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Lepesheva A, Grobarcikova M, Osickova A, Jurnecka D, Knoblochova S, Cizkova M, Osicka R, Sebo P, Masin J. Modification of the RTX domain cap by acyl chains of adapted length rules the formation of functional hemolysin pores. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOMEMBRANES 2024; 1866:184311. [PMID: 38570122 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2024.184311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The acylated pore-forming Repeats in ToXin (RTX) cytolysins α-hemolysin (HlyA) and adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) preferentially bind to β2 integrins of myeloid leukocytes but can also promiscuously bind and permeabilize cells lacking the β2 integrins. We constructed a HlyA1-563/CyaA860-1706 chimera that was acylated either by the toxin-activating acyltransferase CyaC, using sixteen carbon-long (C16) acyls, or by the HlyC acyltransferase using fourteen carbon-long (C14) acyls. Cytolysin assays with the C16- or C14-acylated HlyA/CyaA chimeric toxin revealed that the RTX domain of CyaA can functionally replace the RTX domain of HlyA only if it is modified by C16-acyls on the Lys983 residue of CyaA. The C16-monoacylated HlyA/CyaA chimera was as pore-forming and cytolytic as native HlyA, whereas the C14-acylated chimera exhibited very low pore-forming activity. Hence, the capacity of the RTX domain of CyaA to support the insertion of the N-terminal pore-forming domain into the target cell membrane, and promote formation of toxin pores, strictly depends on the modification of the Lys983 residue by an acyl chain of adapted length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lepesheva
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Michaela Grobarcikova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Adriana Osickova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David Jurnecka
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sarka Knoblochova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Cizkova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Radim Osicka
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Sebo
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jiri Masin
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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Osickova A, Knoblochova S, Bumba L, Man P, Kalaninova Z, Lepesheva A, Jurnecka D, Cizkova M, Biedermannova L, Goldsmith JA, Maynard JA, McLellan JS, Osicka R, Sebo P, Masin J. A conserved tryptophan in the acylated segment of RTX toxins controls their β 2 integrin-independent cell penetration. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:104978. [PMID: 37390987 PMCID: PMC10392135 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The acylated Repeats in ToXins (RTX) leukotoxins, the adenylate cyclase toxin (CyaA) or α-hemolysin (HlyA), bind β2 integrins of leukocytes but also penetrate cells lacking these receptors. We show that the indoles of conserved tryptophans in the acylated segments, W876 of CyaA and W579 of HlyA, are crucial for β2 integrin-independent membrane penetration. Substitutions of W876 by aliphatic or aromatic residues did not affect acylation, folding, or the activities of CyaA W876L/F/Y variants on cells expressing high amounts of the β2 integrin CR3. However, toxin activity of CyaA W876L/F/Y on cells lacking CR3 was strongly impaired. Similarly, a W579L substitution selectively reduced HlyA W579L cytotoxicity towards cells lacking β2 integrins. Intriguingly, the W876L/F/Y substitutions increased the thermal stability (Tm) of CyaA by 4 to 8 °C but locally enhanced the accessibility to deuteration of the hydrophobic segment and of the interface of the two acylated loops. W876Q substitution (showing no increase in Tm), or combination of W876F with a cavity-filling V822M substitution (this combination decreasing the Tm closer to that of CyaA), yielded a milder defect of toxin activity on erythrocytes lacking CR3. Furthermore, the activity of CyaA on erythrocytes was also selectively impaired when the interaction of the pyrrolidine of P848 with the indole of W876 was ablated. Hence, the bulky indoles of residues W876 of CyaA, or W579 of HlyA, rule the local positioning of the acylated loops and enable a membrane-penetrating conformation in the absence of RTX toxin docking onto the cell membrane by β2 integrins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Osickova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Sarka Knoblochova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Ladislav Bumba
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Man
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Kalaninova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Lepesheva
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic; Faculty of Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - David Jurnecka
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Cizkova
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lada Biedermannova
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, BIOCEV, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Jory A Goldsmith
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Jennifer A Maynard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Jason S McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| | - Radim Osicka
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Peter Sebo
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
| | - Jiri Masin
- Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
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The Metabolic Adaptation in Response to Nitrate Is Critical for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Growth and Pathogenicity under the Regulation of NarQ/P. Infect Immun 2022; 90:e0023922. [PMID: 35938858 PMCID: PMC9476948 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00239-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrate metabolism is an adaptation mechanism used by many bacteria for survival in anaerobic environments. As a by-product of inflammation, nitrate is used by the intestinal bacterial pathogens to enable gut infection. However, the responses of bacterial respiratory pathogens to nitrate are less well understood. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an important bacterial respiratory pathogen of swine. Previous studies have suggested that adaptation of A. pleuropneumoniae to anaerobiosis is important for infection. In this work, A. pleuropneumoniae growth and pathogenesis in response to the nitrate were investigated. Nitrate significantly promoted A. pleuropneumoniae growth under anaerobic conditions in vitro and lethality in mice. By using narQ and narP deletion mutants and single-residue-mutated complementary strains of ΔnarQ, the two-component system NarQ/P was confirmed to be critical for nitrate-induced growth, with Arg50 in NarQ as an essential functional residue. Transcriptome analysis showed that nitrate upregulated multiple energy-generating pathways, including nitrate metabolism, mannose and pentose metabolism, and glycerolipid metabolism via the regulation of NarQ/P. Furthermore, narQ, narP, and its target gene encoding the nitrate reductase Nap contributed to the pathogenicity of A. pleuropneumoniae. The Nap inhibitor tungstate significantly reduced the survival of A. pleuropneumoniae in vivo, suggesting that Nap is a potential drug target. These results give new insights into how the respiratory pathogen A. pleuropneumoniae utilizes the alternative electron acceptor nitrate to overcome the hypoxia microenvironment, which can occur in the inflammatory or necrotic infected tissues.
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Goldsmith JA, DiVenere AM, Maynard JA, McLellan JS. Structural basis for non-canonical integrin engagement by Bordetella adenylate cyclase toxin. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111196. [PMID: 35977491 PMCID: PMC9416875 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrins are ubiquitous cell-surface heterodimers that are exploited by pathogens and toxins, including leukotoxins that target β2 integrins on phagocytes. The Bordetella adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) uses the αMβ2 integrin as a receptor, but the structural basis for integrin binding and neutralization by antibodies is poorly understood. Here, we use cryoelectron microscopy to determine a 2.7 Å resolution structure of an ACT fragment bound to αMβ2. This structure reveals that ACT interacts with the headpiece and calf-2 of the αM subunit in a non-canonical manner specific to bent, inactive αMβ2. Neutralizing antibody epitopes map to ACT residues involved in αM binding, providing the basis for antibody-mediated attachment inhibition. Furthermore, binding to αMβ2 positions the essential ACT acylation sites, which are conserved among toxins exported by type I secretion systems, at the cell membrane. These findings reveal a structural mechanism for integrin-mediated attachment and explain antibody-mediated neutralization of ACT intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jory A Goldsmith
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Andrea M DiVenere
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Jennifer A Maynard
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
| | - Jason S McLellan
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
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Filipi K, Rahman WU, Osickova A, Osicka R. Kingella kingae RtxA Cytotoxin in the Context of Other RTX Toxins. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10030518. [PMID: 35336094 PMCID: PMC8953716 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10030518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram-negative bacterium Kingella kingae is part of the commensal oropharyngeal flora of young children. As detection methods have improved, K. kingae has been increasingly recognized as an emerging invasive pathogen that frequently causes skeletal system infections, bacteremia, and severe forms of infective endocarditis. K. kingae secretes an RtxA cytotoxin, which is involved in the development of clinical infection and belongs to an ever-growing family of cytolytic RTX (Repeats in ToXin) toxins secreted by Gram-negative pathogens. All RTX cytolysins share several characteristic structural features: (i) a hydrophobic pore-forming domain in the N-terminal part of the molecule; (ii) an acylated segment where the activation of the inactive protoxin to the toxin occurs by a co-expressed toxin-activating acyltransferase; (iii) a typical calcium-binding RTX domain in the C-terminal portion of the molecule with the characteristic glycine- and aspartate-rich nonapeptide repeats; and (iv) a C-proximal secretion signal recognized by the type I secretion system. RTX toxins, including RtxA from K. kingae, have been shown to act as highly efficient ‘contact weapons’ that penetrate and permeabilize host cell membranes and thus contribute to the pathogenesis of bacterial infections. RtxA was discovered relatively recently and the knowledge of its biological role remains limited. This review describes the structure and function of RtxA in the context of the most studied RTX toxins, the knowledge of which may contribute to a better understanding of the action of RtxA in the pathogenesis of K. kingae infections.
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