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Correa GB, Freire CA, Dibo M, Huerta-Cantillo J, Navarro-Garcia F, Barbosa AS, Elias WP, Moraes CTP. Plasmid-encoded toxin of Escherichia coli cleaves complement system proteins and inhibits complement-mediated lysis in vitro. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1327241. [PMID: 38371299 PMCID: PMC10869522 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1327241] [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: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Plasmid-encoded toxin (Pet) is an autotransporter protein of the serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) family, important in the pathogenicity of Escherichia coli. The pet gene was initially found in the enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) virulence plasmid, pAA2. Although this virulence factor was initially described in EAEC, an intestinal E. coli pathotype, pet may also be present in other pathotypes, including extraintestinal pathogenic strains (ExPEC). The complement system is an important defense mechanism of the immune system that can be activated by invading pathogens. Proteases produced by pathogenic bacteria, such as SPATEs, have proteolytic activity and can cleave components of the complement system, promoting bacterial resistance to human serum. Considering these factors, the proteolytic activity of Pet and its role in evading the complement system were investigated. Proteolytic assays were performed by incubating purified components of the complement system with Pet and Pet S260I (a catalytic site mutant) proteins. Pet, but not Pet S260I, could cleave C3, C5 and C9 components, and also inhibited the natural formation of C9 polymers. Furthermore, a dose-dependent inhibition of ZnCl2-induced C9 polymerization in vitro was observed. E. coli DH5α survived incubation with human serum pre-treated with Pet. Therefore, Pet can potentially interfere with the alternative and the terminal pathways of the complement system. In addition, by cleaving C9, Pet may inhibit membrane attack complex (MAC) formation on the bacterial outer membrane. Thus, our data are suggestive of a role of Pet in resistance of E. coli to human serum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Miriam Dibo
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jazmin Huerta-Cantillo
- Department of Cell Biology, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Fernando Navarro-Garcia
- Department of Cell Biology, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Waldir P. Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
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Flores-Oropeza MA, Ochoa SA, Cruz-Córdova A, Chavez-Tepecano R, Martínez-Peñafiel E, Rembao-Bojórquez D, Zavala-Vega S, Hernández-Castro R, Flores-Encarnacion M, Arellano-Galindo J, Vélez D, Xicohtencatl-Cortes J. Comparative genomic analysis of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains from women with recurrent urinary tract infection. Front Microbiol 2024; 14:1340427. [PMID: 38328583 PMCID: PMC10848155 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1340427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Recurrent urinary tract infections (RUTIs) caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli are costly public health problems impacting patients' quality of life. Aim In this work, a comparative genomics analysis of three clinical RUTI strains isolated from bladder biopsy specimens was performed. Materials and methods One hundred seventy-two whole genomes of urinary tract E. coli strains were selected from the NCBI database. The search for virulence factors, fitness genes, regions of interest, and genetic elements associated with resistance was manually carried out. The phenotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance, haemolysis, motility, and biofilm formation was performed. Moreover, adherence and invasion assays with human bladder HTB-5 cells, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were performed. Results The UTI-1_774U and UTI-3_455U/ST1193 strains were associated with the extraintestinal pathotypes, and the UTI-2_245U/ST295 strain was associated with the intestinal pathotype, according to a phylogenetic analysis of 172 E. coli urinary strains. The three RUTI strains were of clinical, epidemiological, and zoonotic relevance. Several resistance genes were found within the plasmids of these strains, and a multidrug resistance phenotype was revealed. Other virulence genes associated with CFT073 were not identified in the three RUTI strains (genes for type 1 and P fimbriae, haemolysin hlyA, and sat toxin). Quantitative adherence analysis showed that UTI-1_774U was significantly (p < 0.0001) more adherent to human bladder HTB-5 cells. Quantitative invasion analysis showed that UTI-2_245U was significantly more invasive than the control strains. No haemolysis or biofilm activity was detected in the three RUTI strains. The TEM micrographs showed the presence of short and thin fimbriae only in the UTI-2_245U strain. Conclusion The high variability and genetic diversity of the RUTI strains indicate that are a mosaic of virulence, resistance, and fitness genes that could promote recurrence in susceptible patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco A. Flores-Oropeza
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biomédicas, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Intestinal, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sara A. Ochoa
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Intestinal, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ariadnna Cruz-Córdova
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Intestinal, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Eva Martínez-Peñafiel
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Intestinal, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel Rembao-Bojórquez
- Departamento de Patología, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Sergio Zavala-Vega
- Departamento de Patología, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratorio Clínico y Banco de Sangre, Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía, Manuel Velasco Suárez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Rigoberto Hernández-Castro
- Departmento de Ecología de Agentes Patógenos, Hospital General “Dr. Manuel Gea González”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marcos Flores-Encarnacion
- Laboratorio de Microbiología Molecular y Celular, Biomedicina, Facultad de Medicina, BUAP, Puebla, Mexico
| | - José Arellano-Galindo
- Laboratorio de Virología Clínica y Experimental, Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel Vélez
- Hospital Militar de Especialidades de la Mujer y Neonatología, Mexico City, Mexico
- Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Hospital de Ginecología y Obstetricia No. 3 IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Bacteriología Intestinal, Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
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Hernández-Chiñas U, Ahumada-Cota RE, Navarro-Ocaña A, Chávez-Berrocal ME, Molina-López J, Rocha-Ramírez LM, Navarro-Cid del Prado A, Eslava CA. Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Escherichia coli strains isolated during a longitudinal follow-up study of chronic urinary tract infections. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1240392. [PMID: 38074750 PMCID: PMC10702777 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1240392] [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: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Worldwide, Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are an important health problem with many cases reported annually, women being the most affected. UTIs are relevant because they can become a recurrent condition, associated with different factors that contribute to the chronicity of the disease (cUTI). cUTI can be classified as persistent (peUTI) when the causative agent is the same each time the infection occurs or as reinfection (reUTI) when the associated microorganism is different. The purpose of this work was to characterize Escherichia coli isolates obtained in two prospective studies of patients with cUTI, to define which of them corresponded to peUTI and which to reUTI. A total of 394 isolates of E. coli were analyzed by agglutination with specific sera, antimicrobial susceptibility by diffusion disc test, and the phylogroups and presence of genes associated with virulence by PCR assays. Additionally, in some characterized strains adherence, invasiveness, and biofilm formation were analyzed by in vitro assays. The results showed that the peUTI strains belonged mainly to the classical UPEC serogroups (O25, O75, O6), were included in the B2 phylogroup, carried a great number of virulence genes, and were adherent, invasive, and biofilm-forming. Meanwhile, reUTI strains showed great diversity of serogroups, belonged mainly in the A phylogroup, and carried fewer virulence genes. Both peUTI and reUTI strains showed extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and multidrug-resistant (MDR) profiles in the antimicrobial susceptibility test. In conclusion, it appears that peUTIs are caused principally by classical UPEC strains, while reUTIs are caused by strains that appear to be a part of the common E. coli intestinal biota. Moreover, although both peUTI and reUTI strains presented different serotypes and phylogroups, their antimicrobial resistance profile (XDR and MDR) was similar, confirming the importance of regulating prophylactic treatments and seeking alternatives for the treatment and control of cUTI. Finally, it was possible to establish the features of the E. coli strains responsible for peUTI and reUTI which could be helpful to develop a fast diagnostic methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulises Hernández-Chiñas
- Research Division, Public Health Department, Peripheral Unit of Basic and Clinical Research in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
- Bacterial Pathogenicity Laboratory, Hemato-Oncology and Research Unit, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Ricardo E. Ahumada-Cota
- Bacterial Pathogenicity Laboratory, Hemato-Oncology and Research Unit, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Armando Navarro-Ocaña
- Bacteriology Laboratory, Public Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - María E. Chávez-Berrocal
- Research Division, Public Health Department, Peripheral Unit of Basic and Clinical Research in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
- Bacterial Pathogenicity Laboratory, Hemato-Oncology and Research Unit, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - José Molina-López
- Research Division, Public Health Department, Peripheral Unit of Basic and Clinical Research in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
- Bacterial Pathogenicity Laboratory, Hemato-Oncology and Research Unit, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luz M. Rocha-Ramírez
- Unidad de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Secretaría de Salud, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Carlos A. Eslava
- Research Division, Public Health Department, Peripheral Unit of Basic and Clinical Research in Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Medicine, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico
- Bacterial Pathogenicity Laboratory, Hemato-Oncology and Research Unit, Children’s Hospital of Mexico Federico Gómez, Mexico City, Mexico
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Monfardini MV, Souza RT, Rojas TCG, Guerrieri CG, Orikaza C, Scaletsky ICA. Transposon mutagenesis of atypical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli reveals a hemagglutinin-associated protein that mediates cell adhesion and contributes to the Galleria mellonella virulence. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1166158. [PMID: 37424788 PMCID: PMC10327481 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1166158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Twenty-two atypical enteroaggregative Escherichia coli isolates from a previous epidemiological study harboring EAEC virulence genes were examined for their adhesion properties. Nine strains showed a typical aggregative adherence (AA) pattern, while 13 strains showed variant AA, such as AA with lined up cells characteristic of the chain-like adhesion (CLA) and AA mainly to HeLa cells characteristic of the diffuse adherence (DA). The aggregative forming pilus (AFP) genes afpA2 and afpR were detected only in strain Q015B, which exhibited an AA/DA pattern. Using Tn5-based transposon mutagenesis on Q015B strain, we identified a 5517-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a predicted 1838-amino-acid polypeptide that is genetically related to a putative filamentous hemagglutinin identified in E. coli strain 7-233-03_S3_C2. Therefore, the ORF was named orfHA. The regions flanking orfHA were sequenced and two ORFs were found; upstream, an ORF that encodes a 603-amino-acid polypeptide with 99% identity to hemolysin secretion/activation proteins of the ShlB/FhaC/HecB family, and downstream, another ORF, which encodes a 632-amino-acid polypeptide with 72% identity to the glycosyltransferase EtpC. An orfHA mutant (Q015BΔorfHA) was constructed from strain Q015B. Q015BΔorfHA strain did not adhere to HeLa cells, whereas Q015BΔ orfHA transformed with a pACYC184 plasmid carrying orfHA restored the AA/DA phenotype of strain Q015B. Furthermore, the Q015ΔorfHA mutant had a marked effect on the ability of strain Q015B to kill the larvae of Galleria mellonella. Our results suggest that the AA/DA pattern of strain Q015B is mediated by a hemagglutinin-associated protein which also contributes to its virulence in the G. mellonella model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariane V. Monfardini
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Renata T. Souza
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thais C. G. Rojas
- Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Caroline G. Guerrieri
- Departamento de Patologia, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brazil
| | - Cristina Orikaza
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Isabel C. A. Scaletsky
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil
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Llorente MT, Escudero R, Ramiro R, Remacha MA, Martínez-Ruiz R, Galán-Sánchez F, de Frutos M, Elía M, Onrubia I, Sánchez S. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli as etiological agent of endemic diarrhea in Spain: A prospective multicenter prevalence study with molecular characterization of isolates. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1120285. [PMID: 37065134 PMCID: PMC10100739 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1120285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundEnteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is increasingly associated with domestically acquired diarrheal episodes in high-income countries, particularly among children. However, its specific role in endemic diarrhea in this setting remains under-recognized and information on molecular characteristics of such EAEC strains is limited. We aimed to investigate the occurrence of EAEC in patients with non-travel related diarrhea in Spain and molecularly characterize EAEC strains associated with illness acquired in this high-income setting.MethodsIn a prospective multicenter study, stool samples from diarrheal patients with no history of recent travel abroad (n = 1,769) were collected and processed for detection of EAEC and other diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) pathotypes by PCR. An additional case–control study was conducted among children ≤5 years old. Whole-genome sequences (WGS) of the resulting EAEC isolates were obtained.ResultsDetection of DEC in the study population. DEC was detected in 23.2% of patients aged from 0 to 102 years, with EAEC being one of the most prevalent pathotypes (7.8%) and found in significantly more patients ≤5 years old (9.8% vs. 3.4%, p < 0.001). Although not statistically significant, EAEC was more frequent in cases than in controls. WGS-derived characterization of EAEC isolates. Sequence type (ST) 34, ST200, ST40, and ST10 were the predominant STs. O126:H27, O111:H21, and O92:H33 were the predominant serogenotypes. Evidence of a known variant of aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF) was found in 89.2% of isolates, with AAF/V being the most frequent. Ten percent of isolates were additionally classified as presumptive extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), or both, and belonged to clonal lineages that could be specifically associated with extraintestinal infections.ConclusionEAEC was the only bacterial enteric pathogen detected in a significant proportion of cases of endemic diarrhea in Spain, especially in children ≤5 years old. In particular, O126:H27-ST200, O111:H21-ST40, and O92:H33-ST34 were the most important subtypes, with all of them infecting both patients and asymptomatic individuals. Apart from this role as an enteric pathogen, a subset of these domestically acquired EAEC strains revealed an additional urinary/systemic pathogenic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Llorente
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Special Pathogens, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Escudero
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Special Pathogens, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Raquel Ramiro
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Antonia Remacha
- Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, León, Spain
| | - Rocío Martínez-Ruiz
- Servicio de Microbiología y Parasitología, Hospital Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda, Majadahonda, Spain
| | | | - Mónica de Frutos
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario del Río Hortega, Valladolid, Spain
| | - Matilde Elía
- Servicio de Microbiología Clínica, Hospital Universitario de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Isabel Onrubia
- Pediatría, Centro de Salud Valle de la Oliva, Majadahonda, Spain
| | - Sergio Sánchez
- Reference and Research Laboratory on Food and Waterborne Bacterial Infections, National Center for Microbiology, Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Sergio Sánchez,
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Schüroff PA, Abe CM, Silva JW, de Paula Coelho C, Andrade FB, Hernandes RT, Dobrindt U, Gomes TAT, Elias WP. Role of aggregate-forming pilus (AFP) in adherence and colonization of both intestinal and urinary tracts. Virulence 2022; 13:1423-1433. [PMID: 35982607 PMCID: PMC9397481 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2112818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Hybrid-pathogenic Escherichia coli represent an important group of strains associated with intestinal and extraintestinal infections. Recently, we described strain UPEC-46, a uropathogenic/enteroaggregative E. coli (UPEC/EAEC) strain presenting the aggregative adherence (AA) pattern on bladder and colorectal epithelial cells mediated by aggregate-forming pili (AFP). However, the role of AFP and other uninvestigated putative fimbriae operons in UPEC-46 pathogenesis remains unclear. Thus, this study evaluated the involvement of AFP and other adhesins in uropathogenicity and intestinal colonization using different in vitro and in vivo models. The strain UPEC-46 was able to adhere and invade intestinal and urinary cell lines. A library of transposon mutants also identified the involvement of type I fimbriae (TIF) in the adherence to HeLa cells, in addition to colorectal and bladder cell lines. The streptomycin-treated mouse in vivo model also showed an increased number of bacterial counts in the colon in the presence of AFP and TIF. In the mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection (UTI), AFP was more associated with kidney colonization, while TIF appears to mediate bladder colonization. Results observed in in vivo experiments were also confirmed by electron microscopy (EM) analyses. In summary, the in vitro and in vivo analyses show a synergistic role of AFP and TIF in the adherence and colonization of intestinal and urinary epithelia. Therefore, we propose that hybrid E. coli strains carrying AFP and TIF could potentially cause intestinal and urinary tract infections in the same patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo A Schüroff
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil.,Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Cecilia M Abe
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jonatas W Silva
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cidéli de Paula Coelho
- Departamento de Pós-graduação, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Santo Amaro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Rodrigo T Hernandes
- Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Ulrich Dobrindt
- Institute of Hygiene, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Tânia A T Gomes
- Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia e Parasitologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Waldir P Elias
- Laboratório de Bacteriologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brazil
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Yao R, Mao X, Xu Y, Qiu X, Zhou L, Wang Y, Pang B, Chen M, Cao S, Bao L, Bao Y, Guo S, Hu L, Zhang H, Cui X. Polysaccharides from Vaccaria segetalis seeds reduce urinary tract infections by inhibiting the adhesion and invasion abilities of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1004751. [PMID: 36506014 PMCID: PMC9727262 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1004751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The seeds of Vaccaria segetalis (Neck.) are from a traditional medicinal plant Garcke, also called Wang-Bu-Liu-Xing in China. According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, the seeds of V. segetalis can be used for treating urinary system diseases. This study was designed to investigate the underlying mechanism of VSP (polysaccharides from Vaccaria segetalis) against urinary tract infections caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). Here, both in vitro and in vivo infection models were established with the UPEC strain CFT073. Bacterial adhesion and invasion into bladder epithelial cells were analyzed. We found that VSP reduced the adhesion of UPEC to the host by inhibiting the expression of bacterial hair follicle adhesion genes. VSP also reduced the invasion of UPEC by regulating the uroplakins and Toll-like receptors of host epithelial cells. In addition, the swarming motility and flagella-mediated motility genes flhC, flhD and Flic of UPEC were diminished after VSP intervention. Taken together, our findings reveal a possible mechanism by which VSP interferes with the adhesion and invasion of UPEC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongmei Yao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China,Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Xin Mao
- Guangzhou Baiyunshan Xingqun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingli Xu
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xue Qiu
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lirun Zhou
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yaxin Wang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Pang
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mengping Chen
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shan Cao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Bao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanyan Bao
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shanshan Guo
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Limin Hu
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Haijiang Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Regional Resource Exploitation and Medicinal Research, Huaiyin Institute of Technology, Huai’an, China,*Correspondence: Haijiang Zhang, ; Xiaolan Cui,
| | - Xiaolan Cui
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Haijiang Zhang, ; Xiaolan Cui,
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8
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Freire CA, Rodrigues BO, Elias WP, Abe CM. Adhesin related genes as potential markers for the enteroaggregative Escherichia coli category. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:997208. [DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.997208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) is an important cause of diarrhea in children and adults worldwide. This pathotype is phenotypically characterized by the aggregative-adherence (AA) pattern in HEp-2 cells and genetically associated to the presence of the aatA gene. EAEC pathogenesis relies in different virulence factors. At least, three types of adhesins have been specifically associated with EAEC strains: the five variants of the aggregative adherence fimbriae (AAF), the aggregative forming pilus (AFP) and more recently, a fibrilar adhesin named CS22. Our study aimed to evaluate the presence of AAF, AFP and CS22-related genes among 110 EAEC strains collected from feces of children with diarrhea. The presence of aggR (EAEC virulence regulator) and genes related to AAFs (aggA, aafA, agg3A, agg4A, agg5A and agg3/4C), AFP (afpA1 and afpR) and CS22 (cseA) was detected by PCR, and the adherence patterns were evaluated on HeLa cells. aggR-positive strains comprised 83.6% of the collection; among them, 80.4% carried at least one AAF-related gene and presented the AA pattern. aggA was the most frequent AAF-related gene (28.4% of aggR+ strains). cseA was detected among aggR+ (16.3%) and aggR- strains (22.2%); non-adherent strains or strains presenting AA pattern were observed in both groups. afpR and afpA1 were exclusively detected among aggR- strains (77.8%), most of which (71.4%) also presented AA pattern. Our results indicate that AAF- and AFP-related genes may contribute to identify EAEC strains, while the presence of cseA and its importance as an EAEC virulence factor and genotypic marker needs to be further evaluated.
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