1
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Mandel CG, Sanchez SE, Monahan CC, Phuklia W, Omsland A. Metabolism and physiology of pathogenic bacterial obligate intracellular parasites. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1284701. [PMID: 38585652 PMCID: PMC10995303 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1284701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacterial obligate intracellular parasites (BOIPs) represent an exclusive group of bacterial pathogens that all depend on invasion of a eukaryotic host cell to reproduce. BOIPs are characterized by extensive adaptation to their respective replication niches, regardless of whether they replicate within the host cell cytoplasm or within specialized replication vacuoles. Genome reduction is also a hallmark of BOIPs that likely reflects streamlining of metabolic processes to reduce the need for de novo biosynthesis of energetically costly metabolic intermediates. Despite shared characteristics in lifestyle, BOIPs show considerable diversity in nutrient requirements, metabolic capabilities, and general physiology. In this review, we compare metabolic and physiological processes of prominent pathogenic BOIPs with special emphasis on carbon, energy, and amino acid metabolism. Recent advances are discussed in the context of historical views and opportunities for discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cameron G. Mandel
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Savannah E. Sanchez
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Colleen C. Monahan
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Weerawat Phuklia
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Microbiology Laboratory, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
| | - Anders Omsland
- Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
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2
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Cheong HC, Sulaiman S, Looi CY, Chang LY, Wong WF. Chlamydia Infection Remodels Host Cell Mitochondria to Alter Energy Metabolism and Subvert Apoptosis. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1382. [PMID: 37374883 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11061382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia infection represents an important cause for concern for public health worldwide. Chlamydial infection of the genital tract in females is mostly asymptomatic at the early stage, often manifesting as mucopurulent cervicitis, urethritis, and salpingitis at the later stage; it has been associated with female infertility, spontaneous abortion, ectopic pregnancy, and cervical cancer. As an obligate intracellular bacterium, Chlamydia depends heavily on host cells for nutrient acquisition, energy production, and cell propagation. The current review discusses various strategies utilized by Chlamydia in manipulating the cell metabolism to benefit bacterial propagation and survival through close interaction with the host cell mitochondrial and apoptotic pathway molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Choon Cheong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Sofiah Sulaiman
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Chung Yeng Looi
- School of Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Taylor's University, Subang Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Li-Yen Chang
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
| | - Won Fen Wong
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
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3
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Banerjee A, Sun Y, Muramatsu MK, Toh E, Nelson DE. A Member of an Ancient Family of Bacterial Amino Acids Transporters Contributes to Chlamydia Nutritional Virulence and Immune Evasion. Infect Immun 2023; 91:e0048322. [PMID: 36847502 PMCID: PMC10068747 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00483-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Many obligate intracellular bacteria, including members of the genus Chlamydia, cannot synthesize a variety of amino acids de novo and acquire these from host cells via largely unknown mechanisms. Previously, we determined that a missense mutation in ctl0225, a conserved Chlamydia open reading frame of unknown function, mediated sensitivity to interferon gamma. Here, we show evidence that CTL0225 is a member of the SnatA family of neutral amino acid transporters that contributes to the import of several amino acids into Chlamydia cells. Further, we show that CTL0225 orthologs from two other distantly related obligate intracellular pathogens (Coxiella burnetii and Buchnera aphidicola) are sufficient to import valine into Escherichia coli. We also show that chlamydia infection and interferon exposure have opposing effects on amino acid metabolism, potentially explaining the relationship between CTL0225 and interferon sensitivity. Overall, we show that phylogenetically diverse intracellular pathogens use an ancient family of amino acid transporters to acquire host amino acids and provide another example of how nutritional virulence and immune evasion can be linked in obligate intracellular pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkaprabha Banerjee
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Yuan Sun
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Matthew K. Muramatsu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Evelyn Toh
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - David E. Nelson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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4
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Kuwabara S, Landers ER, Fisher DJ. Impact of nutrients on the function of the chlamydial Rsb partner switching mechanism. Pathog Dis 2022; 80:6831632. [PMID: 36385643 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftac044] [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: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is a leading cause of sexually transmitted infections and infectious blindness. Chlamydia undergo a biphasic developmental cycle alternating between the infectious elementary body (EB) and the replicative reticulate body (RB). The molecular mechanisms governing RB growth and RB-EB differentiation are unclear. We hypothesize that the bacterium senses host cell and bacterial energy levels and metabolites to ensure that development and growth coincide with nutrient availability. We predict that a partner switching mechanism (PSM) plays a key role in the sensing and response process acting as a molecular throttle sensitive to metabolite levels. Using purified wild type and mutant PSM proteins, we discovered that metal type impacts enzyme activity and the substrate specificity of RsbU and that RsbW prefers ATP over GTP as a phosphate donor. Immunoblotting analysis of RsbV1/V2 demonstrated the presence of both proteins beyond 20 hours post infection and we observed that an RsbV1-null strain has a developmental delay and exhibits differential growth attenuation in response to glucose levels. Collectively, our data support that the PSM regulates growth in response to metabolites and further defines biochemical features governing PSM-component interactions which could help in the development of novel PSM-targeted therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiomi Kuwabara
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
| | - Evan R Landers
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
| | - Derek J Fisher
- Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Biochemistry Graduate Program, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States.,School of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, United States
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5
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N'Gadjaga MD, Perrinet S, Connor MG, Bertolin G, Millot GA, Subtil A. Chlamydia trachomatis development requires both host glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation but has only minor effects on these pathways. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102338. [PMID: 35931114 PMCID: PMC9449673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis obtain all nutrients from the cytoplasm of their epithelial host cells and stimulate glucose uptake by these cells. They even hijack host ATP, exerting a strong metabolic pressure on their host at the peak of the proliferative stage of their developmental cycle. However, it is largely unknown whether infection modulates the metabolism of the host cell. Also, the reliance of the bacteria on host metabolism might change during their progression through their biphasic developmental cycle. Herein, using primary epithelial cells and 2 cell lines of nontumoral origin, we showed that between the 2 main ATP-producing pathways of the host, oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) remained stable and glycolysis was slightly increased. Inhibition of either pathway strongly reduced bacterial proliferation, implicating that optimal bacterial growth required both pathways to function at full capacity. While we found C. trachomatis displayed some degree of energetic autonomy in the synthesis of proteins expressed at the onset of infection, functional host glycolysis was necessary for the establishment of early inclusions, whereas OxPhos contributed less. These observations correlated with the relative contributions of the pathways in maintaining ATP levels in epithelial cells, with glycolysis contributing the most. Altogether, this work highlights the dependence of C. trachomatis on both host glycolysis and OxPhos for efficient bacterial replication. However, ATP consumption appears at equilibrium with the normal production capacity of the host and the bacteria, so that no major shift between these pathways is required to meet bacterial needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maimouna D N'Gadjaga
- Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3691, Cellular Biology of Microbial Infection, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Paris, France
| | - Stéphanie Perrinet
- Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3691, Cellular Biology of Microbial Infection, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Michael G Connor
- Institut Pasteur, Chromatin and Infection, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Giulia Bertolin
- CNRS, IGDR (Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes), UMR 6290, Univ Rennes, Rennes, France
| | - Gaël A Millot
- Institut Pasteur, Hub Bioinformatique et Biostatistique-DBC, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Agathe Subtil
- Institut Pasteur, CNRS UMR3691, Cellular Biology of Microbial Infection, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France.
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Triboulet S, N’Gadjaga MD, Niragire B, Köstlbacher S, Horn M, Aimanianda V, Subtil A. CT295 Is Chlamydia trachomatis’ Phosphoglucomutase and a Type 3 Secretion Substrate. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:866729. [PMID: 35795184 PMCID: PMC9251005 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.866729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia trachomatis store glycogen in the lumen of the vacuoles in which they grow. Glycogen catabolism generates glucose-1-phosphate (Glc1P), while the bacteria can take up only glucose-6-phosphate (Glc6P). We tested whether the conversion of Glc1P into Glc6P could be catalyzed by a phosphoglucomutase (PGM) of host or bacterial origin. We found no evidence for the presence of the host PGM in the vacuole. Two C. trachomatis proteins, CT295 and CT815, are potential PGMs. By reconstituting the reaction using purified proteins, and by complementing PGM deficient fibroblasts, we demonstrated that only CT295 displayed robust PGM activity. Intriguingly, we showed that glycogen accumulation in the lumen of the vacuole of a subset of Chlamydia species (C. trachomatis, C. muridarum, C. suis) correlated with the presence, in CT295 orthologs, of a secretion signal recognized by the type three secretion (T3S) machinery of Shigella. C. caviae and C. pneumoniae do not accumulate glycogen, and their CT295 orthologs lack T3S signals. In conclusion, we established that the conversion of Glc1P into Glc6P was accomplished by a bacterial PGM, through the acquisition of a T3S signal in a “housekeeping” protein. Acquisition of this signal likely contributed to shaping glycogen metabolism within Chlamydiaceae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Triboulet
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Unité de Biologie Cellulaire de l’Infection Microbienne, Paris, France
| | - Maimouna D. N’Gadjaga
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Unité de Biologie Cellulaire de l’Infection Microbienne, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Paris, France
| | - Béatrice Niragire
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Unité de Biologie Cellulaire de l’Infection Microbienne, Paris, France
| | - Stephan Köstlbacher
- Centre for Microbiology and Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Matthias Horn
- Centre for Microbiology and Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vishukumar Aimanianda
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR2000, Unité de Mycologie Moléculaire, Paris, France
| | - Agathe Subtil
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR3691, Unité de Biologie Cellulaire de l’Infection Microbienne, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Agathe Subtil,
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7
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Hu C, Wu H, Sun Y, Kong J, Shao L, Chen X, Liu Q, Liu Y. GlgA plays an important role in the induction of hydrosalpinx by Chlamydia muridarum. Pathog Dis 2021; 78:5857168. [PMID: 32533831 DOI: 10.1093/femspd/ftaa027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
While glycogen synthase A deficiency can reduce the growth and proliferation of Chlamydia muridarum, the effect of glycogen synthase A on the pathogenic process of C. muridarum remains unclear. To characterize the effect of glycogen synthase A deficiency on the pathogenicity of C. muridarum in the genital tract, BALB/c mice were intravaginally inoculated with wild-type, plasmid-free and glycogen synthase A-deficient C. muridarum, and the genital tract tissue was isolated to assess the severity of hydrosalpinx and the levels of oviduct dilatation at day 60 after infection. The glycogen storage capacity and in vitro infection ability of different C. muridarum strains were analyzed by periodic acid-Schiff staining and quantification of progeny elementary body(EB) formation. The tissue homogenate was used to determine the recovery of different C. muridarum strains. The results show that glycogen synthase A-deficient C. muridarum induced reduction of hydrosalpinx and attenuated the extent of oviduct dilatation in mice, and exhibited reduced growth and proliferation in the mouse lower genital tract. In addition, glycogen synthase A point mutations at different sites reduced the glycogen storage capacity and in vitro infectivity of C. muridarum to different degrees. Glycogen synthase A deficiency also reduced the host inflammatory reaction and ascending infection of C. muridarum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunmin Hu
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Haoqing Wu
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Yina Sun
- Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development (Ministry of Health), Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Tianjin Metabolic Diseases Hospital and Tianjin Institute of Endocrinology, Tianjin Medical University, 22 Qixiangtai Rd., Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Jie Kong
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - LiLi Shao
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Xiaojun Chen
- Department of Immunology, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Disease of the Educational Ministry, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300070, China
| | - Quanzhong Liu
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Yuanjun Liu
- Department of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, 154 Anshan Rd., Tianjin 300052, PR China
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8
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Soules KR, Dmitriev A, LaBrie SD, Dimond ZE, May BH, Johnson DK, Zhang Y, Battaile KP, Lovell S, Hefty PS. Structural and ligand binding analyses of the periplasmic sensor domain of RsbU in Chlamydia trachomatis support a role in TCA cycle regulation. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:68-88. [PMID: 31637787 PMCID: PMC7007330 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacteria that undergo dynamic morphologic and physiologic conversions upon gaining an access to a eukaryotic cell. These conversions likely require the detection of key environmental conditions and regulation of metabolic activity. Chlamydia encodes homologs to proteins in the Rsb phosphoregulatory partner-switching pathway, best described in Bacillus subtilis. ORF CT588 has a strong sequence similarity to RsbU cytoplasmic phosphatase domain but also contains a unique periplasmic sensor domain that is expected to control the phosphatase activity. A 1.7 Å crystal structure of the periplasmic domain of the RsbU protein from C. trachomatis (PDB 6MAB) displays close structural similarity to DctB from Vibrio and Sinorhizobium. DctB has been shown, both structurally and functionally, to specifically bind to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate succinate. Surface plasmon resonance and differential scanning fluorimetry of TCA intermediates and potential metabolites from a virtual screen of RsbU revealed that alpha-ketoglutarate, malate and oxaloacetate bound to the RsbU periplasmic domain. Substitutions in the putative binding site resulted in reduced binding capabilities. An RsbU null mutant showed severe growth defects which could be restored through genetic complementation. Chemical inhibition of ATP synthesis by oxidative phosphorylation phenocopied the growth defect observed in the RsbU null strain. Altogether, these data support a model with the Rsb system responding differentially to TCA cycle intermediates to regulate metabolism and key differentiation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katelyn R Soules
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Aidan Dmitriev
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Scott D LaBrie
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Zoë E Dimond
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - Benjamin H May
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
| | - David K Johnson
- Computational Chemical Biology Core Facility, Del Shankel Structural Biology Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
| | - Yang Zhang
- Computational Medicine & Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Kevin P Battaile
- IMCA-CAT, Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute, Argonne, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Scott Lovell
- Protein Structure Laboratory, Del Shankel Structural Biology Center, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA
| | - P Scott Hefty
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA
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9
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Yang M, Rajeeve K, Rudel T, Dandekar T. Comprehensive Flux Modeling of Chlamydia trachomatis Proteome and qRT-PCR Data Indicate Biphasic Metabolic Differences Between Elementary Bodies and Reticulate Bodies During Infection. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2350. [PMID: 31681215 PMCID: PMC6803457 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolic adaptation to the host cell is important for obligate intracellular pathogens such as Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct). Here we infer the flux differences for Ct from proteome and qRT-PCR data by comprehensive pathway modeling. We compare the comparatively inert infectious elementary body (EB) and the active replicative reticulate body (RB) systematically using a genome-scale metabolic model with 321 metabolites and 277 reactions. This did yield 84 extreme pathways based on a published proteomics dataset at three different time points of infection. Validation of predictions was done by quantitative RT-PCR of enzyme mRNA expression at three time points. Ct’s major active pathways are glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycerol-phospholipid (GPL) biosynthesis (support from host acetyl-CoA) and pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), while its incomplete TCA and fatty acid biosynthesis are less active. The modeled metabolic pathways are much more active in RB than in EB. Our in silico model suggests that EB and RB utilize folate to generate NAD(P)H using independent pathways. The only low metabolic flux inferred for EB involves mainly carbohydrate metabolism. RB utilizes energy -rich compounds to generate ATP in nucleic acid metabolism. Validation data for the modeling include proteomics experiments (model basis) as well as qRT-PCR confirmation of selected metabolic enzyme mRNA expression differences. The metabolic modeling is made fully available here. Its detailed insights and models on Ct metabolic adaptations during infection are a useful modeling basis for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manli Yang
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Karthika Rajeeve
- Department of Microbiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Department of Microbiology, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Dandekar
- Department of Bioinformatics, Biocenter, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Computational Biology and Structures Program, Heidelberg, Germany
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10
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Rother M, Teixeira da Costa AR, Zietlow R, Meyer TF, Rudel T. Modulation of Host Cell Metabolism by Chlamydia trachomatis. Microbiol Spectr 2019; 7:10.1128/microbiolspec.bai-0012-2019. [PMID: 31111817 PMCID: PMC11026074 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.bai-0012-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Propagation of the intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is strictly bound to its host cells. The bacterium has evolved by minimizing its genome size at the cost of being completely dependent on its host. Many of the vital nutrients are synthesized only by the host, and this has complex implications. Recent advances in loss-of-function analyses and the metabolomics of human infected versus noninfected cells have provided comprehensive insight into the molecular changes that host cells undergo during the stage of infection. Strikingly, infected cells acquire a stage of high metabolic activity, featuring distinct aspects of the Warburg effect, a condition originally assigned to cancer cells. This condition is characterized by aerobic glycolysis and an accumulation of certain metabolites, altogether promoting the synthesis of crucial cellular building blocks, such as nucleotides required for DNA and RNA synthesis. The altered metabolic program enables tumor cells to rapidly proliferate as well as C. trachomatis-infected cells to feed their occupants and still survive. This program is largely orchestrated by a central control board, the tumor suppressor protein p53. Its downregulation in C. trachomatis-infected cells or mutation in cancer cells not only alters the metabolic state of cells but also conveys the prevention of programmed cell death involving mitochondrial pathways. While this points toward common features in the metabolic reprogramming of infected and rapidly proliferating cells, it also forwards novel treatment options against chronic intracellular infections involving well-characterized host cell targets and established drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Rother
- Steinbeis Innovation Center for Systems Biomedicine, 14612 Berlin-Falkensee, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Rike Zietlow
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas F Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Department of Molecular Biology, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Department of Microbiology, Biocenter, University of Wuerzburg, 97074 Wuerzburg, Germany
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11
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Eisenreich W, Rudel T, Heesemann J, Goebel W. To Eat and to Be Eaten: Mutual Metabolic Adaptations of Immune Cells and Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens upon Infection. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2017; 7:316. [PMID: 28752080 PMCID: PMC5508010 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2017.00316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Intracellular bacterial pathogens (IBPs) invade and replicate in different cell types including immune cells, in particular of the innate immune system (IIS) during infection in the acute phase. However, immune cells primarily function as essential players in the highly effective and integrated host defense systems comprising the IIS and the adaptive immune system (AIS), which cooperatively protect the host against invading microbes including IBPs. As countermeasures, the bacterial pathogens (and in particular the IBPs) have developed strategies to evade or reprogram the IIS at various steps. The intracellular replication capacity and the anti-immune defense responses of the IBP's as well as the specific antimicrobial responses of the immune cells of the innate and the AIS depend on specific metabolic programs of the IBPs and their host cells. The metabolic programs of the immune cells supporting or counteracting replication of the IBPs appear to be mutually exclusive. Indeed, recent studies show that upon interaction of naïve, metabolically quiescent immune cells with IBPs, different metabolic activation processes occur which may result in the provision of a survival and replication niche for the pathogen or its eradication. It is therefore likely that within a possible host cell population subsets exist that are metabolically programmed for pro- or anti-microbial conditions. These metabolic programs may be triggered by the interactions between different bacterial agonistic components and host cell receptors. In this review, we summarize the current status in the field and discuss metabolic adaptation processes within immune cells of the IIS and the IBPs that support or restrict the intracellular replication of the pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wolfgang Eisenreich
- Department of Chemistry, Chair of Biochemistry, Technische Universität MünchenGarching, Germany
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Department of Microbiology, Biocenter, University of WürzburgWürzburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heesemann
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institute, Chair of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichMünchen, Germany
| | - Werner Goebel
- Max von Pettenkofer-Institute, Chair of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology, Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichMünchen, Germany
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12
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Mehlitz A, Eylert E, Huber C, Lindner B, Vollmuth N, Karunakaran K, Goebel W, Eisenreich W, Rudel T. Metabolic adaptation ofChlamydia trachomatisto mammalian host cells. Mol Microbiol 2017; 103:1004-1019. [DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2016] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Mehlitz
- Department of Microbiology; University of Würzburg, Biocenter; Am Hubland Würzburg D-97074 Germany
| | - Eva Eylert
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Biochemistry; Lichtenbergstr. 4 Garching D-85745 Germany
| | - Claudia Huber
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Biochemistry; Lichtenbergstr. 4 Garching D-85745 Germany
| | - Buko Lindner
- Research Center Borstel, Leibniz-Center for Medicine and Biosciences, Bioanalytical Chemistry; Borstel D-23845 Germany
| | - Nadine Vollmuth
- Department of Microbiology; University of Würzburg, Biocenter; Am Hubland Würzburg D-97074 Germany
| | - Karthika Karunakaran
- Department of Microbiology; University of Würzburg, Biocenter; Am Hubland Würzburg D-97074 Germany
| | - Werner Goebel
- Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Max von Pettenkofer-Institute; Pettenkoferstr. 9A München D-80336 Germany
| | - Wolfgang Eisenreich
- Technische Universität München, Chair of Biochemistry; Lichtenbergstr. 4 Garching D-85745 Germany
| | - Thomas Rudel
- Department of Microbiology; University of Würzburg, Biocenter; Am Hubland Würzburg D-97074 Germany
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13
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Interrogating Genes That Mediate Chlamydia trachomatis Survival in Cell Culture Using Conditional Mutants and Recombination. J Bacteriol 2016; 198:2131-9. [PMID: 27246568 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00161-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Intracellular bacterial pathogens in the family Chlamydiaceae are causes of human blindness, sexually transmitted disease, and pneumonia. Genetic dissection of the mechanisms of chlamydial pathogenicity has been hindered by multiple limitations, including the inability to inactivate genes that would prevent the production of elementary bodies. Many genes are also Chlamydia-specific genes, and chlamydial genomes have undergone extensive reductive evolution, so functions often cannot be inferred from homologs in other organisms. Conditional mutants have been used to study essential genes of many microorganisms, so we screened a library of 4,184 ethyl methanesulfonate-mutagenized Chlamydia trachomatis isolates for temperature-sensitive (TS) mutants that developed normally at physiological temperature (37°C) but not at nonphysiological temperatures. Heat-sensitive TS mutants were identified at a high frequency, while cold-sensitive mutants were less common. Twelve TS mutants were mapped using a novel markerless recombination approach, PCR, and genome sequencing. TS alleles of genes that play essential roles in other bacteria and chlamydia-specific open reading frames (ORFs) of unknown function were identified. Temperature-shift assays determined that phenotypes of the mutants manifested at distinct points in the developmental cycle. Genome sequencing of a larger population of TS mutants also revealed that the screen had not reached saturation. In summary, we describe the first approach for studying essential chlamydial genes and broadly applicable strategies for genetic mapping in Chlamydia spp. and mutants that both define checkpoints and provide insights into the biology of the chlamydial developmental cycle. IMPORTANCE Study of the pathogenesis of Chlamydia spp. has historically been hampered by a lack of genetic tools. Although there has been recent progress in chlamydial genetics, the existing approaches have limitations for the study of the genes that mediate growth of these organisms in cell culture. We used a genetic screen to identify conditional Chlamydia mutants and then mapped these alleles using a broadly applicable recombination strategy. Phenotypes of the mutants provide fundamental insights into unexplored areas of chlamydial pathogenesis and intracellular biology. Finally, the reagents and approaches we describe are powerful resources for the investigation of these organisms.
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Chlamydia trachomatis Genital Tract Infections: When Host Immune Response and the Microbiome Collide. Trends Microbiol 2016; 24:750-765. [PMID: 27320172 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2016.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2016] [Revised: 05/06/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Genital infections with Chlamydia trachomatis continue to be a major health problem worldwide. While some individuals clear their infection (presumed to be the result of an effective Th1/interferon-γ response), others develop chronic infections and some are prone to repeat infections. In females in particular, chronic asymptomatic infections are common and can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility. Recent studies suggest that the genital tract microbiota could be a significant factor and explain person-to-person variation in C. trachomatis infections. One hypothesis suggests that C. trachomatis can use its trpBA genes to rescue tryptophan from indole, which is a product of anaerobic members of the genital tract microbiota. Women with particular microbiota types, such as seen in bacterial vaginosis, have increased numbers of anaerobes, and this would enable the chlamydia in these individuals to overcome the host's interferon-γ attempts to eliminate it, resulting in more repeat and/or chronic infections.
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15
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Metabolic Adaptations of Intracellullar Bacterial Pathogens and their Mammalian Host Cells during Infection ("Pathometabolism"). Microbiol Spectr 2016; 3. [PMID: 26185075 DOI: 10.1128/microbiolspec.mbp-0002-2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Several bacterial pathogens that cause severe infections in warm-blooded animals, including humans, have the potential to actively invade host cells and to efficiently replicate either in the cytosol or in specialized vacuoles of the mammalian cells. The interaction between these intracellular bacterial pathogens and the host cells always leads to multiple physiological changes in both interacting partners, including complex metabolic adaptation reactions aimed to promote proliferation of the pathogen within different compartments of the host cells. In this chapter, we discuss the necessary nutrients and metabolic pathways used by some selected cytosolic and vacuolar intracellular pathogens and--when available--the links between the intracellular bacterial metabolism and the expression of the virulence genes required for the intracellular bacterial replication cycle. Furthermore, we address the growing evidence that pathogen-specific factors may also trigger metabolic responses of the infected mammalian cells affecting the carbon and nitrogen metabolism as well as defense reactions. We also point out that many studies on the metabolic host cell responses induced by the pathogens have to be scrutinized due to the use of established cell lines as model host cells, as these cells are (in the majority) cancer cells that exhibit a dysregulated primary carbon metabolism. As the exact knowledge of the metabolic host cell responses may also provide new concepts for antibacterial therapies, there is undoubtedly an urgent need for host cell models that more closely reflect the in vivo infection conditions.
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16
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Gehre L, Gorgette O, Perrinet S, Prevost MC, Ducatez M, Giebel AM, Nelson DE, Ball SG, Subtil A. Sequestration of host metabolism by an intracellular pathogen. eLife 2016; 5:e12552. [PMID: 26981769 PMCID: PMC4829429 DOI: 10.7554/elife.12552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2015] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
For intracellular pathogens, residence in a vacuole provides a shelter against cytosolic host defense to the cost of limited access to nutrients. The human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis grows in a glycogen-rich vacuole. How this large polymer accumulates there is unknown. We reveal that host glycogen stores shift to the vacuole through two pathways: bulk uptake from the cytoplasmic pool, and de novo synthesis. We provide evidence that bacterial glycogen metabolism enzymes are secreted into the vacuole lumen through type 3 secretion. Our data bring strong support to the following scenario: bacteria co-opt the host transporter SLC35D2 to import UDP-glucose into the vacuole, where it serves as substrate for de novo glycogen synthesis, through a remarkable adaptation of the bacterial glycogen synthase. Based on these findings we propose that parasitophorous vacuoles not only offer protection but also provide a microorganism-controlled metabolically active compartment essential for redirecting host resources to the pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Gehre
- Unité de Biologie cellulaire de l'infection microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
| | - Olivier Gorgette
- Plate-forme de Microscopie Ultrastructurale, Imagopole, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Stéphanie Perrinet
- Unité de Biologie cellulaire de l'infection microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
| | | | - Mathieu Ducatez
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle - CNRS UMR8576, Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Amanda M Giebel
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, United States
| | - David E Nelson
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, United States
| | - Steven G Ball
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionnelle - CNRS UMR8576, Université de Lille, Lille, France
| | - Agathe Subtil
- Unité de Biologie cellulaire de l'infection microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,CNRS UMR3691, Paris, France
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17
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Good JAD, Silver J, Núñez-Otero C, Bahnan W, Krishnan KS, Salin O, Engström P, Svensson R, Artursson P, Gylfe Å, Bergström S, Almqvist F. Thiazolino 2-Pyridone Amide Inhibitors of Chlamydia trachomatis Infectivity. J Med Chem 2016; 59:2094-108. [PMID: 26849778 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b01759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is a global health burden currently treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics which disrupt commensal bacteria. We recently identified a compound through phenotypic screening that blocked infectivity of this intracellular pathogen without host cell toxicity (compound 1, KSK 120). Herein, we present the optimization of 1 to a class of thiazolino 2-pyridone amides that are highly efficacious (EC50 ≤ 100 nM) in attenuating infectivity across multiple serovars of C. trachomatis without host cell toxicity. The lead compound 21a exhibits reduced lipophilicity versus 1 and did not affect the growth or viability of representative commensal flora at 50 μM. In microscopy studies, a highly active fluorescent analogue 37 localized inside the parasitiphorous inclusion, indicative of a specific targeting of bacterial components. In summary, we present a class of small molecules to enable the development of specific treatments for C. trachomatis.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A D Good
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jim Silver
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Carlos Núñez-Otero
- Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University , 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Wael Bahnan
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - K Syam Krishnan
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Olli Salin
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University , 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Patrik Engström
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Richard Svensson
- Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University , SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden.,The Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden, Uppsala University , SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Per Artursson
- Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University , SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden.,The Uppsala University Drug Optimization and Pharmaceutical Profiling Platform, Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden, Uppsala University , SE-751 23 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Åsa Gylfe
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University , 901 85 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Sven Bergström
- Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden (MIMS), Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Almqvist
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden.,Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University , 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
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18
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Robson JF, Barker D. Comparison of the protein-coding gene content of Chlamydia trachomatis and Protochlamydia amoebophila using a Raspberry Pi computer. BMC Res Notes 2015; 8:561. [PMID: 26462790 PMCID: PMC4604092 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1476-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To demonstrate the bioinformatics capabilities of a low-cost computer, the Raspberry Pi, we present a comparison of the protein-coding gene content of two species in phylum Chlamydiae: Chlamydia trachomatis, a common sexually transmitted infection of humans, and Candidatus Protochlamydia amoebophila, a recently discovered amoebal endosymbiont. Identifying species-specific proteins and differences in protein families could provide insights into the unique phenotypes of the two species. Results Using a Raspberry Pi computer, sequence similarity-based protein families were predicted across the two species, C. trachomatis and P. amoebophila, and their members counted. Examples include nine multi-protein families unique to C. trachomatis, 132 multi-protein families unique to P. amoebophila and one family with multiple copies in both. Most families unique to C. trachomatis were polymorphic outer-membrane proteins. Additionally, multiple protein families lacking functional annotation were found. Predicted functional interactions suggest one of these families is involved with the exodeoxyribonuclease V complex. Conclusion The Raspberry Pi computer is adequate for a comparative genomics project of this scope. The protein families unique to P. amoebophila may provide a basis for investigating the host-endosymbiont interaction. However, additional species should be included; and further laboratory research is required to identify the functions of unknown or putative proteins. Multiple outer membrane proteins were found in C. trachomatis, suggesting importance for host evasion. The tyrosine transport protein family is shared between both species, with four proteins in C. trachomatis and two in P. amoebophila. Shared protein families could provide a starting point for discovery of wide-spectrum drugs against Chlamydiae. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13104-015-1476-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- James F Robson
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK. .,Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Daniel Barker
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK.
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19
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Expansion of the Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion does not require bacterial replication. Int J Med Microbiol 2015; 305:378-82. [PMID: 25771502 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2015.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 02/14/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis replication takes place inside of a host cell, exclusively within a vacuole known as the inclusion. During an infection, the inclusion expands to accommodate the increasing numbers of C. trachomatis. However, whether inclusion expansion requires bacterial replication and/or de novo protein synthesis has not been previously investigated in detail. Therefore, using a chemical biology approach, we herein investigated C. trachomatis inclusion expansion under varying conditions in vitro. Under normal cell culture conditions, inclusion expansion correlated with C. trachomatis replication. When bacterial replication was inhibited using KSK120, an inhibitor that targets C. trachomatis glucose metabolism, inclusions expanded even in the absence of bacterial replication. In contrast, when bacterial protein synthesis was inhibited using chloramphenicol, expansion of inclusions was blocked. Together, these data suggest that de novo protein synthesis is necessary, whereas bacterial replication is dispensable for C. trachomatis inclusion expansion.
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20
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Abstract
In a screen for compounds that inhibit infectivity of the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, we identified the 2-pyridone amide KSK120. A fluorescent KSK120 analogue was synthesized and observed to be associated with the C. trachomatis surface, suggesting that its target is bacterial. We isolated KSK120-resistant strains and determined that several resistance mutations are in genes that affect the uptake and use of glucose-6-phosphate (G-6P). Consistent with an effect on G-6P metabolism, treatment with KSK120 blocked glycogen accumulation. Interestingly, KSK120 did not affect Escherichia coli or the host cell. Thus, 2-pyridone amides may represent a class of drugs that can specifically inhibit C. trachomatis infection. Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen of humans that causes a common sexually transmitted disease as well as eye infections. It grows only inside cells of its host organism, within a parasitophorous vacuole termed the inclusion. Little is known, however, about what bacterial components and processes are important for C. trachomatis cellular infectivity. Here, by using a visual screen for compounds that affect bacterial distribution within the chlamydial inclusion, we identified the inhibitor KSK120. As hypothesized, the altered bacterial distribution induced by KSK120 correlated with a block in C. trachomatis infectivity. Our data suggest that the compound targets the glucose-6-phosphate (G-6P) metabolism pathway of C. trachomatis, supporting previous indications that G-6P metabolism is critical for C. trachomatis infectivity. Thus, KSK120 may be a useful tool to study chlamydial glucose metabolism and has the potential to be used in the treatment of C. trachomatis infections.
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21
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Kannan RM, Gérard HC, Mishra MK, Mao G, Wang S, Hali M, Whittum-Hudson JA, Hudson AP. Dendrimer-enabled transformation of Chlamydia trachomatis. Microb Pathog 2013; 65:29-35. [PMID: 24075820 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2013.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2013] [Revised: 08/23/2013] [Accepted: 08/30/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Lack of a system for genetic manipulation of Chlamydia trachomatis has been a key challenge to advancing understanding the molecular genetic basis of virulence for this bacterial pathogen. We developed a non-viral, dendrimer-enabled system for transformation of this organism and used it to characterize the effects of inserting the common 7.5 kbp chlamydial plasmid into strain L2(25667R), a C. trachomatis isolate lacking it. The plasmid was cloned in pUC19 and the clone complexed to polyamidoamine dendrimers, producing ∼83 nm spherical particles. Nearly confluent McCoy cell cultures were infected with L2(25667R) and reference strain L2(434). At 16 h post-infection, medium was replaced with dendrimer-plasmid complexes in medium lacking additives (L2(25667R)) or with additive-free medium alone (L2(434)). Three h later complexes/buffer were removed, and medium was replaced; cultures were harvested at various times post-transformation for analyses. Real time PCR and RT-PCR of nucleic acids from transformed cultures demonstrated plasmid replication and gene expression. A previous report indicated that one or more plasmid-encoded product govern(s) transcription of the glycogen synthase gene (glgA) in standard strains. In L2(25667R) the gene is not expressed, but transformants of that strain given the cloned chlamydial plasmid increase glgA expression, as does L2(434). The cloned plasmid is retained, replicated, and expressed in transformants over at least 5 passages, and GFP is expressed when transformed into growing L2(25667R). This transformation system will allow study of chlamydial gene function in pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rangaramanujam M Kannan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21235, USA
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22
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Dendrimer-enabled DNA delivery and transformation of Chlamydia pneumoniae. NANOMEDICINE-NANOTECHNOLOGY BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2013; 9:996-1008. [PMID: 23639679 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2013.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 04/09/2013] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The chlamydiae are important human pathogens. Lack of a genetic manipulation system has impeded understanding of the molecular bases of virulence for these bacteria. We developed a dendrimer-enabled system for transformation of chlamydiae and used it to characterize the effects of inserting the C. trachomatis plasmid into C. pneumoniae, which lacks any plasmids. The plasmid was cloned into modified yeast vector pEG(KG) and the clone complexed to polyamidoamine dendrimers, producing 50-100 nm spherical particles. HEp-2 cell cultures were infected with C. pneumoniae strain AR-39. Twenty-four hours later, medium was replaced for 3 hours with dendrimer-plasmid complexes, then removed and the medium replaced. Cultures were harvested at various times post-transformation. Real-time PCR and RT-PCR of nucleic acids from transformed cultures demonstrated plasmid replication and gene expression. The cloned plasmid was replicated and expressed in transformants over 5 passages. This system will allow study of chlamydial gene function, allowing development of novel dendrimer-based therapies. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR This team of investigators developed a dendrimer-enabled system for transformation of chlamydiae and successfully utilized it to characterize the effects of inserting the C. trachomatis plasmid into C. pneumonia. This system will allow study of chlamydial gene function, allowing development of novel dendrimer-based therapies.
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23
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Müller C, Dietz I, Tziotis D, Moritz F, Rupp J, Schmitt-Kopplin P. Molecular cartography in acute Chlamydia pneumoniae infections—a non-targeted metabolomics approach. Anal Bioanal Chem 2013; 405:5119-31. [DOI: 10.1007/s00216-013-6732-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Revised: 12/21/2012] [Accepted: 01/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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24
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Ball SG, Subtil A, Bhattacharya D, Moustafa A, Weber APM, Gehre L, Colleoni C, Arias MC, Cenci U, Dauvillée D. Metabolic effectors secreted by bacterial pathogens: essential facilitators of plastid endosymbiosis? THE PLANT CELL 2013; 25:7-21. [PMID: 23371946 PMCID: PMC3584550 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.112.101329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Under the endosymbiont hypothesis, over a billion years ago a heterotrophic eukaryote entered into a symbiotic relationship with a cyanobacterium (the cyanobiont). This partnership culminated in the plastid that has spread to forms as diverse as plants and diatoms. However, why primary plastid acquisition has not been repeated multiple times remains unclear. Here, we report a possible answer to this question by showing that primary plastid endosymbiosis was likely to have been primed by the secretion in the host cytosol of effector proteins from intracellular Chlamydiales pathogens. We provide evidence suggesting that the cyanobiont might have rescued its afflicted host by feeding photosynthetic carbon into a chlamydia-controlled assimilation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven G Ball
- Unité de Glycobiologie Structurale et Fonctionelle, Unité Mixte de Recherche 8576, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique-Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, Cité Scientifique, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq Cedex, France.
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25
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The alternative translational profile that underlies the immune-evasive state of persistence in Chlamydiaceae exploits differential tryptophan contents of the protein repertoire. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2012; 76:405-43. [PMID: 22688818 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.05013-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
One form of immune evasion is a developmental state called "persistence" whereby chlamydial pathogens respond to the host-mediated withdrawal of L-tryptophan (Trp). A sophisticated survival mode of reversible quiescence is implemented. A mechanism has evolved which suppresses gene products necessary for rapid pathogen proliferation but allows expression of gene products that underlie the morphological and developmental characteristics of persistence. This switch from one translational profile to an alternative translational profile of newly synthesized proteins is proposed to be accomplished by maximizing the Trp content of some proteins needed for rapid proliferation (e.g., ADP/ATP translocase, hexose-phosphate transporter, phosphoenolpyruvate [PEP] carboxykinase, the Trp transporter, the Pmp protein superfamily for cell adhesion and antigenic variation, and components of the cell division pathway) while minimizing the Trp content of other proteins supporting the state of persistence. The Trp starvation mechanism is best understood in the human-Chlamydia trachomatis relationship, but the similarity of up-Trp and down-Trp proteomic profiles in all of the pathogenic Chlamydiaceae suggests that Trp availability is an underlying cue relied upon by this family of pathogens to trigger developmental transitions. The biochemically expensive pathogen strategy of selectively increased Trp usage to guide the translational profile can be leveraged significantly with minimal overall Trp usage by (i) regional concentration of Trp residue placements, (ii) amplified Trp content of a single protein that is required for expression or maturation of multiple proteins with low Trp content, and (iii) Achilles'-heel vulnerabilities of complex pathways to high Trp content of one or a few enzymes.
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26
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Fuchs TM, Eisenreich W, Heesemann J, Goebel W. Metabolic adaptation of human pathogenic and related nonpathogenic bacteria to extra- and intracellular habitats. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2012; 36:435-62. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2011.00301.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2010] [Accepted: 07/21/2011] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
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Carter JD, Gérard HC, Whittum-Hudson JA, Hudson AP. Combination antibiotics for the treatment of Chlamydia-induced reactive arthritis: is a cure in sight? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 6:333-345. [PMID: 21853013 DOI: 10.2217/ijr.11.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The inflammatory arthritis that develops in some patients subsequent to urogenital infection by the obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis, and that induced subsequent to pulmonary infection with C. pneumoniae, both have proved difficult to treat in either their acute or chronic forms. Over the last two decades, molecular genetic and other studies of these pathogens have provided a good deal of information regarding their metabolic and genetic structures, as well as the detailed means by which they interact with their host cells. In turn, these insights have provided for the first time a window into the bases for treatment failures for the inflammatory arthritis. In this article we discuss the biological bases for those treatment failures, provide suggestions as to research directions that should allow improvement in treatment modalities, and speculate on how treatment regimens that currently show promise might be significantly improved over the near future using nanotechological means.
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Affiliation(s)
- John D Carter
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
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28
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Thompson CC, Carabeo RA. An optimal method of iron starvation of the obligate intracellular pathogen, Chlamydia trachomatis. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:20. [PMID: 21687412 PMCID: PMC3109288 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2011] [Accepted: 01/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Iron is an essential cofactor in a number of critical biochemical reactions, and as such, its acquisition, storage, and metabolism is highly regulated in most organisms. The obligate intracellular bacterium, Chlamydia trachomatis experiences a developmental arrest when iron within the host is depleted. The nature of the iron starvation response in Chlamydia is relatively uncharacterized because of the likely inefficient method of iron depletion, which currently relies on the compound deferoxamine mesylate (DFO). Inefficient induction of the iron starvation response precludes the identification of iron-regulated genes. This report evaluated DFO with another iron chelator, 2,2'-bipyridyl (Bpdl) and presented a systematic comparison of the two across a range of criteria. We demonstrate that the membrane permeable Bpdl was superior to DFO in the inhibition of chlamydia development, the induction of aberrant morphology, and the induction of an iron starvation transcriptional response in both host and bacteria. Furthermore, iron starvation using Bpdl identified the periplasmic iron-binding protein-encoding ytgA gene as iron-responsive. Overall, the data present a compelling argument for the use of Bpdl, rather than DFO, in future iron starvation studies of chlamydia and other intracellular bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Thompson
- Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College London London, UK
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The Chlamydia trachomatis plasmid is a transcriptional regulator of chromosomal genes and a virulence factor. Infect Immun 2008; 76:2273-83. [PMID: 18347045 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00102-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 133] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis possesses a cryptic 7.5-kb plasmid of unknown function. Here, we describe a comprehensive molecular and biological characterization of the naturally occurring plasmidless human C. trachomatis strain L2(25667R). We found that despite minimal chromosomal polymorphisms, the LGV strain L2(25667R) was indistinguishable from plasmid-positive strain L2(434) with regard to its in vitro infectivity characteristics such as growth kinetics, plaquing efficiency, and plaque size. The only in vitro phenotypic differences between L2(434) and L2(25667R) were the accumulation of glycogen granules in the inclusion matrix and the lack of the typical intrainclusion Brownian-like movement characteristic of C. trachomatis strains. Conversely, we observed a marked difference between the two strains in their abilities to colonize and infect the female mouse genital tract. The 50% infective dose of plasmidless strain L2(25667R) was 400-fold greater (4 x 10(6) inclusion-forming units [IFU]) than that of plasmid-bearing strain L2(434) (1 x 10(4) IFU). Transcriptome analysis of the two strains demonstrated a decrease in the transcript levels of a subset of chromosomal genes for strain L2(25667R). Among those genes was glgA, encoding glycogen synthase, a finding consistent with the failure of L2(25667R) to accumulate glycogen granules. These findings support a primary role for the plasmid in in vivo infectivity and suggest that virulence is controlled, at least in part, by the plasmid's ability to regulate the expression of chromosomal genes. Our findings have important implications in understanding a role for the plasmid in the pathogenesis of human infection and disease.
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Liu J, Zhang X, Liu J. Identification of a ubiG-like gene involved in ubiquinone biosynthesis from Chlamydophila pneumoniae AR39. Lett Appl Microbiol 2007; 45:47-54. [PMID: 17594460 DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-765x.2007.02144.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To investigate if one hypothetical protein from Chlamydophila pneumoniae AR39 exerts UbiG-like function by complementary experiments. METHODS AND RESULTS Proteins UbiG have a signature S-adenosylmethionine-binding motif compared with other methyltransferases. Probing with the conserved motif, one hypothetical protein from C. pneumoniae AR39 was proposed to be a UbiG-like protein. The protein encoding the gene was used to swap its counterpart in Escherichia coli, and its expression in resultant strain DYCG was confirmed by RT-PCR. Strain DYCG grew on succinate as a carbon source, and rescued ubiquinone content in vivo, while the ubiG deletion strain DYK did not. CONCLUSIONS Results indicate that the putative protein from C. pneumoniae exerts a UbiG-like function involved in ubiquinone biosynthesis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Identification of the ubiG-like gene will facilitate research on ubiquinone biosynthesis and aerobic respiration in the genus Chlamydophila owing to the important function of ubiquinone in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Liu
- Murad Research Institute for Modernized Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.
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31
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Al-Younes HM, Gussmann J, Braun PR, Brinkmann V, Meyer TF. Naturally occurring amino acids differentially influence the development of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia (Chlamydophila) pneumoniae. J Med Microbiol 2006; 55:879-886. [PMID: 16772415 DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.46445-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The differential influence of individual amino acids on the growth of Chlamydia trachomatis versus Chlamydia (Chlamydophila) pneumoniae was investigated. Certain essential amino acids added in excess at the middle of the infection course resulted in varying degrees of abnormality in the development of the two species. If amino acids were added as early as 2 h post-infection, these effects were even more pronounced. The most effective amino acids in terms of C. trachomatis growth inhibition were leucine, isoleucine, methionine and phenylalanine. These amino acids elicited similar effects against C. pneumoniae, except methionine, which, surprisingly, showed a lower inhibitory activity. Tryptophan and valine marginally inhibited C. trachomatis growth and, paradoxically, led to a considerable enhancement of C. pneumoniae growth. On the other hand, some non-essential amino acids administered at the middle of or throughout the infection course differentially affected the development of the two species. For example, C. trachomatis growth was efficiently inhibited by glycine and serine, whereas C. pneumoniae was relatively less sensitive to these agents. Another difference was apparent for glutamate, glutamine and aspartate, which stimulated C. pneumoniae growth more than that of C. trachomatis. Overall, several distinctive patterns of susceptibility to excess amino acid levels were revealed for two representative C. trachomatis and C. pneumoniae isolates. Perturbation of amino acid levels, e.g. of leucine and isoleucine, might form a basis for the development of novel treatment or preventive regimens for chlamydial diseases.
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Polkinghorne A, Hogan RJ, Vaughan L, Summersgill JT, Timms P. Differential expression of chlamydial signal transduction genes in normal and interferon gamma-induced persistent Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections. Microbes Infect 2006; 8:61-72. [PMID: 16269262 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2005.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2005] [Revised: 05/25/2005] [Accepted: 05/25/2005] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Characteristic features of the persistent chlamydial developmental cycle, associated with chronic infections in both humans and animals, include the generation of non-replicative, morphologically aberrant bodies which are distinct from normal propagating reticulate bodies. Previous studies have correlated these morphological and metabolic changes with differential expression of diverse functional subsets of chlamydial genes. To further investigate these correlations, we compared mRNA expression of predicted chlamydial signal transduction genes between normal Chlamydophila pneumoniae A-03 infections in HEp-2 cells and those treated with gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) by using real-time RT-PCR. Inspection of the Cp. pneumoniae genome revealed at least 39 candidate signal transduction genes, of which 30 were differentially expressed in Cp. pneumoniae mediated persistence. Functional sub-groups of differentially expressed signal transduction genes include chlamydial GTPases (hflX, ychF, yhbZ and yphC), linked to bacterial cellular processes such as cell cycle control and ribosome assembly and stability. Other up-regulated signal transduction genes sharing similarity to bacterial stress response genes (htrA, surE, lytB and hrcA) were also detected. The transcriptional changes observed for the majority of signal transduction genes appear to be unique for Cp. pneumoniae, as similar changes were not observed in recent whole genomic analysis of C. trachomatis IFN-gamma mediated persistence. These results suggest that chlamydial signal transduction genes play potentially important roles in the establishment and maintenance of Cp. pneumoniae persistence, likely as part of the IFN-gamma response stimulon as described for C. trachomatis, but with considerable differences in the transcriptional profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Polkinghorne
- School of Life Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane 4001, Australia.
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Li D, Vaglenov A, Kim T, Wang C, Gao D, Kaltenboeck B. High-yield culture and purification of Chlamydiaceae bacteria. J Microbiol Methods 2005; 61:17-24. [PMID: 15676192 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2004.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2004] [Revised: 10/20/2004] [Accepted: 10/27/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Research on intracellular bacteria of the family Chlamydiaceae, and the diseases they cause, requires large amounts of infectious elementary bodies (EB). We describe an approach that maximizes the generation of Chlamydia pneumoniae, Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydia abortus, or Chlamydia pecorum EBs in several replication cycles over approximately 10 days or more in a saturated equilibrium monolayer cell culture system. Buffalo Green Monkey Kidney (BGMK) cells, Human Epidermoid Carcinoma-2 (HEp-2) cells, or mouse McCoy cells were tested. BGMK cells best supported C. pneumoniae replication when cultivated in Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium. From day 1 to day 9 after inoculation, C. pneumoniae genomes per ml culture medium increased from 10(5.1) to 10(8.6) in BGMK, from 10(5.6) to 10(8.1) in HEp-2, and remained at 10(5.2) in McCoy cell cultures. Three-month pre-inoculation maintenance of BGMK cells in different culture media did not influence C. pneumoniae yields. Inoculation at multiplicities of infection (MOI) of 10 or higher and supplementation of the cell culture medium on day 7 after inoculation with 0.1% glucose enhanced C. pneumoniae EB yields in harvested cell culture medium. For purification, EBs in medium were concentrated by sedimentation, followed by low-speed centrifugation for removal of host cell nuclei, and by step-gradient centrifugation of the supernatant in a 30% RenoCal-76-50% sucrose step-gradient. Extensive sonication increased yield and infectivity of chlamydial EB. The combined method typically produced from 1000 ml infected BGMK culture medium 10 ml homogeneous, single-cell, highly infectious EB stock containing approximately 5x10(11) C. pneumoniae genomes equivalent to 4-5x10(11) inclusion forming units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Li
- Department of Pathobiology, Auburn University, 270 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5519, USA
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Abstract
Chlamydiae are widespread bacterial pathogens responsible for a broad range of diseases, including sexually transmitted infections, pneumonia and trachoma. To validate the existence of hitherto hypothetical proteins predicted from recent chlamydial genome sequencing projects and to examine the patterns of expression of key components at the protein level, we have surveyed the expressed proteome of Chlamydia trachomatis strain L2. A combination of two-dimensional gel analysis, multi-dimensional protein identification (MudPIT) and nanocapillary liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry allowed a total of 328 chlamydial proteins to be unambiguously assigned. Proteins identified as being expressed in the metabolically inert form, elementary body, of Chlamydia include the entire set of predicted glycolytic enzymes, indicating that metabolite flux rather than de novo synthesis of this pathway is triggered upon infection of host cells. An enzyme central to cell wall biosynthesis was also detected in the intracellular form, reticulate body, of Chlamydia, suggesting that the peptidoglycan is produced during growth within host cells. Other sets of proteins identified include 17 outer membrane-associated proteins of potential significance in vaccine studies and 67 proteins previously annotated as hypothetical or conserved hypothetical. Taken together, >/=35% of the predicted proteome for C. trachomatis has been experimentally verified, representing the most extensive survey of any chlamydial proteome to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Skipp
- Centre for Proteomic Research, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
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Nicholson TL, Chiu K, Stephens RS. Chlamydia trachomatis lacks an adaptive response to changes in carbon source availability. Infect Immun 2004; 72:4286-9. [PMID: 15213176 PMCID: PMC427450 DOI: 10.1128/iai.72.7.4286-4289.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most bacteria coordinately regulate gene expression as an adaptive response to a variety of environmental changes. One key environmental cue is the carbon source necessary for central metabolism. We used microarray analysis to monitor the global transcriptional response of the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis to the presence of glycolytic and gluconeogenic carbon sources. In contrast to free-living bacteria, changing the carbon source from glucose to glutamate or alpha-ketoglutarate had little effect on the global gene transcription of C. trachomatis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Nicholson
- Program in Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of California-Berkeley, 140 Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA
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Hogan RJ, Mathews SA, Mukhopadhyay S, Summersgill JT, Timms P. Chlamydial persistence: beyond the biphasic paradigm. Infect Immun 2004; 72:1843-55. [PMID: 15039303 PMCID: PMC375192 DOI: 10.1128/iai.72.4.1843-1855.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 312] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Hogan
- Infectious Diseases Program and Cooperative Research Centre for Diagnostics, School of Life Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
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Su H, McClarty G, Dong F, Hatch GM, Pan ZK, Zhong G. Activation of Raf/MEK/ERK/cPLA2 Signaling Pathway Is Essential for Chlamydial Acquisition of Host Glycerophospholipids. J Biol Chem 2004; 279:9409-16. [PMID: 14676189 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m312008200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydiae, a diverse group of obligate intracellular pathogens replicating within cytoplasmic vacuoles of eukaryotic cells, are able to acquire lipids from host cells. Here we report that activation of the host Raf-MEK-ERK-cPLA2 signaling cascade is required for the chlamydial uptake of host glycerophospholipids. Both the MAP kinase pathway (Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK) and Ca(2+)-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) were activated in chlamydia-infected cells. The inhibition of cPLA2 activity resulted in the blockade of the chlamydial uptake of host glycerophospholipids and impairment in chlamydial growth. Blocking either c-Raf-1 or MEK1/2 activity prevented the chlamydial activation of ERK1/2, leading to the suppression of both chlamydial activation of the host cPLA2 and uptake of glycerophospholipids from the host cells. The chlamydia-induced phosphorylation of cPLA2 was also blocked by a dominant negative ERK2. Furthermore, activation of both ERK1/2 and cPLA2 was dependent on chlamydial growth and restricted within chlamydia-infected cells, suggesting an active manipulation of the host ERK-cPLA2 signaling pathway by chlamydiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Su
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas 78229, USA
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Belland RJ, Nelson DE, Virok D, Crane DD, Hogan D, Sturdevant D, Beatty WL, Caldwell HD. Transcriptome analysis of chlamydial growth during IFN-gamma-mediated persistence and reactivation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2003; 100:15971-6. [PMID: 14673075 PMCID: PMC307677 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2535394100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligatory intracellular prokaryotic parasite that causes a spectrum of clinically important chronic inflammatory diseases of humans. Persistent infection may play a role in the pathophysiology of chlamydial disease. Here we describe the chlamydial transcriptome in an in vitro model of IFN-gamma-mediated persistence and reactivation from persistence. Tryptophan utilization, DNA repair and recombination, phospholipid utilization, protein translation, and general stress genes were up-regulated during persistence. Down-regulated genes included chlamydial late genes and genes involved in proteolysis, peptide transport, and cell division. Persistence was characterized by altered but active biosynthetic processes and continued replication of the chromosome. On removal of IFN-gamma, chlamydiae rapidly reentered the normal developmental cycle and reversed transcriptional changes associated with cytokine treatment. The coordinated transcriptional response to IFN-gamma implies that a chlamydial response stimulon has evolved to control the transition between acute and persistent growth of the pathogen. In contrast to the paradigm of persistence as a general stress response, our findings suggest that persistence is an alternative life cycle used by chlamydiae to avoid the host immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Belland
- Laboratories of Intracellular Parasites and Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA
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Xie G, Bonner CA, Jensen RA. Dynamic diversity of the tryptophan pathway in chlamydiae: reductive evolution and a novel operon for tryptophan recapture. Genome Biol 2002; 3:research0051. [PMID: 12225590 PMCID: PMC126876 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2002-3-9-research0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2002] [Revised: 05/06/2002] [Accepted: 07/02/2002] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Complete genomic sequences of closely related organisms, such as the chlamydiae, afford the opportunity to assess significant strain differences against a background of many shared characteristics. The chlamydiae are ubiquitous intracellular parasites that are important pathogens of humans and other organisms. Tryptophan limitation caused by production of interferon-gamma by the host and subsequent induction of indoleamine dioxygenase is a key aspect of the host-parasite interaction. It appears that the chlamydiae have learned to recognize tryptophan depletion as a signal for developmental remodeling. The consequent non-cultivable state of persistence can be increasingly equated to chronic disease conditions. RESULTS The genes encoding enzymes of tryptophan biosynthesis were the focal point of this study. Chlamydophila psittaci was found to possess a compact operon containing PRPP synthase, kynureninase, and genes encoding all but the first step of tryptophan biosynthesis. All but one of the genes exhibited translational coupling. Other chlamydiae (Chlamydia trachomatis, C. muridarum and Chlamydophila pneumoniae) lack genes encoding PRPP synthase, kynureninase, and either lack tryptophan-pathway genes altogether or exhibit various stages of reductive loss. The origin of the genes comprising the trp operon does not seem to have been from lateral gene transfer. CONCLUSIONS The factors that accommodate the transition of different chlamydial species to the persistent (chronic) state of pathogenesis include marked differences in strategies deployed to obtain tryptophan from host resources. C. psittaci appears to have a novel mechanism for intercepting an early intermediate of tryptophan catabolism and recycling it back to tryptophan. In effect, a host-parasite metabolic mosaic has evolved for tryptophan recycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary Xie
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Schwöppe C, Winkler HH, Neuhaus HE. Properties of the glucose-6-phosphate transporter from Chlamydia pneumoniae (HPTcp) and the glucose-6-phosphate sensor from Escherichia coli (UhpC). J Bacteriol 2002; 184:2108-15. [PMID: 11914341 PMCID: PMC134969 DOI: 10.1128/jb.184.8.2108-2115.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The amino acid sequence of the proposed glucose-6-phosphate (Glc6P) transporter from Chlamydia pneumoniae (HPTcp; hexose phosphate transporter [Chlamydia pneumoniae]) exhibits a higher degree of similarity to the Escherichia coli Glc6P sensor (UhpC) than to the E. coli Glc6P transporter (UhpT). Overexpression of His-UhpC in a UhpT-deficient E. coli strain revealed that the sensor protein is also able to transport Glc6P and exhibits an apparent K(m) ((Glc6P)) of 25 microM, whereas His-HPTcp exhibits an apparent K(m)( (Glc6P)) of 98 microM. His-HPTcp showed a four-times-lower specific activity than His-UhpT but a 56-times-higher specific activity than His-UhpC. Like His-UhpT and His-UhpC, the carrier His-HPTcp performs a sugar-phosphate/inorganic-phosphate antiporter mode of transport. Surprisingly, while physiological concentrations of inorganic phosphate competitively inhibited transport mediated by the E. coli proteins His-UhpT and His-UhpC, transport mediated by His-HPTcp was not inhibited. Interestingly, C(3)-organophosphates stimulated His-HPTcp activity but not His-UhpT- or His-UhpC-catalyzed Glc6P transport. In contrast to His-UhpC, the His-HPTcp protein does not act as a Glc6P sensor in the uhp regulon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Schwöppe
- Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Kaiserslautern, D-67653 Kaiserslautern, Germany
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Kubo A, Stephens RS. Substrate-specific diffusion of select dicarboxylates through Chlamydia trachomatis PorB. MICROBIOLOGY (READING, ENGLAND) 2001; 147:3135-40. [PMID: 11700364 DOI: 10.1099/00221287-147-11-3135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Chlamydiae contain two porins, MOMP and PorB, that facilitate diffusion of solutes through the outer membrane. MOMP is a general porin that permits the diffusion of a wide variety of compounds including carbohydrates and amino acids. The relative inefficiency of PorB as a general porin and its low abundance in the outer membrane suggest that it may function as a substrate-specific porin. The tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle of chlamydiae is incomplete and to function would require the exogenous acquisition of 2-oxoglutarate or glutamate. A liposome-swelling assay for anions as well as an enzyme-linked liposome assay were used to demonstrate the efficient diffusion of dicarboxylates such as 2-oxoglutarate through PorB. These data demonstrate that PorB is a dicarboxylate-specific porin that may feed the chlamydial TCA cycle and provide chlamydiae with carbon and energy production intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kubo
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, 140 Earl Warren Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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