Intracellular replication is essential for the virulence of Salmonella typhimurium

3-Hydroxykynurenine targets kainate receptors to promote defense against infection

Bacterial infection involves a complex interaction between the pathogen and host where the outcome of infection is not solely determined by pathogen eradication. To identify small molecules that promote host survival by altering the host-pathogen dynamic, we conducted an in vivo chemical screen using zebrafish embryos and found that treatment with 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) protects from lethal bacterial infection. 3-HK, a metabolite produced through host tryptophan metabolism, has no direct antibacterial activity but enhances host survival by restricting bacterial expansion in macrophages through a systemic mechanism that targets kainate-sensitive glutamate receptors. These findings reveal a new pathway by which tryptophan metabolism and kainate-sensitive glutamate receptors function and interact to modulate immunity, with important implications for the coordination between the immune and nervous systems in pathological conditions.

Spermidine constitutes a key determinant of motility and attachment of Salmonella Typhimurium through a novel regulatory mechanism

Spermidine is a poly-cationic molecule belonging to the family of polyamines and is ubiquitously present in all organisms. Salmonella synthesizes, and harbours specialized transporters to import spermidine. A group of polyamines have been shown to assist in Salmonella Typhimurium's virulence and regulation of Salmonella pathogenicity Inslad 1 (SPI-1) genes and stress resistance; however, the mechanism remains elusive. The virulence trait of Salmonella depends on its ability to employ multiple surface structures to attach and adhere to the surface of the target cells before invasion and colonization of the host niche. Our study discovers the mechanism by which spermidine assists in the early stages of Salmonella pathogenesis. For the first time, we report that Salmonella Typhimurium regulates spermidine transport and biosynthesis processes in a mutually inclusive manner. Using a mouse model, we show that spermidine is critical for invasion into the murine Peyer's patches, which further validated our in vitro cell line observation. We show that spermidine controls the mRNA expression of fimbrial (fimA) and non-fimbrial adhesins (siiE, pagN) in Salmonella and thereby assists in attachment to host cell surfaces. Spermidine also regulated the motility through the expression of flagellin genes by enhancing the translation of sigma-28, which features an unusual start codon and a poor Shine-Dalgarno sequence. Besides regulating the formation of the adhesive structures, spermidine tunes the expression of the two-component system BarA/SirA to regulate SPI-1 encoded genes. Thus, our study unravels a novel regulatory mechanism by which spermidine exerts critical functions during Salmonella Typhimurium pathogenesis.

Quantification of Macrophage Cellular Ferrous Iron (Fe2+) Content Using a Highly Specific Fluorescent Probe in a Plate Reader

Macrophages are at the center of innate immunity and iron metabolism. In the case of an infection, macrophages adapt their cellular iron metabolism to deprive iron from invading bacteria to combat intracellular bacterial proliferation. A concise evaluation of the cellular iron content upon an infection with bacterial pathogens and diverse cellular stimuli is necessary to identify underlying mechanisms concerning iron homeostasis in macrophages. For the characterization of cellular iron levels during infection, we established an in vitro infection model where the murine macrophage cell line J774A.1 is infected with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S.tm), the mouse counterpart to S. enterica serovar Typhi, under normal and iron-overload conditions using ferric chloride (FeCl3) treatment. To evaluate the effect of infection and iron stimulation on cellular iron levels, the macrophages are stained with FerroOrange. This fluorescent probe specifically detects Fe2+ ions and its fluorescence can be quantified photometrically in a plate reader. Importantly, FerroOrange fluorescence does not increase with chelated iron or other bivalent metal ions. In this protocol, we present a simple and reliable method to quantify cellular Fe2+ levels in cultured macrophages by applying a highly specific fluorescence probe (FerroOrange) in a TECAN Spark microplate reader. Compared to already established techniques, our protocol allows assessing cellular iron levels in innate immune cells without the use of radioactive iron isotopes or extensive sample preparation, exposing the cells to stress. Key features • Easy quantification of Fe2+ in cultured macrophages with a fluorescent probe. • Analysis of iron in living cells without the need for fixation. • Performed on a plate reader capable of 540 nm excitation and 585 nm emission by trained employees for handling biosafety level 2 bacteria.

Protective effects of puerarin on liver tissue in Salmonella-infected chicks: a proteomic analysis

Salmonella enterica is a zoonotic bacterium that not only causes serious economic losses to the livestock and poultry industries but also seriously endangers human health. Long-term indiscriminate use of antibiotics has led to drug resistance in Salmonella, and thus the identification of alternatives to antibiotics is crucial. In this study, the effects of puerarin on the S. enterica-infected chickens were investigated. A total of 360 chicks were randomly assigned as the control group (CON), the S. enterica group (S), and puerarin-treatment group (P). Chicks in the P group were fed the basal diet supplemented with 50 (P50), 100 (P100), 200 (P200), and 400 (P400) mg/kg puerarin, respectively. It was found that puerarin treatment markedly altered the serum activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), together with the malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) contents in the serum. The mRNA expression of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, Bcl-2, and caspase-8 in the livers of S. enterica-infected chicks was increased after infection but significantly reduced after treatment with puerarin. Histologic analysis showed that puerarin effectively mitigated morphological damage in the liver caused by S. enterica. Proteomic analysis revealed that S. enterica infection led to metabolic disorders in the liver, resulting in oxidative stress, increased inflammation, and significantly elevated levels of hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers. The findings of the filtered sequencing were verified by using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Treatment with 100 mg/mL puerarin thus effectively alleviated disordered liver metabolism, reduced inflammation and oxidative damage and significantly reduced the levels of hepatocellular carcinoma biomarkers in the liver. The results suggest that puerarin has the potential to replace antibiotics to control Salmonella infection in poultry and thus improve food safety.

Lactate promotes Salmonella intracellular replication and systemic infection via driving macrophage M2 polarization

IMPORTANCE

The important enteropathogen Salmonella can cause lethal systemic infection via survival and replication in host macrophages. Lactate represents an abundant intracellular metabolite during bacterial infection, which can also induce macrophage M2 polarization. In this study, we found that macrophage-derived lactate promotes the intracellular replication and systemic infection of Salmonella. During Salmonella infection, lactate via the Salmonella type III secretion system effector SteE promotes macrophage M2 polarization, and the induction of macrophage M2 polarization by lactate is responsible for lactate-mediated Salmonella growth promotion. This study highlights the complex interactions between Salmonella and macrophages and provides an additional perspective on host-pathogen crosstalk at the metabolic interface.

Phosphate (Pi) Transporter PIT1 Induces Pi Starvation in Salmonella-Containing Vacuole in HeLa Cells

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), an important foodborne pathogen, causes diarrheal illness and gastrointestinal diseases. S. Typhimurium survives and replicates in phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells for acute or chronic infections. In these cells, S. Typhimurium resides within Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCVs), in which the phosphate (Pi) concentration is low. S. Typhimurium senses low Pi and expresses virulence factors to modify host cells. However, the mechanism by which host cells reduce the Pi concentration in SCVs is not clear. In this study, we show that through the TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway, S. Typhimurium upregulates PIT1, which in turn transports Pi from SCVs into the cytosol and results in Pi starvation in SCVs. Immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis reveal that after the internalization of S. Typhimurium, PIT1 is located on SCV membranes. Silencing or overexpressing PIT1 inhibits or promotes Pi starvation, Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2) gene expression, and replication in SCVs. The S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB mutant or silenced TLR4-MyD88-NF-κB pathway suppresses the expression of the SPI-2 genes and promotes the fusion of SCVs with lysosomes. Our results illustrate that S. Typhimurium exploits the host innate immune responses as signals to promote intracellular replication, and they provide new insights for the development of broad-spectrum therapeutics to combat bacterial infections.

The major role of Listeria monocytogenes folic acid metabolism during infection is the generation of N-formylmethionine

IMPORTANCE

Folic acid is an essential vitamin for bacteria, plants, and animals. The lack of folic acid leads to various consequences such as a shortage of amino acids and nucleotides that are fundamental building blocks for life. Though antifolate drugs are widely used for antimicrobial treatments, the underlying mechanism of bacterial folate deficiency during infection is unclear. This study compares the requirements of different folic acid end-products during the infection of Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular pathogen of animals and humans. The results reveal the critical importance of N-formylmethionine, the amino acid used by bacteria to initiate protein synthesis. This work extends the current understanding of folic acid metabolism in pathogens and potentially provides new insights into antifolate drug development in the future.

A tryptophan metabolite modulates the host response to bacterial infection via kainate receptors

Bacterial infection involves a complex interaction between the pathogen and host where the outcome of infection is not solely determined by pathogen eradication. To identify small molecules that promote host survival by altering the host-pathogen dynamic, we conducted an in vivo chemical screen using zebrafish embryos and found that treatment with 3-hydroxy-kynurenine protects from lethal gram-negative bacterial infection. 3-hydroxy-kynurenine, a metabolite produced through host tryptophan metabolism, has no direct antibacterial activity but enhances host survival by restricting bacterial expansion in macrophages by targeting kainate-sensitive glutamate receptors. These findings reveal new mechanisms by which tryptophan metabolism and kainate-sensitive glutamate receptors function and interact to modulate immunity, with significant implications for the coordination between the immune and nervous systems in pathological conditions.

Biochemical characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and identification of a selective inhibitor

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the etiologic agent of tuberculosis (TB), an ancient disease which causes 1.5 million deaths worldwide. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is a key enzyme of the MTB de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway, and it is essential for MTB growth in vitro, hence representing a promising drug target. We present: (i) the biochemical characterization of the full-length MTB DHODH, including the analysis of the kinetic parameters, and (ii) the previously unreleased crystal structure of the protein that allowed us to rationally screen our in-house chemical library and identify the first selective inhibitor of mycobacterial DHODH. The inhibitor has fluorescence properties, potentially instrumental to in cellulo imaging studies, and exhibits an IC50 value of 43 μm, paving the way to hit-to-lead process.

Deceiving the big eaters: Salmonella Typhimurium SopB subverts host cell xenophagy in macrophages via dual mechanisms

Salmonella, a stealthy facultative intracellular pathogen, utilises an array of host immune evasion strategies. This facilitates successful survival via replicative niche establishment in otherwise hostile environments such as macrophages. Salmonella survives in and utilises macrophages for effective dissemination, ultimately leading to systemic infection. Bacterial xenophagy or macro-autophagy is an important host defense mechanism in macrophages. Here, we report for the first time that the Salmonella pathogenicity island-1 (SPI-1) effector SopB is involved in subverting host autophagy via dual mechanisms. SopB is a phosphoinositide phosphatase capable of altering the phosphoinositide dynamics of the host cell. Here, we demonstrate that SopB mediates escape from autophagy by inhibiting the terminal fusion of Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCVs) with lysosomes and/or autophagosomes. We also report that SopB downregulates overall lysosomal biogenesis by modulating the Akt-transcription factor EB (TFEB) axis via restricting the latter's nuclear localisation. TFEB is a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. This reduces the overall lysosome content inside host macrophages, further facilitating the survival of Salmonella in macrophages and systemic dissemination of Salmonella.

Nitric oxide is a host cue for Salmonella Typhimurium systemic infection in mice

Nitric oxide (NO) is produced as an innate immune response against microbial infections. Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), the major causative pathogen of human gastroenteritis, induces more severe systemic disease in mice. However, host factors contributing to the difference in species-related virulence are unknown. Here, we report that host NO production promotes S. Typhimurium replication in mouse macrophages at the early infection stage by activating Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2). The NO signaling-induced SPI-2 activation is mediated by Fnr and PhoP/Q two-component system. NO significantly induced fnr transcription, while Fnr directly activated phoP/Q transcription. Mouse infection assays revealed a NO-dependent increase in bacterial burden in systemic organs during the initial days of infection, indicating an early contribution of host NO to virulence. This study reveals a host signaling-mediated virulence activation pathway in S. Typhimurium that contributes significantly to its systemic infection in mice, providing further insights into Salmonella pathogenesis and host-pathogen interaction.

The WxxxE proteins in microbial pathogenesis

Effector proteins secreted by pathogens modulate various host cellular processes and help in bacterial pathogenesis. Some of these proteins, injected by enteric pathogens via Type Three Secretion System (T3SS) were grouped together based on a conserved signature motif (WxxxE) present in them. The presence of WxxxE motif is not limited to effectors released by enteric pathogens or the T3SS but has been detected in non-enteric pathogens, plant pathogens and in association with Type II and Type IV secretion systems. WxxxE effectors are involved in actin organization, inflammation regulation, vacuole or tubule formation, endolysosomal signalling regulation, tight junction disruption, and apoptosis. The WxxxE sequence has also been identified in TIR [Toll/interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor] domains of bacteria and host. In the present review, we have focussed on the established and predicted functions of WxxxE effectors secreted by several pathogens, including enteric, non-enteric, and plant pathogens.

SPI2 T3SS effectors facilitate enterocyte apical to basolateral transmigration of Salmonella-containing vacuoles in vivo

Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI) 2 type three secretion system (T3SS)-mediated effector molecules facilitate bacterial survival in phagocytes but their role in the intestinal epithelium in vivo remains ill-defined. Using our neonatal murine infection model in combination with SPI2 reporter technology and RNA-Seq of sorted primary enterocytes, we demonstrate expression of SPI2 effector molecules by intraepithelial Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Contrary to expectation, immunostaining revealed that infection with SPI2 T3SS-mutants resulted in significantly enlarged intraepithelial Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCV) with altered cellular positioning, suggesting impaired apical to basolateral transmigration. Also, infection with isogenic tagged S. Typhimurium strains revealed a reduced spread of intraepithelial SPI2 T3SS mutant S. Typhimurium to systemic body sites. These results suggest that SPI2 T3SS effector molecules contribute to enterocyte apical to basolateral transmigration of the SCV during the early stage of the infection.

Suppressor Mutants: History and Today's Applications

For decades, biologist have exploited the near boundless advantages that molecular and genetic tools and analysis provide for our ability to understand biological systems. One of these genetic tools, suppressor analysis, has proven invaluable in furthering our understanding of biological processes and pathways and in discovering unknown interactions between genes and gene products. The power of suppressor analysis lies in its ability to discover genetic interactions in an unbiased manner, often leading to surprising discoveries. With advancements in technology, high-throughput approaches have aided in large-scale identification of suppressors and have helped provide insight into the core functional mechanisms through which suppressors act. In this review, we examine some of the fundamental discoveries that have been made possible through analysis of suppressor mutations. In addition, we cover the different types of suppressor mutants that can be isolated and the biological insights afforded by each type. Moreover, we provide considerations for the design of experiments to isolate suppressor mutants and for strategies to identify intergenic suppressor mutations. Finally, we provide guidance and example protocols for the isolation and mapping of suppressor mutants.

Virulence, immunogenicity and live vaccine potential of aroA and phoP mutants of Edwardsiella piscicida in zebrafish

Vaccination remains the most effective approach for prevention and control of infectious diseases in aquaculture. Edwardsiella piscicida is a causative agent of edwardsiellosis leading to mass mortality in a variety of fish species, leading to huge economic losses in the aquaculture industry. In this study, we have deleted the aroA and phoP genes in E. piscicida and investigated the phenotype, degrees of attenuation, immunogenicity, and ability to confer immune protection in zebrafish host. Our vaccine strain χ16028 with genotype ΔaroA11 ΔphoP12, showed significantly reduced growth, motility, biofilm formation and intracellular replication compared to the wild-type strain J118. In this regard, χ16028 exhibited retarded colonization and attenuation phenotype in zebrafish. Studies showed that χ16028 induced TLR4 and TLR5 mediated NF-kB pathway and upregulated cytokine gene expression i.e., TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and type-I IFN in zebrafish. Zebrafish immunized by intracoelomic injection (i.c.) with χ16028 showed systemic and mucosal IgM responses and protection against the wild-type E. piscicida i.c. injection challenge. However, the protection was only 25% in zebrafish following i.c. challenge. We speculate that our vaccine strain might be very attenuated; a booster dose may trigger better immune response and increase the percentage of survival to a more significant level.

Robustness of nitric oxide detoxification to nitrogen starvation in Escherichia coli requires RelA

Reactive nitrogen species and nutrient deprivation are two elements of the immune response used to eliminate pathogens within phagosomes. Concomitantly, pathogenic bacteria have evolved defense systems to cope with phagosomal stressors, which include enzymes that detoxify nitric oxide (^•NO) and respond to nutrient scarcity. A deeper understanding of how those defense systems are deployed under adverse conditions that contain key elements of phagosomes will facilitate targeting of those systems for therapeutic purposes. Here we investigated how Escherichia coli detoxifies ^•NO in the absence of useable nitrogen, because nitrogen availability is limited in phagosomes due to the removal of nitrogenous compounds (e.g., amino acids). We hypothesized that nitrogen starvation would impair ^•NO detoxification by E. coli because it depresses translation rates and the main E. coli defense enzyme, Hmp, is synthesized in response to ^•NO. However, we found that E. coli detoxifies ^•NO at the same rate regardless of whether useable nitrogen was present. We confirmed that the nitrogen in ^•NO and its autoxidation products could not be used by E. coli under our experimental conditions, and discovered that ^•NO eliminated differences in carbon and oxygen consumption between nitrogen-replete and nitrogen-starved cultures. Interestingly, E. coli does not consume measurable extracellular nitrogen during ^•NO stress despite the need to translate defense enzymes. Further, we found that RelA, which responds to uncharged tRNA, was required to observe the robustness of ^•NO detoxification to nitrogen starvation. These data demonstrate that E. coli is well poised to detoxify ^•NO in the absence of useable nitrogen and suggest that the stringent response could be a useful target to potentiate the antibacterial activity of ^•NO.

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

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

Phagosome-Bacteria Interactions from the Bottom Up

When attempting to propagate infections, bacterial pathogens encounter phagocytes that encase them in vacuoles called phagosomes. Within phagosomes, bacteria are bombarded with a plethora of stresses that often lead to their demise. However, pathogens have evolved numerous strategies to counter those host defenses and facilitate survival. Given the importance of phagosome-bacteria interactions to infection outcomes, they represent a collection of targets that are of interest for next-generation antibacterials. To facilitate such therapies, different approaches can be employed to increase understanding of phagosome-bacteria interactions, and these can be classified broadly as top down (starting from intact systems and breaking down the importance of different parts) or bottom up (developing a knowledge base on simplified systems and progressively increasing complexity). Here we review knowledge of phagosomal compositions and bacterial survival tactics useful for bottom-up approaches, which are particularly relevant for the application of reaction engineering to quantify and predict the time evolution of biochemical species in these death-dealing vacuoles. Further, we highlight how understanding in this area can be built up through the combination of immunology, microbiology, and engineering.

The Small RNA RyhB Homologs from Salmonella Typhimurium Restrain the Intracellular Growth and Modulate the SPI-1 Gene Expression within RAW264.7 Macrophages

Growing evidence indicates that small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) play important regulatory roles during bacterial infection. In Salmonella Typhimurium, several sRNAs are strongly up-regulated within macrophages, but little is known about their role during the infection process. Among these sRNAs, the well-characterized paralogs RyhB-1 and RyhB-2 are two regulators of gene expression mainly related with the response to iron availability. To investigate the role of the sRNAs RyhB-1 and RyhB-2 from S. Typhimurium in the infection of RAW264.7 macrophages, we analyzed several phenotypic traits from intracellular mutant strains lacking one and both sRNAs. Deletion of RyhB-1 and/or RyhB-2 resulted in increased intracellular survival and faster replication within macrophages. The bacterial metabolic status inside macrophages was also analyzed, revealing that all the mutant strains exhibited higher intracellular levels of ATP and lower NAD⁺/NADH ratios than the wild type. Expression analyses from bacteria infecting macrophages showed that RyhB-1 and RyhB-2 affect the intra-macrophage expression of bacterial genes associated with the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) and the type III secretion system (T3SS). With a two-plasmid system and compensatory mutations, we confirmed that RyhB-1 and RyhB-2 directly interact with the mRNAs of the invasion chaperone SicA and the regulatory protein RtsB. Altogether, these results indicate that the RyhB homologs contribute to the S. Typhimurium virulence modulation inside macrophages by reducing the intracellular growth and down-regulating the SPI-1 gene expression.

Bacterial ClpP Protease Is a Potential Target for Methyl Gallate

Methyl gallate (MG) is an effective microbicide with great potential application in the integrated management of plant diseases and an important potential drug for clinical application. However, its target remains unknown. This study conducted a transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) under MG treatment in plant pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum. Tn-seq identified that the mutation of caseinolytic protease proteolytic subunit gene clpP significantly increased the resistance of R. solanacearum to MG, which was validated by the in-frame gene deletion. iTRAQ (isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation) proteomics analysis revealed that chemotaxis and flagella associated proteins were the major substrates degraded by ClpP under the tested condition. Moreover, sulfur metabolism-associated proteins were potential substrates of ClpP and were upregulated by MG treatment in wild-type R. solanacearum but not in clpP mutant. Furthermore, molecular docking confirmed the possible interaction between MG and ClpP. Collectively, this study revealed that MG might target bacterial ClpP, inhibit the activity of ClpP, and consequently disturb bacterial proteostasis, providing a theoretical basis for the application of MG.

Salmonella Typhimurium reprograms macrophage metabolism via T3SS effector SopE2 to promote intracellular replication and virulence

Salmonella Typhimurium establishes systemic infection by replicating in host macrophages. Here we show that macrophages infected with S. Typhimurium exhibit upregulated glycolysis and decreased serine synthesis, leading to accumulation of glycolytic intermediates. The effects on serine synthesis are mediated by bacterial protein SopE2, a type III secretion system (T3SS) effector encoded in pathogenicity island SPI-1. The changes in host metabolism promote intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium via two mechanisms: decreased glucose levels lead to upregulated bacterial uptake of 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate and phosphoenolpyruvate (carbon sources), while increased pyruvate and lactate levels induce upregulation of another pathogenicity island, SPI-2, known to encode virulence factors. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of host glycolysis, activation of host serine synthesis, or deletion of either the bacterial transport or signal sensor systems for those host glycolytic intermediates impairs S. Typhimurium replication or virulence.

Salmonella Typhimurium establishes systemic infection by replicating in host macrophages. Here, Jiang et al. show that infected macrophages exhibit upregulated glycolysis and decreased serine synthesis, leading to accumulation of glycolytic intermediates that promote intracellular replication and virulence of S. Typhimurium.

CdsH Contributes to the Replication of Salmonella Typhimurium inside Epithelial Cells in a Cysteine-Supplemented Medium

Salmonella Typhimurium is a facultative, intracellular pathogen whose products range from self-limited gastroenteritis to systemic diseases. Food ingestion increases biomolecules' concentration in the intestinal lumen, including amino acids such as cysteine, which is toxic in a concentration-dependent manner. When cysteine's intracellular concentration reaches toxic levels, S. Typhimurium expresses a cysteine-inducible enzyme (CdsH), which converts cysteine into pyruvate, sulfide, and ammonia. Despite this evidence, the biological context of cdsH's role is not completely clear, especially in the infective cycle. Since inside epithelial cells both cdsH and its positive regulator, ybaO, are overexpressed, we hypothesized a possible role of cdsH in the intestinal phase of the infection. To test this hypothesis, we used an in vitro model of HT-29 cell infection, adding extra cysteine to the culture medium during the infective process. We observed that, at 6 h post-invasion, the wild type S. Typhimurium proliferated 30% more than the ΔcdsH strain in the presence of extra cysteine. This result shows that cdsH contributes to the bacterial replication in the intracellular environment in increased concentrations of extracellular cysteine, strongly suggesting that cdsH participates by increasing the bacterial fitness in the intestinal phase of the S. Typhimurium infection.

Multiple Salmonella-pathogenicity island 2 effectors are required to facilitate bacterial establishment of its intracellular niche and virulence

The pathogenesis of Salmonella Typhimurium depends on the bacterium’s ability to survive and replicate within host cells. The formation and maintenance of a unique membrane-bound compartment, termed the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV), is essential for S. Typhimurium pathogenesis. SCV-bound S. Typhimurium induces formation of filamentous tubules that radiate outwards from the SCV, termed Salmonella-induced filaments (SIFs). SIF formation is concomitant with the onset of replication within host epithelial cells. SIF biogenesis, formation and maintenance of the SCV, and the intracellular positioning of the SCV within the host cell requires translocation of bacterial proteins (effectors) into the host cell. Effectors secreted by the type III secretion system encoded on Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (T3SS2) function to interfere with host cellular processes and promote both intracellular survival and replication of S. Typhimurium. Seven T3SS2-secreted effectors, SifA, SopD2, PipB2, SteA, SseJ, SseF, and SseG have previously been implicated to play complementary, redundant, and/or antagonistic roles with respect to SIF biogenesis, intracellular positioning of the SCV, and SCV membrane dynamics modulation during infection. We undertook a systematic study to delineate the contribution of each effector to these processes by (i) deleting all seven of these effectors in a single S. Typhimurium strain; and (ii) deleting combinations of multiple effectors based on putative effector function. Using this deletion mutant library, we show that each of SIF biogenesis, intracellular SCV localization, intramacrophage replication, colonization, and virulence depends on the activities of multiple effectors. Together, our data demonstrates the complex interplay between these seven effectors and highlights the necessity to study T3SS2-secreted effectors as groups, rather than studies of individual effectors.

Methionine Availability in the Arthropod Intestine Is Elucidated through Identification of Vibrio cholerae Methionine Acquisition Systems

While only a subset of Vibrio cholerae strains are human diarrheal pathogens, all are aquatic organisms. In this environment, they often persist in close association with arthropods. In the intestinal lumen of the model arthropod Drosophila melanogaster, methionine and methionine sulfoxide decrease susceptibility to V. cholerae infection. In addition to its structural role in proteins, methionine participates in the methionine cycle, which carries out synthetic and regulatory methylation reactions. It is, therefore, essential for the growth of both animals and bacteria. Methionine is scarce in some environments, and the facile conversion of free methionine to methionine sulfoxide in oxidizing environments interferes with its utilization. To ensure an adequate supply of methionine, the genomes of most organisms encode multiple high-affinity uptake pathways for methionine as well as multiple methionine sulfoxide reductases, which reduce free and protein-associated methionine sulfoxide to methionine. To explore the role of methionine uptake and reduction in V. cholerae colonization of the arthropod intestine, we mutagenized the two high-affinity methionine transporters and five methionine sulfoxide reductases encoded in the V. cholerae genome. We show that MsrC is the sole methionine sulfoxide reductase active on free methionine sulfoxide. Furthermore, in the absence of methionine synthesis, high-affinity methionine uptake but not reduction is essential for V. cholerae colonization of the Drosophila intestine. These findings allow us to place a lower limit of 0.05 mM and an upper limit of 0.5 mM on the methionine concentration in the Drosophila intestine.IMPORTANCE Methionine is an essential amino acid involved in both biosynthetic and regulatory processes in the bacterial cell. To ensure an adequate supply of methionine, bacteria have evolved multiple systems to synthesize, import, and recover this amino acid. To explore the importance of methionine synthesis, transport, and recovery in any environment, all of these systems must be identified and mutagenized. Here, we have mutagenized every high-affinity methionine uptake system and methionine sulfoxide reductase encoded in the genome of the diarrheal pathogen V. cholerae We use this information to determine that high-affinity methionine uptake systems are sufficient to acquire methionine in the intestine of the model arthropod Drosophila melanogaster but are not involved in virulence and that the intestinal concentration of methionine must be between 0.05 mM and 0.5 mM.

NMR-Metabolomics Shows That BolA Is an Important Modulator of Salmonella Typhimurium Metabolic Processes under Virulence Conditions

BolA is a ubiquitous global transcription factor. Despite its clear role in the induction of important stress-resistant physiological changes and its recent implication in the virulence of Salmonella, further research is required to shed light on the pathways modulated by BolA. In this study, we resorted to untargeted ¹H-NMR metabolomics to understand the impact of BolA on the metabolic profile of Salmonella Typhimurium, under virulence conditions. Three strains of S. Typhimurium SL1344 were studied: An SL1344 strain transformed with an empty plasmid (control), a bolA knockout mutant (ΔbolA), and a strain overexpressing bolA (bolA⁺). These strains were grown in a minimal virulence-inducing medium and cells were collected at the end of the exponential and stationary phases. The extracts were analyzed by NMR, and multivariate and univariate statistical analysis were performed to identify significant alterations. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) of ¹H-NMR data allowed the discrimination between the metabolic profiles of these strains, revealing increased levels of acetate, valine, alanine, NAD⁺, succinate, coenzyme A, glutathione, and putrescine in bolA⁺. These results indicate that BolA regulates pathways related to stress resistance and virulence, being an important modulator of the metabolic processes needed for S. Typhimurium infection.

Pyrimidine biosynthesis in pathogens - Structures and analysis of dihydroorotases from Yersinia pestis and Vibrio cholerae

The de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway is essential for the proliferation of many pathogens. One of the pathway enzymes, dihydroorotase (DHO), catalyzes the reversible interconversion of N-carbamoyl-l-aspartate to 4,5-dihydroorotate. The substantial difference between bacterial and mammalian DHOs makes it a promising drug target for disrupting bacterial growth and thus an important candidate to evaluate as a response to antimicrobial resistance on a molecular level. Here, we present two novel three-dimensional structures of DHOs from Yersinia pestis (YpDHO), the plague-causing pathogen, and Vibrio cholerae (VcDHO), the causative agent of cholera. The evaluations of these two structures led to an analysis of all available DHO structures and their classification into known DHO types. Comparison of all the DHO active sites containing ligands that are listed in DrugBank was facilitated by a new interactive, structure-comparison and presentation platform. In addition, we examined the genetic context of characterized DHOs, which revealed characteristic patterns for different types of DHOs. We also generated a homology model for DHO from Plasmodium falciparum.

The Role of ClpP Protease in Bacterial Pathogenesis and Human Diseases

In prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic organelles, the ClpP protease plays an important role in proteostasis. The disruption of the ClpP function has been shown to influence the infectivity and virulence of a number of bacterial pathogens. More recently, ClpP has been found to be involved in various forms of carcinomas and in Perrault syndrome, which is an inherited condition characterized by hearing loss in males and females and by ovarian abnormalities in females. Hence, targeting ClpP is a potentially viable, attractive option for the treatment of different ailments. Herein, the biochemical and cellular activities of ClpP are discussed along with the mechanisms by which ClpP affects bacterial pathogenesis and various human diseases. In addition, a comprehensive overview is given of the new classes of compounds in development that target ClpP. Many of these compounds are currently primarily aimed at treating bacterial infections. Some of these compounds inhibit ClpP activity, while others activate the protease and lead to its dysregulation. The ClpP activators are remarkable examples of small molecules that inhibit protein-protein interactions but also result in a gain of function.

Methionine biosynthesis and transport are functionally redundant for the growth and virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium

Methionine (Met) is an amino acid essential for many important cellular and biosynthetic functions, including the initiation of protein synthesis and S-adenosylmethionine–mediated methylation of proteins, RNA, and DNA. The de novo biosynthetic pathway of Met is well conserved across prokaryotes but absent from vertebrates, making it a plausible antimicrobial target. Using a systematic approach, we examined the essentiality of de novo methionine biosynthesis in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, a bacterial pathogen causing significant gastrointestinal and systemic diseases in humans and agricultural animals. Our data demonstrate that Met biosynthesis is essential for S. Typhimurium to grow in synthetic medium and within cultured epithelial cells where Met is depleted in the environment. During systemic infection of mice, the virulence of S. Typhimurium was not affected when either de novo Met biosynthesis or high-affinity Met transport was disrupted alone, but combined disruption in both led to severe in vivo growth attenuation, demonstrating a functional redundancy between de novo biosynthesis and acquisition as a mechanism of sourcing Met to support growth and virulence for S. Typhimurium during infection. In addition, our LC-MS analysis revealed global changes in the metabolome of S. Typhimurium mutants lacking Met biosynthesis and also uncovered unexpected interactions between Met and peptidoglycan biosynthesis. Together, this study highlights the complexity of the interactions between a single amino acid, Met, and other bacterial processes leading to virulence in the host and indicates that disrupting the de novo biosynthetic pathway alone is likely to be ineffective as an antimicrobial therapy against S. Typhimurium.

The metabolic pathways utilized by Salmonella Typhimurium during infection of host cells

Only relatively recently has research on the metabolism of intracellular bacterial pathogens within their host cells begun to appear in the published literature. This reflects in part the experimental difficulties encountered in separating host metabolic processes from those of the resident pathogen. One of the most genetically tractable and thoroughly studied intracellular bacterial pathogens, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), has been at the forefront of metabolic studies within eukaryotic host cells. In this review, we offer a synthesis of what has been discovered to date regarding the metabolic adaptation of S. Typhimurium to survival and growth within the infected host. We discuss many studies in the context of techniques used, types of host cells, how host metabolites contribute to intracellular survival and proliferation of the pathogen and how bacterial metabolism affects the virulence and persistence of the pathogen.

Bacterial Pathogen Emergence Requires More than Direct Contact with a Novel Passerine Host

While direct contact may sometimes be sufficient to allow a pathogen to jump into a new host species, in other cases, fortuitously adaptive mutations that arise in the original donor host are also necessary. Viruses have been the focus of most host shift studies, so less is known about the importance of ecological versus evolutionary processes to successful bacterial host shifts. Here we tested whether direct contact with the novel host was sufficient to enable the mid-1990s jump of the bacterium Mycoplasma gallisepticum from domestic poultry to house finches (Haemorhous mexicanus). We experimentally inoculated house finches with two genetically distinct M. gallisepticum strains obtained either from poultry (Rlow) or from house finches (HF1995) during an epizootic outbreak. All 15 house finches inoculated with HF1995 became infected, whereas Rlow successfully infected 12 of 15 (80%) inoculated house finches. Comparisons among infected birds showed that, relative to HF1995, Rlow achieved substantially lower bacterial loads in the host respiratory mucosa and was cleared faster. Furthermore, Rlow-infected finches were less likely to develop clinical symptoms than HF1995-infected birds and, when they did, displayed milder conjunctivitis. The lower infection success of Rlow relative to HF1995 was not, however, due to a heightened host antibody response to Rlow. Taken together, our results indicate that contact between infected poultry and house finches was not, by itself, sufficient to explain the jump of M. gallisepticum to house finches. Instead, mutations arising in the original poultry host would have been necessary for successful pathogen emergence in the novel finch host.

miR-143 inhibits intracellular salmonella growth by targeting ATP6V1A in macrophage cells in pig

Salmonella infects many vertebrate species, and animals such as pigs can be colonized with Salmonella and become established carriers. Analyzing the roles of microRNA in intracellular proliferation is important for understanding the process of Salmonella infection. The objective of this study is to verify the regulation effect of miR-143 on ATP6V1A and its functions in the intracellular growth of Salmonella. A new miR-143 binding site was discovered in the 3' UTR of ATP6V1A using a newly developed prediction tool. The binding site was confirmed by binding site deletion assay. Real-time PCR results indicated that ATP6V1A was predominantly expressed in bone-marrow-derived macrophages, and the expression of miR-143 in different tissues was negatively correlated with ATP6V1A. The Salmonella proliferation assay showed that the expression of miR-143 could inhibit intracellular Salmonella growth in macrophages by target ATP6V1A. The results strongly suggest that miR-143 plays important regulatory roles in the development of Salmonella infection in animals.

speG Is Required for Intracellular Replication of Salmonella in Various Human Cells and Affects Its Polyamine Metabolism and Global Transcriptomes

The speG gene has been reported to regulate polyamine metabolism in Escherichia coli and Shigella, but its role in Salmonella remains unknown. Our preliminary studies have revealed that speG widely affects the transcriptomes of infected in vitro M and Caco-2 cells and that it is required for the intracellular replication of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in HeLa cells. In this study, we demonstrated that speG plays a time-dependent and cell type-independent role in the intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of four major polyamines demonstrated putrescine, spermine, and cadaverine as the leading polyamines in S. Typhimurium. The deletion of speG significantly increased the levels of the three polyamines in intracellular S. Typhimurium, suggesting the inhibitory effect of speG on the biosynthesis of these polyamines. The deletion of speG was associated with elevated levels of these polyamines in the attenuated intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium in host cells. This result was subsequently validated by the dose-dependent suppression of intracellular proliferation after the addition of the polyamines. Furthermore, our RNA transcriptome analysis of S. Typhimurium SL1344 and its speG mutant outside and inside Caco-2 cells revealed that speG regulates the genes associated with flagellar biosynthesis, fimbrial expression, and functions of types III and I secretion systems. speG also affects the expression of genes that have been rarely reported to correlate with polyamine metabolism in Salmonella, including those associated with the periplasmic nitrate reductase system, glucarate metabolism, the phosphotransferase system, cytochromes, and the succinate reductase complex in S. Typhimurium in the mid-log growth phase, as well as those in the ilv-leu and histidine biosynthesis operons of intracellular S. Typhimurium after invasion in Caco-2 cells. In the present study, we characterized the phenotypes and transcriptome effects of speG in S. Typhimurium and reviewed the relevant literature to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the potential role of speG in the polyamine metabolism and virulence regulation of Salmonella.

Genetic and Dietary Iron Overload Differentially Affect the Course of Salmonella Typhimurium Infection

Genetic and dietary forms of iron overload have distinctive clinical and pathophysiological features. HFE-associated hereditary hemochromatosis is characterized by overwhelming intestinal iron absorption, parenchymal iron deposition, and macrophage iron depletion. In contrast, excessive dietary iron intake results in iron deposition in macrophages. However, the functional consequences of genetic and dietary iron overload for the control of microbes are incompletely understood. Using Hfe^+/+ and Hfe^-/- mice in combination with oral iron overload in a model of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection, we found animals of either genotype to induce hepcidin antimicrobial peptide expression and hypoferremia following systemic infection in an Hfe-independent manner. As predicted, Hfe^-/- mice, a model of hereditary hemochromatosis, displayed reduced spleen iron content, which translated into improved control of Salmonella replication. Salmonella adapted to the iron-poor microenvironment in the spleens of Hfe^-/- mice by inducing the expression of its siderophore iron-uptake machinery. Dietary iron loading resulted in higher bacterial numbers in both WT and Hfe^-/- mice, although Hfe deficiency still resulted in better pathogen control and improved survival. This suggests that Hfe deficiency may exert protective effects in addition to the control of iron availability for intracellular bacteria. Our data show that a dynamic adaptation of iron metabolism in both immune cells and microbes shapes the host-pathogen interaction in the setting of systemic Salmonella infection. Moreover, Hfe-associated iron overload and dietary iron excess result in different outcomes in infection, indicating that tissue and cellular iron distribution determines the susceptibility to infection with specific pathogens.

Purine Biosynthesis Metabolically Constrains Intracellular Survival of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

The ability to de novo synthesize purines has been associated with the intracellular survival of multiple bacterial pathogens. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the predominant cause of urinary tract infections, undergoes a transient intracellular lifestyle during which bacteria clonally expand into multicellular bacterial communities within the cytoplasm of bladder epithelial cells. Here, we characterized the contribution of the conserved de novo purine biosynthesis-associated locus cvpA-purF to UPEC pathogenesis. Deletion of cvpA-purF, or of purF alone, abolished de novo purine biosynthesis but did not impact bacterial adherence properties in vitro or in the bladder lumen. However, upon internalization by bladder epithelial cells, UPEC deficient in de novo purine biosynthesis was unable to expand into intracytoplasmic bacterial communities over time, unless it was extrachromosomally complemented. These findings indicate that UPEC is deprived of purine nucleotides within the intracellular niche and relies on de novo purine synthesis to meet this metabolic requirement.

Eha, a regulator of Edwardsiella tarda, required for resistance to oxidative stress in macrophages

Edwardsiella tarda is distributed widely in a variety of hosts. Eha has recently been found to be its virulence regulator. In order to explore the mechanism of its regulation, we investigated the survival rates of wild type strain ET13, and its eha mutant and complemented strains in RAW264.7 macrophages under light microscopic observation as well as by counting bacterial CFUs on the plates. All of the different strains could live within the macrophages; however, the intracellular numbers of the wild type were significantly higher than the mutant when the incubation time extended 4 h or 6 h (P < 0.05). Furthermore, more ROS were produced by the mutant-infected cells, indicating that Eha may enhance ET13's capacity to detoxify ROS. In agreement with this, we found that the mutant exhibited more sensitivity by H₂O₂ disk inhibitory assay and less survival ability with H₂O₂ treatment. We further demonstrated that the bacterial antioxidant enzymes SodC and KatG were regulated by Eha with qRT-PCR and β-galactosidase assay. Collectively, our data show Eha is required for E. tarda to resist the oxidative stress from the macrophages.

The In Vitro Redundant Enzymes PurN and PurT Are Both Essential for Systemic Infection of Mice in Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

Metabolic enzymes show a high degree of redundancy, and for that reason they are generally ignored in searches for novel targets for anti-infective substances. The enzymes PurN and PurT are redundant in vitro in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, in which they perform the third step of purine synthesis. Surprisingly, the results of the current study demonstrated that single-gene deletions of each of the genes encoding these enzymes caused attenuation (competitive infection indexes [CI] of <0.03) in mouse infections. While the ΔpurT mutant multiplied as fast as the wild-type strain in cultured J774A.1 macrophages, net multiplication of the ΔpurN mutant was reduced approximately 50% in 20 h. The attenuation of the ΔpurT mutant was abolished by simultaneous removal of the enzyme PurU, responsible for the formation of formate, indicating that the attenuation was related to formate accumulation or wasteful consumption of formyl tetrahydrofolate by PurU. In the process of further characterization, we disclosed that the glycine cleavage system (GCV) was the most important for formation of C1 units in vivo (CI = 0.03 ± 0.03). In contrast, GlyA was the only important enzyme for the formation of C1 units in vitro The results with the ΔgcvT mutant further revealed that formation of serine by SerA and further conversion of serine into C1 units and glycine by GlyA were not sufficient to ensure C1 formation in S Typhimurium in vivo The results of the present study call for reinvestigations of the concept of metabolic redundancy in S Typhimurium in vivo.

Heme oxygenase 1 controls early innate immune response of macrophages to Salmonella Typhimurium infection

Macrophages are central for the immune control of intracellular microbes. Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1, hmox) is the first and rate limiting enzyme in the breakdown of heme originating from degraded senescent erythrocytes and heme-proteins, yielding equal amounts of iron, carbon monoxide and biliverdin. HO-1 is strongly up-regulated in macrophages in response to inflammatory signals, including bacterial endotoxin. In view of the essential role of iron for the growth and proliferation of intracellular bacteria along with known effects of the metal on innate immune function, we examined whether HO-1 plays a role in the control of infection with the intracellular bacterium Salmonella Typhimurium. We studied the course of infection in stably-transfected murine macrophages (RAW264.7) bearing a tetracycline-inducible plasmid producing hmox shRNA and in primary HO-1 knockout macrophages. While uptake of bacteria into macrophages was not affected, a significantly reduced survival of intracellular Salmonella was observed upon hmox knockdown or pharmacological hmox inhibition, which was independent of Nramp1 functionality. This could be traced to limitation of iron availability for intramacrophage bacteria along with enhanced stimulation of innate immune effector pathways, including the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and increased TNF-α expression. Mechanistically, these latter effects result from intracellular iron limitation with subsequent activation of NF-κB and further inos, tnfa and p47phox transcription along with reduced formation of the anti-inflammatory and radical scavenging molecules, CO and biliverdin as a consequence of HO-1 silencing. Taken together our data provide novel evidence that the infection-driven induction of HO-1 exerts detrimental effects in the early control of Salmonella infection, whereas hmox inhibition can favourably modulate anti-bacterial immune effector pathways of macrophages and promote bacterial elimination.

Contrasting regulation of macrophage iron homeostasis in response to infection with Listeria monocytogenes depending on localization of bacteria

Due to its multiple roles for the proliferation and pathogenicity of many microbes on the one hand and via modulation of immune effector functions on the other hand the control over iron homeostasis is thought to play a decisive role in the course of infections. Diversion of cellular iron traffic is considered as an important defense mechanism of macrophages to reduce metal availability for intracellular bacteria residing in the phagosome. However, evidence is lacking whether such alterations of iron homeostasis also become evident upon infection with bacteria gaining access to the cytosol like Listeria monocytogenes. Here we show that infection of macrophages with L. monocytogenes triggers the expression of the major cellular iron exporter ferroportin1 and induces cellular iron egress. As the growth of Listeria within macrophages is promoted by iron, stimulation of ferroportin1 functionality limits the availability of the metal for Listeria residing in the cytoplasm, whereas ferroportin1 degradation upon hepcidin treatment increases intracellular bacterial growth. In parallel to an increase of ferroportin1 expression, infected macrophages induce anti-microbial immune effector mechanisms such as TNFα formation or NO expression which are aggravated upon iron deficiency. These adaptive changes of iron homeostasis and immune response pathways are only found in macrophages infected with Listeria which express listeriolysin O and are therefore able to escape from the phagosome to the cytoplasm. Listeriolysin O deficient Listeria which are restricted to the phagosome are even killed by excess iron which may be based on "iron intoxification" via macrophage radical formation, because iron supplementation in that setting is paralleled by increased ROS formation. Our results indicate that ferroportin1 mediated iron export is a nutritional immune effector pathway to control infection with Listeria residing in the cytoplasm, whereas a different strategy is observed in mutant Listeria restricted to the phagosome, where iron remains in the macrophages likewise contributing to ROS mediated intoxification of bacteria.

In Vivo-Expressed Proteins of Virulent Leptospira interrogans Serovar Autumnalis N2 Elicit Strong IgM Responses of Value in Conclusive Diagnosis

Leptospirosis is a serious zoonosis that is underdiagnosed because of limited access to laboratory facilities in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and Oceania. Timely diagnosis of locally distributed serovars of high virulence is crucial for successful care and outbreak management. Using pooled patient sera, an expression gene library of a virulent Leptospira interrogans serovar Autumnalis strain N2 isolated in South India was screened. The identified genes were characterized, and the purified recombinant proteins were used as antigens in IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) either singly or in combination. Sera (n = 118) from cases of acute leptospirosis along with sera (n = 58) from healthy subjects were tested for reactivity with the identified proteins in an ELISA designed to detect specific IgM responses. We have identified nine immunoreactive proteins, ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, RplS, RnhB, Lp28.6, and Lrr44.9, which were found to be highly conserved among pathogenic leptospires. Apparently, the proteins ArgC, RecA, GlpF, FliD, TrmD, and Lrr44.9 are expressed during natural infection of the host and undetectable in in vitro cultures. Among all the recombinant proteins used as antigens in IgM ELISA, ArgC had the highest sensitivity and specificity, 89.8% and 95.5%, respectively, for the conclusive diagnosis of leptospirosis. The use of ArgC and RecA in combination for IgM ELISA increased the sensitivity and specificity to 95.7% and 94.9%, respectively. ArgC and RecA thus elicited specific IgM responses and were therefore effective in laboratory confirmation of Leptospira infection.

Characterization of the Invasive, Multidrug Resistant Non-typhoidal Salmonella Strain D23580 in a Murine Model of Infection

A distinct pathovar of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, ST313, has emerged in sub-Saharan Africa as a major cause of fatal bacteremia in young children and HIV-infected adults. D23580, a multidrug resistant clinical isolate of ST313, was previously shown to have undergone genome reduction in a manner that resembles that of the more human-restricted pathogen, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. It has since been shown through tissue distribution studies that D23580 is able to establish an invasive infection in chickens. However, it remains unclear whether ST313 can cause lethal disease in a non-human host following a natural course of infection. Herein we report that D23580 causes lethal and invasive disease in a murine model of infection following peroral challenge. The LD₅₀ of D23580 in female BALB/c mice was 4.7 x 10⁵ CFU. Tissue distribution studies performed 3 and 5 days post-infection confirmed that D23580 was able to more rapidly colonize the spleen, mesenteric lymph nodes and gall bladder in mice when compared to the well-characterized S. Typhimurium strain SL1344. D23580 exhibited enhanced resistance to acid stress relative to SL1344, which may lend towards increased capability to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract as well as during its intracellular lifecycle. Interestingly, D23580 also displayed higher swimming motility relative to SL1344, S. Typhi strain Ty2, and the ST313 strain A130. Biochemical tests revealed that D23580 shares many similar metabolic features with SL1344, with several notable differences in the Voges-Proskauer and catalase tests, as well alterations in melibiose, and inositol utilization. These results represent the first full duration infection study using an ST313 strain following the entire natural course of disease progression, and serve as a benchmark for ongoing and future studies into the pathogenesis of D23580.

A deadly form of non-typhoidal Salmonella has emerged as a major cause of invasive disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Initial genomic profiling of this novel Salmonella sequence type, ST313, indicated that although it is technically classified as S. Typhimurium (a serovar characterized by a broad host range), it may be evolving towards becoming a more human-specific, ‘typhoid-like’ pathogen. However, it was recently demonstrated that ST313 strains were indeed able to establish an invasive and damaging infection in chickens. Despite these important findings, it remains unclear whether ST313 is able to cause lethal disease in a non-human host, since no study has yet followed the entire natural course of disease progression. As such, there are no data available concerning the median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of any ST313 strain. This is an important metric, as the LD₅₀ value will serve as a benchmark for mechanistic studies focused on understanding the relationship between virulence and the phenotypic and molecular genetic attributes associated with ST313 infections. Here we report that D23580 causes lethal disease in BALB/c mice and determined the LD₅₀ following peroral challenge. Phenotypic characterization revealed distinct differences in tissue distribution, acid stress resistance, and biochemical utilization between D23580 and the ‘classic’ Typhimurium strain SL1344.

Klebsiella pneumoniae translocates across the intestinal epithelium via Rho GTPase- and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent cell invasion

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an important pathogen that causes hospital-acquired septicemia and is associated with the recent emergence of community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess (PLA). Clinical typing suggests that K. pneumoniae infections originate from the gastrointestinal reservoir. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we have sought to determine how K. pneumoniae penetrates the intestinal barrier. We identified that bacteremia and PLA clinical isolates adhered to and invaded intestinal epithelial cells. Internalization of K. pneumoniae in three different human colonic cell lines was visualized by confocal microscopy and three-dimensional (3D) imaging. Using a Transwell system, we demonstrated that these K. pneumoniae isolates translocated across a polarized Caco-2 monolayer. No disruptions of transepithelial electrical resistance and altered distribution of tight junction protein ZO-1 or occludin were observed. Therefore, K. pneumoniae appeared to penetrate the intestinal epithelium via a transcellular pathway. Using specific inhibitors, we characterized the host signaling pathways involved. Inhibition by cytochalasin D and nocodazole suggested that actin and microtubule cytoskeleton were both important for K. pneumoniae invasion. A Rho inhibitor, ML141, LY294002, and an Akt1/2 inhibitor diminished K. pneumoniae invasion in a dose-dependent manner, indicating that Rho family GTPases and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling were required. By a mouse model of gastrointestinal colonization, in vivo invasion of K. pneumoniae into colonic epithelial cells was demonstrated. Our results present evidence to describe a possible mechanism of gastrointestinal translocation for K. pneumoniae. Cell invasion by manipulating host machinery provides a pathway for gut-colonized K. pneumoniae cells to penetrate the intestinal barrier and access extraintestinal locations to cause disease.

Toll-like receptor-deficient mice reveal how innate immune signaling influences Salmonella virulence strategies

Pathogens utilize features of the host response as cues to regulate virulence gene expression. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) sense Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent signals to induce Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2), a locus required for intracellular replication. To examine pathogenicity in the absence of such cues, we evaluated ST virulence in mice lacking all TLR function (Tlr2(-/-)xTlr4(-/-)xUnc93b1(3d/3d)). When delivered systemically to TLR-deficient mice, ST do not require SPI2 and maintain virulence by replicating extracellularly. In contrast, SPI2 mutant ST are highly attenuated after oral infection of the same mice, revealing a role for SPI2 in the earliest stages of infection, even when intracellular replication is not required. This early requirement for SPI2 is abolished in MyD88(-/-)xTRIF(-/-) mice lacking both TLR- and other MyD88-dependent signaling pathways, a potential consequence of compromised intestinal permeability. These results demonstrate how pathogens use plasticity in virulence strategies to respond to different host immune environments.

Improved cytotoxic effects of Salmonella-producing cytosine deaminase in tumour cells

In order to increase the cytotoxic activity of a Salmonella strain carrying a salicylate-inducible expression system that controls cytosine deaminase production, we have modified both, the vector and the producer bacterium. First, the translation rates of the expression module containing the Escherichia coli codA gene cloned under the control of the Pm promoter have been improved by using the T7 phage gene 10 ribosome binding site sequence and replacing the original GUG start codon by AUG. Second, to increase the time span in which cytosine deaminase may be produced by the bacteria in the presence of 5-fluorocytosine, a 5-fluorouracyl resistant Salmonella strain has been constructed by deleting its upp gene sequence. This new Salmonella strain shows increased cytosine deaminase activity and, after infecting tumour cell cultures, increased cytotoxic and bystander effects under standard induction conditions. In addition, we have generated a purD mutation in the producer strain to control its intracellular proliferation by the presence of adenine and avoid the intrinsic Salmonella cell death induction. This strategy allows the analysis and comparison of the cytotoxic effects of cytosine deaminase produced by different Salmonella strains in tumour cell cultures.

Transfusion of stored blood impairs host defenses against Gram-negative pathogens in mice

BACKGROUND

Although human red blood cell (RBC) units may be refrigerator stored for up to 42 days, transfusion of older RBCs acutely delivers a large bolus of iron to mononuclear phagocytes. Similarly, iron dextran circulates in plasma for hours to days and is progressively cleared by mononuclear phagocytes, which return iron to plasma. Finally, malaria infection continuously delivers iron to macrophages by intra- and extravascular hemolysis. Studies suggest that iron administration increases infectious risk.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

To assess the effects of increased iron availability on susceptibility to infection, we infected mice with model Gram-negative intracellular or extracellular pathogens (Salmonella typhimurium or Escherichia coli, respectively), accompanied by RBC transfusion, iron dextran administration, or malarial coinfection.

RESULTS

In our mouse models, transfusion of older RBCs exacerbates infection with both Gram-negative pathogens. Although iron dextran exacerbates E. coli infection to a similar extent as transfusion of corresponding amounts of iron, higher iron doses are required to produce comparable effects with S. typhimurium. Coinfection of mice with Plasmodium yoelii and S. typhimurium produces overwhelming Salmonella sepsis. Finally, treating mice with antibiotics abrogates the enhancing effect on E. coli infection of both older RBC transfusion and iron dextran administration.

CONCLUSIONS

Transfusion of older RBCs exacerbates Gram-negative infection to a similar extent as malaria coinfection or iron dextran administration. Appropriate antibiotic therapy abrogates the effect of older RBC transfusions on infection with E. coli. Iron delivery to macrophages may be an underappreciated mechanism mediating, at least some, adverse effects of RBC transfusions.

Pathogenesis of human enterovirulent bacteria: lessons from cultured, fully differentiated human colon cancer cell lines

Hosts are protected from attack by potentially harmful enteric microorganisms, viruses, and parasites by the polarized fully differentiated epithelial cells that make up the epithelium, providing a physical and functional barrier. Enterovirulent bacteria interact with the epithelial polarized cells lining the intestinal barrier, and some invade the cells. A better understanding of the cross talk between enterovirulent bacteria and the polarized intestinal cells has resulted in the identification of essential enterovirulent bacterial structures and virulence gene products playing pivotal roles in pathogenesis. Cultured animal cell lines and cultured human nonintestinal, undifferentiated epithelial cells have been extensively used for understanding the mechanisms by which some human enterovirulent bacteria induce intestinal disorders. Human colon carcinoma cell lines which are able to express in culture the functional and structural characteristics of mature enterocytes and goblet cells have been established, mimicking structurally and functionally an intestinal epithelial barrier. Moreover, Caco-2-derived M-like cells have been established, mimicking the bacterial capture property of M cells of Peyer's patches. This review intends to analyze the cellular and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of human enterovirulent bacteria observed in infected cultured human colon carcinoma enterocyte-like HT-29 subpopulations, enterocyte-like Caco-2 and clone cells, the colonic T84 cell line, HT-29 mucus-secreting cell subpopulations, and Caco-2-derived M-like cells, including cell association, cell entry, intracellular lifestyle, structural lesions at the brush border, functional lesions in enterocytes and goblet cells, functional and structural lesions at the junctional domain, and host cellular defense responses.

γδ T cells exhibit multifunctional and protective memory in intestinal tissues

The study of T cell memory and the target of vaccine design have focused on memory subsumed by T cells bearing the αβ T cell receptor. Alternatively, γδ T cells are thought to provide rapid immunity, particularly at mucosal borders. Here, we have shown that a distinct subset of mucosal γδ T cells mounts an immune response to oral Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) infection and leads to the development of multifunctional memory T cells capable of simultaneously producing interferon-γ and interleukin-17A in the murine intestinal mucosa. Challenge infection with oral Lm, but not oral Salmonella or intravenous Lm, induced rapid expansion of memory γδ T cells, suggesting contextual specificity to the priming pathogen. Importantly, memory γδ T cells were able to provide enhanced protection against infection. These findings illustrate that γδ T cells play a role with hallmarks of adaptive immunity in the intestinal mucosa.