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Zhao Z, Hu Y, Hu Y, White AP, Wang Y. Features and algorithms: facilitating investigation of secreted effectors in Gram-negative bacteria. Trends Microbiol 2023; 31:1162-1178. [PMID: 37349207 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2023.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
Gram-negative bacteria deliver effector proteins through type III, IV, or VI secretion systems (T3SSs, T4SSs, and T6SSs) into host cells, causing infections and diseases. In general, effector proteins for each of these distinct secretion systems lack homology and are difficult to identify. Sequence analysis has disclosed many common features, helping us to understand the evolution, function, and secretion mechanisms of the effectors. In combination with various algorithms, the known common features have facilitated accurate prediction of new effectors. Ensemblers or integrated pipelines achieve a better prediction of performance, which combines multiple computational models or modules with multidimensional features. Natural language processing (NLP) models also show the merits, which could enable discovery of novel features and, in turn, facilitate more precise effector prediction, extending our knowledge about each secretion mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Zhao
- Youth Innovation Team of Medical Bioinformatics, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yixue Hu
- Youth Innovation Team of Medical Bioinformatics, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Yueming Hu
- Department of Bioinformatics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Aaron P White
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Yejun Wang
- Youth Innovation Team of Medical Bioinformatics, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China; Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Basic Medicine, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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2
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Lovelace AH, Dorhmi S, Hulin MT, Li Y, Mansfield JW, Ma W. Effector Identification in Plant Pathogens. PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2023; 113:637-650. [PMID: 37126080 DOI: 10.1094/phyto-09-22-0337-kd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Effectors play a central role in determining the outcome of plant-pathogen interactions. As key virulence proteins, effectors are collectively indispensable for disease development. By understanding the virulence mechanisms of effectors, fundamental knowledge of microbial pathogenesis and disease resistance have been revealed. Effectors are also considered double-edged swords because some of them activate immunity in disease resistant plants after being recognized by specific immune receptors, which evolved to monitor pathogen presence or activity. Characterization of effector recognition by their cognate immune receptors and the downstream immune signaling pathways is instrumental in implementing resistance. Over the past decades, substantial research effort has focused on effector biology, especially concerning their interactions with virulence targets or immune receptors in plant cells. A foundation of this research is robust identification of the effector repertoire from a given pathogen, which depends heavily on bioinformatic prediction. In this review, we summarize methodologies that have been used for effector mining in various microbial pathogens which use different effector delivery mechanisms. We also discuss current limitations and provide perspectives on how recently developed analytic tools and technologies may facilitate effector identification and hence generation of a more complete vision of host-pathogen interactions. [Formula: see text] Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Dorhmi
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, NR4 7UH, U.K
- Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California Riverside, CA 92521, U.S.A
| | | | - Yufei Li
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, NR4 7UH, U.K
| | - John W Mansfield
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2BX, U.K
| | - Wenbo Ma
- The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, NR4 7UH, U.K
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3
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Miletic S, Fahrenkamp D, Goessweiner-Mohr N, Wald J, Pantel M, Vesper O, Kotov V, Marlovits TC. Substrate-engaged type III secretion system structures reveal gating mechanism for unfolded protein translocation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1546. [PMID: 33750771 PMCID: PMC7943601 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21143-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many bacterial pathogens rely on virulent type III secretion systems (T3SSs) or injectisomes to translocate effector proteins in order to establish infection. The central component of the injectisome is the needle complex which assembles a continuous conduit crossing the bacterial envelope and the host cell membrane to mediate effector protein translocation. However, the molecular principles underlying type III secretion remain elusive. Here, we report a structure of an active Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium needle complex engaged with the effector protein SptP in two functional states, revealing the complete 800Å-long secretion conduit and unraveling the critical role of the export apparatus (EA) subcomplex in type III secretion. Unfolded substrates enter the EA through a hydrophilic constriction formed by SpaQ proteins, which enables side chain-independent substrate transport. Above, a methionine gasket formed by SpaP proteins functions as a gate that dilates to accommodate substrates while preventing leaky pore formation. Following gate penetration, a moveable SpaR loop first folds up to then support substrate transport. Together, these findings establish the molecular basis for substrate translocation through T3SSs and improve our understanding of bacterial pathogenicity and motility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Miletic
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
| | - Dirk Fahrenkamp
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Goessweiner-Mohr
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
| | - Jiri Wald
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
| | - Maurice Pantel
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Oliver Vesper
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
| | - Vadim Kotov
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany.,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany.,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany.,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas C Marlovits
- University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Institute of Structural and Systems Biology, Hamburg, Germany. .,Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB), Hamburg, Germany. .,Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron Zentrum (DESY), Hamburg, Germany. .,Institute of Molecular Biotechnology GmbH (IMBA), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria. .,Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria.
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4
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Laureanti JA, Ginovska B, Buchko GW, Schenter GK, Hebert M, Zadvornyy OA, Peters JW, Shaw WJ. A Positive Charge in the Outer Coordination Sphere of an Artificial Enzyme Increases CO2 Hydrogenation. Organometallics 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.organomet.9b00843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Laureanti
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Bojana Ginovska
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Garry W. Buchko
- Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Gregory K. Schenter
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Margaret Hebert
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Oleg A. Zadvornyy
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - John W. Peters
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Wendy J. Shaw
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
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5
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McDermott JE, Cort JR, Nakayasu ES, Pruneda JN, Overall C, Adkins JN. Prediction of bacterial E3 ubiquitin ligase effectors using reduced amino acid peptide fingerprinting. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7055. [PMID: 31211016 PMCID: PMC6557245 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria lack their own ubiquitination machinery, they have evolved or acquired virulence effectors that can manipulate the host ubiquitination process through structural and/or functional mimicry of host machinery. Many such effectors have been identified in a wide variety of bacterial pathogens that share little sequence similarity amongst themselves or with eukaryotic ubiquitin E3 ligases. Methods To allow identification of novel bacterial E3 ubiquitin ligase effectors from protein sequences we have developed a machine learning approach, the SVM-based Identification and Evaluation of Virulence Effector Ubiquitin ligases (SIEVE-Ub). We extend the string kernel approach used previously to sequence classification by introducing reduced amino acid (RED) alphabet encoding for protein sequences. Results We found that 14mer peptides with amino acids represented as simply either hydrophobic or hydrophilic provided the best models for discrimination of E3 ligases from other effector proteins with a receiver-operator characteristic area under the curve (AUC) of 0.90. When considering a subset of E3 ubiquitin ligase effectors that do not fall into known sequence based families we found that the AUC was 0.82, demonstrating the effectiveness of our method at identifying novel functional family members. Feature selection was used to identify a parsimonious set of 10 RED peptides that provided good discrimination, and these peptides were found to be located in functionally important regions of the proteins involved in E2 and host target protein binding. Our general approach enables construction of models based on other effector functions. We used SIEVE-Ub to predict nine potential novel E3 ligases from a large set of bacterial genomes. SIEVE-Ub is available for download at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7766984.v1 or https://github.com/biodataganache/SIEVE-Ub for the most current version.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason E McDermott
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States of America.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States of America
| | - John R Cort
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States of America
| | - Ernesto S Nakayasu
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States of America
| | - Jonathan N Pruneda
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States of America
| | - Christopher Overall
- Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, United States of America
| | - Joshua N Adkins
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United States of America
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6
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Buchko GW, Pulavarti SVSRK, Ovchinnikov V, Shaw EA, Rettie SA, Myler PJ, Karplus M, Szyperski T, Baker D, Bahl CD. Cytosolic expression, solution structures, and molecular dynamics simulation of genetically encodable disulfide-rich de novo designed peptides. Protein Sci 2019; 27:1611-1623. [PMID: 30152054 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Disulfide-rich peptides represent an important protein family with broad pharmacological potential. Recent advances in computational methods have made it possible to design new peptides which adopt a stable conformation de novo. Here, we describe a system to produce disulfide-rich de novo peptides using Escherichia coli as the expression host. The advantage of this system is that it enables production of uniformly 13 C- and 15 N-labeled peptides for solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies. This expression system was used to isotopically label two previously reported de novo designed peptides, and to determine their solution structures using NMR. The ensemble of NMR structures calculated for both peptides agreed well with the design models, further confirming the accuracy of the design protocol. Collection of NMR data on the peptides under reducing conditions revealed a dependency on disulfide bonds to maintain stability. Furthermore, we performed long-time molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with tempering to assess the stability of two families of de novo designed peptides. Initial designs which exhibited a stable structure during simulations were more likely to adopt a stable structure in vitro, but attempts to utilize this method to redesign unstable peptides to fold into a stable state were unsuccessful. Further work is therefore needed to assess the utility of MD simulation techniques for de novo protein design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garry W Buchko
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases, Seattle, Washington.,Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, 99352.,School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 99164
| | | | - Victor Ovchinnikov
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
| | - Elizabeth A Shaw
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, 14260
| | - Stephen A Rettie
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
| | - Peter J Myler
- Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Infectious Disease Research, Seattle, Washington, 98109.,Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98165.,Department of Biomedical Informatics and Health Education, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
| | - Martin Karplus
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.,Laboratoire de Chimie Biophysique, ISIS, Universite de Strasbourg, 67000, Strasbourg, France
| | - Thomas Szyperski
- Department of Chemistry, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, 14260
| | - David Baker
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.,Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195
| | - Christopher D Bahl
- Institute for Protein Design, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195.,Institute for Protein Innovation, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115
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7
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Hausner J, Jordan M, Otten C, Marillonnet S, Büttner D. Modular Cloning of the Type III Secretion Gene Cluster from the Plant-Pathogenic Bacterium Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. ACS Synth Biol 2019; 8:532-547. [PMID: 30694661 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Type III secretion (T3S) systems are essential pathogenicity factors of most Gram-negative bacteria and translocate effector proteins into plant or animal cells. T3S systems can, therefore, be used as tools for protein delivery into eukaryotic cells, for instance after transfer of the T3S gene cluster into nonpathogenic recipient strains. Here, we report the modular cloning of the T3S gene cluster from the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas euvesicatoria. The resulting multigene construct encoded a functional T3S system and delivered effector proteins into plant cells. The modular design of the T3S gene cluster allowed the efficient replacement and rearrangement of single genes or operons and the insertion of reporter genes for functional studies. In the present study, we used the modular T3S system to analyze the assembly of a fluorescent fusion of the predicted cytoplasmic ring protein HrcQ. Our studies demonstrate the use of the modular T3S gene cluster for functional analyses and mutant approaches in X. euvesicatoria. A potential application of the modular T3S system as protein delivery tool is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Hausner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120 Halle, Saale, Germany
| | - Michael Jordan
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120 Halle, Saale, Germany
| | - Christian Otten
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120 Halle, Saale, Germany
| | | | - Daniela Büttner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120 Halle, Saale, Germany
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8
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Borah SM, Jha AN. Identification and analysis of structurally critical fragments in HopS2. BMC Bioinformatics 2019; 19:552. [PMID: 30717655 PMCID: PMC7394326 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-018-2551-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Among the diverse roles of the Type III secretion-system (T3SS), one of the notable functions is that it serves as unique nano machineries in gram-negative bacteria that facilitate the translocation of effector proteins from bacteria into their host. These effector proteins serve as potential targets to control the pathogenicity conferred to the bacteria. Despite being ideal choices to disrupt bacterial systems, it has been quite an ordeal in the recent times to experimentally reveal and establish a concrete sequence-structure-function relationship for these effector proteins. This work focuses on the disease-causing spectrum of an effector protein, HopS2 secreted by the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Results The study addresses the structural attributes of HopS2 via a bioinformatics approach to by-pass some of the experimental shortcomings resulting in mining some critical regions in the effector protein. We have elucidated the functionally important regions of HopS2 with the assistance of sequence and structural analyses. The sequence based data supports the presence of important regions in HopS2 that are present in the other functional parts of Hop family proteins. Furthermore, these regions have been validated by an ab-initio structure prediction of the protein followed by 100 ns long molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The assessment of these secondary structural regions has revealed the stability and importance of these regions in the protein structure. Conclusions The analysis has provided insights on important functional regions that may be vital to the effector functioning. In dearth of ample experimental evidence, such a bioinformatics approach has helped in the revelation of a few structural regions which will aid in future experiments to attain and evaluate the structural and functional aspects of this protein family. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12859-018-2551-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sapna M Borah
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, 784028, India
| | - Anupam Nath Jha
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, 784028, India.
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9
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Wang J, Li J, Yang B, Xie R, Marquez-Lago TT, Leier A, Hayashida M, Akutsu T, Zhang Y, Chou KC, Selkrig J, Zhou T, Song J, Lithgow T. Bastion3: a two-layer ensemble predictor of type III secreted effectors. Bioinformatics 2018; 35:2017-2028. [PMID: 30388198 PMCID: PMC7963071 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bty914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Type III secreted effectors (T3SEs) can be injected into host cell cytoplasm via type III secretion systems (T3SSs) to modulate interactions between Gram-negative bacterial pathogens and their hosts. Due to their relevance in pathogen-host interactions, significant computational efforts have been put toward identification of T3SEs and these in turn have stimulated new T3SE discoveries. However, as T3SEs with new characteristics are discovered, these existing computational tools reveal important limitations: (i) most of the trained machine learning models are based on the N-terminus (or incorporating also the C-terminus) instead of the proteins' complete sequences, and (ii) the underlying models (trained with classic algorithms) employed only few features, most of which were extracted based on sequence-information alone. To achieve better T3SE prediction, we must identify more powerful, informative features and investigate how to effectively integrate these into a comprehensive model. RESULTS In this work, we present Bastion3, a two-layer ensemble predictor developed to accurately identify type III secreted effectors from protein sequence data. In contrast with existing methods that employ single models with few features, Bastion3 explores a wide range of features, from various types, trains single models based on these features and finally integrates these models through ensemble learning. We trained the models using a new gradient boosting machine, LightGBM and further boosted the models' performances through a novel genetic algorithm (GA) based two-step parameter optimization strategy. Our benchmark test demonstrates that Bastion3 achieves a much better performance compared to commonly used methods, with an ACC value of 0.959, F-value of 0.958, MCC value of 0.917 and AUC value of 0.956, which comprehensively outperformed all other toolkits by more than 5.6% in ACC value, 5.7% in F-value, 12.4% in MCC value and 5.8% in AUC value. Based on our proposed two-layer ensemble model, we further developed a user-friendly online toolkit, maximizing convenience for experimental scientists toward T3SE prediction. With its design to ease future discoveries of novel T3SEs and improved performance, Bastion3 is poised to become a widely used, state-of-the-art toolkit for T3SE prediction. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION http://bastion3.erc.monash.edu/. CONTACT selkrig@embl.de or wyztli@163.com or or trevor.lithgow@monash.edu. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Wang
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jiahui Li
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia,Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Bingjiao Yang
- School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China
| | - Ruopeng Xie
- School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China
| | - Tatiana T Marquez-Lago
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA,Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - André Leier
- Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA,Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Morihiro Hayashida
- National Institute of Technology, Matsue College, Matsue, Shimane, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Akutsu
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yanju Zhang
- School of Computer Science and Information Security, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin, China
| | - Kuo-Chen Chou
- Gordon Life Science Institute, Boston, MA, USA,Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China,Center of Excellence in Genomic Medicine Research (CEGMR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Joel Selkrig
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Genome Biology Unit, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Tieli Zhou
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | | | - Trevor Lithgow
- Infection and Immunity Program, Biomedicine Discovery Institute and Department of Microbiology, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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10
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High-Throughput Screening of Type III Secretion Determinants Reveals a Major Chaperone-Independent Pathway. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.01050-18. [PMID: 29921672 PMCID: PMC6016238 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01050-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous Gram-negative bacterial pathogens utilize type III secretion systems (T3SSs) to inject tens of effector proteins directly into the cytosol of host cells. Through interactions with cognate chaperones, type III effectors are defined and recruited to the sorting platform, a cytoplasmic component of these membrane-embedded nanomachines. However, notably, a comprehensive review of the literature reveals that the secretion of most type III effectors has not yet been linked to a chaperone, raising questions regarding the existence of unknown chaperones as well as the universality of chaperones in effector secretion. Here, we describe the development of the first high-throughput type III secretion (T3S) assay, a semiautomated solid-plate-based assay, which enables the side-by-side comparison of secretion of over 20 Shigella effectors under a multitude of conditions. Strikingly, we found that the majority of Shigella effectors are secreted at equivalent levels by wild-type and variants of Shigella that no longer encode one or all known Shigella T3S effector chaperones. In addition, we found that Shigella effectors are efficiently secreted from a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli expressing the core Shigella type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) but no other Shigella-specific proteins. Furthermore, we observed that the sequences necessary and sufficient to define chaperone-dependent and -independent effectors are fundamentally different. Together, these findings support the existence of a major, previously unrecognized, noncanonical chaperone-independent secretion pathway that is likely common to many T3SSs. Many bacterial pathogens use specialized nanomachines, including type III secretion systems, to directly inject virulence proteins (effectors) into host cells. Here, we present the first extensive analysis of chaperone dependence in the process of type III effector secretion, providing strong evidence for the existence of a previously unrecognized chaperone-independent pathway. This noncanonical pathway is likely common to many bacteria, as an extensive review of the literature reveals that the secretion of multiple type III effectors has not yet been knowingly linked to a chaperone. While additional studies will be required to discern the molecular details of this pathway, its prevalence suggests that it can likely serve as a new target for the development of antimicrobial agents.
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11
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Zhang L, Jiang Z, Fang S, Huang Y, Yang D, Wang Q, Zhang Y, Liu Q. Systematic Identification of Intracellular-Translocated Candidate Effectors in Edwardsiella piscicida. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:37. [PMID: 29503811 PMCID: PMC5820615 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacterial pathogens inject effectors directly into host cells to target a variety of host cellular processes and promote bacterial dissemination and survival. Identifying the bacterial effectors and elucidating their functions are central to understanding the molecular pathogenesis of these pathogens. Edwardsiella piscicida is a pathogen with a wide host range, and very few of its effectors have been identified to date. Here, based on the genes significantly regulated by macrophage infection, we identified 25 intracellular translocation-positive candidate effectors, including all five previously reported effectors, namely EseG, EseJ, EseH, EseK, and EvpP. A subsequent secretion analysis revealed diverse secretion patterns for the 25 effector candidates, suggesting that multiple transport pathways were involved in the internalization of these candidate effectors. Further, we identified two novel type VI secretion system (T6SS) putative effectors and three outer membrane vesicles (OMV)-dependent putative effectors among the candidate effectors described above, and further analyzed their contribution to bacterial virulence in a zebrafish model. This work demonstrates an effective approach for screening bacterial effectors and expands the effectors repertoire in E. piscicida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhiwei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Shan Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yajun Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Dahai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Qiyao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Maricultured Animal Vaccines, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Bio-Manufacturing Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuanxing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Maricultured Animal Vaccines, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Bio-Manufacturing Technology, Shanghai, China
| | - Qin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Maricultured Animal Vaccines, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Collaborative Innovation Center for Bio-Manufacturing Technology, Shanghai, China.,Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
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12
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Büttner D. Behind the lines-actions of bacterial type III effector proteins in plant cells. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2018; 40:894-937. [PMID: 28201715 PMCID: PMC5091034 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuw026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 03/31/2016] [Accepted: 07/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Pathogenicity of most Gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacteria depends on the type III secretion (T3S) system, which translocates bacterial effector proteins into plant cells. Type III effectors modulate plant cellular pathways to the benefit of the pathogen and promote bacterial multiplication. One major virulence function of type III effectors is the suppression of plant innate immunity, which is triggered upon recognition of pathogen-derived molecular patterns by plant receptor proteins. Type III effectors also interfere with additional plant cellular processes including proteasome-dependent protein degradation, phytohormone signaling, the formation of the cytoskeleton, vesicle transport and gene expression. This review summarizes our current knowledge on the molecular functions of type III effector proteins with known plant target molecules. Furthermore, plant defense strategies for the detection of effector protein activities or effector-triggered alterations in plant targets are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Büttner
- Genetics Department, Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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13
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Scheibner F, Hartmann N, Hausner J, Lorenz C, Hoffmeister AK, Büttner D. The Type III Secretion Chaperone HpaB Controls the Translocation of Effector and Noneffector Proteins From Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2018; 31:61-74. [PMID: 28771395 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-06-17-0138-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Pathogenicity of the gram-negative bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria depends on a type III secretion (T3S) system, which translocates effector proteins into plant cells. Effector proteins contain N-terminal T3S and translocation signals and interact with the T3S chaperone HpaB, which presumably escorts effectors to the secretion apparatus. The molecular mechanisms underlying the recognition of effectors by the T3S system are not yet understood. In the present study, we analyzed T3S and translocation signals in the type III effectors XopE2 and XopJ from X. campestris pv. vesicatoria. Both effectors contain minimal translocation signals, which are only recognized in the absence of HpaB. Additional N-terminal signals promote translocation of XopE2 and XopJ in the wild-type strain. The results of translocation and interaction studies revealed that the interaction of XopE2 and XopJ with HpaB and a predicted cytoplasmic substrate docking site of the T3S system is not sufficient for translocation. In agreement with this finding, we show that the presence of an artificial HpaB-binding site does not promote translocation of the noneffector XopA in the wild-type strain. Our data, therefore, suggest that the T3S chaperone HpaB not only acts as an escort protein but also controls the recognition of translocation signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Scheibner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Nadine Hartmann
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jens Hausner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Christian Lorenz
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anne-Katrin Hoffmeister
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Daniela Büttner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, D-06099 Halle (Saale), Germany
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14
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Rationale redesign of type III secretion systems: toward the development of non-pathogenic E. coli for in vivo delivery of therapeutic payloads. Curr Opin Microbiol 2017; 41:1-7. [PMID: 29141238 DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2017] [Revised: 10/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Transkingdom secretion systems that bacteria use to inject proteins directly into the cytosol of mammalian host cells play an essential role in the virulence of many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Current efforts are underway to repurpose these machines as novel therapeutics; type III secretion systems as vectors for the delivery of proteins of therapeutic value including heterologous antigens for vaccine development and type IV secretion systems as vectors for DNA. While initial studies focused on the use of attenuated or replication incompetent pathogens, the recent development of non-pathogenic Escherichia coli that encode programmable type III secretion systems expands possibilities for the in vivo directed delivery of therapeutic payloads.
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15
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Scheibner F, Marillonnet S, Büttner D. The TAL Effector AvrBs3 from Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria Contains Multiple Export Signals and Can Enter Plant Cells in the Absence of the Type III Secretion Translocon. Front Microbiol 2017; 8:2180. [PMID: 29170655 PMCID: PMC5684485 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.02180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogenicity of the Gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria depends on a type III secretion (T3S) system which translocates effector proteins into plant cells. Effector protein delivery is controlled by the T3S chaperone HpaB, which presumably escorts effector proteins to the secretion apparatus. One intensively studied effector is the transcription activator-like (TAL) effector AvrBs3, which binds to promoter sequences of plant target genes and activates plant gene expression. It was previously reported that type III-dependent delivery of AvrBs3 depends on the N-terminal protein region. The signals that control T3S and translocation of AvrBs3, however, have not yet been characterized. In the present study, we show that T3S and translocation of AvrBs3 depend on the N-terminal 10 and 50 amino acids, respectively. Furthermore, we provide experimental evidence that additional signals in the N-terminal 30 amino acids and the region between amino acids 64 and 152 promote translocation of AvrBs3 in the absence of HpaB. Unexpectedly, in vivo translocation assays revealed that AvrBs3 is delivered into plant cells even in the absence of HrpF, which is the predicted channel-forming component of the T3S translocon in the plant plasma membrane. The presence of HpaB- and HrpF-independent transport routes suggests that the delivery of AvrBs3 is initiated during early stages of the infection process, presumably before the activation of HpaB or the insertion of the translocon into the plant plasma membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Scheibner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | | | - Daniela Büttner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
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16
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Drehkopf S, Hausner J, Jordan M, Scheibner F, Bonas U, Büttner D. A TAL-Based Reporter Assay for Monitoring Type III-Dependent Protein Translocation in Xanthomonas. Methods Mol Biol 2017; 1531:121-139. [PMID: 27837487 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6649-3_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gram-negative plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria use type III secretion (T3S) systems to translocate effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells. Type III-dependent delivery of effector proteins depends on a secretion and translocation signal, which is often located in the N-terminal protein region and is not conserved on the amino acid level. Translocation signals in effector proteins have been experimentally confirmed by employing reporter proteins, which are specifically activated inside eukaryotic cells. Here, we describe a method to monitor effector protein translocation using a deletion derivative of the transcription activator-like (TAL) effector protein AvrBs3 as reporter. AvrBs3 is a type III effector of the tomato and pepper pathogen X. campestris pv. vesicatoria and is imported into the plant cell nucleus where it binds to specific promoter elements of target genes and activates their transcription. The N-terminal deletion derivative AvrBs3∆2 lacks a functional T3S and translocation signal but contains the effector domain and induces plant gene expression when fused to a functional translocation signal. In resistant pepper plants, AvrBs3 and translocated AvrBs3∆2 fusion proteins induce the expression of the Bs3-resistance gene, which triggers a strong, macroscopically visible defense response. The protocol for translocation assays with AvrBs3∆2 fusion proteins includes (1) the generation of expression constructs by Golden Gate cloning, (2) the transfer of expression constructs into bacterial recipient strains, (3) in vitro secretion assays with reporter fusion proteins and (4) infection of AvrBs3-responsive pepper plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Drehkopf
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jens Hausner
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Michael Jordan
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Felix Scheibner
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Ulla Bonas
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Daniela Büttner
- Department of Genetics, Institute for Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Weinbergweg 10, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany.
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17
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Scheibner F, Schulz S, Hausner J, Marillonnet S, Büttner D. Type III-Dependent Translocation of HrpB2 by a Nonpathogenic hpaABC Mutant of the Plant-Pathogenic Bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:3331-3347. [PMID: 27016569 PMCID: PMC4959247 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00537-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria employs a type III secretion (T3S) system to translocate effector proteins into plant cells. The T3S apparatus spans both bacterial membranes and is associated with an extracellular pilus and a channel-like translocon in the host plasma membrane. T3S is controlled by the switch protein HpaC, which suppresses secretion and translocation of the predicted inner rod protein HrpB2 and promotes secretion of translocon and effector proteins. We previously reported that HrpB2 interacts with HpaC and the cytoplasmic domain of the inner membrane protein HrcU (C. Lorenz, S. Schulz, T. Wolsch, O. Rossier, U. Bonas, and D. Büttner, PLoS Pathog 4:e1000094, 2008, http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1000094). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of HrpB2 secretion are not yet understood. Here, we located a T3S and translocation signal in the N-terminal 40 amino acids of HrpB2. The results of complementation experiments with HrpB2 deletion derivatives revealed that the T3S signal of HrpB2 is essential for protein function. Furthermore, interaction studies showed that the N-terminal region of HrpB2 interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of HrcU, suggesting that the T3S signal of HrpB2 contributes to substrate docking. Translocation of HrpB2 is suppressed not only by HpaC but also by the T3S chaperone HpaB and its secreted regulator, HpaA. Deletion of hpaA, hpaB, and hpaC leads to a loss of pathogenicity but allows the translocation of fusion proteins between the HrpB2 T3S signal and effector proteins into leaves of host and non-host plants. IMPORTANCE The T3S system of the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria is essential for pathogenicity and delivers effector proteins into plant cells. T3S depends on HrpB2, which is a component of the predicted periplasmic inner rod structure of the secretion apparatus. HrpB2 is secreted during the early stages of the secretion process and interacts with the cytoplasmic domain of the inner membrane protein HrcU. Here, we localized the secretion and translocation signal of HrpB2 in the N-terminal 40 amino acids and show that this region is sufficient for the interaction with the cytoplasmic domain of HrcU. Our results suggest that the T3S signal of HrpB2 is required for the docking of HrpB2 to the secretion apparatus. Furthermore, we provide experimental evidence that the N-terminal region of HrpB2 is sufficient to target effector proteins for translocation in a nonpathogenic X. campestris pv. vesicatoria strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Scheibner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Steve Schulz
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Jens Hausner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | | | - Daniela Büttner
- Institute of Biology, Department of Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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18
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Reeves AZ, Spears WE, Du J, Tan KY, Wagers AJ, Lesser CF. Engineering Escherichia coli into a protein delivery system for mammalian cells. ACS Synth Biol 2015; 4:644-54. [PMID: 25853840 PMCID: PMC4487226 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.5b00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Many Gram-negative pathogens encode type 3 secretion systems, sophisticated nanomachines that deliver proteins directly into the cytoplasm of mammalian cells. These systems present attractive opportunities for therapeutic protein delivery applications; however, their utility has been limited by their inherent pathogenicity. Here, we report the reengineering of a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli with a tunable type 3 secretion system that can efficiently deliver heterologous proteins into mammalian cells, thereby circumventing the need for virulence attenuation. We first introduced a 31 kB region of Shigella flexneri DNA that encodes all of the information needed to form the secretion nanomachine onto a plasmid that can be directly propagated within E. coli or integrated into the E. coli chromosome. To provide flexible control over type 3 secretion and protein delivery, we generated plasmids expressing master regulators of the type 3 system from either constitutive or inducible promoters. We then constructed a Gateway-compatible plasmid library of type 3 secretion sequences to enable rapid screening and identification of sequences that do not perturb function when fused to heterologous protein substrates and optimized their delivery into mammalian cells. Combining these elements, we found that coordinated expression of the type 3 secretion system and modified target protein substrates produces a nonpathogenic strain that expresses, secretes, and delivers heterologous proteins into mammalian cells. This reengineered system thus provides a highly flexible protein delivery platform with potential for future therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Analise Z. Reeves
- Department
of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - William E. Spears
- Department
of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Juan Du
- Department
of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02138, United States
| | - Kah Yong Tan
- Howard
Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative
Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Amy J. Wagers
- Howard
Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative
Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Cammie F. Lesser
- Department
of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02138, United States
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, United States
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Roblin P, Dewitte F, Villeret V, Biondi EG, Bompard C. A Salmonella type three secretion effector/chaperone complex adopts a hexameric ring-like structure. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:688-98. [PMID: 25404693 PMCID: PMC4334183 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02294-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many bacterial pathogens use type three secretion systems (T3SS) to inject virulence factors, named effectors, directly into the cytoplasm of target eukaryotic cells. Most of the T3SS components are conserved among plant and animal pathogens, suggesting a common mechanism of recognition and secretion of effectors. However, no common motif has yet been identified for effectors allowing T3SS recognition. In this work, we performed a biochemical and structural characterization of the Salmonella SopB/SigE chaperone/effector complex by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Our results showed that the SopB/SigE complex is assembled in dynamic homohexameric-ring-shaped structures with an internal tunnel. In this ring, the chaperone maintains a disordered N-terminal end of SopB molecules, in a good position to be reached and processed by the T3SS. This ring dimensionally fits the ring-organized molecules of the injectisome, including ATPase hexameric rings; this organization suggests that this structural feature is important for ATPase recognition by T3SS. Our work constitutes the first evidence of the oligomerization of an effector, analogous to the organization of the secretion machinery, obtained in solution. As effectors share neither sequence nor structural identity, the quaternary oligomeric structure could constitute a strategy evolved to promote the specificity and efficiency of T3SS recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Roblin
- INRA Biopolymères, Interactions et Assemblages, Nantes, France Synchrotron SOLEIL, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Frédérique Dewitte
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, CNRS UMR8576, Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Vincent Villeret
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, CNRS UMR8576, Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Emanuele G Biondi
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, CNRS UMR8576, Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
| | - Coralie Bompard
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle, CNRS UMR8576, Université Lille Nord de France, Villeneuve d'Ascq, France
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SepD/SepL-dependent secretion signals of the type III secretion system translocator proteins in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol 2015; 197:1263-75. [PMID: 25645555 DOI: 10.1128/jb.02401-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED The type III protein secretion system (T3SS) encoded by the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) is essential for the pathogenesis of attaching/effacing bacterial pathogens, including enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and Citrobacter rodentium. These pathogens use the T3SS to sequentially secrete three categories of proteins: the T3SS needle and inner rod protein components; the EspA, EspB, and EspD translocators; and many LEE- and non-LEE-encoded effectors. SepD and SepL are essential for translocator secretion, and mutations in either lead to hypersecretion of effectors. However, how SepD and SepL control translocator secretion and secretion hierarchy between translocators and effectors is poorly understood. In this report, we show that the secreted T3SS components, the translocators, and both LEE- and non-LEE-encoded effectors all carry N-terminal type III secretion and translocation signals. These signals all behave like those of the effectors and are sufficient for mediating type III secretion and translocation by wild-type EPEC and hypersecretion by the sepD and sepL mutants. Our results extended previous observations and suggest that the secretion hierarchy of the different substrates is determined by a signal other than the N-terminal secretion signal. We identified a domain located immediately downstream of the N-terminal secretion signal in the translocator EspB that is required for SepD/SepL-dependent secretion. We further demonstrated that this EspB domain confers SepD/SepL- and CesAB-dependent secretion on the secretion signal of effector EspZ. Our results thus suggest that SepD and SepL control and regulate secretion hierarchy between translocators and effectors by recognizing translocator-specific export signals. IMPORTANCE Many bacterial pathogens use a syringe-like protein secretion apparatus, termed the type III protein secretion system (T3SS), to secrete and inject numerous proteins directly into the host cells to cause disease. The secreted proteins perform different functions at various stages during infection and are classified into three substrate categories (T3SS components, translocators, and effectors). They all contain secretion signals at their N termini, but how their secretion hierarchy is determined is poorly understood. Here, we show that the N-terminal secretion signals from different substrate categories all behave the same and do not confer substrate specificity. We further characterize the secretion signals of the translocators and identify a translocator-specific signal, demonstrating that substrate-specific secretion signals are required in regulating T3SS substrate hierarchy.
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21
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The structure of the Slrp-Trx1 complex sheds light on the autoinhibition mechanism of the type III secretion system effectors of the NEL family. Biochem J 2015; 464:135-44. [PMID: 25184225 DOI: 10.1042/bj20140587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Salmonella infections are a leading cause of bacterial foodborne illness in the U.S.A. and the European Union Antimicrobial therapy is often administered to treat the infection, but increasingly isolates are being detected that demonstrate resistance to multiple antibiotics. Salmonella enterica contains two virulence-related T3SS (type III secretion systems): one promotes invasion of the intestine and the other one mediates systemic disease. Both of them secrete the SlrP protein acting as E3 ubiquitin ligase in human host cells where it targets Trx1 (thioredoxin-1). SlrP belongs to the NEL family of bacterial E3 ubiquitin ligases that have been observed in two distinct autoinhibitory conformations. We solved the 3D structure of the SlrP-Trx1 complex and determined the Trx1 ubiquitination site. The description of the substrate-binding mode sheds light on the first step of the activation mechanism of SlrP. Comparison with the available structural data of other NEL effectors allowed us to gain new insights into their autoinhibitory mechanism. We propose a molecular mechanism for the regulation of SlrP in which structural constraints sequestrating the NEL domain would be sequentially released. This work thus constitutes a new milestone in the understanding of how these T3SS effectors influence pathogen virulence. It also provides the fundamental basis for future development of new antimicrobials.
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22
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Banerjee A, Dey S, Chakraborty A, Datta A, Basu A, Chakrabarti S, Datta S. Binding mode analysis of a major T3SS translocator protein PopB with its chaperone PcrH from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Proteins 2014; 82:3273-85. [PMID: 25116453 DOI: 10.1002/prot.24666] [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: 03/08/2014] [Revised: 07/25/2014] [Accepted: 08/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative pathogen uses a specialized set of Type III secretion system (T3SS) translocator proteins to establish virulence in the host cell. An understanding of the factors that govern translocation by the translocator protein-chaperone complex is thus of immense importance. In this work, experimental and computational techniques were used to probe into the structure of the major translocator protein PopB from P. aeruginosa and to identify the important regions involved in functioning of the translocator protein. This study reveals that the binding sites of the common chaperone PcrH, needed for maintenance of the translocator PopB within the bacterial cytoplasm, which are primarily localized within the N-terminal domain. However, disordered and flexible residues located both at the N- and C-terminal domains are also observed to be involved in association with the chaperone. This intrinsic disorderliness of the terminal domains is conserved for all the major T3SS translocator proteins and is functionally important to maintain the intrinsically disordered state of the translocators. Our experimental and computational analyses suggest that a "disorder-to-order" transition of PopB protein might take place upon PcrH binding. The long helical coiled-coil part of PopB protein perhaps helps in pore formation while the flexible apical region is involved in chaperone interaction. Thus, our computational model of translocator protein PopB and its binding analyses provide crucial functional insights into the T3SS translocation mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anindyajit Banerjee
- Division of Structural Biology and Bioinformatics, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Kolkata, 700 032, West Bengal, India
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23
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Abstract
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a food-borne pathogen that causes severe gastroenteritis. The ability of Salmonella to cause disease depends on two type III secretion systems (T3SSs) encoded in two distinct Salmonella pathogenicity islands, 1 and 2 (SPI1 and SPI2, respectively). S. Typhimurium encodes a solo LuxR homolog, SdiA, which can detect the acyl-homoserine lactones (AHLs) produced by other bacteria and upregulate the rck operon and the srgE gene. SrgE is predicted to encode a protein of 488 residues with a coiled-coil domain between residues 345 and 382. In silico studies have provided conflicting predictions as to whether SrgE is a T3SS substrate. Therefore, in this work, we tested the hypothesis that SrgE is a T3SS effector by two methods, a β-lactamase activity assay and a split green fluorescent protein (GFP) complementation assay. SrgE with β-lactamase fused to residue 40, 100, 150, or 300 was indeed expressed and translocated into host cells, but SrgE with β-lactamase fused to residue 400 or 488 was not expressed, suggesting interference by the coiled-coil domain. Similarly, SrgE with GFP S11 fused to residue 300, but not to residue 488, was expressed and translocated into host cells. With both systems, translocation into host cells was dependent upon SPI2. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that srgE is found only within Salmonella enterica subspecies. It is found sporadically within both typhoidal and nontyphoidal serovars, although the SrgE protein sequences found within typhoidal serovars tend to cluster separately from those found in nontyphoidal serovars, suggesting functional diversification.
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Marín M, Ott T. Intrinsic disorder in plant proteins and phytopathogenic bacterial effectors. Chem Rev 2014; 114:6912-32. [PMID: 24697726 DOI: 10.1021/cr400488d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Marín
- Genetics Institute, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich , Grosshaderner Strasse 2-4, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
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Buchko GW, Jain A, Reback ML, Shaw WJ. Structural characterization of the model amphipathic peptide Ac-LKKLLKLLKKLLKL-NH2 in aqueous solution and with 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol. CAN J CHEM 2013. [DOI: 10.1139/cjc-2012-0429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Short-chain amphipathic peptides are promising components in the new generation of engineered biomaterials. The model 14-residue leucine–lysine peptide Ac-LKKLLKLLKKLLKL-NH2 (LKα) is one such amphipathic peptide. In dilute aqueous solution (<0.05 mmol/L), it was previously proposed, using CD spectroscopic data, that LKα existed in a cooperative monomeric (unstructured) – tetrameric (α-helical) equilibrium that shifted towards the tetramer at high NaCl and peptide concentrations. Here, at similar peptide concentrations, CD spectroscopy shows that LKα readily adopts α-helical structure in the presence of 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) with maximal helical character in 20% TFE and ∼10% HFIP (v/v). The helical character in fluorinated alcohols suggested by the CD data at low peptide concentrations (0.06 mmol/L) is corroborated at high peptide concentrations (1.5 mmol/L) by NMR NOE data that also show that 1.5 mmol/L LKα is helical in 100% water. Size exclusion chromatography and estimations of rotational correlation times (τc) showed that the self-assembled LKα complexes contained three to five peptides. Removing the N-terminal acetyl group prevents LKα from forming helices and self-associating at high NaCl and peptide concentrations. This more detailed characterization of the structural and physical properties of LKα over a greater range of peptide concentrations and in the presence of fluorinated alcohols will assist the design of biomaterials containing amphipathic peptides and guide the ability to control self-assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garry W. Buchko
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Avijita Jain
- Chemicals & Materials Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Matthew L. Reback
- Chemicals & Materials Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
| | - Wendy J. Shaw
- Chemicals & Materials Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352, USA
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Wang Y, Sun M, Bao H, Zhang Q, Guo D. Effective identification of bacterial type III secretion signals using joint element features. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59754. [PMID: 23593149 PMCID: PMC3617162 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2012] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Type III secretion system (T3SS) plays important roles in bacteria and host cell interactions by specifically translocating type III effectors into the cytoplasm of the host cells. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of the bacterial type III effectors determine their specific secretion via type III secretion conduits. It is still unclear as to how the N-terminal sequences guide this specificity. In this work, the amino acid composition, secondary structure, and solvent accessibility in the N-termini of type III and non-type III secreted proteins were compared and contrasted. A high-efficacy mathematical model based on these joint features was developed to distinguish the type III proteins from the non-type III ones. The results indicate that secondary structure and solvent accessibility may make important contribution to the specific recognition of type III secretion signals. Analysis also showed that the joint feature of the N-terminal 6th–10th amino acids are especially important for guiding specific type III secretion. Furthermore, a genome-wide screening was performed to predict Salmonella type III secreted proteins, and 8 new candidates were experimentally validated. Interestingly, type III secretion signals were also predicted in gram-positive bacteria and yeasts. Experimental validation showed that two candidates from yeast can indeed be secreted through Salmonella type III secretion conduit. This research provides the first line of direct evidence that secondary structure and solvent accessibility contain important features for guiding specific type III secretion. The new software based on these joint features ensures a high accuracy (general cross-validation sensitivity of ∼96% at a specificity of ∼98%) in silico identification of new type III secreted proteins, which may facilitate our understanding about the specificity of type III secretion and the evolution of type III secreted proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yejun Wang
- School of Life Sciences and the State Key Lab of Agrobiotechnology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong
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Dong X, Zhang YJ, Zhang Z. Using weakly conserved motifs hidden in secretion signals to identify type-III effectors from bacterial pathogen genomes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56632. [PMID: 23437191 PMCID: PMC3577856 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As one of the most important virulence factor types in gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, type-III effectors (TTEs) play a crucial role in pathogen-host interactions by directly influencing immune signaling pathways within host cells. Based on the hypothesis that type-III secretion signals may be comprised of some weakly conserved sequence motifs, here we used profile-based amino acid pair information to develop an accurate TTE predictor. Results For a TTE or non-TTE, we first used a hidden Markov model-based sequence searching method (i.e., HHblits) to detect its weakly homologous sequences and extracted the profile-based k-spaced amino acid pair composition (HH-CKSAAP) from the N-terminal sequences. In the next step, the feature vector HH-CKSAAP was used to train a linear support vector machine model, which we designate as BEAN (Bacterial Effector ANalyzer). We compared our method with four existing TTE predictors through an independent test set, and our method revealed improved performance. Furthermore, we listed the most predictive amino acid pairs according to their weights in the established classification model. Evolutionary analysis shows that predictive amino acid pairs tend to be more conserved. Some predictive amino acid pairs also show significantly different position distributions between TTEs and non-TTEs. These analyses confirmed that some weakly conserved sequence motifs may play important roles in type-III secretion signals. Finally, we also used BEAN to scan one plant pathogen genome and showed that BEAN can be used for genome-wide TTE identification. The webserver and stand-alone version of BEAN are available at http://protein.cau.edu.cn:8080/bean/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaobao Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Yong-Jun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ziding Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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28
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Abstract
Salmonella virulence is largely mediated by two type III secretion systems (T3SS) that deliver effector proteins from the bacterium to a host cell; however, the secretion signal is poorly defined. Effector N termini are thought to contain the signal, but they lack homology, possess no identifiable motif, and adopt intrinsically disordered structures. Alternative studies suggest that RNA-encoded signals may also be recognized and that they can be located in the 5' untranslated leader sequence. We began our study by establishing the minimum sequence required for reporter translocation. Untranslated leader sequences predicted from 42 different Salmonella effector proteins were fused to the adenylate cyclase reporter (CyaA'), and each of them was tested for protein injection into J774 macrophages. RNA sequences derived from five effectors, gtgA, cigR, gogB, sseL, and steD, were sufficient for CyaA' translocation into host cells. To determine the mechanism of signal recognition, we identified proteins that bound specifically to the gtgA RNA. One of the unique proteins identified was Hfq. Hfq had no effect upon the translocation of full-length CigR and SteD, but injection of intact GtgA, GogB, and SseL was abolished in an hfq mutant, confirming the importance of Hfq. Our results demonstrated that the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) T3SS assembled into a functional apparatus independently of Hfq. Since particular effectors required Hfq for translocation, Hfq-RNA complexes may participate in signal recognition.
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Moest TP, Méresse S. Salmonella T3SSs: successful mission of the secret(ion) agents. Curr Opin Microbiol 2013; 16:38-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2012.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2012] [Revised: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 11/26/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Protein export according to schedule: architecture, assembly, and regulation of type III secretion systems from plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2012; 76:262-310. [PMID: 22688814 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.05017-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 299] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Flagellar and translocation-associated type III secretion (T3S) systems are present in most gram-negative plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria and are often essential for bacterial motility or pathogenicity. The architectures of the complex membrane-spanning secretion apparatuses of both systems are similar, but they are associated with different extracellular appendages, including the flagellar hook and filament or the needle/pilus structures of translocation-associated T3S systems. The needle/pilus is connected to a bacterial translocon that is inserted into the host plasma membrane and mediates the transkingdom transport of bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic cells. During the last 3 to 5 years, significant progress has been made in the characterization of membrane-associated core components and extracellular structures of T3S systems. Furthermore, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulators that control T3S gene expression and substrate specificity have been described. Given the architecture of the T3S system, it is assumed that extracellular components of the secretion apparatus are secreted prior to effector proteins, suggesting that there is a hierarchy in T3S. The aim of this review is to summarize our current knowledge of T3S system components and associated control proteins from both plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria.
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31
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Jain A, Buchko GW, Reback ML, O’Hagan M, Ginovska-Pangovska B, Linehan JC, Shaw WJ. Active Hydrogenation Catalyst with a Structured, Peptide-Based Outer-Coordination Sphere. ACS Catal 2012. [DOI: 10.1021/cs3004177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Avijita Jain
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
| | - Garry W. Buchko
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
| | - Matthew L. Reback
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
| | - Molly O’Hagan
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
| | | | - John C. Linehan
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
| | - Wendy J. Shaw
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington
99354, United States
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32
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Translational research in infectious disease: current paradigms and challenges ahead. Transl Res 2012; 159:430-53. [PMID: 22633095 PMCID: PMC3361696 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2011.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Revised: 12/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/24/2012] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the biomedical community has witnessed a rapid scientific and technologic evolution after the development and refinement of high-throughput methodologies. Concurrently and consequentially, the scientific perspective has changed from the reductionist approach of meticulously analyzing the fine details of a single component of biology to the "holistic" approach of broadmindedly examining the globally interacting elements of biological systems. The emergence of this new way of thinking has brought about a scientific revolution in which genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other "omics" have become the predominant tools by which large amounts of data are amassed, analyzed, and applied to complex questions of biology that were previously unsolvable. This enormous transformation of basic science research and the ensuing plethora of promising data, especially in the realm of human health and disease, have unfortunately not been followed by a parallel increase in the clinical application of this information. On the contrary, the number of new potential drugs in development has been decreasing steadily, suggesting the existence of roadblocks that prevent the translation of promising research into medically relevant therapeutic or diagnostic application. In this article, we will review, in a noninclusive fashion, several recent scientific advancements in the field of translational research, with a specific focus on how they relate to infectious disease. We will also present a current picture of the limitations and challenges that exist for translational research, as well as ways that have been proposed by the National Institutes of Health to improve the state of this field.
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Key Words
- 2-de, 2-dimensional electrophoresis
- 2-d dige, 2-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis
- cf, cystic fibrosis
- ctsa, clinical and translational science awards program
- ebv, epstein-barr virus
- fda, u.s. food and drug administration
- gwas, genome-wide association studies
- hcv, hepatitis c virus
- hmp, human microbiome project
- hplc, high-pressure liquid chromatography
- lc, liquid chromatography
- lsb, laboratory of systems biology
- mab, monoclonal antibody
- mrm/srm, multiple reaction monitoring/selective reaction monitoring
- ms, mass spectrometry
- ms/ms, tandem mass spectrometry
- ncats, national center for advancing translational sciences
- ncrr, national center of research resources
- niaid, national institute of allergy and infectious disease
- nih, national institutes of health
- nme, new molecular entity
- nmr, nuclear magnetic resonance
- pbmc, peripheral blood mononuclear cell
- pcr, polymerase chain reaction
- prr, pathogen recognition receptor
- qqq, triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
- sars-cov, coronavirus associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome
- snp, single nucleotide polymorphism
- tb, tuberculosis
- uti, urinary tract infection
- yfv, yellow fever virus
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Schechter LM, Valenta JC, Schneider DJ, Collmer A, Sakk E. Functional and computational analysis of amino acid patterns predictive of type III secretion system substrates in Pseudomonas syringae. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36038. [PMID: 22558318 PMCID: PMC3338616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/29/2012] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial type III secretion systems (T3SSs) deliver proteins called effectors into eukaryotic cells. Although N-terminal amino acid sequences are required for translocation, the mechanism of substrate recognition by the T3SS is unknown. Almost all actively deployed T3SS substrates in the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pathovar tomato strain DC3000 possess characteristic patterns, including (i) greater than 10% serine within the first 50 amino acids, (ii) an aliphatic residue or proline at position 3 or 4, and (iii) a lack of acidic amino acids within the first 12 residues. Here, the functional significance of the P. syringae T3SS substrate compositional patterns was tested. A mutant AvrPto effector protein lacking all three patterns was secreted into culture and translocated into plant cells, suggesting that the compositional characteristics are not absolutely required for T3SS targeting and that other recognition mechanisms exist. To further analyze the unique properties of T3SS targeting signals, we developed a computational algorithm called TEREE (Type III Effector Relative Entropy Evaluation) that distinguishes DC3000 T3SS substrates from other proteins with a high sensitivity and specificity. Although TEREE did not efficiently identify T3SS substrates in Salmonella enterica, it was effective in another P. syringae strain and Ralstonia solanacearum. Thus, the TEREE algorithm may be a useful tool for identifying new effector genes in plant pathogens. The nature of T3SS targeting signals was additionally investigated by analyzing the N-terminus of FtsX, a putative membrane protein that was classified as a T3SS substrate by TEREE. Although the first 50 amino acids of FtsX were unable to target a reporter protein to the T3SS, an AvrPto protein substituted with the first 12 amino acids of FtsX was translocated into plant cells. These results show that the T3SS targeting signals are highly mutable and that secretion may be directed by multiple features of substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Schechter
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
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A new means to identify type 3 secreted effectors: functionally interchangeable class IB chaperones recognize a conserved sequence. mBio 2012; 3:mBio.00243-11. [PMID: 22334517 PMCID: PMC3280449 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00243-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Many Gram-negative bacteria utilize specialized secretion systems to inject proteins (effectors) directly into host cells. Little is known regarding how bacteria ensure that only small subsets of the thousands of proteins they encode are recognized as substrates of the secretion systems, limiting their identification through bioinformatic analyses. Many of these proteins require chaperones to direct their secretion. Here, using the newly described protein interaction platform assay, we demonstrate that type 3 secretion system class IB chaperones from one bacterium directly bind their own effectors as well as those from other species. In addition, we observe that expression of class IB homologs from seven species, including pathogens and endosymbionts, mediate the translocation of effectors from Shigella directly into host cells, demonstrating that class IB chaperones are often functionally interchangeable. Notably, class IB chaperones bind numerous effectors. However, as previously proposed, they are not promiscuous; rather they recognize a defined sequence that we designate the conserved chaperone-binding domain (CCBD) sequence [(LMIF)(1)XXX(IV)(5)XX(IV)(8)X(N)(10)]. This sequence is the first defined amino acid sequence to be identified for any interspecies bacterial secretion system, i.e., a system that delivers proteins directly into eukaryotic cells. This sequence provides a new means to identify substrates of type III secretion systems. Indeed, using a pattern search algorithm for the CCBD sequence, we have identified the first two probable effectors from an endosymbiont, Sodalis glossinidius. IMPORTANCE Many Gram-negative pathogens utilize type 3 secretion systems to deliver tens of effectors into host cells. In order to understand the diverse ways that these organisms cause disease, it is necessary to identify their effectors, many of which require chaperones to be secreted. Here we establish that class IB chaperones are not promiscuous, as previously proposed, but rather recognize a conserved effector sequence. We demonstrate that pattern search algorithms based on this defined sequence can be used to identify previously unknown effectors. Furthermore, we observe that class IB chaperones from at least seven bacterial species are functionally interchangeable. Not only do they bind and mediate the delivery of their own set of effectors into host cells but they also bind to type 3 substrates from other bacteria, suggesting that inhibitors that block chaperone-effector interactions could provide a novel means to effectively treat infections due to Gram-negative pathogens, including organisms resistant to currently available antibiotics.
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35
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Sato Y, Takaya A, Yamamoto T. Meta-analytic approach to the accurate prediction of secreted virulence effectors in gram-negative bacteria. BMC Bioinformatics 2011; 12:442. [PMID: 22078363 PMCID: PMC3240867 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-12-442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2011] [Accepted: 11/14/2011] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Many pathogens use a type III secretion system to translocate virulence proteins (called effectors) in order to adapt to the host environment. To date, many prediction tools for effector identification have been developed. However, these tools are insufficiently accurate for producing a list of putative effectors that can be applied directly for labor-intensive experimental verification. This also suggests that important features of effectors have yet to be fully characterized. Results In this study, we have constructed an accurate approach to predicting secreted virulence effectors from Gram-negative bacteria. This consists of a support vector machine-based discriminant analysis followed by a simple criteria-based filtering. The accuracy was assessed by estimating the average number of true positives in the top-20 ranking in the genome-wide screening. In the validation, 10 sets of 20 training and 20 testing examples were randomly selected from 40 known effectors of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2. On average, the SVM portion of our system predicted 9.7 true positives from 20 testing examples in the top-20 of the prediction. Removal of the N-terminal instability, codon adaptation index and ProtParam indices decreased the score to 7.6, 8.9 and 7.9, respectively. These discrimination features suggested that the following characteristics of effectors had been uncovered: unstable N-terminus, non-optimal codon usage, hydrophilic, and less aliphathic. The secondary filtering process represented by coexpression analysis and domain distribution analysis further refined the average true positive counts to 12.3. We further confirmed that our system can correctly predict known effectors of P. syringae DC3000, strongly indicating its feasibility. Conclusions We have successfully developed an accurate prediction system for screening effectors on a genome-wide scale. We confirmed the accuracy of our system by external validation using known effectors of Salmonella and obtained the accurate list of putative effectors of the organism. The level of accuracy was sufficient to yield candidates for gene-directed experimental verification. Furthermore, new features of effectors were revealed: non-optimal codon usage and instability of the N-terminal region. From these findings, a new working hypothesis is proposed regarding mechanisms controlling the translocation of virulence effectors and determining the substrate specificity encoded in the secretion system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiharu Sato
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan.
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36
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Nickerson NN, Tosi T, Dessen A, Baron B, Raynal B, England P, Pugsley AP. Outer membrane targeting of secretin PulD protein relies on disordered domain recognition by a dedicated chaperone. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:38833-43. [PMID: 21878629 PMCID: PMC3234708 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.279851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2011] [Revised: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Interaction of bacterial outer membrane secretin PulD with its dedicated lipoprotein chaperone PulS relies on a disorder-to-order transition of the chaperone binding (S) domain near the PulD C terminus. PulS interacts with purified S domain to form a 1:1 complex. Circular dichroism, one-dimensional NMR, and hydrodynamic measurements indicate that the S domain is elongated and intrinsically disordered but gains secondary structure upon binding to PulS. Limited proteolysis and mass spectrometry identified the 28 C-terminal residues of the S domain as a minimal binding site with low nanomolar affinity for PulS in vitro that is sufficient for outer membrane targeting of PulD in vivo. The region upstream of this binding site is not required for targeting or multimerization and does not interact with PulS, but it is required for secretin function in type II secretion. Although other secretin chaperones differ substantially from PulS in sequence and secondary structure, they have all adopted at least superficially similar mechanisms of interaction with their cognate secretins, suggesting that intrinsically disordered regions facilitate rapid interaction between secretins and their chaperones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas N. Nickerson
- From the Institut Pasteur, Molecular Genetics Unit, Microbiology Department, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris
- the CNRS URA2172, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris
| | - Tommaso Tosi
- the Institut de Biologie Structurale, Bacterial Pathogenesis Group, Université de Grenoble I, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
- the CNRS UMR 5075, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
- the Commissariat à l'Enérgie Atomique, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
| | - Andréa Dessen
- the Institut de Biologie Structurale, Bacterial Pathogenesis Group, Université de Grenoble I, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
- the CNRS UMR 5075, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
- the Commissariat à l'Enérgie Atomique, Rue Jules Horowitz, 38027 Grenoble
| | - Bruno Baron
- the Institut Pasteur, Biophysics of Macromolecules and their Interactions Platform, Proteopole and Structural Biology and Chemistry Department, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, and
- the CNRS URA2185, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Bertrand Raynal
- the Institut Pasteur, Biophysics of Macromolecules and their Interactions Platform, Proteopole and Structural Biology and Chemistry Department, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, and
- the CNRS URA2185, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Patrick England
- the Institut Pasteur, Biophysics of Macromolecules and their Interactions Platform, Proteopole and Structural Biology and Chemistry Department, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, and
- the CNRS URA2185, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Anthony P. Pugsley
- From the Institut Pasteur, Molecular Genetics Unit, Microbiology Department, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris
- the CNRS URA2172, rue du Dr. Roux, 75015 Paris
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Proteolytic targeting of Rab29 by an effector protein distinguishes the intracellular compartments of human-adapted and broad-host Salmonella. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2011; 108:18418-23. [PMID: 22042847 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1111959108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Unlike broad-host Salmonella serovars, which cause self-limiting disease, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi can infect only humans causing typhoid fever, a life-threatening systemic disease. The molecular bases for these differences are presently unknown. Here we show that the GTPase Rab29 (Rab7L1) distinguishes the intracellular vacuole of human-adapted and broad-host Salmonella serovars. A screen to identify host factors required for the export of typhoid toxin, which is exclusively encoded by the human-specific Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi (S. Typhi) and Paratyphi (S. Paratyphi) identified Rab29. We found that Rab29 is recruited to the S. Typhi-containing vacuole but not to vacuoles containing broad-host Salmonella. We observed that in cells infected with broad-host Salmonella Rab29 is specifically cleaved by the proteolytic activity of GtgE, a unique type III secretion effector protein that is absent from S. Typhi. An S. Typhi strain engineered to express GtgE and therefore able to cleave Rab29 exhibited increased intracellular replication in human macrophages. These findings indicate significant differences in the intracellular biology of human-adapted and broad-host Salmonella and show how subtle differences in the assortment of effector proteins encoded by highly related pathogens can have a major impact in their biology.
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38
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McDermott JE, Yoon H, Nakayasu ES, Metz TO, Hyduke DR, Kidwai AS, Palsson BO, Adkins JN, Heffron F. Technologies and approaches to elucidate and model the virulence program of salmonella. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:121. [PMID: 21687430 PMCID: PMC3108385 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2011] [Accepted: 05/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Salmonella is a primary cause of enteric diseases in a variety of animals. During its evolution into a pathogenic bacterium, Salmonella acquired an elaborate regulatory network that responds to multiple environmental stimuli within host animals and integrates them resulting in fine regulation of the virulence program. The coordinated action by this regulatory network involves numerous virulence regulators, necessitating genome-wide profiling analysis to assess and combine efforts from multiple regulons. In this review we discuss recent high-throughput analytic approaches used to understand the regulatory network of Salmonella that controls virulence processes. Application of high-throughput analyses have generated large amounts of data and necessitated the development of computational approaches for data integration. Therefore, we also cover computer-aided network analyses to infer regulatory networks, and demonstrate how genome-scale data can be used to construct regulatory and metabolic systems models of Salmonella pathogenesis. Genes that are coordinately controlled by multiple virulence regulators under infectious conditions are more likely to be important for pathogenesis. Thus, reconstructing the global regulatory network during infection or, at the very least, under conditions that mimic the host cellular environment not only provides a bird's eye view of Salmonella survival strategy in response to hostile host environments but also serves as an efficient means to identify novel virulence factors that are essential for Salmonella to accomplish systemic infection in the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason E. McDermott
- Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Group, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichland, WA, USA
| | - Hyunjin Yoon
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences UniversityPortland, OR, USA
| | - Ernesto S. Nakayasu
- Biological Separations and Mass Spectroscopy Group, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichland WA, USA
| | - Thomas O. Metz
- Biological Separations and Mass Spectroscopy Group, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichland WA, USA
| | - Daniel R. Hyduke
- Systems Biology, University of California San DiegoSan Diego, CA, USA
| | - Afshan S. Kidwai
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences UniversityPortland, OR, USA
| | | | - Joshua N. Adkins
- Biological Separations and Mass Spectroscopy Group, Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichland WA, USA
| | - Fred Heffron
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Sciences UniversityPortland, OR, USA
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Computational prediction of type III and IV secreted effectors in gram-negative bacteria. Infect Immun 2011; 79:23-32. [PMID: 20974833 PMCID: PMC3019878 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00537-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
In this review, we provide an overview of the methods employed in four recent studies that described novel methods for computational prediction of secreted effectors from type III and IV secretion systems in Gram-negative bacteria. We present the results of these studies in terms of performance at accurately predicting secreted effectors and similarities found between secretion signals that may reflect biologically relevant features for recognition. We discuss the Web-based tools for secreted effector prediction described in these studies and announce the availability of our tool, the SIEVE server (http://www.sysbep.org/sieve). Finally, we assess the accuracies of the three type III effector prediction methods on a small set of proteins not known prior to the development of these tools that we recently discovered and validated using both experimental and computational approaches. Our comparison shows that all methods use similar approaches and, in general, arrive at similar conclusions. We discuss the possibility of an order-dependent motif in the secretion signal, which was a point of disagreement in the studies. Our results show that there may be classes of effectors in which the signal has a loosely defined motif and others in which secretion is dependent only on compositional biases. Computational prediction of secreted effectors from protein sequences represents an important step toward better understanding the interaction between pathogens and hosts.
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