1
|
Barbosa A, Azevedo NF, Goeres DM, Cerqueira L. Ecology of Legionella pneumophila biofilms: The link between transcriptional activity and the biphasic cycle. Biofilm 2024; 7:100196. [PMID: 38601816 PMCID: PMC11004079 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioflm.2024.100196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
There has been considerable discussion regarding the environmental life cycle of Legionella pneumophila and its virulence potential in natural and man-made water systems. On the other hand, the bacterium's morphogenetic mechanisms within host cells (amoeba and macrophages) have been well documented and are linked to its ability to transition from a non-virulent, replicative state to an infectious, transmissive state. Although the morphogenetic mechanisms associated with the formation and detachment of the L. pneumophila biofilm have also been described, the capacity of the bacteria to multiply extracellularly is not generally accepted. However, several studies have shown genetic pathways within the biofilm that resemble intracellular mechanisms. Understanding the functionality of L. pneumophila cells within a biofilm is fundamental for assessing the ecology and evaluating how the biofilm architecture influences L. pneumophila survival and persistence in water systems. This manuscript provides an overview of the biphasic cycle of L. pneumophila and its implications in associated intracellular mechanisms in amoeba. It also examines the molecular pathways and gene regulation involved in L. pneumophila biofilm formation and dissemination. A holistic analysis of the transcriptional activities in L. pneumophila biofilms is provided, combining the information of intracellular mechanisms in a comprehensive outline. Furthermore, this review discusses the techniques that can be used to study the morphogenetic states of the bacteria within biofilms, at the single cell and population levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ana Barbosa
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Nuno F. Azevedo
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| | - Darla M. Goeres
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- The Center for Biofilm Engineering, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Laura Cerqueira
- LEPABE – Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
- ALiCE – Associate Laboratory in Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhao M, Li Y, Wei W, Zhang Z, Zhou H. The distribution variation of pathogens and virulence factors in different geographical populations of giant pandas. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1264786. [PMID: 37789855 PMCID: PMC10543425 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1264786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Intestinal diseases caused by opportunistic pathogens seriously threaten the health and survival of giant pandas. However, our understanding of gut pathogens in different populations of giant pandas, especially in the wild populations, is still limited. Here, we conducted a study based on 52 giant panda metagenomes to investigate the composition and distribution of gut pathogens and virulence factors (VFs) in five geographic populations (captive: GPCD and GPYA; wild: GPQIN, GPQIO, and GPXXL). The results of the beta-diversity analyzes revealed a close relationship and high similarity in pathogen and VF compositions within the two captive groups. Among all groups, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes emerged as the top three abundant phyla. By using the linear discriminant analysis effect size method, we identified pathogenic bacteria unique to different populations, such as Klebsiella in GPCD, Salmonella in GPYA, Hafnia in GPQIO, Pedobacter in GPXXL, and Lactococcus in GPQIN. In addition, we identified 12 VFs that play a role in the intestinal diseases of giant pandas, including flagella, CsrA, enterobactin, type IV pili, alginate, AcrAB, capsule, T6SS, urease, type 1 fimbriae, polar flagella, allantoin utilization, and ClpP. These VFs influence pathogen motility, adhesion, iron uptake, acid resistance, and protein regulation, thereby contributing to pathogen infection and pathogenicity. Notably, we also found a difference in virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa between GPQIN and non-GPQIN wild populations, in which the relative abundance of VFs (0.42%) of P. aeruginosa was the lowest in GPQIN and the highest in non-GPQIN wild populations (GPXXL: 23.55% and GPQIO: 10.47%). In addition to enhancing our understanding of gut pathogens and VFs in different geographic populations of giant pandas, the results of this study provide a specific theoretical basis and data support for the development of effective conservation measures for giant pandas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Zhao
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
- Liziping Giant Panda’s Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
| | - Yuxia Li
- Shimian Agricultural and Rural Bureau, Shimian, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Wei
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
- Liziping Giant Panda’s Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
| | - Zejun Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
- Liziping Giant Panda’s Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
| | - Hong Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
- Liziping Giant Panda’s Ecology and Conservation Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Nanchong, Sichuan, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Valciņa O, Pūle D, Ķibilds J, Labecka L, Terentjeva M, Krūmiņa A, Bērziņš A. Evaluation of Genetic Diversity and Virulence Potential of Legionella pneumophila Isolated from Water Supply Systems of Residential Buildings in Latvia. Pathogens 2023; 12:884. [PMID: 37513731 PMCID: PMC10385952 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12070884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella is an opportunistic pathogen with a biphasic life cycle that occasionally infects humans. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of virulence genes and genetic diversity among L. pneumophila isolated from water supply systems of residential buildings in Latvia. In total, 492 water samples from 200 residential buildings were collected. Identification of Legionella spp. was performed according to ISO 11731, and 58 isolates were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. At least one Legionella-positive sample was found in 112 out of 200 apartment buildings (56.0%). The study revealed extensive sequence-type diversity, where 58 L. pneumophila isolates fell into 36 different sequence types. A total of 420 virulence genes were identified, of which 260 genes were found in all sequenced L. pneumophila isolates. The virulence genes enhC, htpB, omp28, and mip were detected in all isolates, suggesting that adhesion, attachment, and entry into host cells are enabled for all isolates. The relative frequency of virulence genes among L. pneumophila isolates was high. The high prevalence, extensive genetic diversity, and the wide range of virulence genes indicated that the virulence potential of environmental Legionella is high, and proper risk management is of key importance to public health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olga Valciņa
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Daina Pūle
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
- Department of Water Engineering and Technology, Riga Technical University, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia
| | - Juris Ķibilds
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Linda Labecka
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Margarita Terentjeva
- Institute of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3004 Jelgava, Latvia
| | - Angelika Krūmiņa
- Department of Infectology, Riga Stradiņš University, LV-1007 Riga, Latvia
| | - Aivars Bērziņš
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ulrich L, Giez C, Steiner LX, Hentschel U, Lachnit T. Adaptive lifestyle of bacteria determines phage-bacteria interaction. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1056388. [PMID: 36560945 PMCID: PMC9763317 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1056388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages and their interactions with microbes are not well understood. As a first step toward achieving a better understanding, we isolated and sequenced the Curvibacter phage PCA1 for the purpose of eliminating Curvibacter sp. AEP1.3, the main colonizer of Hydra vulgaris AEP. Our experiments showed that PCA1 phage caused a strong, virulent infection only in sessile Curvibacter sp. AEP1.3 but was unable to infect planktonic and host-associated bacterial cells of the same strain. In an effort to investigate this phenomenon, we compared sessile, planktonic, and host-associated bacteria via RNA sequencing and found that all three states differed significantly in their expression patterns. This finding led us to propose that the adaptive lifestyle of Curvibacter sp. AEP1.3 results in varying degrees of susceptibility to bacteriophage infection. This concept could be relevant for phage research and phage therapy in particular. Finally, we were able to induce phage infection in planktonic cells and pinpoint the infection process to a membrane protein. We further identified potential phage-binding protein candidates based on expression pattern analysis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Ulrich
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christoph Giez
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany
| | - Leon X. Steiner
- RD3 Marine Ecology, RU Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ute Hentschel
- RD3 Marine Ecology, RU Marine Symbioses, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
| | - Tim Lachnit
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany,*Correspondence: Tim Lachnit,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Aljghami ME, Barghash MM, Majaesic E, Bhandari V, Houry WA. Cellular functions of the ClpP protease impacting bacterial virulence. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1054408. [PMID: 36533084 PMCID: PMC9753991 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1054408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteostasis mechanisms significantly contribute to the sculpting of the proteomes of all living organisms. ClpXP is a central AAA+ chaperone-protease complex present in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes that facilitates the unfolding and subsequent degradation of target substrates. ClpX is a hexameric unfoldase ATPase, while ClpP is a tetradecameric serine protease. Substrates of ClpXP belong to many cellular pathways such as DNA damage response, metabolism, and transcriptional regulation. Crucially, disruption of this proteolytic complex in microbes has been shown to impact the virulence and infectivity of various human pathogenic bacteria. Loss of ClpXP impacts stress responses, biofilm formation, and virulence effector protein production, leading to decreased pathogenicity in cell and animal infection models. Here, we provide an overview of the multiple critical functions of ClpXP and its substrates that modulate bacterial virulence with examples from several important human pathogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mazen E. Aljghami
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Marim M. Barghash
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Emily Majaesic
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Vaibhav Bhandari
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Walid A. Houry
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Iliadi V, Staykova J, Iliadis S, Konstantinidou I, Sivykh P, Romanidou G, Vardikov DF, Cassimos D, Konstantinidis TG. Legionella pneumophila: The Journey from the Environment to the Blood. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11206126. [PMID: 36294446 PMCID: PMC9605555 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11206126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of a potentially fatal form of pneumonia in 1976 and in the annual convention of the American Legion was the first time that Legionella spp. was identified. Thereafter, the term Legionnaires’ disease (LD) was established. The infection in humans is transmitted by the inhalation of aerosols that contain the microorganisms that belong to the Legionellaceae family and the genus Legionella. The genus Legionella contains genetically heterogeneous species and serogroups. The Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (Lp1) is the most often detected strain in outbreaks of LD. The pathogenesis of LD infection initiates with the attachment of the bacterial cells to the host cells, and subsequent intracellular replication. Following invasion, Legionella spp. activates its virulence mechanisms: generation of specific compartments of Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV), and expression of genes that encode a type IV secretion system (T4SS) for the translocation of proteins. The ability of L. pneumophila to transmigrate across the lung’s epithelium barrier leads to bacteremia, spread, and invasion of many organs with subsequent manifestations, complications, and septic shock. The clinical manifestations of LD depend on the bacterial load in the aerosol, the virulence factors, and the immune status of the patient. The infection has two distinct forms: the non- pneumatic form or Pontiac fever, which is a milder febrile flu-like illness, and LD, a more severe form, which includes pneumonia. In addition, the extrapulmonary involvement of LD can include heart, brain, abdomen, and joints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Iliadi
- Izhevsk State Medical Academy, Kommunarov Street 281, 426034 Izhevsk, Russia
| | - Jeni Staykova
- Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Sofia, Byalo More Str. 8, 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Sergios Iliadis
- Izhevsk State Medical Academy, Kommunarov Street 281, 426034 Izhevsk, Russia
| | | | - Polina Sivykh
- State Budgetary Health City Polyclinic No 2 (GBUZ GB2) of Krasnodar, Seleznev Street 4/10, 350059 Krasnodar, Russia
| | - Gioulia Romanidou
- Nephrology Department, General Hospital “Sismanogleio”, 69100 Komotini, Greece
| | - Daniil F. Vardikov
- Russian Research Center for Radiology and Surgical Technologies of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Tkachey Str. 70-16, 192029 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dimitrios Cassimos
- Pediatric Department, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Theocharis G. Konstantinidis
- Blood Transfusion Center, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis Dragana Campus, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-2551-352005
| |
Collapse
|