scholarly journals Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv0341 Promotes Mycobacterium Survival in In Vitro Hostile Environments and within Macrophages and Induces Cytokines Expression

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Abualgasim Elgaili Abdalla ◽  
Shuangquan Yan ◽  
Jie Zeng ◽  
Wanyan Deng ◽  
Longxiang Xie ◽  
...  

Mycobacterium tuberculosis represents an ancient deadly human pathogen that can survive and multiply within macrophages. The effectors are key players for the successful pathogenesis of this bacterium. M. tuberculosis open reading frame (ORF) Rv0341, a pathogenic mycobacteria-specific gene, was found to be upregulated in macrophages isolated from human tuberculosis granuloma and inside the macrophages during in vitro infection by M. tuberculosis. To understand the exact role of this gene, we expressed the Rv0341 gene in M. smegmatis, which is a non-pathogenic Mycobacterium. We found that Rv0341 expression can alter colony morphology, reduce the sliding capability, and decrease the cell wall permeability of M. smegmatis. Furthermore, Rv0341 remarkably enhanced M. smegmatis survival within macrophages and under multiple in vitro stress conditions when compared with the control strain. Ms_Rv0341 significantly induced expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-10 compared with M. smegmatis harboring an empty vector. In summary, these data suggest that Rv0341 is one of the M. tuberculosis virulence determinants that can promote bacilli survival in harsh conditions and inside macrophages.

2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (4) ◽  
pp. F793-F801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Zarjou ◽  
Shanzhong Yang ◽  
Edward Abraham ◽  
Anupam Agarwal ◽  
Gang Liu

Renal fibrosis is a final stage of many forms of kidney disease and leads to impairment of kidney function. The molecular pathogenesis of renal fibrosis is currently not well-understood. microRNAs (miRNAs) are important players in initiation and progression of many pathologic processes including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. However, the role of miRNAs in kidney injury and repair is not well-characterized. In the present study, we found a unique miRNA signature associated with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis. We found altered expression in UUO kidneys of miRNAs that have been shown to be responsive to stimulation by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 or TNF-α. Among these miRNAs, miR-21 demonstrated the greatest increase in UUO kidneys. The enhanced expression of miR-21 was located mainly in distal tubular epithelial cells. miR-21 expression was upregulated in response to treatment with TGF-β1 or TNF-α in human renal tubular epithelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, we found that blocking miR-21 in vivo attenuated UUO-induced renal fibrosis, presumably through diminishing the expression of profibrotic proteins and reducing infiltration of inflammatory macrophages in UUO kidneys. Our data suggest that targeting specific miRNAs could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat renal fibrosis.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 1483-1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Throm ◽  
Stanley M. Spinola

ABSTRACT Haemophilus ducreyi expresses several putative virulence factors in vitro. Isogenic mutant-to-parent comparisons have been performed in a human model of experimental infection to examine whether specific gene products are involved in pathogenesis. Several mutants (momp, ftpA, losB, lst, cdtC, and hhdB) were as virulent as the parent in the human model, suggesting that their gene products did not play a major role in pustule formation. However, we could not exclude the possibility that the gene of interest was not expressed during the initial stages of infection. Biopsies of pustules obtained from volunteers infected with H. ducreyiwere subjected to reverse transcription-PCR. Transcripts corresponding to momp, ftpA, losB, lst, cdtB, and hhdA were expressed in vivo. In addition, transcripts for other putative virulence determinants such as ompA2, tdhA, lspA1, andlspA2 were detected in the biopsies. These results indicate that although several candidate virulence determinants are expressed during experimental infection, they do not have a major role in the initial stages of pathogenesis.


mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lia Danelishvili ◽  
Lmar Babrak ◽  
Sasha J. Rose ◽  
Jamie Everman ◽  
Luiz E. Bermudez

ABSTRACT Inhibition of apoptotic death of macrophages by Mycobacterium tuberculosis represents an important mechanism of virulence that results in pathogen survival both in vitro and in vivo. To identify M. tuberculosis virulence determinants involved in the modulation of apoptosis, we previously screened a transposon bank of mutants in human macrophages, and an M. tuberculosis clone with a nonfunctional Rv3354 gene was identified as incompetent to suppress apoptosis. Here, we show that the Rv3354 gene encodes a protein kinase that is secreted within mononuclear phagocytic cells and is required for M. tuberculosis virulence. The Rv3354 effector targets the metalloprotease (JAMM) domain within subunit 5 of the COP9 signalosome (CSN5), resulting in suppression of apoptosis and in the destabilization of CSN function and regulatory cullin-RING ubiquitin E3 enzymatic activity. Our observation suggests that alteration of the metalloprotease activity of CSN by Rv3354 possibly prevents the ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of M. tuberculosis-secreted proteins. IMPORTANCE Macrophage protein degradation is regulated by a protein complex called a signalosome. One of the signalosomes associated with activation of ubiquitin and protein labeling for degradation was found to interact with a secreted protein from M. tuberculosis, which binds to the complex and inactivates it. The interference with the ability to inactivate bacterial proteins secreted in the phagocyte cytosol may have crucial importance for bacterial survival within the phagocyte.


2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xudong Wang ◽  
Yali Wang ◽  
Mingjian Kong ◽  
Jianping Yang

Abstract Background: Septic acute kidney injury is considered as a severe and frequent complication that occurs during sepsis. The present study was performed to understand the role of miR-22-3p and its underlying mechanism in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury. Methods: Rats were injected with adenovirus carrying miR-22-3p or miR-NC in the caudal vein before cecal ligation. Meanwhile, HK-2 cells were transfected with the above adenovirus following LPS stimulation. We measured the markers of renal injury (blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (SCR)). Histological changes in kidney tissues were examined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), Masson staining, periodic acid Schiff staining and TUNEL staining. The levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NO were determined by ELISA assay. Using TargetScan prediction and luciferase reporter assay, we predicted and validated the association between PTEN and miR-22-3p. Results: Our data showed that miR-22-3p was significantly down-regulated in a rat model of sepsis-induced acute kidney injury, in vivo and LPS-induced sepsis model in HK-2 cells, in vitro. Overexpression of miR-22-3p remarkably suppressed the inflammatory response and apoptosis via down-regulating HMGB1, p-p65, TLR4 and pro-inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and NO), both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, PTEN was identified as a target of miR-22-3p. Furthermore, PTEN knockdown augmented, while overexpression reversed the suppressive role of miR-22-3p in LPS-induced inflammatory response. Conclusions: Our results showed that miR-22-3p induced protective role in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury may rely on the repression of PTEN.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Houghton ◽  
Angela Rodgers ◽  
Graham Rose ◽  
Kristine B. Arnvig

ABSTRACTAlmost 140 years after the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis as the etiological agent of tuberculosis, important aspects of its biology remain poorly described. Little is known about the role of post-transcriptional control of gene expression and RNA biology, including the role of most of the small RNAs (sRNAs) identified to date. We have carried out a detailed investigation of the M. tuberculosis sRNA, F6, and show it to be dependent on SigF for expression and significantly induced during in vitro starvation and in a mouse model of infection. However, we found no evidence of attenuation of a ΔF6 strain within the first 20 weeks of infection. A further exploration of F6 using in vitro models of infection suggests a role for F6 as a highly specific regulator of the heat shock repressor, HrcA. Our results point towards a role for F6 during periods of low metabolic activity similar to cold shock and associated with nutrient starvation such as that found in human granulomas in later stages of infection.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Akrm Ghergab ◽  
Nisha Mohanan ◽  
Grace Saliga ◽  
Ann Karen C. Brassinga ◽  
David Levin ◽  
...  

Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 is a biocontrol agent capable of protecting canola against the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. In addition to producing antifungal compounds, this bacterium synthesizes and accumulates polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) polymers as carbon and energy storage compounds. Because the role of PHA in PA23 physiology is currently unknown, we investigated the impact of this polymer on stress resistance, adherence to surfaces, and interaction with the protozoan predator Acanthamoeba castellanii. Three PHA biosynthesis mutants were created, PA23phaC1, PA23phaC1ZC2, and PA23phaC1ZC2D, which accumulated reduced PHA. Our phenotypic assays revealed that PA23phaC1ZC2D produced less phenazine (PHZ) compared with the wild type (WT) and the phaC1 and phaC1ZC2 mutants. All three mutants exhibited enhanced sensitivity to UV irradiation, starvation, heat stress, cold stress, and hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, motility, exopolysaccharide production, biofilm formation, and root attachment were increased in strains with reduced PHA levels. Interaction studies with the amoeba A. castellanii revealed that the WT and the phaC1 and phaC1ZC2 mutants were consumed less than the phaC1ZC2D mutant, likely due to decreased PHZ production by the latter. Collectively these findings indicate that PHA accumulation enhances PA23 resistance to a number of stresses in vitro, which could improve the environmental fitness of this bacterium in hostile environments.


1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (2) ◽  
pp. R502-R508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianzhong Meng ◽  
Lihua Ao ◽  
Daniel R. Meldrum ◽  
Brian S. Cain ◽  
Brian D. Shames ◽  
...  

Exogenous tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) induces delayed myocardial depression in vivo but promotes rapid myocardial depression in vitro. The temporal relationship between endogenous TNF-α and endotoxemic myocardial depression is unclear, and the role of TNF-α in this myocardial disorder remains controversial. Using a rat model of endotoxemia not complicated by shock, we sought to determine 1) the temporal relationship of changes in circulating and myocardial TNF-α with myocardial depression, 2) the influences of protein synthesis inhibition or immunosuppression on TNF-α production and myocardial depression, and 3) the influence of neutralization of TNF-α on myocardial depression. Rats were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.5 mg/kg ip). Circulating and myocardial TNF-α increased at 1 and 2 h, whereas myocardial contractility was depressed at 4 and 6 h. Pretreatment with cycloheximide or dexamethasone abolished the increase in circulating and myocardial TNF-α and preserved myocardial contractile function. Similarly, treatment with TNF binding protein immediately after LPS prevented myocardial depression. We conclude that endogenous TNF-α mediates delayed myocardial depression in endotoxemic rats and that inhibition of TNF-α production or neutralization of TNF-α preserves myocardial contractile function in endotoxemia.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Huang ◽  
Yanqin Fan ◽  
Zhao Gao ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Ning Shao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Studies have indicated that changed expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in epithelial cells from the kidney could affect the renal function in chronic kidney disease (CKD). As Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a critical active effector in the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and was proved to be closely related to the inflammatory injury. Meanwhile, researchers found that Ang II could alter the expression of HIF-1α in the kidney. However, whether HIF-1α is involved in mediating Ang II-induced inflammatory injury in podocytes is not clear. Methods Ang II perfusion animal model were established to assess the potential role of HIF-1α in renal injury in vivo. Ang II stimulated podocytes to observe the corresponding between HIF-1α and inflammatory factors in vitro. Results The expression of inflammatory cytokines such as MCP-1 and TNF-α was increased in the glomeruli from rats treated with Ang II infusion compared with control rats. Increased HIF-1α expression in the glomeruli was also observed in Ang II-infused rats. In vitro, Ang II upregulated the expression of HIF-1α in podocytes. Furthermore, knockdown of HIF-1α by siRNA decreased the expression of MCP-1 and TNF-α. Moreover, HIF-1α siRNA significantly diminished the Ang II-induced overexpression of HIF-1α. Conclusion Collectively, our results suggest that HIF-1α participates in the inflammatory response process caused by Ang II and that downregulation of HIF-1α may be able to partially protect or reverse inflammatory injury in podocytes.


2004 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2136-2140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Bennermo ◽  
Claes Held ◽  
Sten Stemme ◽  
Carl-Göran Ericsson ◽  
Angela Silveira ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter region of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) gene at position −174 (G>C) has been reported to be associated with a variety of major diseases, such as Alzheimer disease, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease, cancer, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis, sepsis, and systemic-onset juvenile chronic arthritis. However, authors of previous in vitro and in vivo studies have reported conflicting results regarding the functionality of this polymorphism. We therefore aimed to clarify the role of the −174 SNP for the induction of IL-6 in vivo. Methods: We vaccinated 20 and 18 healthy individuals homozygous for the −174 C and G alleles, respectively, with 1 mL of Salmonella typhii vaccine. IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured in the blood at baseline and up to 24 h after vaccination. Results: Individuals with the G genotype had significantly higher plasma IL-6 values at 6, 8, and 10 h after vaccination than did individuals with the C genotype (P <0.005). There were no differences between the two genotypes regarding serum concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α before or after vaccination. Conclusions: The −174 G>C SNP in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene is functional in vivo with an increased inflammatory response associated with the G allele. Considering the central role of IL-6 in a variety of major diseases, the present finding might be of major relevance.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document