 grown using a variety of methods. After selecting a panel of five cultures based on distinct protein profiles, replicative activity was extinguished by exposure to 10 kGy gamma radiation in the presence of a Deinococcus antioxidant complex composed of manganous (Mn2+) ions, a decapeptide, and orthophosphate. Mn2+ antioxidants prevent hydroxylation and carbonylation of irradiated proteins, but do not protect nucleic acids, yielding replication-deficient immunogenic A. baumannii vaccine candidates. Mice were immunized and boosted twice with 1.0 × 107 irradiated bacterial cells and then challenged intranasally with AB5075 using two mouse models. Planktonic cultures grown for 16 h in rich media and biofilm cultures grown in static cultures underneath minimal (M9) media stimulated immunity that led to 80–100% protection.


CHEST Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 144 (4) ◽  
pp. 260A
Author(s):  
Yavuz Havlucu ◽  
Onder Utku Datli ◽  
Aysin Sakar Coskun ◽  
Pinar Celik ◽  
Tugba Goktalay ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
pp. jbc.RA120.014415
Author(s):  
Tapas Mukherjee ◽  
Valeria Ramaglia ◽  
Mena Abdel-Nour ◽  
Athanasia A Bianchi ◽  
Jessica Tsalikis ◽  
...  

Large cytosolic protein aggregates are removed by two main cellular processes, autophagy and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), and defective clearance of these protein aggregates results in proteotoxicity and cell death. Recently, we found that the eIF2α kinase heme-regulated inhibitory (HRI) induced a cytosolic unfolded protein response (cUPR) to prevent aggregation of innate immune signalosomes, but whether HRI acts as a general sensor of proteotoxicity in the cytosol remains unclear. Here we show that HRI controls autophagy to clear cytosolic protein aggregates when the UPS is inhibited. We further report that silencing HRI expression resulted in decreased levels of BAG3 and HSPB8, two proteins involved in chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA), suggesting that HRI controls proteostasis in the cytosol at least in part through CASA. Moreover, knocking down the expression of HRI resulted in cytotoxic accumulation of over-expressed α-synuclein, a protein known to aggregate in Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. In agreement with these data, protein aggregate accumulation and microglia activation were observed in the spinal cord white matter of 7-month old Hri-/- mice as compared to Hri+/+ littermates. Moreover, aged Hri-/- mice showed accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein, indicative of misfolded proteins, in the lateral collateral pathway, a region of the sacral spinal cord horn that receives visceral sensory afferents from the bladder and distal colon, a pathological feature common to α-synucleinopathies in humans. Together, these results suggest that HRI contributes to a general cUPR that could be leveraged to bolster the clearance of cytotoxic protein aggregates.


eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco J Piña ◽  
Maho Niwa

Stress induced by cytoplasmic protein aggregates can have deleterious consequences for the cell, contributing to neurodegeneration and other diseases. Protein aggregates are also formed within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), although the fate of ER protein aggregates, specifically during cell division, is not well understood. By simultaneous visualization of both the ER itself and ER protein aggregates, we found that ER protein aggregates that induce ER stress are retained in the mother cell by activation of the ER Stress Surveillance (ERSU) pathway, which prevents inheritance of stressed ER. In contrast, under conditions of normal ER inheritance, ER protein aggregates can enter the daughter cell. Thus, whereas cytoplasmic protein aggregates are retained in the mother cell to protect the functional capacity of daughter cells, the fate of ER protein aggregates is determined by whether or not they activate the ERSU pathway to impede transmission of the cortical ER during the cell cycle.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Demirdjian ◽  
Hector Sanchez ◽  
Daniel Hopkins ◽  
Brent Berwin

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosais a bacterial pathogen that causes severe chronic infections in immunocompromised individuals. This bacterium is highly adaptable to its environments, which frequently select for traits that promote bacterial persistence. A clinically significant temporal adaptation is the formation of surface- or cell-adhered bacterial biofilms that are associated with increased resistance to immune and antibiotic clearance. Extensive research has shown that bacterial flagellar motility promotes formation of such biofilms, whereupon the bacteria subsequently become nonmotile. However, recent evidence shows that antibiotic-tolerant nonattached bacterial aggregates, distinct from surface-adhered biofilms, can form, and these have been reported in the context of lung infections, otitis media, nonhealing wounds, and soft tissue fillers. It is unclear whether the same bacterial traits are required for aggregate formation as for biofilm formation. In this report, using isogenic mutants, we demonstrate thatP. aeruginosaaggregates in liquid cultures are spontaneously formed independent of bacterial flagellar motility and independent of an exogenous scaffold. This contrasts with the role of the flagellum to initiate surface-adhered biofilms. Similarly to surface-attached biofilms, these aggregates exhibit increased antibiotic tolerance compared to planktonic cultures. These findings provide key insights into the requirements for aggregate formation that contrast with those for biofilm formation and that may have relevance for the persistence and dissemination of nonmotile bacteria found within chronic clinical infections.IMPORTANCEIn this work, we have investigated the role of bacterial motility with regard to antibiotic-tolerant bacterial aggregate formation. Previous work has convincingly demonstrated thatP. aeruginosaflagellar motility promotes the formation of surface-adhered biofilms in many systems. In contrast, aggregate formation byP. aeruginosawas observed for nonmotile but not for motile cells in the presence of an exogenous scaffold. Here, we demonstrate that both wild-typeP. aeruginosaand mutants that genetically lack motility spontaneously form antibiotic-tolerant aggregates in the absence of an exogenously added scaffold. Additionally, we also demonstrate that wild-type (WT) and nonmotileP. aeruginosabacteria can coaggregate, shedding light on potential physiological interactions and heterogeneity of aggregates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Brock A. Arivett ◽  
Angella Charnot-Katsikas ◽  
Cindy Bethel ◽  
Steven E. Fiester ◽  
Luis A. Actis

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacterial pathogen with serious implications for human health and is recognized as an urgent threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Total DNA from two A. baumannii clinical isolates collected over 3 days from a fatal case of necrotizing fasciitis has been sequenced to >30× coverage.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document