1
|
Persson A, Koivula T, Jacobsson S, Stenmark B. Diverse proinflammatory response in pharyngeal epithelial cells upon interaction with Neisseria meningitidis carriage and invasive isolates. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24:286. [PMID: 38443838 PMCID: PMC10916014 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-09186-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), including sepsis and meningitis, can develop when Neisseria meningitidis bacteria breach the barrier and gain access to the circulation. While IMD is a rare outcome of bacterial exposure, colonization of the oropharynx is present in approximately 10% of the human population. This asymptomatic carriage can be long or short term, and it is unknown which determining factors regulate bacterial colonization. Despite descriptions of many bacterial virulence factors and recent advances in detailed genetic identification and characterization of bacteria, the factors mediating invasion and disease vs. asymptomatic carriage following bacterial colonization remain unknown. The pharyngeal epithelia play a role in the innate immune defense against pathogens, and the aim of this study was to investigate the proinflammatory response of pharyngeal epithelial cells following meningococcal exposure to describe the potential inflammatory mediation performed during the initial host‒pathogen interaction. Clinically relevant isolates of serogroups B, C, W and Y, derived from patients with meningococcal disease as well as asymptomatic carriers, were included in the study. RESULTS The most potent cellular response with proinflammatory secretion of TNF, IL-6, CXCL8, CCL2, IL-1β and IL-18 was found in response to invasive serogroup B isolates. This potent response pattern was also mirrored by increased bacterial adhesion to cells as well as induced cell death. It was, however, only with serogroup B isolates where the most potent cellular response was toward the IMD isolates. In contrast, the most potent cellular response using serogroup Y isolates was directed toward the carriage isolates rather than the IMD isolates. In addition, by comparing isolates from outbreaks in Sweden (epidemiologically linked and highly genetically similar), we found the most potent proinflammatory response in cells exposed to carriage isolates rather than the IMD isolates. CONCLUSION Although certain expected correlations between host‒pathogen interactions and cellular proinflammatory responses were found using IMD serogroup B isolates, our data indicate that carriage isolates invoke stronger proinflammatory activation of the epithelial lining than IMD isolates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Persson
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
- Inflammatory Response and Infection Susceptibility Centre (iRiSC), Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Therese Koivula
- School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Inflammatory Response and Infection Susceptibility Centre (iRiSC), Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Jacobsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Bianca Stenmark
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Huang Z, Yu K, Lan R, Glenn Morris J, Xiao Y, Ye J, Zhang L, Luo L, Gao H, Bai X, Wang D. Vibrio metschnikovii as an emergent pathogen: analyses of phylogeny and O-antigen and identification of possible virulence characteristics. Emerg Microbes Infect 2023; 12:2252522. [PMID: 37616379 PMCID: PMC10484048 DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2252522] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
Vibrio metschnikovii is an emergent pathogen that causes human infections which may be fatal. However, the phylogenetic characteristics and pathogenicity determinants of V. metschnikovii are poorly understood. Here, the whole-genome features of 103 V. metschnikovii strains isolated from different sources are described. On phylogenetic analysis V. metschnikovii populations could be divided into two major lineages, defined as lineage 1 (L1) and 2 (L2), of which L1 was more likely to be associated with human activity. Meanwhile, we defined 29 V. metschnikovii O-genotypes (VMOg, named VMOg1-VMOg29) by analysis of the O-antigen biosynthesis gene clusters (O-AGCs). Most VMOgs (VMOg1 to VMOg28) were assembled by the Wzx/Wzy pathway, while only VMOg29 used the ABC transporter pathway. Based on the sequence variation of the wzx and wzt genes, an in silico O-genotyping system for V. metschnikovii was developed. Furthermore, nineteen virulence-associated factors involving 161 genes were identified within the V. metschnikovii genomes, including genes encoding motility, adherence, toxins, and secretion systems. In particular, V. metschnikovii was found to promote a high level of cytotoxicity through the synergistic action of the lateral flagella and T6SS. The lateral flagellar-associated flhA gene played an important role in the adhesion and colonization of V. metschnikovii during the early stages of infection. Overall, this study provides an enhanced understanding of the genomic evolution, O-AGCs diversity, and potential pathogenic features of V. metschnikovii.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zhenzhou Huang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Hangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Keyi Yu
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruiting Lan
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - J. Glenn Morris
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Yue Xiao
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Julian Ye
- Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Leyi Zhang
- Wenzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Wenzhou, People’s Republic of China
| | - Longze Luo
- Sichuan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China
| | - He Gao
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xuemei Bai
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| | - Duochun Wang
- National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), State Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
- Center for Human Pathogenic Culture Collection, China CDC, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Guo P, Xu J, Liang H, Xu L, Gao W, Chen Z, Gao Y, Zhang M, Yu G, Shao Z. Estrogen Suppresses Cytokines Release in cc4821 Neisseria meningitidis Infection via TLR4 and ERβ-p38-MAPK Pathway. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:834091. [PMID: 35422784 PMCID: PMC9002303 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.834091] [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: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogen has long been known to possess immune-modulatory effects in diseases, and multiple pathological conditions show great sex disparities. However, the impact of estrogen in Neisseria meningitidis infection has not been determined. The present study aimed to investigate the role of estrogen in N. meningitidis infection and the molecular mechanism. We selected 35 N. meningitidis isolates representing different clonal complexes (cc), serogroups, and isolation sources to infect the HBMEC cell line. Results showed that the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) β in N. meningitidis-infected cells was downregulated compared with that in normal cells. The expression of ERβ induced by invasive isolates was lower than that in carriers. Serogroup C isolates induced the lowest expression of ERβ compared with serogroup A and B isolates. We used four cc4821 N. meningitidis isolates to infect two kinds of host cells (human brain microvascular endothelial cells and meningeal epithelial cells). The results showed that 17 β-estradiol (E2) could inhibit the release of inflammatory factors interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α after N. meningitidis infection via TLR4. E2 could inhibit the activation of the p38-MAPK signal pathway induced by N. meningitidis infection through binding to ERβ, and significantly inhibit the release of inflammatory factors in N. meningitidis-infected host cells. This study demonstrated that estrogen plays a protective role in N. meningitidis infection. ERβ is potentially associated with the release of inflammatory cytokines in N. meningitidis infection, which sheds light on a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of invasive diseases caused by N. meningitidis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pengbo Guo
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Juan Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Liang
- Department of Microbiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Li Xu
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Wanying Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Ziman Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Gao
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Maojun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Guangfu Yu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Zhujun Shao
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|