scholarly journals Feature of Adhesins Produced by Human Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium intracellulare, Mycobacterium intracellulare subsp. chimaera and Closely Related Species

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 1154
Author(s):  
Louise H. Lefrancois ◽  
Thierry Cochard ◽  
Maxime Branger ◽  
Olivia Peuchant ◽  
Cyril Conde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Avium ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Heparin Binding ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Mycobacterium Intracellulare ◽  
Green Fluorescent

The Mycobacterium avium complex includes two closely related species, Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare. They are opportunistic pathogens in humans and responsible for severe disease in a wide variety of animals. Yet, little is known about factors involved in their pathogenicity. Here, we identified, purified and characterized adhesins belonging to the heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA) and laminin-binding protein (LBP) family from M. intracellulare ATCC13950 and examined clinical isolates from patients with different pathologies associated with M. intracellulare infection for the presence and conservation of HBHA and LBP. Using a recombinant derivative strain of M. intracellulare ATCC13950 producing green fluorescent protein and luciferase, we found that the addition of heparin inhibited mycobacterial adherence to A549 cells, whereas the addition of laminin enhanced adherence. Both HBHA and LBP were purified by heparin-Sepharose chromatography and their methylation profiles were determined by mass spectrometry. Patients with M. intracellulare infection mounted strong antibody responses to both proteins. By using PCR and immunoblot analyses, we found that both proteins were highly conserved among all 17 examined clinical M. intracellulare isolates from patients with diverse disease manifestations, suggesting a conserved role of these adhesins in M. intracellulare virulence in humans and their potential use as a diagnostic tool.

scholarly journals Novel Real-Time Monitoring System for Human Cytomegalovirus- Infected Cells In Vitro That Uses a Green Fluorescent Protein-PML-Expressing Cell Line

2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 2806-2813 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Ueno ◽  
Y. Eizuru ◽  
H. Katano ◽  
T. Kurata ◽  
T. Sata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cell Line ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Human Cytomegalovirus ◽  
Hcmv Infection ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Pml Bodies ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies are discrete nuclear foci that are intimately associated with many DNA viruses. In human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, the IE1 (for “immediate-early 1”) protein has a marked effect on PML bodies via de-SUMOylation of PML protein. Here, we report a novel real-time monitoring system for HCMV-infected cells using a newly established cell line (SE/15) that stably expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP)-PML protein. In SE/15 cells, HCMV infection causes specific and efficient dispersion of GFP-PML bodies in an IE1-dependent manner, allowing the infected cells to be monitored by fluorescence microscopy without immunostaining. Since a specific change in the detergent solubility of GFP-PML occurs upon infection, the infected cells can be quantified by GFP fluorescence measurement after extraction. With this assay, the inhibitory effects of heparin and neutralizing antibodies were determined in small-scale cultures, indicating its usefulness for screening inhibitory reagents for laboratory virus strains. Furthermore, we established a sensitive imaging assay by counting the number of nuclei containing dispersed GFP-PML, which is applicable for titration of slow-growing clinical isolates. In all strains tested, the virus titers estimated by the GFP-PML imaging assay were well correlated with the plaque-forming cell numbers determined in human embryonic lung cells. Coculture of SE/15 cells and HCMV-infected fibroblasts permitted a rapid and reliable method for estimating the 50% inhibitory concentration values of drugs for clinical isolates in susceptibility testing. Taken together, these results demonstrate the development of a rapid, sensitive, quantitative, and specific detection system for HCMV-infected cells involving a simple procedure that can be used for titration of low-titer clinical isolates.

scholarly journals Identification of a Movement Protein of the Tenuivirus Rice Stripe Virus

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (24) ◽  
pp. 12304-12311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruyi Xiong ◽  
Jianxiang Wu ◽  
Yijun Zhou ◽  
Xueping Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Nicotiana Benthamiana ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Rice Stripe Virus ◽  
Potato Virus X ◽  
Infected Leaf ◽  
Biolistic Bombardment ◽  
Movement Proteins ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT Rice stripe virus (RSV) is the type member of the genus Tenuivirus. RSV has four single-stranded RNAs and causes severe disease in rice fields in different parts of China. To date, no reports have described how RSV spreads within host plants or the viral and/or host factor(s) required for tenuivirus movement. We investigated functions of six RSV-encoded proteins using trans-complementation experiments and biolistic bombardment. We demonstrate that NSvc4, encoded by RSV RNA4, supports the intercellular trafficking of a movement-deficient Potato virus X in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We also determined that upon biolistic bombardment or agroinfiltration, NSvc4:enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) fusion proteins localize predominantly near or within the walls of onion and tobacco epidermal cells. In addition, the NSvc4:eGFP fusion protein can move from initially bombarded cells to neighboring cells in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. Immunocytochemistry using tissue sections from RSV-infected rice leaves and an RSV NSvc4-specific antibody showed that the NSvc4 protein accumulated in walls of RSV-infected leaf cells. Gel retardation assays revealed that the NSvc4 protein interacts with single-stranded RNA in vitro, a common feature of many reported plant viral movement proteins (MPs). RSV NSvc4 failed to interact with the RSV nucleocapsid protein using yeast two-hybrid assays. Taken together, our data indicate that RSV NSvc4 is likely an MP of the virus. This is the first report describing a tenuivirus MP.

scholarly journals Systematic survey of deubiquitinase localization identifies USP21 as a regulator of centrosome- and microtubule-associated functions

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 1095-1103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Urbé ◽  
Han Liu ◽  
Sebastian D. Hayes ◽  
Claire Heride ◽  
Daniel J. Rigden ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Vitro Assay ◽  
Microtubule Binding ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Physiological Processes ◽  
Associated Functions ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Ubiquitination is a reversible modification that influences a broad range of physiological processes. There are approximately 90 deubiquitinases (DUBs) encoded in the human genome, of which 79 are predicted to have catalytic activity. We tagged 66 DUBs with green fluorescent protein and systematically surveyed their subcellular distribution, identifying enzymes specific to the nucleus, plasma membrane, and secretory and endocytic pathways. USP21 is unique in showing clear association with both centrosomes and microtubules. Using an in vitro assay, we show that microtubule binding is direct and identify a novel microtubule-binding motif encompassed within amino acids 59–75 of the N-terminus of USP21. Our functional studies indicate a key role for USP21 in the governance of microtubule- and centrosome-associated physiological processes: Depletion of USP21 in A549 cells compromises the reestablishment of a radial array of microtubules during recovery from cold-induced depolymerization and also reduces the probability of primary cilium formation, whereas USP21 knockdown in PC12 cells inhibits nerve growth factor–induced neurite outgrowth.

scholarly journals Mapping of Transcription Termination within the S Segment of SFTS Phlebovirus Facilitated Generation of NSs Deletant Viruses

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Brennan ◽  
Veronica V. Rezelj ◽  
Richard M. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Virus Infection ◽  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Nonstructural Protein ◽  
Transcription Termination ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Open Reading Frame ◽  
Coding Region ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Green Fluorescent

ABSTRACT SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV) is an emerging tick-borne bunyavirus that was first reported in China in 2009. Here we report the generation of a recombinant SFTSV (rHB29NSsKO) that cannot express the viral nonstructural protein (NSs) upon infection of cells in culture. We show that rHB29NSsKO replication kinetics are greater in interferon (IFN)-incompetent cells and that the virus is unable to suppress IFN induced in response to viral replication. The data confirm for the first time in the context of virus infection that NSs acts as a virally encoded IFN antagonist and that NSs is dispensable for virus replication. Using 3′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE), we mapped the 3′ end of the N and NSs mRNAs, showing that the mRNAs terminate within the coding region of the opposite open reading frame. We show that the 3′ end of the N mRNA terminates upstream of a 5′-GCCAGCC-3′ motif present in the viral genomic RNA. With this knowledge, and using virus-like particles, we could demonstrate that the last 36 nucleotides of the NSs open reading frame (ORF) were needed to ensure the efficient termination of the N mRNA and were required for recombinant virus rescue. We demonstrate that it is possible to recover viruses lacking NSs (expressing just a 12-amino-acid NSs peptide or encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein [eGFP]) or an NSs-eGFP fusion protein in the NSs locus. This opens the possibility for further studies of NSs and potentially the design of attenuated viruses for vaccination studies. IMPORTANCE SFTS phlebovirus (SFTSV) and related tick-borne viruses have emerged globally since 2009. SFTSV has been shown to cause severe disease in humans. For bunyaviruses, it has been well documented that the nonstructural protein (NSs) enables the virus to counteract the human innate antiviral defenses and that NSs is one of the major determinants of virulence in infection. Therefore, the use of reverse genetics systems to engineer viruses lacking NSs is an attractive strategy to rationally attenuate bunyaviruses. Here we report the generation of several recombinant SFTS viruses that cannot express the NSs protein or have the NSs open reading frame replaced with a reporter gene. These viruses cannot antagonize the mammalian interferon (IFN) response mounted to virus infection. The generation of NSs-lacking viruses was achieved by mapping the transcriptional termination of two S-segment-derived subgenomic mRNAs, which revealed that transcription termination occurs upstream of a 5′-GCCAGCC-3′ motif present in the virus genomic S RNA.

scholarly journals The Actin-Driven Movement and Formation of Acetylcholine Receptor Clusters

2000 ◽  
Vol 150 (6) ◽  
pp. 1321-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhengshan Dai ◽  
Xiaoyan Luo ◽  
Hongbo Xie ◽  
H. Benjamin Peng
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Acetylcholine Receptor ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Heparin Binding ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Achr Cluster ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Receptor Clusters

A new method was devised to visualize actin polymerization induced by postsynaptic differentiation signals in cultured muscle cells. This entails masking myofibrillar filamentous (F)-actin with jasplakinolide, a cell-permeant F-actin–binding toxin, before synaptogenic stimulation, and then probing new actin assembly with fluorescent phalloidin. With this procedure, actin polymerization associated with newly induced acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clustering by heparin-binding growth-associated molecule–coated beads and by agrin was observed. The beads induced local F-actin assembly that colocalized with AChR clusters at bead–muscle contacts, whereas both the actin cytoskeleton and AChR clusters induced by bath agrin application were diffuse. By expressing a green fluorescent protein–coupled version of cortactin, a protein that binds to active F-actin, the dynamic nature of the actin cytoskeleton associated with new AChR clusters was revealed. In fact, the motive force generated by actin polymerization propelled the entire bead-induced AChR cluster with its attached bead to move in the plane of the membrane. In addition, actin polymerization is also necessary for the formation of both bead and agrin-induced AChR clusters as well as phosphotyrosine accumulation, as shown by their blockage by latrunculin A, a toxin that sequesters globular (G)-actin and prevents F-actin assembly. These results show that actin polymerization induced by synaptogenic signals is necessary for the movement and formation of AChR clusters and implicate a role of F-actin as a postsynaptic scaffold for the assembly of structural and signaling molecules in neuromuscular junction formation.

scholarly journals Comparing Avocado, Swamp Bay, and Camphortree as Hosts of Raffaelea lauricola Using a Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-Labeled Strain of the Pathogen

2017 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. S. Campbell ◽  
R. C. Ploetz ◽  
J. A. Rollins
Keyword(s):  
Green Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Persea Americana ◽  
Laurel Wilt ◽  
Xyleborus Glabratus ◽  
Raffaelea Lauricola ◽  
The Family ◽  
Pathogen Colonization ◽  
Green Fluorescent

Raffaelea lauricola, a fungal symbiont of the ambrosia beetle Xyleborus glabratus, causes laurel wilt in members of the Lauraceae plant family. North American species in the family, such as avocado (Persea americana) and swamp bay (P. palustris), are particularly susceptible to laurel wilt, whereas the Asian camphortree (Cinnamomum camphora) is relatively tolerant. To determine whether susceptibility is related to pathogen colonization, a green fluorescent protein-labeled strain of R. lauricola was generated and used to inoculate avocado, swamp bay, and camphortree. Trees were harvested 3, 10, and 30 days after inoculation (DAI), and disease severity was rated on a 1-to-10 scale. By 30 DAI, avocado and swamp bay developed significantly more severe disease than camphortree (mean severities of 6.8 and 5.5 versus 1.6, P < 0.003). The extent of xylem colonization was recorded as the percentage of lumena that were colonized by the pathogen. More xylem was colonized in avocado than camphortree (0.9% versus 0.1%, P < 0.03) but colonization in swamp bay (0.4%) did not differ significantly from either host. Although there were significant correlations between xylem colonization and laurel wilt severity in avocado (r = 0.74), swamp bay (r = 0.82), and camphortree (r = 0.87), even severely affected trees of all species were scarcely colonized by the pathogen.

scholarly journals Demonstration of Allelic Exchange in the Slow-Growing Bacterium Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis, and Generation of Mutants with Deletions at the pknG, relA, and lsr2 Loci

2008 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1687-1695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Taek Park ◽  
John L. Dahl ◽  
John P. Bannantine ◽  
Raúl G. Barletta ◽  
Jongsam Ahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Avium ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Virulent Strain ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein Gene ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Allelic Exchange ◽  
Functional Studies ◽  
Mycobacterium Avium Subsp Paratuberculosis ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Transduction Frequency

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis is the causative pathogen of Johne's disease, a chronic inflammatory wasting disease in ruminants. This disease has been difficult to control because of the lack of an effective vaccine. To address this need, we adapted a specialized transduction system originally developed for M. tuberculosis and modified it to improve the efficiency of allelic exchange in order to generate site-directed mutations in preselected M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis genes. With our novel optimized method, the allelic exchange frequency was 78 to 100% and the transduction frequency was 1.1 × 10−7 to 2.9 × 10−7. Three genes were selected for mutagenesis: pknG and relA, which are genes that are known to be important virulence factors in M. tuberculosis and M. bovis, and lsr2, a gene regulating lipid biosynthesis and antibiotic resistance. Mutants were successfully generated with a virulent strain of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis (M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis K10) and with a recombinant K10 strain expressing the green fluorescent protein gene, gfp. The improved efficiency of disruption of selected genes in M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis should accelerate development of additional mutants for vaccine testing and functional studies.

scholarly journals Mycobacterium avium Genes Associated with the Ability To Form a Biofilm

2006 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 819-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshitaka Yamazaki ◽  
Lia Danelishvili ◽  
Martin Wu ◽  
Molly MacNab ◽  
Luiz E. Bermudez
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Avium ◽  
Fatty Acid Biosynthesis ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Tca Cycle ◽  
Promoter Library ◽  
The Tca Cycle ◽  
Important Pathway ◽  
Mutant Bank ◽  
Green Fluorescent ◽  
Mycobacterial Strain

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium avium is widely distributed in the environment, and it is chiefly found in water and soil. M. avium, as well as Mycobacterium smegmatis, has been recognized to produce a biofilm or biofilm-like structure. We screened an M. avium green fluorescent protein (GFP) promoter library in M. smegmatis for genes involved in biofilm formation on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plates. Clones associated with increased GFP expression ≥2.0-fold over the baseline were sequenced. Seventeen genes, most encoding proteins of the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and GDP-mannose and fatty acid biosynthesis, were identified. Their regulation in M. avium was confirmed by examining the expression of a set of genes by real-time PCR after incubation on PVC plates. In addition, screening of 2,000 clones of a transposon mutant bank constructed using M. avium strain A5, a mycobacterial strain with the ability to produce large amounts of biofilm, revealed four mutants with an impaired ability to form biofilm. Genes interrupted by transposons were homologues of M. tuberculosis 6-oxodehydrogenase (sucA), enzymes of the TCA cycle, protein synthetase (pstB), enzymes of glycopeptidolipid (GPL) synthesis, and Rv1565c (a hypothetical membrane protein). In conclusion, it appears that GPL biosynthesis, including the GDP-mannose biosynthesis pathway, is the most important pathway involved in the production of M. avium biofilm.

scholarly journals Novel Drexlerviridae bacteriophage KMI8 with specific lytic activity against Klebsiella michiganensis and its biofilms

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. e0257102
Author(s):  
Heng Ku ◽  
Mwila Kabwe ◽  
Hiu Tat Chan ◽  
Cassandra Stanton ◽  
Steve Petrovski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Lytic Activity ◽  
Lytic Bacteriophage ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
First Report ◽  
Bacterial Genus ◽  
Functional Characterisation ◽  
Query Cover ◽  
The Family

The bacterial genus Klebsiella includes the closely related species K. michiganensis, K. oxytoca and K. pneumoniae, which are capable of causing severe disease in humans. In this report we describe the isolation, genomic and functional characterisation of the lytic bacteriophage KMI8 specific for K. michiganensis. KMI8 belongs to the family Drexlerviridae, and has a novel genome which shares very little homology (71.89% identity over a query cover of only 8%) with that of its closest related bacteriophages (Klebsiella bacteriophage LF20 (MW417503.1); Klebsiella bacteriophage 066039 (MW042802.1). KMI8, which possess a putative endosialidase (depolymerase) enzyme, was shown to be capable of degrading mono-biofilms of a strain of K. michiganensis that carried the polysaccharide capsule KL70 locus. This is the first report of a lytic bacteriophage for K. michiganensis, which is capable of breaking down a biofilm of this species.

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