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Fang X, Yuan M, Zheng M, Guo Q, Yang Y, Yang Y, Liang X, Liu J, Fang C. Deletion of glycosyltransferase galE impairs the InlB anchoring and pathogenicity of Listeria monocytogenes. Virulence 2024; 15:2422539. [PMID: 39492668 PMCID: PMC11540102 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2024.2422539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 10/21/2024] [Indexed: 11/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is a foodborne intracellular pathogen that causes serious disease in both humans and animals. InlB is the major internalin protein of L. monocytogenes, which anchors to the bacterial surface and mediates its invasion into various host cells. Recent studies have shown that galactosylation of the cell wall polymer wall teichoic acid (WTA) is essential for InlB anchoring on the cell surface of L. monocytogenes serotype 4b strains. Galactosylation of WTA is exerted by the coordinated action of several glycosyltransferases, including GalU, GalE, GtcA, GttA, and GttB. Among these glycosyltransferases, GttA and GttB are specific to serotype 4b strains, whereas GalE, GalU, and GtcA are conserved across all serotypes. The role of GalE in InlB anchoring and L. monocytogenes pathogenicity remains unclear. In this study, we deleted the galE gene, which is involved in galactosylation, from L. monocytogenes strain ScottA. We found that galE deletion reduced InlB anchoring, weakened bacterial adhesion and invasion of Caco-2 cells (human colorectal adenocarcinoma cells) and MGC803 cells (human gastric carcinoma cells), increased phagocytosis but decreased proliferation in RAW264.7 cells (mouse mononuclear macrophage leukaemia cells), and decreased bacteria load, mortality, and tissue damage in infected mice. Taken together, galE deletion significantly reduced the anchoring of InlB and weakened the pathogenicity of L. monocytogenes. This finding provides new insights into the correlation between cell wall modification and pathogenicity of L. monocytogenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaowei Fang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
- College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Mei Yuan
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Minghao Zheng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Qian Guo
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Yuting Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Yuying Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Xiongyan Liang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Jing Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Chun Fang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
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Pracser N, Zaiser A, Ying HMK, Pietzka A, Wagner M, Rychli K. Diverse Listeria monocytogenes in-house clones are present in a dynamic frozen vegetable processing environment. Int J Food Microbiol 2024; 410:110479. [PMID: 37977080 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2023.110479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is of global concern for food safety as the listeriosis-causing pathogen is widely distributed in the food processing environments, where it can survive for a long time. Frozen vegetables contaminated with L. monocytogenes were recently identified as the source of two large listeriosis outbreaks in the EU and US. So far, only a few studies have investigated the occurrence and behavior of Listeria in frozen vegetables and the associated processing environment. This study investigates the occurrence of L. monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. in a frozen vegetable processing environment and in frozen vegetable products. Using whole genome sequencing (WGS), the distribution of sequence types (MLST-STs) and core genome sequence types (cgMLST-CT) of L. monocytogenes were assessed, and in-house clones were identified. Comparative genomic analyses and phenotypical characterization of the different MLST-STs and isolates were performed, including growth ability under low temperatures, as well as survival of freeze-thaw cycles. Listeria were widely disseminated in the processing environment and five in-house clones namely ST451-CT4117, ST20-CT3737, ST8-CT1349, ST8-CT6243, ST224-CT5623 were identified among L. monocytogenes isolates present in environmental swab samples. Subsequently, the identified in-house clones were also detected in product samples. Conveyor belts were a major source of contamination in the processing environment. A wide repertoire of stress resistance markers supported the colonization and survival of L. monocytogenes in the frozen vegetable processing facility. The presence of ArgB was significantly associated with in-house clones. Significant differences were also observed in the growth rate between different MLST-STs at low temperatures (4 °C and 10 °C), but not between in-house and non-in-house isolates. All isolates harbored major virulence genes such as full length InlA and InlB and LIPI-1, yet there were differences between MLST-STs in the genomic content. The results of this study demonstrate that WGS is a strong tool for tracing contamination sources and transmission routes, and for identifying in-house clones. Further research targeting the co-occurring microbiota and the presence of biofilms is needed to fully understand the mechanism of colonization and persistence in a food processing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadja Pracser
- FFoQSI GmbH-Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, Technopark 1D, 3430 Tulln, Austria.
| | - Andreas Zaiser
- Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Hui Min Katharina Ying
- Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ariane Pietzka
- Austrian National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Beethovenstrasse 6, 8010 Graz, Austria.
| | - Martin Wagner
- FFoQSI GmbH-Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, Technopark 1D, 3430 Tulln, Austria; Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Kathrin Rychli
- Unit of Food Microbiology, Institute for Food Safety, Food Technology and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
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Pyz-Łukasik R, Paszkiewicz W, Kiełbus M, Ziomek M, Gondek M, Domaradzki P, Michalak K, Pietras-Ożga D. Genetic Diversity and Potential Virulence of Listeria monocytogenes Isolates Originating from Polish Artisanal Cheeses. Foods 2022; 11:2805. [PMID: 36140933 PMCID: PMC9497517 DOI: 10.3390/foods11182805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Artisanal cheeses can be sources of Listeria monocytogenes and cause disease in humans. This bacterial pathogen is a species of diverse genotypic and phenotypic characteristics. The aim of the study was to characterize 32 isolates of L. monocytogenes isolated in 2014-2018 from artisanal cheeses. The isolates were characterized using whole genome sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The artisanal cheese isolates resolved to four molecular groups: 46.9% of them to IIa (1/2a-3a), 31.2% to IVb (4ab-4b-4d-4e), 12.5% to IIc (1/2c-3c), and 9.4% to IIb (1/2b-3b-7). Two evolutionary lineages emerged: lineage II having 59.4% of the isolates and lineage I having 40.6%. The sequence types (ST) totaled 18: ST6 (15.6% of the isolates), ST2, ST20, ST26, and ST199 (each 9.4%), ST7 and ST9 (each 6.3%), and ST1, ST3, ST8, ST16, ST87, ST91, ST121, ST122, ST195, ST217, and ST580 (each 3.1%). There were 15 detected clonal complexes (CC): CC6 (15.6% of isolates), CC9 (12.5%), CC2, CC20, CC26, and CC199 (each 9.4%), CC7 and CC8 (each 6.3%), and CC1, CC3, CC14, CC87, CC121, CC195, and CC217 (each 3.1%). The isolates were varied in their virulence genes and the differences concerned: inl, actA, LIPI-3, ami, gtcA, aut, vip, and lntA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renata Pyz-Łukasik
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Waldemar Paszkiewicz
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Michał Kiełbus
- Department of Experimental Hematooncology, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland
| | - Monika Ziomek
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Michał Gondek
- Department of Food Hygiene of Animal Origin, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Piotr Domaradzki
- Department of Quality Assessment and Processing of Animal Products, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13, 20-950 Lublin, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Michalak
- Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
| | - Dorota Pietras-Ożga
- Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612 Lublin, Poland
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Chafsey I, Ostrowski R, Guilbaud M, Teixeira P, Herry JM, Caccia N, Chambon C, Hébraud M, Azeredo J, Bellon-Fontaine MN, Popowska M, Desvaux M. Deep impact of the inactivation of the SecA2-only protein export pathway on the proteosurfaceome of Listeria monocytogenes. J Proteomics 2022; 250:104388. [PMID: 34601155 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2021.104388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes presents a dimorphism associated to the SecA2 activity with cells having a normal rod shape or a dysmorphic elongated filamentous form. Besides variation of the cell and colony morphotype, this cell differentiation has profound ecophysiological and physiopathological implications with collateral effects on virulence and pathogenicity, biotope colonisation, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. This suggests the SecA2-only protein export could influence the listerial cell surface, which was investigated first by characterising its properties in L. monocytogenes wt and ΔsecA2. The degree of hydrophilicity and Lewis acid-base properties appeared significantly affected upon SecA2 inactivation. As modification of electrostatic properties would owe to modification in the composition of cell-surface proteins, the proteosurfaceome was further investigated by shotgun label-free proteomic analysis with a comparative relative quantitative approach. Following secretomic analysis, the protein secretion routes of the identified proteins were mapped considering the cognate transport and post-translocational maturation systems, as well as protein categories and subcellular localisation. Differential protein abundance profiles coupled to network analysis revealed the SecA2 dependence of 48 proteins, including some related to cell envelope biogenesis, translation and protein export, which could account for modifications of adhesion and surface properties of L. monocytogenes upon SecA2 inactivation. This investigation unravelled the profound influence of SecA2 activity on the cell surface properties and proteosurfaceome of L. monocytogenes, which provides advanced insights about its ecophysiopathology. SIGNIFICANCE: L. monocytogenes is a foodborne zoonotic pathogen and etiological agent of human listeriosis. This species presents a cellular dimorphism associated to the SecA2 activity that has profound physiopathological and ecophysiological implications with collateral effects on bacterial virulence and colonisation. To explore the influence of the SecA2-only protein export on the listerial cell, the surface properties of L. monocytogenes expressing or depleted of SecA2 was characterised by microelectrophoresis, microbial affinity to solvents and contact angles analyses. As modifications of hydrophilicity and Lewis acid-base electrostatic properties would owe to modification in the composition of cell-surface proteins, the proteinaceous subset of the surfaceome, i.e. the proteosurfaceome, was investigated further by shotgun label-free proteomic analysis. This subproteome appeared quite impacted upon SecA2 inactivation with the identification of proteins accounting for modifications in the cell surface properties. The profound influence of SecA2 activity on the cell surface of L. monocytogenes was unravelled, which provides advanced insights about its ecophysiopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Chafsey
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR454 MEDiS, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Rafal Ostrowski
- University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Department of Bacterial Physiology, Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Morgan Guilbaud
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR SayFood, 91300 Massy, France
| | - Pilar Teixeira
- University of Minho, Centre of Biological Engineering, Campus de Gualtar, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
| | - Jean-Marie Herry
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, UMR SayFood, 91300 Massy, France
| | - Nelly Caccia
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR454 MEDiS, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Christophe Chambon
- INRAE, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, 63122 Saint-Genès Champanelle, France
| | - Michel Hébraud
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR454 MEDiS, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France; INRAE, Plateforme d'Exploration du Métabolisme, 63122 Saint-Genès Champanelle, France
| | - Joana Azeredo
- University of Minho, Centre of Biological Engineering, Campus de Gualtar, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
| | | | - Magdalena Popowska
- University of Warsaw, Faculty of Biology, Department of Bacterial Physiology, Applied Microbiology, Institute of Microbiology, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Mickaël Desvaux
- INRAE, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR454 MEDiS, 63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
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Chiaverini A, Guidi F, Torresi M, Acciari VA, Centorotola G, Cornacchia A, Centorame P, Marfoglia C, Blasi G, Di Domenico M, Migliorati G, Roussel S, Pomilio F, Sevellec Y. Phylogenetic Analysis and Genome-Wide Association Study Applied to an Italian Listeria monocytogenes Outbreak. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:750065. [PMID: 34803971 PMCID: PMC8600327 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.750065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
From May 2015 to March 2016, a severe outbreak due to Listeria monocytogenes ST7 strain occurred in Central Italy and caused 24 confirmed clinical cases. The epidemic strain was deeply investigated using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis. In the interested area, the foodborne outbreak investigation identified a meat food-producing plant contaminated by the outbreak strain, carried by pork-ready-to-eat products. In the same region, in March 2018, the epidemic strain reemerged causing one listeriosis case in a 10-month-old child. The aim of this study was to investigate the phylogeny of the epidemic and reemergent strains over time and to compare them with a closer ST7 clone, detected during the outbreak and with different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles, in order to identify genomic features linked to the persistence and the reemergence of the outbreak. An approach combining phylogenetic analysis and genome-wide association study (GWAS) revealed that the epidemic and reemergent clones were genetically closer to the ST7 clone with different PFGE profiles and strictly associated with the pork production chain. The repeated detection of both clones was probably correlated with (i) the presence of truly persistent clones and the repeated introduction of new ones and (ii) the contribution of prophage genes in promoting the persistence of the epidemic clones. Despite that no significant genomic differences were detected between the outbreak and the reemergent strain, the two related clones detected during the outbreak can be differentiated by transcriptional factor and phage genes associated with the phage LP-114.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Chiaverini
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Fabrizia Guidi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche "Togo Rosati", Perugia, Italy
| | - Marina Torresi
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Vicdalia Aniela Acciari
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Gabriella Centorotola
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Alessandra Cornacchia
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Patrizia Centorame
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Cristina Marfoglia
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giuliana Blasi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Umbria e delle Marche "Togo Rosati", Perugia, Italy
| | - Marco Di Domenico
- National Reference Centre for Whole Genome Sequencing of Microbial Pathogens Database and Bioinformatic Analysis, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Giacomo Migliorati
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Sophie Roussel
- Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail, Université PARIS-EST, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Francesco Pomilio
- National Reference Laboratory for Listeria monocytogenes, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy
| | - Yann Sevellec
- Laboratoire de Sécurité des Aliments, Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire de l'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et du Travail, Université PARIS-EST, Maisons-Alfort, France
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6
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Sumrall ET, Keller AP, Shen Y, Loessner MJ. Structure and function of Listeria teichoic acids and their implications. Mol Microbiol 2020; 113:627-637. [PMID: 31972870 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.14472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2019] [Revised: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Teichoic acids (TAs) are the most abundant glycopolymers in the cell wall of Listeria, an opportunistic Gram-positive pathogen that causes severe foodborne infections. Two different structural classes of Listeria TA exist: the polyribitolphosphate-based wall teichoic acid (WTA) that is covalently anchored to the peptidoglycan, and the polyglycerolphosphate-based lipoteichoic acid (LTA) that is tethered to the cytoplasmic membrane. While TA polymers govern many important physiological processes, the diverse glycosylation patterns of WTA result in a high degree of surface variation across the species and serovars of Listeria, which in turn bestows varying effects on fitness, biofilm formation, bacteriophage susceptibility and virulence. We review the advances made over the past two decades, and our current understanding of the relationship between TA structure and function. We describe the various types of TA that have been structurally determined to date, and discuss the genetic determinants known to be involved in TA glycosylation. We elaborate on surface proteins functionally related to TA decoration, as well as the molecular and analytical tools used to probe TAs. We anticipate that the growing knowledge of the Listeria surface chemistry will also be exploited to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for this pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric T Sumrall
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja P Keller
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yang Shen
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin J Loessner
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Meireles D, Pombinho R, Carvalho F, Sousa S, Cabanes D. Listeria monocytogenes Wall Teichoic Acid Glycosylation Promotes Surface Anchoring of Virulence Factors, Resistance to Antimicrobial Peptides, and Decreased Susceptibility to Antibiotics. Pathogens 2020; 9:E290. [PMID: 32316182 PMCID: PMC7238011 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9040290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The cell wall of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm), a major intracellular foodborne bacterial pathogen, comprises a thick peptidoglycan layer that serves as a scaffold for glycopolymers such as wall teichoic acids (WTAs). WTAs contain non-essential sugar substituents whose absence prevents bacteriophage binding and impacts antigenicity, sensitivity to antimicrobials, and virulence. Here, we demonstrated, for the first time, the triple function of Lm WTA glycosylations in the following: (1) supporting the correct anchoring of major Lm virulence factors at the bacterial surface, namely Ami and InlB; (2) promoting Lm resistance to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs); and (3) decreasing Lm sensitivity to some antibiotics. We showed that while the decoration of WTAs by rhamnose in Lm serovar 1/2a and by galactose in serovar 4b are important for the surface anchoring of Ami and InlB, N-acetylglucosamine in serovar 1/2a and glucose in serovar 4b are dispensable for the surface association of InlB or InlB/Ami. We found that the absence of a single glycosylation only had a slight impact on the sensibility of Lm to AMPs and antibiotics, however the concomitant deficiency of both glycosylations (rhamnose and N-acetylglucosamine in serovar 1/2a, and galactose and glucose in serovar 4b) significantly impaired the Lm capacity to overcome the action of antimicrobials. We propose WTA glycosylation as a broad mechanism used by Lm, not only to properly anchor surface virulence factors, but also to resist AMPs and antibiotics. WTA glycosyltransferases thus emerge as promising drug targets to attenuate the virulence of bacterial pathogens, while increasing their susceptibility to host immune defenses and potentiating the action of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Meireles
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (D.M.); (R.P.); (F.C.); (S.S.)
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, IBMC–Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Rita Pombinho
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (D.M.); (R.P.); (F.C.); (S.S.)
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, IBMC–Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Filipe Carvalho
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (D.M.); (R.P.); (F.C.); (S.S.)
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, IBMC–Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Sousa
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (D.M.); (R.P.); (F.C.); (S.S.)
- Cell Biology of Bacterial Infections Group, IBMC–Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Didier Cabanes
- i3S–Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; (D.M.); (R.P.); (F.C.); (S.S.)
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, IBMC–Instituto de Biologia Celular e Molecular, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
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8
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Rismondo J, Haddad TFM, Shen Y, Loessner MJ, Gründling A. GtcA is required for LTA glycosylation in Listeria monocytogenes serovar 1/2a and Bacillus subtilis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 6:100038. [PMID: 32743150 PMCID: PMC7389260 DOI: 10.1016/j.tcsw.2020.100038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The cell wall polymers wall teichoic acid (WTA) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA) are often modified with glycosyl and D-alanine residues. Recent studies have shown that a three-component glycosylation system is used for the modification of LTA in several Gram-positive bacteria including Bacillus subtilis and Listeria monocytogenes. In the L. monocytogenes 1/2a strain 10403S, the cytoplasmic glycosyltransferase GtlA is thought to use UDP-galactose to produce the C55-P-galactose lipid intermediate, which is transported across the membrane by an unknown flippase. Next, the galactose residue is transferred onto the LTA backbone on the outside of the cell by the glycosyltransferase GtlB. Here we show that GtcA is necessary for the glycosylation of LTA in L. monocytogenes 10403S and B. subtilis 168 and we hypothesize that these proteins act as C55-P-sugar flippases. With this we revealed that GtcA is involved in the glycosylation of both teichoic acid polymers in L. monocytogenes 10403S, namely WTA with N-acetylglucosamine and LTA with galactose residues. These findings indicate that the L. monocytogenes GtcA protein can act on different C55-P-sugar intermediates. Further characterization of GtcA in L. monocytogenes led to the identification of residues essential for its overall function as well as residues, which predominately impact WTA or LTA glycosylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeanine Rismondo
- Section of Molecular Microbiology and Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Talal F M Haddad
- Section of Molecular Microbiology and Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Yang Shen
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin J Loessner
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Angelika Gründling
- Section of Molecular Microbiology and Medical Research Council Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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9
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Sumrall ET, Shen Y, Keller AP, Rismondo J, Pavlou M, Eugster MR, Boulos S, Disson O, Thouvenot P, Kilcher S, Wollscheid B, Cabanes D, Lecuit M, Gründling A, Loessner MJ. Phage resistance at the cost of virulence: Listeria monocytogenes serovar 4b requires galactosylated teichoic acids for InlB-mediated invasion. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1008032. [PMID: 31589660 PMCID: PMC6779246 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is distinguished by its ability to invade and replicate within mammalian cells. Remarkably, of the 15 serovars within the genus, strains belonging to serovar 4b cause the majority of listeriosis clinical cases and outbreaks. The Listeria O-antigens are defined by subtle structural differences amongst the peptidoglycan-associated wall-teichoic acids (WTAs), and their specific glycosylation patterns. Here, we outline the genetic determinants required for WTA decoration in serovar 4b L. monocytogenes, and demonstrate the exact nature of the 4b-specific antigen. We show that challenge by bacteriophages selects for surviving clones that feature mutations in genes involved in teichoic acid glycosylation, leading to a loss of galactose from both wall teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid molecules, and a switch from serovar 4b to 4d. Surprisingly, loss of this galactose decoration not only prevents phage adsorption, but leads to a complete loss of surface-associated Internalin B (InlB),the inability to form actin tails, and a virulence attenuation in vivo. We show that InlB specifically recognizes and attaches to galactosylated teichoic acid polymers, and is secreted upon loss of this modification, leading to a drastically reduced cellular invasiveness. Consequently, these phage-insensitive bacteria are unable to interact with cMet and gC1q-R host cell receptors, which normally trigger cellular uptake upon interaction with InlB. Collectively, we provide detailed mechanistic insight into the dual role of a surface antigen crucial for both phage adsorption and cellular invasiveness, demonstrating a trade-off between phage resistance and virulence in this opportunistic pathogen. L. monocytogenes is a Gram-positive, food-borne, intracellular pathogen that causes severe infection in susceptible individuals. Interestingly, almost all infections are caused by a subset of strains belonging to certain serovars featuring a complex glycosylation pattern on their cell surface. Using an engineered bacteriophage that specifically recognizes these modifications we selected for mutants that lost these sugars. We found that the resulting strains are severely deficient in invading host cells as we observed that a major virulence factor mediating host cell entry requires galactose decoration of the cell surface for its function. Without this galactose decoration, the strain represents a serovar not associated with disease. Altogether, we show a complex interplay between bacteriophages, bacteria, and the host, demonstrating that cellular invasiveness is dependent upon a serovar-defining structure, which also serves as a phage receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric T. Sumrall
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yang Shen
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (YS); (MJL)
| | - Anja P. Keller
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jeanine Rismondo
- Section of Microbiology and MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Maria Pavlou
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcel R. Eugster
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Samy Boulos
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Olivier Disson
- Biology of Infection Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Inserm U1117, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Thouvenot
- Biology of Infection Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Inserm U1117, Paris, France
| | - Samuel Kilcher
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Wollscheid
- Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Didier Cabanes
- i3S - Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde; Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Marc Lecuit
- Biology of Infection Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Inserm U1117, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes University, Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, APHP, Institut Imagine, Paris, France
| | - Angelika Gründling
- Section of Microbiology and MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J. Loessner
- Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- * E-mail: (YS); (MJL)
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10
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Yin Y, Yao H, Doijad S, Kong S, Shen Y, Cai X, Tan W, Wang Y, Feng Y, Ling Z, Wang G, Hu Y, Lian K, Sun X, Liu Y, Wang C, Jiao K, Liu G, Song R, Chen X, Pan Z, Loessner MJ, Chakraborty T, Jiao X. A hybrid sub-lineage of Listeria monocytogenes comprising hypervirulent isolates. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4283. [PMID: 31570766 PMCID: PMC6768887 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12072-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a highly heterogeneous species and currently comprises of 4 evolutionarily distinct lineages. Here, we characterize isolates from severe ovine listeriosis outbreaks that represent a hybrid sub-lineage of the major lineage II (HSL-II) and serotype 4h. HSL-II isolates are highly virulent and exhibit higher organ colonization capacities than well-characterized hypervirulent strains of Lm in an orogastric mouse infection model. The isolates harbour both the Lm Pathogenicity Island (LIPI)-1 and a truncated LIPI-2 locus, encoding sphingomyelinase (SmcL), a virulence factor required for invasion and bacterial translocation from the gut, and other non-contiguous chromosomal segments from another pathogenic species, L. ivanovii. HSL-II isolates exhibit a unique wall teichoic acid (WTA) structure essential for resistance to antimicrobial peptides, bacterial invasion and virulence. The discovery of isolates harbouring pan-species virulence genes of the genus Listeria warrants global efforts to identify further hypervirulent lineages of Lm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuelan Yin
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China.
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Hao Yao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Swapnil Doijad
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, 35394, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Gießen-Marburg-Langen, Campus Gießen, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen, 35394, Germany
| | - Suwei Kong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yang Shen
- Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Xuexue Cai
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Weijun Tan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Youwei Feng
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhiting Ling
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Guoliang Wang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yachen Hu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Kai Lian
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xinyu Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yuliang Liu
- China Animal Disease Control Center, No.17 Tiangui Street, Daxing District, 102618, Beijing, China
| | - Chuanbin Wang
- China Animal Disease Control Center, No.17 Tiangui Street, Daxing District, 102618, Beijing, China
| | - Kuhua Jiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Guoping Liu
- Xuyi Center for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Xuyi City, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ruilong Song
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Zhiming Pan
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Martin J Loessner
- Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Trinad Chakraborty
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China.
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, 35394, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Gießen-Marburg-Langen, Campus Gießen, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen, 35394, Germany.
| | - Xin'an Jiao
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Zoonosis, Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control of Biological Hazard Factors (Animal Origin) for Agrifood Safety and Quality, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Yangzhou University, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China.
- Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonoses, 48 East Wenhui Road, Yangzhou, 225009, Jiangsu Province, China.
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11
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Kuenemann MA, Spears PA, Orndorff PE, Fourches D. In silicoPredicted Glucose-1-phosphate Uridylyltransferase (GalU) Inhibitors Block a Key Pathway Required forListeriaVirulence. Mol Inform 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/minf.201800004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Melaine A. Kuenemann
- Department of Chemistry, Bioinformatics Research Center; North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Patricia A. Spears
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine; North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Paul E. Orndorff
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine; North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Denis Fourches
- Department of Chemistry, Bioinformatics Research Center; North Carolina State University; Raleigh, NC USA
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12
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Prebiotic Oligosaccharides Potentiate Host Protective Responses against L. Monocytogenes Infection. Pathogens 2017; 6:pathogens6040068. [PMID: 29257110 PMCID: PMC5750592 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens6040068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Revised: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Prebiotic oligosaccharides are used to modulate enteric pathogens and reduce pathogen shedding. The interactions with prebiotics that alter Listeria monocytogenes infection are not yet clearly delineated. L. monocytogenes cellular invasion requires a concerted manipulation of host epithelial cell membrane receptors to initiate internalization and infection often via receptor glycosylation. Bacterial interactions with host glycans are intimately involved in modulating cellular responses through signaling cascades at the membrane and in intracellular compartments. Characterizing the mechanisms underpinning these modulations is essential for predictive use of dietary prebiotics to diminish pathogen association. We demonstrated that human milk oligosaccharide (HMO) pretreatment of colonic epithelial cells (Caco-2) led to a 50% decrease in Listeria association, while Biomos pretreatment increased host association by 150%. L. monocytogenes-induced gene expression changes due to oligosaccharide pretreatment revealed global alterations in host signaling pathways that resulted in differential subcellular localization of L. monocytogenes during early infection. Ultimately, HMO pretreatment led to bacterial clearance in Caco-2 cells via induction of the unfolded protein response and eIF2 signaling, while Biomos pretreatment resulted in the induction of host autophagy and L. monocytogenes vacuolar escape earlier in the infection progression. This study demonstrates the capacity of prebiotic oligosaccharides to minimize infection through induction of host-intrinsic protective responses.
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13
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Use of bacteriophage to target bacterial surface structures required for virulence: a systematic search for antibiotic alternatives. Curr Genet 2016; 62:753-757. [PMID: 27113766 DOI: 10.1007/s00294-016-0603-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Bacteriophages (phage) that infect pathogenic bacteria often attach to surface receptors that are coincidentally required for virulence. Receptor loss or modification through mutation renders mutants both attenuated and phage resistant. Such attenuated mutants frequently have no apparent laboratory growth defects, but in the host, they fail to exhibit properties needed to produce disease such as mucosal colonization or survival within professional phagocytic cells. The connection between attenuation and phage resistance has been exploited in experimental demonstrations of phage therapy. In such experiments, phage resistant mutants that arise naturally during therapy are inconsequential because of their attenuated status. A more contemporary approach to exploiting this connection involves identifying small effector molecules, identified in high-throughput screens, that inhibit one or more of the steps needed to produce a functioning phage receptor. Since such biosynthetic steps are unique to bacteria, inhibitors can be utilized therapeutically, in lieu of antibiotics. Also, since the inhibitor is specific to a particular bacterium or group of bacteria, no off-target resistance is generated in the host's commensal bacterial population. This brief review covers examples of how mutations that confer phage resistance produce attenuation, and how this coincidental relationship can be exploited in the search for the next generation of therapeutic agents for bacterial diseases.
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14
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Spears PA, Havell EA, Hamrick TS, Goforth JB, Levine AL, Abraham ST, Heiss C, Azadi P, Orndorff PE. Listeria monocytogenes wall teichoic acid decoration in virulence and cell-to-cell spread. Mol Microbiol 2016; 101:714-30. [PMID: 26871418 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.13353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Wall teichoic acid (WTA) comprises a class of glycopolymers covalently attached to the peptidoglycan of gram positive bacteria. In Listeria monocytogenes, mutations that prevent addition of certain WTA decorating sugars are attenuating. However, the steps required for decoration and the pathogenic process interrupted are not well described. We systematically examined the requirement for WTA galactosylation in a mouse oral-virulent strain by first creating mutations in four genes whose products conferred resistance to a WTA-binding bacteriophage. WTA biochemical and structural studies indicated that galactosylated WTA was directly required for bacteriophage adsorption and that mutant WTA lacked appreciable galactose in all except one mutant - which retained a level ca. 7% of the parent. All mutants were profoundly attenuated in orally infected mice and were impaired in cell-to-cell spread in vitro. Confocal microscopy of cytosolic mutants revealed that all expressed ActA on their cell surface and formed actin tails with a frequency similar to the parent. However, the mutant tails were significantly shorter - suggesting a defect in actin based motility. Roles for the gene products in WTA galactosylation are proposed. Identification and interruption of WTA decoration pathways may provide a general strategy to discover non-antibiotic therapeutics for gram positive infections. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia A Spears
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Edward A Havell
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Terri S Hamrick
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, 27506, USA
| | - John B Goforth
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, 27506, USA
| | - Alexandra L Levine
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, 27506, USA
| | - S Thomas Abraham
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, NC, 27506, USA
| | - Christian Heiss
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Parastoo Azadi
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Paul E Orndorff
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
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15
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Uncovering Listeria monocytogenes hypervirulence by harnessing its biodiversity. Nat Genet 2016; 48:308-313. [PMID: 26829754 PMCID: PMC4768348 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 460] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2015] [Accepted: 01/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Microbial pathogenesis studies are typically performed with reference strains, thereby overlooking microbial intra-species virulence heterogeneity. Here we integrated human epidemiological and clinical data with bacterial population genomics to harness the biodiversity of the model foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes and decipher the basis of its neural and placental tropisms. Taking advantage of the clonal structure of this bacterial species, we identify clones epidemiologically associated with either food or human central nervous system (CNS) and maternal-neonatal (MN) listeriosis. The latter are also most prevalent in patients without immunosuppressive comorbidities. Strikingly, CNS and MN clones are hypervirulent in a humanized mouse model of listeriosis. By integrating epidemiological data and comparative genomics, we uncovered multiple novel putative virulence factors and demonstrated experimentally the contribution of the first gene cluster mediating Listeria monocytogenes neural and placental tropisms. This study illustrates the exceptional power of harnessing microbial biodiversity to identify clinically relevant microbial virulence attributes.
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16
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Carvalho F, Atilano ML, Pombinho R, Covas G, Gallo RL, Filipe SR, Sousa S, Cabanes D. L-Rhamnosylation of Listeria monocytogenes Wall Teichoic Acids Promotes Resistance to Antimicrobial Peptides by Delaying Interaction with the Membrane. PLoS Pathog 2015; 11:e1004919. [PMID: 26001194 PMCID: PMC4441387 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic Gram-positive bacterial pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a human foodborne disease. Its cell wall is densely decorated with wall teichoic acids (WTAs), a class of anionic glycopolymers that play key roles in bacterial physiology, including protection against the activity of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). In other Gram-positive pathogens, WTA modification by amine-containing groups such as D-alanine was largely correlated with resistance to AMPs. However, in L. monocytogenes, where WTA modification is achieved solely via glycosylation, WTA-associated mechanisms of AMP resistance were unknown. Here, we show that the L-rhamnosylation of L. monocytogenes WTAs relies not only on the rmlACBD locus, which encodes the biosynthetic pathway for L-rhamnose, but also on rmlT encoding a putative rhamnosyltransferase. We demonstrate that this WTA tailoring mechanism promotes resistance to AMPs, unveiling a novel link between WTA glycosylation and bacterial resistance to host defense peptides. Using in vitro binding assays, fluorescence-based techniques and electron microscopy, we show that the presence of L-rhamnosylated WTAs at the surface of L. monocytogenes delays the crossing of the cell wall by AMPs and postpones their contact with the listerial membrane. We propose that WTA L-rhamnosylation promotes L. monocytogenes survival by decreasing the cell wall permeability to AMPs, thus hindering their access and detrimental interaction with the plasma membrane. Strikingly, we reveal a key contribution of WTA L-rhamnosylation for L. monocytogenes virulence in a mouse model of infection. Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen that preferentially infects immunocompromised hosts, eliciting a severe and often lethal disease. In humans, clinical manifestations range from asymptomatic intestinal carriage and gastroenteritis to harsher systemic states of the disease such as sepsis, meningitis or encephalitis, and fetal infections. The surface of L. monocytogenes is decorated with wall teichoic acids (WTAs), a class of carbohydrate-based polymers that contributes to cell surface-related events with implications in physiological processes, such as bacterial division or resistance to antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). The addition of other molecules to the backbone of WTAs modulates their chemical properties and consequently their functionality. In this context, we studied the role of WTA tailoring mechanisms in L. monocytogenes, whose WTAs are strictly decorated with monosaccharides. For the first time, we link WTA glycosylation with AMP resistance by showing that the decoration of L. monocytogenes WTAs with l-rhamnose confers resistance to host defense peptides. We suggest that this resistance is based on changes in the permeability of the cell wall that delay its crossing by AMPs and therefore promote the protection of the bacterial membrane integrity. Importantly, we also demonstrate the significance of this WTA modification in L. monocytogenes virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Carvalho
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Group of Molecular Microbiology, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Magda L Atilano
- Laboratory of Bacterial Cell Surfaces and Pathogenesis, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Rita Pombinho
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Group of Molecular Microbiology, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Gonçalo Covas
- Laboratory of Bacterial Cell Surfaces and Pathogenesis, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Richard L Gallo
- Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, United States of America
| | - Sérgio R Filipe
- Laboratory of Bacterial Cell Surfaces and Pathogenesis, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Sandra Sousa
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Group of Molecular Microbiology, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal
| | - Didier Cabanes
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Group of Molecular Microbiology, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Porto, Portugal
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17
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Carvalho F, Sousa S, Cabanes D. How Listeria monocytogenes organizes its surface for virulence. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2014; 4:48. [PMID: 24809022 PMCID: PMC4010754 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/02/2014] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive pathogen responsible for the manifestation of human listeriosis, an opportunistic foodborne disease with an associated high mortality rate. The key to the pathogenesis of listeriosis is the capacity of this bacterium to trigger its internalization by non-phagocytic cells and to survive and even replicate within phagocytes. The arsenal of virulence proteins deployed by L. monocytogenes to successfully promote the invasion and infection of host cells has been progressively unveiled over the past decades. A large majority of them is located at the cell envelope, which provides an interface for the establishment of close interactions between these bacterial factors and their host targets. Along the multistep pathways carrying these virulence proteins from the inner side of the cytoplasmic membrane to their cell envelope destination, a multiplicity of auxiliary proteins must act on the immature polypeptides to ensure that they not only maturate into fully functional effectors but also are placed or guided to their correct position in the bacterial surface. As the major scaffold for surface proteins, the cell wall and its metabolism are critical elements in listerial virulence. Conversely, the crucial physical support and protection provided by this structure make it an ideal target for the host immune system. Therefore, mechanisms involving fine modifications of cell envelope components are activated by L. monocytogenes to render it less recognizable by the innate immunity sensors or more resistant to the activity of antimicrobial effectors. This review provides a state-of-the-art compilation of the mechanisms used by L. monocytogenes to organize its surface for virulence, with special focus on those proteins that work “behind the frontline”, either supporting virulence effectors or ensuring the survival of the bacterium within its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filipe Carvalho
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, Unit of Infection and Immunity, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra Sousa
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, Unit of Infection and Immunity, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto Porto, Portugal
| | - Didier Cabanes
- Group of Molecular Microbiology, Unit of Infection and Immunity, Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, University of Porto Porto, Portugal
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Winstel V, Xia G, Peschel A. Pathways and roles of wall teichoic acid glycosylation in Staphylococcus aureus. Int J Med Microbiol 2013; 304:215-21. [PMID: 24365646 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2013.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Revised: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 10/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The thick peptidoglycan layers of Gram-positive bacteria are connected to polyanionic glycopolymers called wall teichoic acids (WTA). Pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, or Enterococcus faecalis produce WTA with diverse, usually strain-specific structure. Extensive studies on S. aureus WTA mutants revealed important functions of WTA in cell division, growth, morphogenesis, resistance to antimicrobials, and interaction with host or phages. While most of the S. aureus WTA-biosynthetic genes have been identified it remained unclear for long how and why S. aureus glycosylates WTA with α- or β-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Only recently the discovery of two WTA glycosyltransferases, TarM and TarS, yielded fundamental insights into the roles of S. aureus WTA glycosylation. Mutants lacking WTA GlcNAc are resistant towards most of the S. aureus phages and, surprisingly, TarS-mediated WTA β-O-GlcNAc modification is essential for β-lactam resistance in methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Notably, S. aureus WTA GlcNAc residues are major antigens and activate the complement system contributing to opsonophagocytosis. WTA glycosylation with a variety of sugars and corresponding glycosyltransferases were also identified in other Gram-positive bacteria, which paves the way for detailed investigations on the diverse roles of WTA modification with sugar residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Volker Winstel
- Cellular and Molecular Microbiology Division, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 6, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany
| | - Guoqing Xia
- Cellular and Molecular Microbiology Division, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 6, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Andreas Peschel
- Cellular and Molecular Microbiology Division, Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 6, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany
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den Bakker HC, Desjardins CA, Griggs AD, Peters JE, Zeng Q, Young SK, Kodira CD, Yandava C, Hepburn TA, Haas BJ, Birren BW, Wiedmann M. Evolutionary dynamics of the accessory genome of Listeria monocytogenes. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67511. [PMID: 23825666 PMCID: PMC3692452 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne bacterial pathogen, is comprised of four phylogenetic lineages that vary with regard to their serotypes and distribution among sources. In order to characterize lineage-specific genomic diversity within L. monocytogenes, we sequenced the genomes of eight strains from several lineages and serotypes, and characterized the accessory genome, which was hypothesized to contribute to phenotypic differences across lineages. The eight L. monocytogenes genomes sequenced range in size from 2.85-3.14 Mb, encode 2,822-3,187 genes, and include the first publicly available sequenced representatives of serotypes 1/2c, 3a and 4c. Mapping of the distribution of accessory genes revealed two distinct regions of the L. monocytogenes chromosome: an accessory-rich region in the first 65° adjacent to the origin of replication and a more stable region in the remaining 295°. This pattern of genome organization is distinct from that of related bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. The accessory genome of all lineages is enriched for cell surface-related genes and phosphotransferase systems, and transcriptional regulators, highlighting the selective pressures faced by contemporary strains from their hosts, other microbes, and their environment. Phylogenetic analysis of O-antigen genes and gene clusters predicts that serotype 4 was ancestral in L. monocytogenes and serotype 1/2 associated gene clusters were putatively introduced through horizontal gene transfer in the ancestral population of L. monocytogenes lineage I and II.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henk C den Bakker
- Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
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