Degradation of p22phox and inhibition of superoxide generation by Ehrlichia chaffeensis in human monocytes

PERK-mediated antioxidant response is key for pathogen persistence in ticks

A crucial phase in the life cycle of tick-borne pathogens is the time spent colonizing and persisting within the arthropod. Tick immunity is emerging as a key force shaping how transmissible pathogens interact with the vector. How pathogens remain in the tick despite immunological pressure remains unknown. In persistently infected Ixodes scapularis, we found that Borrelia burgdorferi (causative agent of Lyme disease) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (causative agent of granulocytic anaplasmosis) activate a cellular stress pathway mediated by the endoplasmic reticulum receptor PKR-like ER kinase (PERK) and the central regulatory molecule eIF2α. Disabling the PERK pathway through pharmacological inhibition and RNA interference (RNAi) significantly decreased microbial numbers. In vivo RNAi of the PERK pathway not only reduced the number of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi colonizing larvae after a bloodmeal but also significantly reduced the number of bacteria that survive the molt. An investigation into PERK pathway-regulated targets revealed that A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi induce activity of the antioxidant response regulator, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Tick cells deficient for nrf2 expression or PERK signaling showed accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in addition to reduced microbial survival. Supplementation with antioxidants rescued the microbicidal phenotype caused by blocking the PERK pathway. Altogether, our study demonstrates that the Ixodes PERK pathway is activated by transmissible microbes and facilitates persistence in the arthropod by potentiating an Nrf2-regulated antioxidant environment. IMPORTANCE Recent advances demonstrate that the tick immune system recognizes and limits the pathogens they transmit. Innate immune mediators such as antimicrobial peptides and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species are produced and restrict microbial survival. It is currently unclear how pathogens remain in the tick, despite this immune assault. We found that an antioxidant response controlled by the PERK branch of the unfolded protein response is activated in ticks that are persistently infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) or Anaplasma phagocytophilum (granulocytic anaplasmosis). The PERK pathway induces the antioxidant response transcription factor, Nrf2, which coordinates a gene network that ultimately neutralizes reactive oxygen and nitrogen species. Interfering with this signaling cascade in ticks causes a significant decline in pathogen numbers. Given that innate immune products can cause collateral damage to host tissues, we speculate that this is an arthropod-driven response aimed at minimizing damage to "self" that also inadvertently benefits the pathogen. Collectively, our findings shed light on the mechanistic push and pull between tick immunity and pathogen persistence within the arthropod vector.

PERK-mediated antioxidant response is key for pathogen persistence in ticks

A crucial phase in the lifecycle of tick-borne pathogens is the time spent colonizing and persisting within the arthropod. Tick immunity is emerging as a key force shaping how transmissible pathogens interact with the vector. How pathogens remain in the tick despite immunological pressure remains unknown. In persistently infected Ixodes scapularis , we found that Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) and Anaplasma phagocytophilum (granulocytic anaplasmosis) activate a cellular stress pathway mediated by the endoplasmic reticulum receptor PERK and the central regulatory molecule, eIF2α. Disabling the PERK pathway through pharmacological inhibition and RNAi significantly decreased microbial numbers. In vivo RNA interference of the PERK pathway not only reduced the number of A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi colonizing larvae after a bloodmeal, but also significantly reduced the number of bacteria that survive the molt. An investigation into PERK pathway-regulated targets revealed that A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi induce activity of the antioxidant response regulator, Nrf2. Tick cells deficient for nrf2 expression or PERK signaling showed accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in addition to reduced microbial survival. Supplementation with antioxidants rescued the microbicidal phenotype caused by blocking the PERK pathway. Altogether, our study demonstrates that the Ixodes PERK pathway is activated by transmissible microbes and facilitates persistence in the arthropod by potentiating an Nrf2-regulated antioxidant environment.

Immune evasion strategies of major tick-transmitted bacterial pathogens

Tick-transmitted bacterial pathogens thrive in enzootic infection cycles, colonizing disparate vertebrate and arthropod tissues, often establishing persistent infections. Therefore, the evolution of robust immune evasion strategies is central to their successful persistence or transmission between hosts. To survive in nature, these pathogens must counteract a broad range of microbicidal host responses that can be localized, tissue-specific, or systemic, including a mix of these responses at the host-vector interface. Herein, we review microbial immune evasion strategies focusing on Lyme disease spirochetes and rickettsial or tularemia agents as models for extracellular and intracellular tick-borne pathogens, respectively. A better understanding of these adaptive strategies could enrich our knowledge of the infection biology of relevant tick-borne diseases, contributing to the development of future preventions.

CtrA activates the expression of glutathione S-transferase conferring oxidative stress resistance to Ehrlichia chaffeensis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, the causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME), is a Gram-negative obligatory intracellular bacterium, which infects and multiplies in human monocytes and macrophages. Host immune cells produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) to eliminate E. chaffeensis upon infection. E. chaffeensis global transcriptional regulator CtrA activates the expression of GshA and GshB to synthesize glutathione (GSH), the most potent natural antioxidant, upon oxidative stress to combat ROS damage. However, the mechanisms exploited by E. chaffeensis to utilize GSH are still unknown. Here, we found that in E. chaffeensis CtrA activated the expression of glutathione S-transferase (GST) upon oxidative stress, and E. chaffeensis GST utilizes GSH to eliminate ROS and confers the oxidative stress resistance to E. chaffeensis. We found that CtrA bound to the promoter regions of 211 genes, including gst, in E. chaffeensis using chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to deep sequencing (ChIP-seq). Recombinant E. chaffeensis CtrA directly bound to the gst promoter region determined with electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), and activated the gst expression determined with reporter assay. Recombinant GST showed GSH conjugation activity towards its typical substrate 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (CDNB) in vitro and peptide nucleic acid (PNA) transfection of E. chaffeensis, which can knock down the gst transcription level, reduced bacterial survival upon oxidative stress. Our results demonstrate that E. chaffeensis CtrA regulates GSH utilization, which plays a critical role in resistance to oxidative stress, and aid in the development of new therapeutics for HME.

Multiomics analyses reveals Anaplasma phagocytophilum Ats-1 induces anti-apoptosis and energy metabolism by upregulating the respiratory chain-mPTP axis in eukaryotic mitochondria

BACKGROUND

Anaplasma translocated substrate 1 (Ats-1) is an effector of type 4 secretory systems (T4SS) and the main virulence factor of Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Ats-1 is involved in the regulation of host cell biological processes, but the specific molecular mechanism of its action is unclear.

RESULTS

In this study, we identified Ats-1 as involved in mitochondrial respiratory regulation of HEK293T cells by multi-omics analysis. After intracellular expression of Ats-1, adenosine triphosphate levels and the proliferation of HEK293T cells were both up-regulated, while HEK293T cells apoptosis was inhibited. Ats-1 targeted translocation to the mitochondria where it up-regulated the expression of NDUFB5, NDUFB3, NDUFS7, COX6C, and SLC25A5, thereby enhancing energy production and inhibiting HEK293T cells apoptosis while enhancing HEK293T cells proliferation, and ultimately facilitating Anaplasma phagocytophilum replication in HEK293T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that Anaplasma phagocytophilum Ats-1 induces anti-apoptosis and energy metabolism by upregulating the respiratory chain-mPTP axis in eukaryotic mitochondria. These results provide a better understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of Anaplasma phagocytophilum within host cells.

The Unfolded-Protein Response Triggers the Arthropod Immune Deficiency Pathway

The insect immune deficiency (IMD) pathway is a defense mechanism that senses and responds to Gram-negative bacteria. Ticks lack genes encoding upstream components that initiate the IMD pathway. Despite this deficiency, core signaling molecules are present and functionally restrict tick-borne pathogens. The molecular events preceding activation remain undefined. Here, we show that the unfolded-protein response (UPR) initiates the IMD network. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress receptor IRE1α is phosphorylated in response to tick-borne bacteria but does not splice the mRNA encoding XBP1. Instead, through protein modeling and reciprocal pulldowns, we show that Ixodes IRE1α complexes with TRAF2. Disrupting IRE1α-TRAF2 signaling blocks IMD pathway activation and diminishes the production of reactive oxygen species. Through in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo techniques, we demonstrate that the UPR-IMD pathway circuitry limits the Lyme disease-causing spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and the rickettsial agents Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. marginale (anaplasmosis). Altogether, our study uncovers a novel linkage between the UPR and the IMD pathway in arthropods. IMPORTANCE The ability of an arthropod to harbor and transmit pathogens is termed "vector competency." Many factors influence vector competency, including how arthropod immune processes respond to the microbe. Divergences in innate immunity between arthropods are increasingly being reported. For instance, although ticks lack genes encoding key upstream molecules of the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway, it is still functional and restricts causative agents of Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) and anaplasmosis (Anaplasma phagocytophilum). How the IMD pathway is activated in ticks without classically defined pathway initiators is not known. Here, we found that a cellular stress response network, the unfolded-protein response (UPR), functions upstream to induce the IMD pathway and restrict transmissible pathogens. Collectively, this explains how the IMD pathway can be activated in the absence of canonical pathway initiators. Given that the UPR is highly conserved, UPR-initiated immunity may be a fundamental principle impacting vector competency across arthropods.

Glutathione Synthesis Regulated by CtrA Protects Ehrlichia chaffeensis From Host Cell Oxidative Stress

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a small Gram-negative obligatory intracellular bacterium, infects human monocytes or macrophages, and causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis, one of the most prevalent, life-threatening emerging zoonoses. Reactive oxygen species are produced by the host immune cells in response to bacterial infections. The mechanisms exploited by E. chaffeensis to resist oxidative stress have not been comprehensively demonstrated. Here, we found that E. chaffeensis encodes two functional enzymes, GshA and GshB, to synthesize glutathione that confers E. chaffeensis the oxidative stress resistance, and that the expression of gshA and gshB is upregulated by CtrA, a global transcriptional regulator, upon oxidative stress. We found that in E. chaffeensis, the expression of gshA and gshB was upregulated upon oxidative stress using quantitative RT-PCR. Ehrlichia chaffeensis GshA or GshB restored the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa GshA or GshB mutant to cope with oxidative stress, respectively. Recombinant E. chaffeensis CtrA directly bound to the promoters of gshA and gshB, determined with electrophoretic mobility shift assay, and activated the expression of gshA and gshB determined with reporter assay. Peptide nucleic acid transfection of E. chaffeensis, which reduced the CtrA protein level, inhibited the oxidative stress-induced upregulation of gshA and gshB. Our findings provide insights into the function and regulation of the two enzymes critical for E. chaffeensis resistance to oxidative stress and may deepen our understanding of E. chaffeensis pathogenesis and adaptation in hosts.

The "Biological Weapons" of Ehrlichia chaffeensis: Novel Molecules and Mechanisms to Subjugate Host Cells

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis, an emerging, potentially fatal tick-borne infectious disease. The bacterium enters human cells via the binding of its unique outer-membrane invasin EtpE to the cognate receptor DNase X on the host-cell plasma membrane; this triggers actin polymerization and filopodia formation at the site of E. chaffeensis binding, and blocks activation of phagocyte NADPH oxidase that catalyzes the generation of microbicidal reactive oxygen species. Subsequently, the bacterium replicates by hijacking/dysregulating host-cell functions using Type IV secretion effectors. For example, the Ehrlichia translocated factor (Etf)-1 enters mitochondria and inhibits mitochondria-mediated apoptosis of host cells. Etf-1 also induces autophagy mediated by the small GTPase RAB5, the result being the liberation of catabolites for proliferation inside host cells. Moreover, Etf-2 competes with the RAB5 GTPase-activating protein, for binding to RAB5-GTP on the surface of E. chaffeensis inclusions, which blocks GTP hydrolysis and consequently prevents the fusion of inclusions with host-cell lysosomes. Etf-3 binds ferritin light chain to induce ferritinophagy to obtain intracellular iron. To enable E. chaffeensis to rapidly adapt to the host environment and proliferate, the bacterium must acquire host membrane cholesterol and glycerophospholipids for the purpose of producing large amounts of its own membrane. Future studies on the arsenal of unique Ehrlichia molecules and their interplay with host-cell components will undoubtedly advance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of obligatory intracellular infection and may identify hitherto unrecognized signaling pathways of human hosts. Such data could be exploited for development of treatment and control measures for ehrlichiosis as well as other ailments that potentially could involve the same host-cell signaling pathways that are appropriated by E. chaffeensis.

Epidemiologic, Clinical and Immunological Consequences of Co-Infections during Canine Leishmaniosis

Simple Summary

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), the most severe, visceralizing form of disease caused by Leishmania infantum transmitted by phlebotomine sand flies. CanL is frequently diagnosed in the Mediterranean basin and South America, although it is also found in other regions, including the United States (U.S.). Dogs in these regions are at risk for co-infections, prominently tick-borne diseases. Our review examines epidemiologic, clinical, and immunologic mechanisms found during the most common eight CanL co-infections reported in published literature. Co-infections alter immunologic processes and disease progression impacting CanL diagnosis, therapeutic responses, and prognosis.

Abstract

Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a vector-borne, parasitic disease. CanL is endemic in the Mediterranean basin and South America but also found in Northern Africa, Asia, and the U.S. Regions with both competent sand fly vectors and L. infantum parasites are also endemic for additional infectious diseases that could cause co-infections in dogs. Growing evidence indicates that co-infections can impact immunologic responses and thus the clinical course of both CanL and the comorbid disease(s). The aim for this review is to summarize epidemiologic, clinical, and immunologic factors contributing to eight primary co-infections reported with CanL: Ehrlichia spp., Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Babesia spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Dirofilaria immitis, Paracoccidioides braziliensis. Co-infection causes mechanistic differences in immunity which can alter diagnostics, therapeutic management, and prognosis of dogs with CanL. More research is needed to further explore immunomodulation during CanL co-infection(s) and their clinical impact.

Autophagy-A Story of Bacteria Interfering with the Host Cell Degradation Machinery

Autophagy is a highly conserved and fundamental cellular process to maintain cellular homeostasis through recycling of defective organelles or proteins. In a response to intracellular pathogens, autophagy further acts as an innate immune response mechanism to eliminate pathogens. This review will discuss recent findings on autophagy as a reaction to intracellular pathogens, such as Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, and pathogenic Escherichia coli. Interestingly, while some of these bacteria have developed methods to use autophagy for their own benefit within the cell, others have developed fascinating mechanisms to evade recognition, to subvert the autophagic pathway, or to escape from autophagy.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis Uses an Invasin To Suppress Reactive Oxygen Species Generation by Macrophages via CD147-Dependent Inhibition of Vav1 To Block Rac1 Activation

The obligatory intracellular pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis lacks most factors that could respond to oxidative stress (a host cell defense mechanism). We previously found that the C terminus of Ehrlichia surface invasin, entry-triggering protein of Ehrlichia (EtpE; EtpE-C) directly binds mammalian DNase X, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored cell surface receptor and that binding is required to induce bacterial entry and simultaneously to block the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by host monocytes and macrophages. However, how the EtpE-C-DNase X complex mediates the ROS blockade was unknown. A mammalian transmembrane glycoprotein CD147 (basigin) binds to the EtpE-DNase X complex and is required for Ehrlichia entry and infection of host cells. Here, we found that bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) from myeloid cell lineage-selective CD147-null mice had significantly reduced Ehrlichia-induced or EtpE-C-induced blockade of ROS generation in response to phorbol myristate acetate. In BMDM from CD147-null mice, nucleofection with CD147 partially restored the Ehrlichia-mediated inhibition of ROS generation. Indeed, CD147-null mice as well as their BMDM were resistant to Ehrlichia infection. Moreover, in human monocytes, anti-CD147 partially abrogated EtpE-C-induced blockade of ROS generation. Both Ehrlichia and EtpE-C could block activation of the small GTPase Rac1 (which in turn activates phagocyte NADPH oxidase) and suppress activation of Vav1, a hematopoietic-specific Rho/Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor by phorbol myristate acetate. Vav1 suppression by Ehrlichia was CD147 dependent. E. chaffeensis is the first example of pathogens that block Rac1 activation to colonize macrophages. Furthermore, Ehrlichia uses EtpE to hijack the unique host DNase X-CD147-Vav1 signaling to block Rac1 activation.IMPORTANCEEhrlichia chaffeensis is an obligatory intracellular bacterium with the capability of causing an emerging infectious disease called human monocytic ehrlichiosis. E. chaffeensis preferentially infects monocytes and macrophages, professional phagocytes, equipped with an arsenal of antimicrobial mechanisms, including rapid reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation upon encountering bacteria. As Ehrlichia isolated from host cells are readily killed upon exposure to ROS, Ehrlichia must have evolved a unique mechanism to safely enter phagocytes. We discovered that binding of the Ehrlichia surface invasin to the host cell surface receptor not only triggers Ehrlichia entry but also blocks ROS generation by the host cells by mobilizing a novel intracellular signaling pathway. Knowledge of the mechanisms by which ROS production is inhibited may lead to the development of therapeutics for ehrlichiosis as well as other ROS-related pathologies.

Host membrane lipids are trafficked to membranes of intravacuolar bacterium Ehrlichia chaffeensis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a cholesterol-rich and cholesterol-dependent obligate intracellular bacterium, partially lacks genes for glycerophospholipid biosynthesis. We found here that E. chaffeensis is dependent on host glycerolipid biosynthesis, as an inhibitor of host long-chain acyl CoA synthetases, key enzymes for glycerolipid biosynthesis, significantly reduced bacterial proliferation. E. chaffeensis cannot synthesize phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol but encodes enzymes for phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) biosynthesis; however, exogenous NBD-phosphatidylcholine, Bodipy-PE, and TopFluor-cholesterol were rapidly trafficked to ehrlichiae in infected cells. DiI (3,3'-dioctadecylindocarbocyanine)-prelabeled host-cell membranes were unidirectionally trafficked to Ehrlichia inclusion and bacterial membranes, but DiI-prelabeled Ehrlichia membranes were not trafficked to host-cell membranes. The trafficking of host-cell membranes to Ehrlichia inclusions was dependent on both host endocytic and autophagic pathways, and bacterial protein synthesis, as the respective inhibitors blocked both infection and trafficking of DiI-labeled host membranes to Ehrlichia In addition, DiI-labeled host-cell membranes were trafficked to autophagosomes induced by the E. chaffeensis type IV secretion system effector Etf-1, which traffic to and fuse with Ehrlichia inclusions. Cryosections of infected cells revealed numerous membranous vesicles inside inclusions, as well as multivesicular bodies docked on the inclusion surface, both of which were immunogold-labeled by a GFP-tagged 2×FYVE protein that binds to phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate. Focused ion-beam scanning electron microscopy of infected cells validated numerous membranous structures inside bacteria-containing inclusions. Our results support the notion that Ehrlichia inclusions are amphisomes formed through fusion of early endosomes, multivesicular bodies, and early autophagosomes induced by Etf-1, and they provide host-cell glycerophospholipids and cholesterol that are necessary for bacterial proliferation.

Role and Function of the Type IV Secretion System in Anaplasma and Ehrlichia Species

The obligatory intracellular pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis proliferate within membrane-bound vacuoles of human leukocytes and cause potentially fatal emerging infectious diseases. Despite the reductive genome evolution in this group of bacteria, genes encoding the type IV secretion system (T4SS), which is homologous to the VirB/VirD4 system of the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, have been expanded and are highly expressed in A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis in human cells. Of six T4SS effector proteins identified in them, roles and functions have been described so far only for ankyrin repeat domain-containing protein A (AnkA), Anaplasma translocated substrate 1 (Ats-1), and Ehrlichia translocated factor 1 (Etf-1, ECH0825). These effectors are abundantly produced and secreted into the host cytoplasm during infection, but not toxic to host cells. They contain eukaryotic protein motifs or organelle localization signals and have distinct subcellular localization, target to specific host cell molecules to promote infection. Ats-1 and Etf-1 are orthologous proteins, subvert two important innate immune mechanisms against intracellular infection, cellular apoptosis and autophagy, and manipulate autophagy to gain nutrients from host cells. Although Ats-1 and Etf-1 have similar functions and roles in obligatory intracellular infection, they are specifically adapted to the distinct membrane-bound intracellular niche of A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, respectively. Ectopic expression of these effectors enhances respective bacterial infection, whereas intracellular delivery of antibodies against these effectors or targeted knockdown of the effector with antisense peptide nucleic acid significantly impairs bacterial infection. Thus, both T4SSs have evolved as important survival and nutritional virulence mechanism in these obligatory intracellular bacteria. Future studies on the functions of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia T4SS effector molecules and signaling pathways will undoubtedly advance our understanding of the complex interplay between obligatory intracellular pathogens and their hosts. Such data can be applied toward the treatment and control of anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis.

Proteome Analysis Revealed Changes in Protein Expression Patterns Caused by Mutations in Ehrlichia chaffeensis

The tick-borne rickettsial pathogen, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, causes monocytic ehrlichiosis in people and other vertebrate hosts. Mutational analysis in E. chaffeensis genome aids in better understanding of its infection and persistence in host cells and in the development of attenuated vaccines. Our recent RNA deep sequencing study revealed that three genomic mutations caused global changes in the gene expression patterns, which in turn affect the ability of pathogen's survival in a host and the host's ability to induce protection against the pathogen. In this follow-up study, we document the impact of mutations on the pathogen's global protein expression and the influence of protein abundance on a mutant's attenuation and protection of vertebrate host against infection. iTRAQ labeling and mass spectrometry analysis of E. chaffeensis wildtype and mutants identified 564 proteins covering about 63% of the genome. Mutation in ECH_0379 gene encoding for an antiporter protein, causing attenuated growth in vertebrate hosts, led to overexpression of p28 outer membrane proteins, molecular chaperons, and metabolic enzymes, while a mutation downstream to the ECH_0490 gene that caused minimal impact on the pathogen's in vivo growth resulted in major changes in the expression of outer membrane proteins, transcriptional regulators and T4SS proteins. ECH_0660 gene mutation, causing the pathogen's rapid clearance and offering protection against wild type infection challenge in a vertebrate host, had a minimal impact on proteome similar to our prior observations from transcriptome analysis. While the global proteome data revealed fewer translated proteins compared to the transcripts identified from RNA deep sequencing analysis, there is a great deal of correlation noted between the global proteome and transcriptome analysis. Further, global proteome analysis, including the assessment of 2D resolved total and immunoproteomes revealed greater variations in the highly immunogenic p28-Omp proteins.

The Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Fokinia solitaria": Insights on Reductive Evolution in Rickettsiales

"Candidatus Fokinia solitaria" is an obligate intracellular endosymbiont of a unicellular eukaryote, a ciliate of the genus Paramecium. Here, we present the genome sequence of this bacterium and subsequent analysis. Phylogenomic analysis confirmed the previously reported positioning of the symbiont within the "Candidatus Midichloriaceae" family (order Rickettsiales), as well as its high sequence divergence from other members of the family, indicative of fast sequence evolution. Consistently with this high evolutionary rate, a comparative genomic analysis revealed that the genome of this symbiont is the smallest of the Rickettsiales to date. The reduced genome does not present flagellar genes, nor the pathway for the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides (present in all the other so far sequenced members of the family "Candidatus Midichloriaceae") or genes for the Krebs cycle (present, although not always complete, in Rickettsiales). These results indicate an evolutionary trend toward a stronger dependence on the host, in comparison with other members of the family. Two alternative scenarios are compatible with our results; "Candidatus Fokinia solitaria" could be either a recently evolved, vertically transmitted mutualist, or a parasite with a high host-specificity.

Impact of Three Different Mutations in Ehrlichia chaffeensis in Altering the Global Gene Expression Patterns

The rickettsial pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis causes a tick-borne disease, human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Mutations within certain genomic locations of the pathogen aid in understanding the pathogenesis and in developing attenuated vaccines. Our previous studies demonstrated that mutations in different genomic sites in E. chaffeensis caused variable impacts on their growth and attenuation in vertebrate and tick hosts. Here, we assessed the effect of three mutations on transcriptional changes using RNA deep-sequencing technology. RNA sequencing aided in detecting 66-80% of the transcripts of wildtype and mutant E. chaffeensis. Mutation in an antiporter gene (ECH_0379) causing attenuated growth in vertebrate hosts resulted in the down regulation of many transcribed genes. Similarly, a mutation downstream to the ECH_0490 coding sequence resulted in minimal impact on the pathogen's in vivo growth, but caused major changes in its transcriptome. This mutation caused enhanced expression of several host stress response genes. Even though the ECH_0660 gene mutation caused the pathogen's rapid clearance in vertebrate hosts and aids in generating a protective response, there was minimal impact on the transcriptome. The transcriptomic data offer novel insights about the impact of mutations on global gene expression and how they may contribute to the pathogen's resistance and/or clearance from the host.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Its Invasin EtpE Block Reactive Oxygen Species Generation by Macrophages in a DNase X-Dependent Manner

The obligatory intracellular pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis lacks most genes that confer resistance to oxidative stress but can block reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by host monocytes-macrophages. Bacterial and host molecules responsible for this inhibition have not been identified. To infect host cells, Ehrlichia uses the C terminus of its surface invasin, entry-triggering protein of Ehrlichia (EtpE; EtpE-C), which directly binds the mammalian cell surface receptor glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein DNase X. We investigated whether EtpE-C binding to DNase X blocks ROS production by mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). On the basis of a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay, E. chaffeensis inhibited phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced ROS generation by BMDMs from wild-type, but not DNase X^−/−, mice. EtpE-C is critical for inhibition, as recombinant EtpE-C (rEtpE-C)-coated latex beads, but not recombinant N-terminal EtpE-coated or uncoated beads, inhibited PMA-induced ROS generation by BMDMs from wild-type mice. DNase X is required for this inhibition, as none of these beads inhibited PMA-induced ROS generation by BMDMs from DNase X^−/− mice. Previous studies showed that E. chaffeensis does not block ROS generation in neutrophils, a cell type that is a potent ROS generator but is not infected by E. chaffeensis. Human and mouse peripheral blood neutrophils did not express DNase X. Our findings point to a unique survival mechanism of ROS-sensitive obligate intramonocytic bacteria that involves invasin EtpE binding to DNase X on the host cell surface. This is the first report of bacterial invasin having such a subversive activity on ROS generation.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis preferentially infects monocytes-macrophages and causes a life-threatening emerging tick-transmitted infectious disease called human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Ehrlichial infection, and hence the disease, depends on the ability of this bacterium to avoid or overcome powerful microbicidal mechanisms of host monocytes-macrophages, one of which is the generation of ROS. Our findings reveal that an ehrlichial surface invasin, EtpE, not only triggers bacterial entry but also blocks ROS generation by host macrophages through its host cell receptor, DNase X. As ROS sensitivity is an Achilles’ heel of this group of pathogens, understanding the mechanism by which E. chaffeensis rapidly blocks ROS generation suggests a new approach for developing effective anti-infective measures. The discovery of a ROS-blocking pathway is also important, as modulation of ROS generation is important in a variety of ailments and biological processes.

Ehrlichia secretes Etf-1 to induce autophagy and capture nutrients for its growth through RAB5 and class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes a potentially fatal emerging zoonosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis. E. chaffeensis has a limited capacity for biosynthesis and metabolism and thus depends mostly on host-synthesized nutrients for growth. Although the host cell cytoplasm is rich with these nutrients, as E. chaffeensis is confined within the early endosome-like membrane-bound compartment, only host nutrients that enter the compartment can be used by this bacterium. How this occurs is unknown. We found that ehrlichial replication depended on autophagy induction involving class III phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PtdIns3K) activity, BECN1 (Beclin 1), and ATG5 (autophagy-related 5). Ehrlichia acquired host cell preincorporated amino acids in a class III PtdIns3K-dependent manner and ehrlichial growth was enhanced by treatment with rapamycin, an autophagy inducer. Moreover, ATG5 and RAB5A/B/C were routed to ehrlichial inclusions. RAB5A/B/C siRNA knockdown, or overexpression of a RAB5-specific GTPase-activating protein or dominant-negative RAB5A inhibited ehrlichial infection, indicating the critical role of GTP-bound RAB5 during infection. Both native and ectopically expressed ehrlichial type IV secretion effector protein, Etf-1, bound RAB5 and the autophagy-initiating class III PtdIns3K complex, PIK3C3/VPS34, and BECN1, and homed to ehrlichial inclusions. Ectopically expressed Etf-1 activated class III PtdIns3K as in E. chaffeensis infection and induced autophagosome formation, cleared an aggregation-prone mutant huntingtin protein in a class III PtdIns3K-dependent manner, and enhanced ehrlichial proliferation. These data support the notion that E. chaffeensis secretes Etf-1 to induce autophagy to repurpose the host cytoplasm and capture nutrients for its growth through RAB5 and class III PtdIns3K, while avoiding autolysosomal killing.

Molecular Pathogenesis of Ehrlichia chaffeensis Infection

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligatory intracellular and cholesterol-dependent bacterium that has evolved special proteins and functions to proliferate inside leukocytes and cause disease. E. chaffeensis has a multigene family of major outer membrane proteins with porin activity and induces infectious entry using its entry-triggering protein to bind the human cell surface protein DNase X. During intracellular replication, three functional pairs of two-component systems are sequentially expressed to regulate metabolism, aggregation, and the development of stress-resistance traits for transmission. A type IV secretion effector of E. chaffeensis blocks mitochondrion-mediated host cell apoptosis. Several type I secretion proteins are secreted at the Ehrlichia-host interface. E. chaffeensis strains induce strikingly variable inflammation in mice. The central role of MyD88, but not Toll-like receptors, suggests that Ehrlichia species have unique inflammatory molecules. A recent report about transient targeted mutagenesis and random transposon mutagenesis suggests that stable targeted knockouts may become feasible in Ehrlichia.

Hacker within! Ehrlichia chaffeensis Effector Driven Phagocyte Reprogramming Strategy

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is a small, gram negative, obligately intracellular bacterium that preferentially infects mononuclear phagocytes. It is the etiologic agent of human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis (HME), an emerging life-threatening tick-borne zoonosis. Mechanisms by which E. chaffeensis establishes intracellular infection, and avoids host defenses are not well understood, but involve functionally relevant host-pathogen interactions associated with tandem and ankyrin repeat effector proteins. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie Ehrlichia host cellular reprogramming strategies that enable intracellular survival.

Aspergillus Cell Wall Melanin Blocks LC3-Associated Phagocytosis to Promote Pathogenicity

Concealing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) is a principal strategy used by fungi to avoid immune recognition. Surface exposure of PAMPs during germination can leave the pathogen vulnerable. Accordingly, β-glucan surface exposure during Aspergillus fumigatus germination activates an Atg5-dependent autophagy pathway termed LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP), which promotes fungal killing. We found that LAP activation also requires the genetic, biochemical or biological (germination) removal of A. fumigatus cell wall melanin. The attenuated virulence of melanin-deficient A. fumigatus is restored in Atg5-deficient macrophages and in mice upon conditional inactivation of Atg5 in hematopoietic cells. Mechanistically, Aspergillus melanin inhibits NADPH oxidase-dependent activation of LAP by excluding the p22phox subunit from the phagosome. Thus, two events that occur concomitantly during germination of airborne fungi, surface exposure of PAMPs and melanin removal, are necessary for LAP activation and fungal killing. LAP blockade is a general property of melanin pigments, a finding with broad physiological implications.

EtpE Binding to DNase X Induces Ehrlichial Entry via CD147 and hnRNP-K Recruitment, Followed by Mobilization of N-WASP and Actin

Obligate intracellular bacteria, such as Ehrlichia chaffeensis, perish unless they can enter eukaryotic cells. E. chaffeensis is the etiological agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis, an emerging infectious disease. To infect cells, Ehrlichia uses the C terminus of the outer membrane invasin entry-triggering protein (EtpE) of Ehrlichia (EtpE-C), which directly binds the mammalian cell surface glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-anchored protein, DNase X. How this binding drives Ehrlichia entry is unknown. Here, using affinity pulldown of host cell lysates with recombinant EtpE-C (rEtpE-C), we identified two new human proteins that interact with EtpE-C: CD147 and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP-K). The interaction of CD147 with rEtpE-C was validated by far-Western blotting and coimmunoprecipitation of native EtpE with endogenous CD147. CD147 was ubiquitous on the cell surface and also present around foci of rEtpE-C-coated-bead entry. Functional neutralization of surface-exposed CD147 with a specific antibody inhibited Ehrlichia internalization and infection but not binding. Downregulation of CD147 by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) impaired E. chaffeensis infection. Functional ablation of cytoplasmic hnRNP-K by a nanoscale intracellular antibody markedly attenuated bacterial entry and infection but not binding. EtpE-C also interacted with neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP), which is activated by hnRNP-K. Wiskostatin, which inhibits N-WASP activation, and cytochalasin D, which inhibits actin polymerization, inhibited Ehrlichia entry. Upon incubation with host cell lysate, EtpE-C but not an EtpE N-terminal fragment stimulated in vitro actin polymerization in an N-WASP- and DNase X-dependent manner. Time-lapse video images revealed N-WASP recruitment at EtpE-C-coated bead entry foci. Thus, EtpE-C binding to DNase X drives Ehrlichia entry by engaging CD147 and hnRNP-K and activating N-WASP-dependent actin polymerization.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, causes a blood-borne disease called human monocytic ehrlichiosis, one of the most prevalent life-threatening emerging tick-transmitted infectious diseases in the United States. The survival of Ehrlichia bacteria, and hence, their ability to cause disease, depends on their specific mode of entry into eukaryotic host cells. Understanding the mechanism by which E. chaffeensis enters cells will create new opportunities for developing effective therapies to prevent bacterial entry and disease in humans. Our findings reveal a novel cellular signaling pathway triggered by an ehrlichial surface protein called EtpE to induce its infectious entry. The results are also important from the viewpoint of human cell physiology because three EtpE-interacting human proteins, DNase X, CD147, and hnRNP-K, are hitherto unknown partners that drive the uptake of small particles, including bacteria, into human cells.

Activation of NADPH oxidase is essential, but not sufficient, in controlling intracellular multiplication of Burkholderia pseudomallei in primary human monocytes

Burkholderia pseudomallei is a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of melioidosis. Innate immune mechanisms against this pathogen, which might contribute to outcomes of melioidosis, are little known. We demonstrated here that B. pseudomallei could activate NADPH oxidase in primary human monocytes as judged by production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p40(phox) phosphorylation after infection. However, as similar to other intracellular bacteria, this bacterium was able to resist and multiply inside monocytes despite being able to activate NADPH oxidase. In the presence of NADPH oxidase inhibitor, diphenyleneiodonium or apocynin, intracellular multiplication of B. pseudomallei was significantly increased, suggesting that NADPH oxidase-mediated ROS production is essential in suppressing intracellular multiplication of B. pseudomallei. Additionally, interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-mediated intracellular killing of B. pseudomallei requires NADPH oxidase activity, even though ROS level was not detected at higher levels in IFN-γ-treated infected monocytes. Altogether, these results imply that the activation of NADPH plays an essential role in suppressing intracellular multiplication of B. pseudomallei in human monocytes, although this enzyme is not sufficient to stop intracellular multiplication.

Toxoplasma gondii Proliferation Require Down-Regulation of Host Nox4 Expression via Activation of PI3 Kinase/Akt Signaling Pathway

Toxoplasma gondii results in ocular toxoplasmosis characterized by chorioretinitis with inflammation and necrosis of the neuroretina, pigment epithelium, and choroid. After invasion, T. gondii replicates in host cells before cell lysis, which releases the parasites to invade neighboring cells to repeat the life cycle and establish a chronic retinal infection. The mechanism by which T. gondii avoids innate immune defense, however, is unknown. Therefore, we determined whether PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activation by T. gondii is essential for subversion of host immunity and parasite proliferation. T. gondii infection or excretory/secretory protein (ESP) treatment of the human retinal pigment epithelium cell line ARPE-19 induced Akt phosphorylation, and PI3K inhibitors effectively reduced T. gondii proliferation in host cells. Furthermore, T. gondii reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) while activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. While searching for the main source of these ROS, we found that NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) was prominently expressed in ARPE-19 cells, and this expression was significantly reduced by T. gondii infection or ESP treatment along with decreased ROS levels. In addition, artificial reduction of host Nox4 levels with specific siRNA increased replication of intracellular T. gondii compared to controls. Interestingly, these T. gondii-induced effects were reversed by PI3K inhibitors, suggesting that activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is important for suppression of both Nox4 expression and ROS levels by T. gondii infection. These findings demonstrate that manipulation of the host PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and Nox4 gene expression is a novel mechanism involved in T. gondii survival and proliferation.

Ehrlichia type IV secretion effector ECH0825 is translocated to mitochondria and curbs ROS and apoptosis by upregulating host MnSOD

Ehrlichia chaffeensis infects monocytes/macrophages and causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis. To determine the role of type IV secretion (T4S) system in infection, candidates for T4S effectors were identified by bacterial two-hybrid screening of E. chaffeensis hypothetical proteins with positively charged C-terminus using E. chaffeensis VirD4 as bait. Of three potential T4S effectors, ECH0825 was highly upregulated early during exponential growth in a human monocytic cell line. ECH0825 was translocated from the bacterium into the host-cell cytoplasm and localized to mitochondria. Delivery of anti-ECH0825 into infected host cells significantly reduced bacterial infection. Ectopically expressed ECH0825 also localized to mitochondria and inhibited apoptosis of transfected cells in response to etoposide treatment. In double transformed yeast, ECH0825 localized to mitochondria and inhibited human Bax-induced apoptosis. Mitochondrial manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) was increased over ninefold in E. chaffeensis-infected cells, and the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in infected cells was significantly lower than that in uninfected cells. Similarly, MnSOD was upregulated and the ROS level was reduced in ECH0825-transfected cells. These data suggest that, by upregulating MnSOD, ECH0825 prevents ROS-induced cellular damage and apoptosis to allow intracellular infection. This is the first example of host ROS levels linked to a bacterial T4S effector.

Insights into the CtrA regulon in development of stress resistance in obligatory intracellular pathogen Ehrlichia chaffeensis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Ehrlichiae have a biphasic developmental cycle consisting of dense-cored cells (DCs) and reticulate cells (RCs). Isolated DCs are more stress resistant and infectious than RCs. Here, we report that a response regulator, CtrA was upregulated in human monocytes at the late growth stage when DCs develop. E. chaffeensis CtrA bound to the promoters of late-stage transcribed genes: ctrA, ompA (peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein), bolA (stress-induced morphogen) and surE (stationary-phase survival protein), which contain CtrA-binding motifs, and transactivated ompA, surE and bolA promoter-lacZ fusions in Escherichia coli. OmpA was predominantly expressed in DCs. E. chaffeensis binding to and subsequent infection of monocytes were inhibited by anti-OmpA IgG. E. chaffeensis BolA bound to the promoters of genes encoding outer surface proteins TRP120 and ECH_1038, which were expressed in DCs, and transactivated trp120 and ECH_1038 promoter-lacZ fusions. E. chaffeensis bolA complemented a stress-sensitive E. coli bolA mutant. E. coli expressing E. chaffeensis SurE exhibited increased resistance to osmotic stress. Our results suggest that E. chaffeensis CtrA plays a role in co-ordinating development of the stress resistance for passage from the present to the next host cells through its regulon.

New insight into immunity and immunopathology of Rickettsial diseases

Human rickettsial diseases comprise a variety of clinical entities caused by microorganisms belonging to the genera Rickettsia, Orientia, Ehrlichia, and Anaplasma. These microorganisms are characterized by a strictly intracellular location which has, for long, impaired their detailed study. In this paper, the critical steps taken by these microorganisms to play their pathogenic roles are discussed in detail on the basis of recent advances in our understanding of molecular Rickettsia-host interactions, preferential target cells, virulence mechanisms, three-dimensional structures of bacteria effector proteins, upstream signalling pathways and signal transduction systems, and modulation of gene expression. The roles of innate and adaptive immune responses are discussed, and potential new targets for therapies to block host-pathogen interactions and pathogen virulence mechanisms are considered.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis TRP120 interacts with a diverse array of eukaryotic proteins involved in transcription, signaling, and cytoskeleton organization

Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligately intracellular bacterium that exhibits tropism for mononuclear phagocytes and survives by evading host cell defense mechanisms. Recently, molecular interactions between E. chaffeensis 47-kDa tandem repeat (TR) protein (TRP47) and the eukaryotic host cell have been described. In this investigation, yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) two-hybrid analysis demonstrated that E. chaffeensis-secreted tandem repeat protein 120 (TRP120) interacts with a diverse group of host cell proteins associated with major biological processes, including transcription and regulation, cell signaling, protein trafficking, and actin cytoskeleton organization. Twelve target proteins with the highest frequency of interaction with TRP120 were confirmed by cotransformation in yeast. Host targets, including human immunoglobulin lambda locus (IGL), cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COX2), Golgi-associated gamma adaptin ear-containing ARF binding protein 1 (GGA1), polycomb group ring finger 5 (PCGF5), actin gamma 1 (ACTG1), and unc-13 homolog D (UNC13D; Caenorhabditis elegans), colocalized strongly with TRP120 in HeLa cells and with E. chaffeensis dense-cored morulae and areas adjacent to morulae in the host cytoplasm. The TR domain of TRP120 interacted only with PCGF5, indicating that distinct TRP120 domains contribute to specific host target interactions and that multiple domains are required to reconstitute TRP120 interactions with other host targets. Three previously defined molecular interactions between TRP47 and host proteins, PCGF5, IGLL1, and CAP1, were also associated with TRP120, demonstrating that molecular cross talk occurs between Ehrlichia TRPs and host targets. These findings further support the role of TRPs as effectors that reprogram the host cell.

Mechanisms of obligatory intracellular infection with Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Anaplasma phagocytophilum persists in nature by cycling between mammals and ticks. Human infection by the bite of an infected tick leads to a potentially fatal emerging disease called human granulocytic anaplasmosis. A. phagocytophilum is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that replicates inside mammalian granulocytes and the salivary gland and midgut cells of ticks. A. phagocytophilum evolved the remarkable ability to hijack the regulatory system of host cells. A. phagocytophilum alters vesicular traffic to create an intracellular membrane-bound compartment that allows replication in seclusion from lysosomes. The bacterium downregulates or actively inhibits a number of innate immune responses of mammalian host cells, and it upregulates cellular cholesterol uptake to acquire cholesterol for survival. It also upregulates several genes critical for the infection of ticks, and it prolongs tick survival at freezing temperatures. Several host factors that exacerbate infection have been identified, including interleukin-8 (IL-8) and cholesterol. Host factors that overcome infection include IL-12 and gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Two bacterial type IV secretion effectors and several bacterial proteins that associate with inclusion membranes have been identified. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying A. phagocytophilum infection will foster the development of creative ideas to prevent or treat this emerging tick-borne disease.

Molecular and cellular pathobiology of Ehrlichia infection: targets for new therapeutics and immunomodulation strategies

Ehrlichia are small obligately intracellular bacteria in the order Rickettsiales that are transmitted by ticks and associated with emerging life-threatening human zoonoses. Vaccines are not available for human ehrlichiosis, and therapeutic options are limited to a single antibiotic class. New technologies for exploring host-pathogen interactions have yielded recent advances in understanding the molecular interactions between Ehrlichia and the eukaryotic host cell and identified new targets for therapeutic and vaccine development, including those that target pathogen virulence mechanisms or disrupt the processes associated with ehrlichial effector proteins. Animal models have also provided insight into immunopathological mechanisms that contribute significantly to understanding severe disease manifestations, which should lead to the development of immunomodulatory approaches for treating patients nearing or experiencing severe disease states. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in our understanding of molecular and cellular pathobiology and the immunobiology of Ehrlichia infection. We identify new molecular host-pathogen interactions that can be targets of new therapeutics, and discuss prospects for treating the immunological dysregulation during acute infection that leads to life-threatening complications.

The type I NADH dehydrogenase of Mycobacterium tuberculosis counters phagosomal NOX2 activity to inhibit TNF-alpha-mediated host cell apoptosis

The capacity of infected cells to undergo apoptosis upon insult with a pathogen is an ancient innate immune defense mechanism. Consequently, the ability of persisting, intracellular pathogens such as the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) to inhibit infection-induced apoptosis of macrophages is important for virulence. The nuoG gene of Mtb, which encodes the NuoG subunit of the type I NADH dehydrogenase, NDH-1, is important in Mtb-mediated inhibition of host macrophage apoptosis, but the molecular mechanism of this host pathogen interaction remains elusive. Here we show that the apoptogenic phenotype of MtbDeltanuoG was significantly reduced in human macrophages treated with caspase-3 and -8 inhibitors, TNF-alpha-neutralizing antibodies, and also after infection of murine TNF(-/-) macrophages. Interestingly, incubation of macrophages with inhibitors of reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduced not only the apoptosis induced by the nuoG mutant, but also its capacity to increase macrophage TNF-alpha secretion. The MtbDeltanuoG phagosomes showed increased ROS levels compared to Mtb phagosomes in primary murine and human alveolar macrophages. The increase in MtbDeltanuoG induced ROS and apoptosis was abolished in NOX-2 deficient (gp91(-/-)) macrophages. These results suggest that Mtb, via a NuoG-dependent mechanism, can neutralize NOX2-derived ROS in order to inhibit TNF-alpha-mediated host cell apoptosis. Consistently, an Mtb mutant deficient in secreted catalase induced increases in phagosomal ROS and host cell apoptosis, both of which were dependent upon macrophage NOX-2 activity. In conclusion, these results serendipitously reveal a novel connection between NOX2 activity, phagosomal ROS, and TNF-alpha signaling during infection-induced apoptosis in macrophages. Furthermore, our study reveals a novel function of NOX2 activity in innate immunity beyond the initial respiratory burst, which is the sensing of persistent intracellular pathogens and subsequent induction of host cell apoptosis as a second line of defense.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis: subversive manipulators of host cells

Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. cause several emerging human infectious diseases. Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis are transmitted between mammals by blood-sucking ticks and replicate inside mammalian white blood cells and tick salivary-gland and midgut cells. Adaptation to a life in eukaryotic cells and transmission between hosts has been assisted by the deletion of many genes that are present in the genomes of free-living bacteria (including genes required for the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan), by the acquisition of a cholesterol uptake pathway and by the expansion of the repertoire of genes encoding the outer-membrane porins and type IV secretion system. Here, I review the specialized properties and other adaptations of these intracellular bacteria.

Molecular events involved in cellular invasion by Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum are obligatory intracellular bacteria that preferentially replicate inside leukocytes by utilizing biological compounds and processes of these primary host defensive cells. These bacteria incorporate cholesterol from the host for their survival. Upon interaction with host monocytes and granulocytes, respectively, these bacteria usurp the lipid raft domain containing GPI-anchored protein to induce a series of signaling events that result in internalization of the bacteria. Monocytes and neutrophils usually kill invading microorganisms by fusion of the phagosomes containing the bacteria with granules containing both antimicrobial peptides and lysosomal hydrolytic enzymes and/or through sequestering vital nutrients. However, E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum alter vesicular traffic to create a unique intracellular membrane-bound compartment that allows their replication in seclusion from lysosomal killing. These bacteria are quite sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS), so in order to survive in host cells that are primary mediators of ROS-induced killing, they inhibit activation of NADPH oxidase and assembly of this enzyme in their inclusion compartments. Moreover, host phagocyte activation and differentiation, apoptosis, and IFN-gamma signaling pathways are inhibited by these bacteria. Through reductive evolution, lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan that activate the innate immune response, have been eliminated from these gram-negative bacteria at the genomic level. Upon interaction with new host cells, bacterial genes encoding the Type IV secretion apparatus and the two-component regulatory system are up-regulated to sense and adapt to the host environment. Thus dynamic signal transduction events concurrently proceed both in the host cells and in the invading E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum bacteria for successful establishment of intracellular infection. Several bacterial surface-exposed proteins and porins are recently identified. Further functional studies on Ehrlichia and Anaplasma effector or ligand molecules and cognate host cell receptors will undoubtedly advance our understanding of the complex interplay between obligatory intracellular pathogens and their hosts. Such data can be applied towards treatment, diagnosis, and control of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.

Nuclear translocated Ehrlichia chaffeensis ankyrin protein interacts with a specific adenine-rich motif of host promoter and intronic Alu elements

Ehrlichiae are obligately intracellular bacteria that reside and replicate in phagocytes by circumventing host cell defenses and modulating cellular processes, including host cell gene transcription. However, the mechanisms by which ehrlichiae influence host gene transcription have largely remained undetermined. Numerous ankyrin and tandem repeat-containing proteins associated with host-pathogen interactions have been identified in Ehrlichia species, but their roles in pathobiology are unknown. In this study, we determined by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy and by immunodetection in purified nuclear extracts that the ankyrin repeat-containing protein p200 is translocated to the nuclei of Ehrlichia-infected monocytes. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) with DNA sequencing revealed an Ehrlichia chaffeensis p200 interaction located within host promoter and intronic Alu-Sx elements, the most abundant repetitive elements in the human genome. A specific adenine-rich (mid-A-stretch) motif within Alu-Sx elements was identified using electrophoretic mobility shift and NoShift assays. Whole-genome analysis with ChIP and DNA microarray analysis (ChIP-chip) determined that genes (n = 456) with promoter Alu elements primarily related to transcription, apoptosis, ATPase activity, and structural proteins associated with the nucleus and membrane-bound organelles were the primary targets of p200. Several p200 target genes (encoding tumor necrosis factor alpha, Stat1, and CD48) associated with ehrlichial pathobiology were strongly upregulated during infection, as determined by quantitative PCR. This is the first study to identify a nuclear translocation of bacterially encoded protein by E. chaffeensis and to identify a specific binding motif and genes that are primary targets of a novel molecular strategy to reprogram host cell gene expression to promote survival of the pathogen.

Type IV secretion system of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis

The intracellular bacterial pathogens Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum have evolved to infect leukocytes and hijack biological compounds and processes of these host defensive cells. Bacterial type IV secretion (T4S) system transports macromolecules across the membrane in an ATP-dependent manner and is increasingly recognized as a virulence factor delivery mechanism that allows pathogens to modulate eukaryotic cell functions for their own benefit. Genes encoding T4S system homologous to those of a plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens have been identified in E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum. Upon interaction with new host cells, E. chaffeensis and A. phagocytophilum genes encoding the T4S apparatus are upregulated. The delivered macromolecules are referred to as T4S substrates, or effectors, because they affect and alter basic host cellular processes, resulting in disease development. Recently, A. phagocytophilum 160-kDa AnkA protein was to be delivered by T4S system into the host cytoplasm. Thus, dynamic signal transduction events are likely induced by T4S substrates in the host cells for successful establishment of intracellular infection. Further studies on Ehrlichia and Anaplasma T4S effectors cognate host cell molecules will undoubtedly advance our understanding of the complex interplay between obligatory intracellular pathogens and their hosts. Such data can be applied toward treatment, diagnosis, and control of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis.

Inhibition of the human neutrophil NADPH oxidase by Coxiella burnetii

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative pathogen. A notable feature of C. burnetii is its ability to replicate within acidic phagolysosomes; however, the mechanisms utilized in evading host defenses are not well defined. Here, we investigated human neutrophil phagocytosis of C. burnetii (Nine Mile, phase II; NMII) and the effect of phagocytosed organisms on neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We found that opsonization with immune serum substantially enhanced phagocytosis of NMII. Human neutrophils phagocytosing opsonized NMII generated very little ROS compared to cells phagocytosing opsonized Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, or zymosan. However, phagocytosis of NMII did not affect the subsequent ROS response to a soluble agonist, indicating inhibition was localized to the phagolysosome and was not a global effect. Indeed, analysis of NADPH oxidase assembly in neutrophils after phagocytosis showed that translocation of cytosolic NADPH oxidase proteins, p47(phox) and p67(phox), to the membrane was absent in cells phagocytosing NMII, as compared to cells phagocytosing S. aureus or activated by phorbol myristate acetate. Thus, phagocytosed NMII is able to disrupt assembly of the human neutrophil NADPH oxidase, which represents a novel virulence mechanism for this organism and appears to be a common mechanism of virulence for many intracellular pathogens.