The Salmonella effector SopB prevents ROS-induced apoptosis of epithelial cells by retarding TRAF6 recruitment to mitochondria

Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species in Infection and Immunity

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contain at least one oxygen atom and one or more unpaired electrons and include singlet oxygen, superoxide anion radical, hydroxyl radical, hydroperoxyl radical, and free nitrogen radicals. Intracellular ROS can be formed as a consequence of several factors, including ultra-violet (UV) radiation, electron leakage during aerobic respiration, inflammatory responses mediated by macrophages, and other external stimuli or stress. The enhanced production of ROS is termed oxidative stress and this leads to cellular damage, such as protein carbonylation, lipid peroxidation, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and base modifications. This damage may manifest in various pathological states, including ageing, cancer, neurological diseases, and metabolic disorders like diabetes. On the other hand, the optimum levels of ROS have been implicated in the regulation of many important physiological processes. For example, the ROS generated in the mitochondria (mitochondrial ROS or mt-ROS), as a byproduct of the electron transport chain (ETC), participate in a plethora of physiological functions, which include ageing, cell growth, cell proliferation, and immune response and regulation. In this current review, we will focus on the mechanisms by which mt-ROS regulate different pathways of host immune responses in the context of infection by bacteria, protozoan parasites, viruses, and fungi. We will also discuss how these pathogens, in turn, modulate mt-ROS to evade host immunity. We will conclude by briefly giving an overview of the potential therapeutic approaches involving mt-ROS in infectious diseases.

Programmed cell death and Salmonella pathogenesis: an interactive overview

Programmed cell death (PCD) is the collective term for the intrinsically regulated death of cells. Various types of cell death are triggered by their own programmed regulation during the growth and development of organisms, as well as in response to environmental and disease stresses. PCD encompasses apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, autophagy, and other forms. PCD plays a crucial role not only in the growth and development of organisms but also in serving as a component of the host innate immune defense and as a bacterial virulence strategy employed by pathogens during invasion. The zoonotic pathogen Salmonella has the ability to modulate multiple forms of PCD, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and autophagy, within the host organism. This modulation subsequently impacts the bacterial infection process. This review aims to consolidate recent findings regarding the mechanisms by which Salmonella initiates and controls cell death signaling, the ways in which various forms of cell death can impede or restrict bacterial proliferation, and the interplay between cell death and innate immune pathways that can counteract Salmonella-induced suppression of host cell death. Ultimately, these insights may contribute novel perspectives for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical Salmonella-related diseases.

Infection biology of Salmonella enterica

Salmonella enterica is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the USA, with an estimated 95% of salmonellosis cases due to the consumption of contaminated food products. Salmonella can cause several different disease syndromes, with the most common being gastroenteritis, followed by bacteremia and typhoid fever. Among the over 2,600 currently identified serotypes/serovars, some are mostly host-restricted and host-adapted, while the majority of serotypes can infect a broader range of host species and are associated with causing both livestock and human disease. Salmonella serotypes and strains within serovars can vary considerably in the severity of disease that may result from infection, with some serovars that are more highly associated with invasive disease in humans, while others predominantly cause mild gastroenteritis. These observed clinical differences may be caused by the genetic make-up and diversity of the serovars. Salmonella virulence systems are very complex containing several virulence-associated genes with different functions that contribute to its pathogenicity. The different clinical syndromes are associated with unique groups of virulence genes, and strains often differ in the array of virulence traits they display. On the chromosome, virulence genes are often clustered in regions known as Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs), which are scattered throughout different Salmonella genomes and encode factors essential for adhesion, invasion, survival, and replication within the host. Plasmids can also carry various genes that contribute to Salmonella pathogenicity. For example, strains from several serovars associated with significant human disease, including Choleraesuis, Dublin, Enteritidis, Newport, and Typhimurium, can carry virulence plasmids with genes contributing to attachment, immune system evasion, and other roles. The goal of this comprehensive review is to provide key information on the Salmonella virulence, including the contributions of genes encoded in SPIs and plasmids during Salmonella pathogenesis.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium remodels mitochondrial dynamics of macrophages via the T3SS effector SipA to promote intracellular proliferation

Mitochondrial dynamics are critical in cellular energy production, metabolism, apoptosis, and immune responses. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to manipulate host cells' mitochondrial functions, facilitating their proliferation and dissemination. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Tm), an intracellular foodborne pathogen, causes diarrhea and exploits host macrophages for survival and replication. However, S. Tm-associated mitochondrial dynamics during macrophage infection remain poorly understood. In this study, we showed that within macrophages, S. Tm remodeled mitochondrial fragmentation to facilitate intracellular proliferation mediated by Salmonella invasion protein A (SipA), a type III secretion system effector encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 1. SipA directly targeted mitochondria via its N-terminal mitochondrial targeting sequence, preventing excessive fragmentation and the associated increase in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and release of mitochondrial DNA and cytochrome c into the cytosol. Macrophage replication assays and animal experiments showed that mitochondria and SipA interact to facilitate intracellular replication and pathogenicity of S. Tm. Furthermore, we showed that SipA delayed mitochondrial fragmentation by indirectly inhibiting the recruitment of cytosolic dynamin-related protein 1, which mediates mitochondrial fragmentation. This study revealed a novel mechanism through which S. Tm manipulates host mitochondrial dynamics, providing insights into the molecular interplay that facilitates S. Tm adaptation within host macrophages.

Apoptosis and its pathways as targets for intracellular pathogens to persist in cells

Apoptosis is a finely programmed process of cell death in which cells silently dismantle and actively participate in several operations such as immune response, differentiation, and cell growth. It can be initiated by three main pathways: the extrinsic, the perforin granzyme, and the intrinsic that culminate in the activation of several proteins in charge of tearing down the cell. On the other hand, apoptosis represents an ordeal for pathogens that live inside cells and maintain a strong dependency with them; thus, they have evolved multiple strategies to manipulate host cell apoptosis on their behalf. It has been widely documented that diverse intracellular bacteria, fungi, and parasites can interfere with most steps of the host cell apoptotic machinery to inhibit or induce apoptosis. Indeed, the inhibition of apoptosis is considered a virulence property shared by many intracellular pathogens to ensure productive replication. Some pathogens intervene at an early stage by interfering with the sensing of extracellular signals or transduction pathways. Others sense cellular stress or target the apoptosis regulator proteins of the Bcl-2 family or caspases. In many cases, the exact molecular mechanisms leading to the interference with the host cell apoptotic cascade are still unknown. However, intense research has been conducted to elucidate the strategies employed by intracellular pathogens to modulate host cell death. In this review, we summarize the main routes of activation of apoptosis and present several processes used by different bacteria, fungi, and parasites to modulate the apoptosis of their host cells.

Role of mitochondria in regulating immune response during bacterial infection

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles of eukaryotes involved in energy production and fatty acid oxidation. Besides maintaining ATP production, calcium signaling, cellular apoptosis, and fatty acid synthesis, mitochondria are also known as the central hub of the immune system as it regulates the innate immune pathway during infection. Mitochondria mediated immune functions mainly involve regulation of reactive oxygen species production, inflammasome activation, cytokine secretion, and apoptosis of infected cells. Recent findings indicate that cellular mitochondria undergo constant biogenesis, fission, fusion and degradation, and these dynamics regulate cellular immuno-metabolism. Several intracellular pathogens target and modulate these normal functions of mitochondria to facilitate their own survival and growth. De-regulation of mitochondrial functions and dynamics favors bacterial infection and pathogens are able to protect themselves from mitochondria mediated immune responses. Here, we will discuss how mitochondria mediated anti-bacterial immune pathways help the host to evade pathogenic insult. In addition, examples of bacterial pathogens modulating mitochondrial metabolism and dynamics will also be elaborated. Study of these interactions between the mitochondria and bacterial pathogens during infection will lead to a better understanding of the mitochondrial metabolism pathways and dynamics important for the establishment of bacterial diseases. In conclusion, detailed studies on how mitochondria regulate the immune response during bacterial infection can open up new avenues to develop mitochondria centric anti-bacterial therapeutics.

Label-free relative quantitative proteomics reveals extracellular vesicles as a vehicle for Salmonella effector protein delivery

Extracellular vesicles are small vesicles with a diameter of 30-150 nm that are actively secreted by eukaryotic cells and play important roles in intercellular communication, immune responses, and tumorigenesis. Previous studies have shown that extracellular vesicles are involved in the process of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) infection. However, changes in the protein content of extracellular vesicles elicited by S. Typhimurium infection have not been determined. Here, we extracted the extracellular vesicles with high purity from S. Typhimurium-infected Henle-407 cells, a kind of human intestinal epithelial cells, by ultracentrifugation combined with an extracellular vesicles purification kit, and analyzed their protein composition using label-free relative quantitative proteomics. The extracted extracellular vesicles exhibited an oval vesicular structure under electron microscopy, with a mean diameter of 140.4 ± 32.4 nm. The exosomal marker proteins CD9, CD63, and HSP70 were specifically detected. Compared with the uninfected group, nearly 1,234 specifically loaded proteins were uncovered in S. Typhimurium-infected Henle-407 cells. Among them were 409 S. Typhimurium-derived specific proteins, indicating a significant alteration in protein composition of extracellular vesicles by S. Typhimurium infection. Notably, these proteins included 75 secretory proteins and over 300 non-secretory proteins of S. Typhimurium, implicating novel pathways for bacterial protein delivery, although it remains unclear if their loading into extracellular vesicles is active or passive. To investigate the roles of these extracellular proteins, we exemplified the function of SopB, a well-known T3SS effector protein, and showed that the extracellular SopB could be taken up by RAW264.7 macrophages, activating the phosphorylation of Akt. This study provides new insights into the mechanism of Salmonella infection through extracellular vesicles that transport virulence proteins to uninfected neighboring cells to facilitate further infection.

Protective Effects of Cinnamaldehyde on the Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Response, and Apoptosis in the Hepatocytes of Salmonella Gallinarum-Challenged Young Chicks

The development of novel therapeutics to treat multidrug-resistant pathogenic infections like Salmonella gallinarum is the need of the hour. Salmonella infection causes typhoid fever, jaundice, and Salmonella hepatitis resulting in severe liver injury. Natural compounds have been proved beneficial for the treatment of these bacterial infections. The beneficial roles of cinnamaldehyde due to its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative properties have been determined by many researchers. However, alleviation of liver damage caused by S. gallinarum infection to young chicks by cinnamaldehyde remains largely unknown. Therefore, this study was performed to identify the effects of cinnamaldehyde on ameliorating liver damage in young chicks. Young chicks were intraperitoneally infected with S. gallinarum and treated with cinnamaldehyde orally. Liver and serum parameters were investigated by qRT-PCR, ELISA kits, biochemistry kits, flow cytometry, JC-1 dye experiment, and transcriptome analysis. We found that ROS, cytochrome c, mitochondrial membrane potential (Ψm), caspase-3 activity, ATP production, hepatic CFU, ALT, and AST, which were initially increased by Salmonella infection, significantly ( $P<0.05$ ) decreased by cinnamaldehyde treatment at 1, 3, and 5 days postinfection (DPI). In addition, S. gallinarum infection significantly increased proinflammatory gene expression (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, NF-κB, TNF-α, and MyD-88) and decreased the expression of anti-inflammatory genes (IL-8, IL-10, and iNOS); however, cinnamaldehyde reverted these effects at 1, 3, and 5 DPI. Transcriptome analysis showed that S. gallinarum modulates certain genes of the AMPK-mTOR pathway for its survival and replication, and these pathway modulations were reversed by cinnamaldehyde treatment. We concluded that cinnamaldehyde ameliorates inflammation and apoptosis by suppressing NF-Kβ/caspase-3 pathway and reverts the metabolic changes caused by S. gallinarum infection via modulating the AMPK-mTOR pathway. Furthermore, cinnamaldehyde has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic properties against S. gallinarum-challenged young chicks and can be a candidate novel drug to treat salmonellosis in poultry production.

Categorizing sequences of concern by function to better assess mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis

To identify sequences with a role in microbial pathogenesis, we assessed the adequacy of their annotation by existing controlled vocabularies and sequence databases. Our goal was to regularize descriptions of microbial pathogenesis for improved integration with bioinformatic applications. Here, we review the challenges of annotating sequences for pathogenic activity. We relate the categorization of more than 2,750 sequences of pathogenic microbes through a controlled vocabulary called Functions of Sequences of Concern (FunSoCs). These allow for an ease of description by both humans and machines. We provide a subset of 220 fully annotated sequences in the supplemental material as examples. The use of this compact (∼30 terms), controlled vocabulary has potential benefits for research in microbial genomics, public health, biosecurity, biosurveillance, and the characterization of new and emerging pathogens.

Salmonella Infantis Delays the Death of Infected Epithelial Cells to Aggravate Bacterial Load by Intermittent Phosphorylation of Akt With SopB

Salmonella Infantis has emerged as a major clinical pathogen causing gastroenteritis worldwide in recent years. As an intracellular pathogen, Salmonella has evolved to manipulate and benefit from the cell death signaling pathway. In this study, we discovered that S. Infantis inhibited apoptosis of infected Caco-2 cells by phosphorylating Akt. Notably, Akt phosphorylation was observed in a discontinuous manner: immediately 0.5 h after the invasion, then before peak cytosolic replication. Single-cell analysis revealed that the second phase was only induced by cytosolic hyper-replicating bacteria at 3-4 hpi. Next, Akt-mediated apoptosis inhibition was found to be initiated by Salmonella SopB. Furthermore, Akt phosphorylation increased mitochondrial localization of Bcl-2 to prevent Bax oligomerization on the mitochondrial membrane, maintaining the mitochondrial network homeostasis to resist apoptosis. In addition, S. Infantis induced pyroptosis, as evidenced by increased caspase-1 (p10) and GSDMS-N levels. In contrast, cells infected with the ΔSopB strain displayed faster but less severe pyroptosis and had less bacterial load. The results indicated that S. Infantis SopB-mediated Akt phosphorylation delayed pyroptosis, but aggravated its severity. The wild-type strain also caused more severe diarrhea and intestinal inflammatory damage than the ΔSopB strain in mice. These findings revealed that S. Infantis delayed the cells' death by intermittent activation of Akt, allowing sufficient time for replication, thereby causing more severe inflammation.

Salmonella effector driven invasion of the gut epithelium: breaking in and setting the house on fire

Salmonella Typhimurium (S.Tm) is a major cause of diarrheal disease. The invasion into intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is a central step in the infection cycle. It is associated with gut inflammation and thought to benefit S.Tm proliferation also in the intestinal lumen. Importantly, it is still not entirely clear how inflammation is elicited and to which extent it links to IEC invasion efficiency in vivo. In this review, we summarize recent findings explaining IEC invasion by type-three-secretion-system-1 (TTSS-1) effector proteins and discuss their effects on invasion and gut inflammation. In non-polarized tissue culture cells, the TTSS-1 effectors (mainly SopB/E/E2) elicit large membrane ruffles fueling cooperative invasion, and can directly trigger pro-inflammatory signaling. By contrast, in the murine gut, we observe discreet-invasion (mainly via the TTSS-1 effector SipA) and a prominent pro-inflammatory role of the host?"s epithelial inflammasome(s), which sense pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). We discuss why it has remained a major challenge to tease apart direct and indirect inflammatory effects of TTSS-1 effectors and explain why further research will be needed to fully determine their inflammation-modulating role(s).

New Insights on the Early Interaction Between Typhoid and Non-typhoid Salmonella Serovars and the Host Cells

Salmonella enterica is a common source of food and water-borne infections, causing a wide range of clinical ailments in both human and animal hosts. Immunity to Salmonella involves an interplay between different immune responses, which are rapidly initiated to control bacterial burden. However, Salmonella has developed several strategies to evade and modulate the host immune responses. In this sense, the main knowledge about the pathogenicity of this bacterium has been obtained by the study of mouse models with non-typhoidal serovars. However, this knowledge is not representative of all the pathologies caused by non-typhoidal serovars in the human. Here we review the most important features of typhoidal and non-typhoidal serovars and the diseases they cause in the human host, describing the virulence mechanisms used by these pathogens that have been identified in different models of infection.

Targeting hypoxia for sensitization of tumors to apoptosis enhancement through supramolecular biohybrid bacteria

Bacteria-driven drug-delivery systems have drawn considerable interests for their highly selective hypoxia-targeting and efficacy in tumor inhibition. For the first time, a supramolecular biohybrid bacterium (SA@HU) is constructed by coating attenuated Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium ΔppGpp/Lux) with nanoassemblies. In addition, the host-guest inclusion complexes based on hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) and amantadine (AMA) was developed to encapsulate the natural antineoplastic product, ursolic acid (UA). It is found that the drug-carried coating layer has no significant impact on the antitumor activity or tumor-targeting capacity of bacteria. Significant restraint of tumor progression is achieved by SA@HU due to the synergy of cellular immune activation and apoptosis enhancement. Most importantly, intravenous delivery of UA by this biohybrid vector can cause tumor lysis, as the bacteria-attracting nutrients beneficial for preferential accumulation of bacteria in tumor. The mutual promotion of bacteria and UA may also contribute to a superior anticancer effect. Hence, the SA@HU-based biotic/abiotic supramolecular therapeutic system represents a novel strategy for combined chemo-bacterial therapy.

Type III secreted effectors that target mitochondria

A type III secretion system (T3SS) is used by Gram-negative bacterial pathogens to secrete and translocate a battery of proteins, termed effectors, from the bacteria directly into the host cells. These effectors, which are thought to play a key role in bacterial virulence, hijack and modify the activity of diverse host cell organelles, including mitochondria. Mitochondria-the energy powerhouse of the cell-are important cell organelles that play role in numerous critical cellular processes, including the initiation of apoptosis and the induction of innate immunity. Therefore, it is not surprising that pathogenic bacteria use mitochondrially targeted effectors to control host cell death and immunity pathways. Surprisingly, however, we found that despite their importance, only a limited number of type III secreted effectors have been characterised to target host mitochondria, and the mechanisms underlying their mitochondrial activity have not been sufficiently analysed. These include effectors secreted by the enteric attaching and effacing (A/E), Salmonella and Shigella bacterial pathogens. Here we give an overview of key findings, present gaps in knowledge and hypotheses concerning the mode by which these type III secreted effectors control the host and the bacterial cell life (and death) through targeting mitochondria.

Salmonella secretion systems: Differential roles in pathogen-host interactions

The bacterial genus Salmonella includes a large group of food-borne pathogens that cause a variety of gastrointestinal or systemic diseases in hosts. Salmonella use several secretion devices to inject various effectors targeting eukaryotic hosts, or bacteria. In the past few years, considerable progress has been made towards understanding the structural features and molecular mechanisms of the secretion systems of Salmonella, particularly regarding their roles in host-pathogen interactions. In this review, we summarize the current advances about the main characteristics of the Salmonella secretion systems. Clarifying the roles of the secretion systems in the process of infecting various hosts will broaden our understanding of the importance of microbial interactions in maintaining human health and will provide information for developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Using proteomics to identify host cell interaction partners for VgrG and IglJ

Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of tularemia. The disease is characterized by the suboptimal innate immune response and consequently by the impaired adaptive immunity. The virulence of this pathogen depends on proteins encoded by a genomic island termed the Francisella Pathogenicity Island (FPI). However, the precise biological roles of most of the FPI-encoded proteins remain to be clarified. In this study, we employed stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) in combination with affinity protein purification coupled with liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry to identify potential protein-effector binding pairs for two FPI virulence effectors IglJ and VgrG. Our results may indicate that while the IglJ protein interactions primarily affect mitochondria, the VgrG interactions affect phagosome and/or autophagosome biogenesis via targeting components of the host’s exocyst complex.

TRAF3 promotes ROS production and pyroptosis by targeting ULK1 ubiquitination in macrophages

Disrupted mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation cause cellular damage and oxidative stress-induced macrophage inflammatory cell death. It remains unclear how mitochondrial dysfunction relates to inflammasome activation and pyroptotic cell death. In this study, we demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3 (TRAF3) regulates mitochondrial ROS production and promotes TLR agonist LPS plus nigericin (LPS/Ng)-induced inflammasome and pyroptosis in mouse primary macrophages and human monocyte THP-1 cells. Co-IP assays confirmed that TRAF3 forms a complex with TRAF2 and cIAP1 and mediates ubiquitin and degradation of Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1). Moreover, knockdown of ULK1 in THP-1 cells significantly promoted LPS/Ng-induced inflammasome by activating caspase 1 and mature IL-1β. Apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) translocation from mitochondrial to nuclear was observed in ULK1-deficient THP-1 cells under LPS/Ng stimulation, which mediates LPS/Ng-induced cell death in ULK1 deficient macrophages. In conclusion, this study identified a novel role of TRAF3 in regulation of ULK1 ubiquitination and inflammasome signaling and provided molecular mechanisms by which ubiquitination of ULK1 controls mitochondrial ROS production, inflammasome activity, and AIF-dependent pyroptosis.

The Role of Mitochondria in Inflammation: From Cancer to Neurodegenerative Disorders

The main features that are commonly attributed to mitochondria consist of the regulation of cell proliferation, ATP generation, cell death and metabolism. However, recent scientific advances reveal that the intrinsic dynamicity of the mitochondrial compartment also plays a central role in proinflammatory signaling, identifying these organelles as a central platform for the control of innate immunity and the inflammatory response. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunctions have been related to severe chronic inflammatory disorders. Strategies aimed at reestablishing normal mitochondrial physiology could represent both preventive and therapeutic interventions for various pathologies related to exacerbated inflammation. Here, we explore the current understanding of the intricate interplay between mitochondria and the innate immune response in specific inflammatory diseases, such as neurological disorders and cancer.

C. sakazakii activates AIM2 pathway accompanying with excessive ER stress response in mammalian mammary gland epithelium

Bovine mastitis is a common inflammatory disease caused by various factors. The main factor of mastitis is pathogenic microorganism infection, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus. Cronobacter sakazakii (C. sakazakii) is a newly discovered pathogenic bacteria in milk products, which seriously threat human health in recent years. At present, it has not been reported that the pathogenesis of mastitis is caused by C. sakazakii. This study investigated the inflammation of mammary gland epithelium, which was induced by C. sakazakii for the first time. We focused on bacterial isolation, histological observation, AIM2 inflammasome pathways, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis. The results showed that C. sakazakii-induced inflammation caused damage of tissue, significantly increased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6), activated the AIM2 inflammasome pathway (increased the expression of AIM2 and cleaved IL-1β), and induced endoplasmic reticulum stress (increased the expression of ERdj4, Chop, Grp78) and apoptosis (increased the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, a marker of apoptosis). In conclusion, it is suggested that it maybe inhibite AIM2 inflammasome pathways and alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress (ER stress) against the C. sakazakii-induced inflammation.

Pivotal Role of Mitochondria in Macrophage Response to Bacterial Pathogens

Mitochondria are essential organelles that act as metabolic hubs and signaling platforms within the cell. Numerous mitochondrial functions, including energy metabolism, lipid synthesis, and autophagy regulation, are intimately linked to mitochondrial dynamics, which is shaped by ongoing fusion and fission events. Recently, several intracellular bacterial pathogens have been shown to modulate mitochondrial functions to maintain their replicative niche. Through selected examples of human bacterial pathogens, we will discuss how infection induces mitochondrial changes in infected macrophages, triggering modifications of the host metabolism that lead to important immunological reprogramming.

Host Cell Death Responses to Non-typhoidal Salmonella Infection

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a Gram-negative bacterium with a broad host range that causes non-typhoidal salmonellosis in humans. S. Typhimurium infects epithelial cells and macrophages in the small intestine where it replicates in a specialized intracellular niche called the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) and promotes inflammation of the mucosa to induce typically self-limiting gastroenteritis. Virulence and spread of the bacterium is determined in part by the host individual's ability to limit the infection through innate immune responses at the gastrointestinal mucosa, including programmed cell death. S. Typhimurium however, has evolved a myriad of mechanisms to counteract or exploit host responses through the use of Type III Secretion Systems (T3SS), which allow the translocation of virulence (effector) proteins into the host cell for the benefit of optimal bacterial replication and dissemination. T3SS effectors have been found to interact with apoptotic, necroptotic, and pyroptotic cell death cascades, interfering with both efficient clearance of the bacteria and the recruitment of neutrophils or dendritic cells to the area of infection. The interplay of host inflammation, programmed cell death responses, and bacterial defenses in the context of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) infection is a continuing area of interest within the field, and as such has been reviewed here.

Immune Control by TRAF6-Mediated Pathways of Epithelial Cells in the EIME (Epithelial Immune Microenvironment)

In the protective responses of epithelial tissues, not only immune cells but also non-immune cells directly respond to external agents. Epithelial cells can be involved in the organization of immune responses through two phases. First, the exogenous harmful agents trigger the primary responses of the epithelial cells leading to various types of immune cell activation. Second, cytokines produced by the immune cells that are activated directly by the external agents and indirectly by the epithelial cell products elicit the secondary responses giving rise to further propagation of immune responses. TRAF6 is a ubiquitin E3 ligase, which intermediates between various types of receptors for exogenous agents or endogenous mediators and activation of subsequent transcriptional responses via NF-kappaB and MAPK pathways. TRAF6 ubiquitously participates in many protective responses in immune and non-immune cells. Particularly, epithelial TRAF6 has an essential role in the primary and secondary responses via driving type 17 response in psoriatic inflammation of the skin. Consistently, many psoriasis susceptibility genes encode the TRAF6 signaling players, such as ACT1 (TRAF3IP2), A20 (TNFAIP3), ABIN1 (TNIP1), IL-36Ra (IL36RN), IkappaBzeta (NFKBIZ), and CARD14. Herein, we describe the principal functions of TRAF6, especially in terms of positive and regulatory immune controls by interaction between immune cells and epithelial cells. In addition, we discuss how TRAF6 in the epithelial cells can organize the differentiation of immune responses and drive inflammatory loops in the epithelial immune microenvironment, which is termed EIME.

Interaction between Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens and Host Cell Mitochondria

Mitochondria are essential and highly dynamic organelles whose morphology is determined by a steady-state balance between fusion and fission. Mitochondrial morphology and function are tightly connected. Because they are involved in many important cellular processes, including energy production, cell-autonomous immunity, and apoptosis, mitochondria present an attractive target for pathogens. Here, we explore the relationship between host cell mitochondria and intracellular bacteria, with a focus on mitochondrial morphology and function, as well as apoptosis. Modulation of apoptosis can allow bacteria to establish their replicative niche or support bacterial dissemination. Furthermore, bacteria can manipulate mitochondrial morphology and function through secreted effector proteins and can also contribute to the establishment of a successful infection, e.g., by favoring access to nutrients and/or evasion of the immune system.

Salmonella Outer Protein B Suppresses Colitis Development via Protecting Cell From Necroptosis

Salmonella effectors translocated into epithelial cells contribute to the pathogenesis of infection. They mediate epithelial cell invasion and subsequent intracellular replication. However, their functions in vivo have not been well-identified. In this study, we uncovered a role for Salmonella outer protein B (SopB) in modulating necroptosis to facilitate bacteria escape epithelial cell and spread to systemic sites through a Salmonella-induced colitis model. Mice infected with SopB deleted strain ΔsopB displayed increased severity to colitis, reduced mucin expression and increased bacterial translocation. In vitro study, we found there was an increased goblet cell necroptosis following ΔsopB infection. Consistently, mice infected with ΔsopB had a strong upregulation of mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) phosphorylation. Deletion of MLKL rescued severity of tissue inflammatory, improved mucin2 expression and abolished the increased bacterial translocation in mice infected with ΔsopB. Intriguingly, the expression of sopB in LS174T cells was downregulated. The temporally regulated SopB expression potentially switched the role from epithelial cell invasion to bacterial transmission. Collectively, these results indicated a role for SopB in modulating the onset of necroptosis to increased bacteria pathogenesis and translocated to systemic sites.

Minimal SPI1-T3SS effector requirement for Salmonella enterocyte invasion and intracellular proliferation in vivo

Effector molecules translocated by the Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)1-encoded type 3 secretion system (T3SS) critically contribute to the pathogenesis of human Salmonella infection. They facilitate internalization by non-phagocytic enterocytes rendering the intestinal epithelium an entry site for infection. Their function in vivo has remained ill-defined due to the lack of a suitable animal model that allows visualization of intraepithelial Salmonella. Here, we took advantage of our novel neonatal mouse model and analyzed various bacterial mutants and reporter strains as well as gene deficient mice. Our results demonstrate the critical but redundant role of SopE₂ and SipA for enterocyte invasion, prerequisite for transcriptional stimulation and mucosal translocation in vivo. In contrast, the generation of a replicative intraepithelial endosomal compartment required the cooperative action of SipA and SopE₂ or SipA and SopB but was independent of SopA or host MyD88 signaling. Intraepithelial growth had no critical influence on systemic spread. Our results define the role of SPI1-T3SS effector molecules during enterocyte invasion and intraepithelial proliferation in vivo providing novel insight in the early course of Salmonella infection.

Non-typhoidal Salmonella represent a major causative agent of gastroenteritis worldwide. Hallmark of the pathogenesis is their ability to actively invade the intestinal epithelium by virtue of their type 3 secretion system that delivers bacterial virulence factors directly into the host cell cytosol. The role of these virulence factors during enterocyte entry and intraepithelial growth has only been investigated in vitro since the previously established in vivo models in small animals did not allow visualization of intraepithelial Salmonella. However, immortalized cell lines lack the overlaying mucus layer, final cell lineage differentiation, apical-basolateral polarization as well as continuous migration along the crypt villus axis and thus the role of virulence factors during the Salmonella infection in vivo has remained largely undefined. Here, we took advantage of our novel neonatal mouse infection model and for the first time systematically analyzed the importance of Salmonella virulence factors for enterocyte invasion and intraepithelial growth.

Seeing is understanding: Salmonella's way to penetrate the intestinal epithelium

The molecular processes that govern host-microbial interaction illustrate not only the sophisticated and multifaceted mechanisms that protect the host from infection, but also the elaborated features of microbial pathogens that have evolved to overcome or evade the host's immune system. Here we focus on Salmonella that like other enteric pathogens must overcome the intestinal mucosal immune system, a surface constantly on alert and evolved to restrict the enteric microbiota. We discuss the initial step of Salmonella infection, the penetration of the intestinal epithelial barrier and the models used to study this fascinating aspect of microbial pathogenesis.

Khat promotes human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis via mitochondria and MAPK-associated pathways

Khat (Catha edulis Forsk) is a flowering evergreen plant in Eastern Africa and Southwestern Arabia. Consumption of Khat has been associated with the development of oral cancer, but its mechanism of action on the molecular level remains unclear. The present study demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of khat extracts on the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. Trypan blue exclusion assays, flow cytometry, fluorescent and electron microscopy, as well as western blotting were used to analyze the effects of Khat on the cell viability of breast cancer cells, expression of apoptotic-associated proteins and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The results of the present study demonstrated that treatment with 400 µg/ml khat was able to induce cell death in breast cancers, with an increase in the protein expression of apoptosis regulator Bax and a decrease in the expression of B-cell lymphoma 2, along with a decrease in ROS levels in a time-dependent manner. Furthermore, the expression of activated c-Jun N-terminal and extracellular regulated protein kinases was increased in khat-treated cells compared with untreated cells. Mitochondria participated in cell apoptosis through the release of apoptogenic proteins to the cytosol and the generation of excess reactive oxygen species. The results of the present study suggest that khat induces MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis via MAPK activation and mitochondrial-mediated death.

Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor-Associated Factor 6 (TRAF6) Mediates Ubiquitination-Dependent STAT3 Activation upon Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Infection

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium can inject effector proteins into host cells via type III secretion systems (T3SSs). These effector proteins modulate a variety of host transcriptional responses to facilitate bacterial growth and survival. Here we show that infection of host cells with S Typhimurium specifically induces the ubiquitination of tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6). This TRAF6 ubiquitination is triggered by the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) T3SS effectors SopB and SopE2. We also demonstrate that TRAF6 is involved in the SopB/SopE2-induced phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a signaling event conducive to the intracellular growth of S Typhimurium. Specifically, TRAF6 mediates lysine-63 ubiquitination within the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of STAT3, which is an essential step for STAT3 membrane recruitment and subsequent phosphorylation in response to S Typhimurium infection. TRAF6 ubiquitination participates in STAT3 phosphorylation rather than serving as only a hallmark of E3 ubiquitin ligase activation. Our results reveal a novel strategy in which S Typhimurium T3SS effectors broaden their functions through the activation of host proteins in a ubiquitination-dependent manner to manipulate host cells into becoming a Salmonella-friendly zone.