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Invasive aspergillosis-on-chip: A quantitative treatment study of human Aspergillus fumigatus infection. Biomaterials 2022; 283:121420. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Stanford FA, Matthies N, Cseresnyés Z, Figge MT, Hassan MIA, Voigt K. Expression Patterns in Reductive Iron Assimilation and Functional Consequences during Phagocytosis of Lichtheimia corymbifera, an Emerging Cause of Mucormycosis. J Fungi (Basel) 2021; 7:jof7040272. [PMID: 33916756 PMCID: PMC8065604 DOI: 10.3390/jof7040272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron is an essential micronutrient for most organisms and fungi are no exception. Iron uptake by fungi is facilitated by receptor-mediated internalization of siderophores, heme and reductive iron assimilation (RIA). The RIA employs three protein groups: (i) the ferric reductases (Fre5 proteins), (ii) the multicopper ferroxidases (Fet3) and (iii) the high-affinity iron permeases (Ftr1). Phenotyping under different iron concentrations revealed detrimental effects on spore swelling and hyphal formation under iron depletion, but yeast-like morphology under iron excess. Since access to iron is limited during pathogenesis, pathogens are placed under stress due to nutrient limitations. To combat this, gene duplication and differential gene expression of key iron uptake genes are utilized to acquire iron against the deleterious effects of iron depletion. In the genome of the human pathogenic fungus L. corymbifera, three, four and three copies were identified for FRE5, FTR1 and FET3 genes, respectively. As in other fungi, FET3 and FTR1 are syntenic and co-expressed in L. corymbifera. Expression of FRE5, FTR1 and FET3 genes is highly up-regulated during iron limitation (Fe-), but lower during iron excess (Fe+). Fe- dependent upregulation of gene expression takes place in LcFRE5 II and III, LcFTR1 I and II, as well as LcFET3 I and II suggesting a functional role in pathogenesis. The syntenic LcFTR1 I–LcFET3 I gene pair is co-expressed during germination, whereas LcFTR1 II- LcFET3 II is co-expressed during hyphal proliferation. LcFTR1 I, II and IV were overexpressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to represent high and moderate expression of intracellular transport of Fe3+, respectively. Challenge of macrophages with the yeast mutants revealed no obvious role for LcFTR1 I, but possible functions of LcFTR1 II and IVs in recognition by macrophages. RIA expression pattern was used for a new model of interaction between L. corymbifera and macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felicia Adelina Stanford
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (F.A.S.); (N.M.); (M.I.A.H.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Nina Matthies
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (F.A.S.); (N.M.); (M.I.A.H.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Zoltán Cseresnyés
- Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute, 12622 Jena, Germany;
| | - Marc Thilo Figge
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute, 12622 Jena, Germany;
| | - Mohamed I. Abdelwahab Hassan
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (F.A.S.); (N.M.); (M.I.A.H.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- National Research Centre, Pests & Plant Protection Department, 33rd El Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
| | - Kerstin Voigt
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research, and Infection Biology—Hans Knöll Institute (HKI), 07745 Jena, Germany; (F.A.S.); (N.M.); (M.I.A.H.)
- Institute of Microbiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany;
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +49-3641-532-1395
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Boero E, Brinkman I, Juliet T, van Yperen E, van Strijp JAG, Rooijakkers SHM, van Kessel KPM. Use of Flow Cytometry to Evaluate Phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus by Human Neutrophils. Front Immunol 2021; 12:635825. [PMID: 33679791 PMCID: PMC7934835 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.635825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neutrophils play a key role in the human immune response to Staphylococcus aureus infections. These professional phagocytes rapidly migrate to the site of infection to engulf bacteria and destroy them via specialized intracellular killing mechanisms. Here we describe a robust and relatively high-throughput flow cytometry assay to quantify phagocytosis of S. aureus by human neutrophils. We show that effective phagocytic uptake of S. aureus is greatly enhanced by opsonization, i.e. the tagging of microbial surfaces with plasma-derived host proteins like antibodies and complement. Our rapid assay to monitor phagocytosis can be used to study neutrophil deficiencies and bacterial evasion, but also provides a powerful tool to assess the opsonic capacity of antibodies, either in the context of natural immune responses or immune therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Boero
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- GlaxoSmithKline Vaccines S.r.l., Siena, Italy
| | - Iris Brinkman
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Thessely Juliet
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Eline van Yperen
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Jos A. G. van Strijp
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Suzan H. M. Rooijakkers
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Kok P. M. van Kessel
- Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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Cseresnyes Z, Hassan MIA, Dahse HM, Voigt K, Figge MT. Quantitative Impact of Cell Membrane Fluorescence Labeling on Phagocytosis Measurements in Confrontation Assays. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1193. [PMID: 32582113 PMCID: PMC7289966 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Phagocytosis is series of steps where the pathogens and the immune cells interact during an invasion. This starts with the adhesion process between the host and pathogen cells, and is followed by the engulfment of the pathogens. Many analytical methods that are applied to characterize phagocytosis based on imaging the host-pathogen confrontation assays rely on the fluorescence labeling of cells. However, the potential effect of the membrane labeling on the quantitative results of the confrontation assays has not been studied in detail. In this study, we determine whether the fluorescence labeling processes themselves influence the results of the phagocytosis measurements. Here, alveolar macrophages, which form one of the most important compartments of the innate immune system, were used as an example of host cells, whereas Aspergillus fumigatus and Lichtheimia corymbifera that cause aspergillosis and mucormycosis, respectively, were studied as examples for pathogens. At first, our study investigated the importance of the sequence of steps of the fixation process when preparing the confrontation assay sample for microscopy studies. Here we showed that applying the fixation agent before the counter-staining causes miscalculations during the determination of the phagocytic measures. Furthermore, we also found that staining the macrophages with various concentrations of DID, as a typical membrane label, in most cases altered the capability of macrophages to phagocytose FITC-stained A. fumigatus and L. corymbifera spores in comparison with unlabeled macrophages. This effect of the DID staining showed a differential character dependent upon the labeling status and the specific type of pathogen. Moreover, labeling the spores of A. fumigatus and L. corymbifera with FITC increased the phagocytic measures during confrontation with unlabeled macrophages when compared to label-free spores. Overall, our study confirms that the staining process itself may significantly manipulate the quantitative outcome of the confrontation assay. As a result of our study, we also developed a user-friendly image analysis tool that analyses confrontation assays both with and without fluorescence labeling of the host cells and of the pathogens. Our image analysis algorithm saves experimental work effort and time, provides more precise results when calculating the phagocytic measures, and delivers a convenient analysis tool for the biologists to monitor host-pathogen interactions as they happen without the artifacts that fluorescence labeling imposes on biological interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltan Cseresnyes
- Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Mohamed I. Abdelwahab Hassan
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of Pests and Plant Protection, National Research Centre, Giza, Egypt
| | - Hans-Martin Dahse
- Infection Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Kerstin Voigt
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Marc Thilo Figge
- Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
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MAIT Cell Activation by Fungal Pathogens. Methods Mol Biol 2019. [PMID: 31792822 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0207-2_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
Abstract
MAIT cells can recognize and respond to several pathogens in a distinct manner. However, many studies are focused on activation by bacteria and by viruses, while reports about molds and MAIT cells are rare. Here, we describe a method to investigate MAIT cell interaction with filamentous fungi from Aspergillus and Mucorales species. This includes preparation of fungal conidia, cell isolation, and analysis by flow cytometry.
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Hassan MIA, Cseresnyes Z, Al-Zaben N, Dahse HM, Vilela de Oliveira RJ, Walther G, Voigt K, Figge MT. The geographical region of origin determines the phagocytic vulnerability of Lichtheimia strains. Environ Microbiol 2019; 21:4563-4581. [PMID: 31330072 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Mucormycoses are life-threatening infections that affect patients suffering from immune deficiencies. We performed phagocytosis assays confronting various strains of Lichtheimia species with alveolar macrophages, which form the first line of defence of the innate immune system. To investigate 17 strains from four different continents in a comparative fashion, transmitted light and confocal fluorescence microscopy was applied in combination with automated image analysis. This interdisciplinary approach enabled the objective and quantitative processing of the big volume of image data. Applying machine-learning supported methods, a spontaneous clustering of the strains was revealed in the space of phagocytic measures. This clustering was not driven by measures of fungal morphology but rather by the geographical origin of the fungal strains. Our study illustrates the crucial contribution of machine-learning supported automated image analysis to the qualitative discovery and quantitative comparison of major factors affecting host-pathogen interactions. We found that the phagocytic vulnerability of Lichtheimia species depends on their geographical origin, where strains within each geographic region behaved similarly, but strongly differed amongst the regions. Based on this clustering, we were able to also classify clinical isolates with regard to their potential geographical origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed I Abdelwahab Hassan
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,Pests & Plant Protection Department, National Research Centre, 33rd El Buhouth St., 12622 Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Zoltan Cseresnyes
- Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Naim Al-Zaben
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Hans-Martin Dahse
- Infection Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Rafael J Vilela de Oliveira
- Post-Graduate Course in the Biology of Fungi, Department of Mycology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Nelson Chaves, s/n, Recife, Prince Edward Island, Brazil
| | - Grit Walther
- National Reference Center for Invasive Fungal Infections, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
| | - Kerstin Voigt
- Jena Microbial Resource Collection, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany.,Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Marc Thilo Figge
- Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany.,Applied Systems Biology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany
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