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Hiller NL, Orihuela CJ. Biological puzzles solved by using Streptococcus pneumoniae: a historical review of the pneumococcal studies that have impacted medicine and shaped molecular bacteriology. J Bacteriol 2024; 206:e0005924. [PMID: 38809015 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00059-24] [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] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
The major human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae has been the subject of intensive clinical and basic scientific study for over 140 years. In multiple instances, these efforts have resulted in major breakthroughs in our understanding of basic biological principles as well as fundamental tenets of bacterial pathogenesis, immunology, vaccinology, and genetics. Discoveries made with S. pneumoniae have led to multiple major public health victories that have saved the lives of millions. Studies on S. pneumoniae continue today, where this bacterium is being used to dissect the impact of the host on disease processes, as a powerful cell biology model, and to better understand the consequence of human actions on commensal bacteria at the population level. Herein we review the major findings, i.e., puzzle pieces, made with S. pneumoniae and how, over the years, they have come together to shape our understanding of this bacterium's biology and the practice of medicine and modern molecular biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Luisa Hiller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Carlos J Orihuela
- Department of Microbiology, Heersink School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
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2
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Mutua TM, Kulohoma BW. Differences in genetic flux in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae associated with bacteraemia and meningitis. Heliyon 2022; 8:e12229. [PMID: 36593853 PMCID: PMC9803773 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12229] [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: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genetic flux, a crucial process of pneumococcal evolution, is an essential aspect of bacterial physiology during human pathogenesis. However, the role of these genetic changes and the selective forces that drive them is not fully understood. Elucidating the underlying selective forces that determine the magnitude and direction (gene gain or loss) of gene transfer is important for better understanding the pathogenesis process, and may also highlight potential therapeutic and diagnostic targets. Methods Here, we leveraged data from high throughput genome sequencing and robust probabilistic models to discover the magnitude and likely direction of genetic flux events, but not the source, in 209 multi-lineage invasive pneumococcal genomes generated from blood (n = 147) and CSF (n = 62) isolates, associated with bacteremia and meningitis respectively. The Gain and Loss Mapping Engine (GLOOME) was used to infer gene gain and loss more accurately by taking into account differences in rates of gene gain and loss among gene families, as well as independent evolution within and across lineages. Results Our results show the likely extent and direction of gene fluctuations at different niche, during pneumococcal pathogenesis, highlighting that evolutionary dynamics are important for tissue-specific host invasion and survival. Conclusion These findings improve insights on evolutionary dynamics during invasive pneumococcal disease, and highlight potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.
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Absence of Streptococcus pneumoniae Capsule Increases Bacterial Binding, Persistence, and Inflammation in Corneal Infection. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10040710. [PMID: 35456761 PMCID: PMC9025271 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10040710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of the pneumococcal polysaccharide capsule is largely unclear for Streptococcus pneumoniae keratitis, an ocular inflammatory disease that develops as a result of bacterial infection of the cornea. In this study, capsule-deficient strains were compared to isogenic parent strains in their ability to adhere to human corneal epithelial cells. One isogenic pair was further used in topical ocular infection of mice to assess the contribution of the capsule to keratitis. The results showed that non-encapsulated pneumococci were significantly more adherent to cells, persisted in significantly higher numbers on mouse corneas in vivo, and caused significant increases in murine ocular IL9, IL10, IL12-p70, MIG, and MIP-1-gamma compared to encapsulated S. pneumoniae. These findings indicate that the bacterial capsule impedes virulence and the absence of capsule impacts inflammation following corneal infection.
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Järvå MA, Hirt H, Dunny GM, Berntsson RPA. Polymer Adhesin Domains in Gram-Positive Cell Surface Proteins. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:599899. [PMID: 33324381 PMCID: PMC7726212 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.599899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Surface proteins in Gram-positive bacteria are often involved in biofilm formation, host-cell interactions, and surface attachment. Here we review a protein module found in surface proteins that are often encoded on various mobile genetic elements like conjugative plasmids. This module binds to different types of polymers like DNA, lipoteichoic acid and glucans, and is here termed polymer adhesin domain. We analyze all proteins that contain a polymer adhesin domain and classify the proteins into distinct classes based on phylogenetic and protein domain analysis. Protein function and ligand binding show class specificity, information that will be useful in determining the function of the large number of so far uncharacterized proteins containing a polymer adhesin domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A Järvå
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Helmut Hirt
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Gary M Dunny
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Ronnie P-A Berntsson
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.,Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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Ung L, Bispo PJM, Bryan NC, Andre C, Chodosh J, Gilmore MS. The Best of All Worlds: Streptococcus pneumoniae Conjunctivitis through the Lens of Community Ecology and Microbial Biogeography. Microorganisms 2019; 8:microorganisms8010046. [PMID: 31881682 PMCID: PMC7022640 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms8010046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of the forces which govern the geographical distributions of life is known as biogeography, a subject which has fascinated zoologists, botanists and ecologists for centuries. Advances in our understanding of community ecology and biogeography—supported by rapid improvements in next generation sequencing technology—have now made it possible to identify and explain where and why life exists as it does, including within the microbial world. In this review, we highlight how a unified model of microbial biogeography, one which incorporates the classic ecological principles of selection, diversification, dispersion and ecological drift, can be used to explain community dynamics in the settings of both health and disease. These concepts operate on a multiplicity of temporal and spatial scales, and together form a powerful lens through which to study microbial population structures even at the finest anatomical resolutions. When applied specifically to curious strains of conjunctivitis-causing, nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae, we show how this conceptual framework can be used to explain the possible evolutionary and disease-causing mechanisms which allowed these lineages to colonize and invade a separate biogeography. An intimate knowledge of this radical bifurcation in phylogeny, still the only known niche subspecialization for S. pneumoniae to date, is critical to understanding the pathogenesis of ocular surface infections, nature of host-pathogen interactions, and developing strategies to curb disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawson Ung
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; (L.U.); (P.J.M.B.); (C.A.); (J.C.)
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - Paulo J. M. Bispo
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; (L.U.); (P.J.M.B.); (C.A.); (J.C.)
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - Noelle C. Bryan
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Camille Andre
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; (L.U.); (P.J.M.B.); (C.A.); (J.C.)
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - James Chodosh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; (L.U.); (P.J.M.B.); (C.A.); (J.C.)
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
| | - Michael S. Gilmore
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA; (L.U.); (P.J.M.B.); (C.A.); (J.C.)
- Infectious Disease Institute, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-617-523-7900
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Brothers KM, Callaghan JD, Stella NA, Bachinsky JM, AlHigaylan M, Lehner KL, Franks JM, Lathrop KL, Collins E, Schmitt DM, Horzempa J, Shanks RMQ. Blowing epithelial cell bubbles with GumB: ShlA-family pore-forming toxins induce blebbing and rapid cellular death in corneal epithelial cells. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1007825. [PMID: 31220184 PMCID: PMC6586354 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Medical devices, such as contact lenses, bring bacteria in direct contact with human cells. Consequences of these host-pathogen interactions include the alteration of mammalian cell surface architecture and induction of cellular death that renders tissues more susceptible to infection. Gram-negative bacteria known to induce cellular blebbing by mammalian cells, Pseudomonas and Vibrio species, do so through a type III secretion system-dependent mechanism. This study demonstrates that a subset of bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae bacterial family induce cellular death and membrane blebs in a variety of cell types via a type V secretion-system dependent mechanism. Here, we report that ShlA-family cytolysins from Proteus mirabilis and Serratia marcescens were required to induce membrane blebbling and cell death. Blebbing and cellular death were blocked by an antioxidant and RIP-1 and MLKL inhibitors, implicating necroptosis in the observed phenotypes. Additional genetic studies determined that an IgaA family stress-response protein, GumB, was necessary to induce blebs. Data supported a model where GumB and shlBA are in a regulatory circuit through the Rcs stress response phosphorelay system required for bleb formation and pathogenesis in an invertebrate model of infection and proliferation in a phagocytic cell line. This study introduces GumB as a regulator of S. marcescens host-pathogen interactions and demonstrates a common type V secretion system-dependent mechanism by which bacteria elicit surface morphological changes on mammalian cells. This type V secretion-system mechanism likely contributes bacterial damage to the corneal epithelial layer, and enables access to deeper parts of the tissue that are more susceptible to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly M. Brothers
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Jake D. Callaghan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Nicholas A. Stella
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Julianna M. Bachinsky
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Mohammed AlHigaylan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Kara L. Lehner
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
| | - Jonathan M. Franks
- Center for Biological Imaging, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
| | - Kira L. Lathrop
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
| | - Elliot Collins
- Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV United States of America
| | - Deanna M. Schmitt
- Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV United States of America
| | - Joseph Horzempa
- Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, West Liberty University, West Liberty, WV United States of America
| | - Robert M. Q. Shanks
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA United States of America
- Charles T. Campbell Laboratory of Ophthalmic Microbiology
- * E-mail:
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The Role of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in Ocular Infectious Diseases. Interdiscip Perspect Infect Dis 2018; 2018:2525173. [PMID: 30538741 PMCID: PMC6257906 DOI: 10.1155/2018/2525173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic pathogen that can cause severe infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, septicemia, and middle ear infections. It is also one of the top pathogens contributing to bacterial keratitis and conjunctivitis. Though two pneumococcal vaccines exist for the prevention of nonocular diseases, they do little to fully prevent ocular infections. This pathogen has several virulence factors that wreak havoc on the conjunctiva, cornea, and intraocular system. Polysaccharide capsule aids in the evasion of host complement system. Pneumolysin (PLY) is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin that acts as pore-forming toxin. Neuraminidases assist in adherence and colonization by exposing cell surface receptors to the pneumococcus. Zinc metalloproteinases contribute to evasion of the immune system and disease severity. The main purpose of this review is to consolidate the multiple studies that have been conducted on several pneumococcal virulence factors and the role each plays in conjunctivitis, keratitis, and endophthalmitis.
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Hiller NL, Sá-Leão R. Puzzling Over the Pneumococcal Pangenome. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:2580. [PMID: 30425695 PMCID: PMC6218428 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gram positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major human pathogen. It is a common colonizer of the human host, and in the nasopharynx, sinus, and middle ear it survives as a biofilm. This mode of growth is optimal for multi-strain colonization and genetic exchange. Over the last decades, the far-reaching use of antibiotics and the widespread implementation of pneumococcal multivalent conjugate vaccines have posed considerable selective pressure on pneumococci. This scenario provides an exceptional opportunity to study the evolution of the pangenome of a clinically important bacterium, and has the potential to serve as a case study for other species. The goal of this review is to highlight key findings in the studies of pneumococcal genomic diversity and plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. Luisa Hiller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center of Excellence in Biofilm Research, Allegheny Health Network, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Raquel Sá-Leão
- Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology of Human Pathogens, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (ITQB NOVA), Oeiras, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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9
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Zhi X, Abdullah IT, Gazioglu O, Manzoor I, Shafeeq S, Kuipers OP, Hiller NL, Andrew PW, Yesilkaya H. Rgg-Shp regulators are important for pneumococcal colonization and invasion through their effect on mannose utilization and capsule synthesis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6369. [PMID: 29686372 PMCID: PMC5913232 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24910-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbes communicate with each other by using quorum sensing (QS) systems and modulate their collective 'behavior' for in-host colonization and virulence, biofilm formation, and environmental adaptation. The recent increase in genome data availability reveals the presence of several putative QS sensing circuits in microbial pathogens, but many of these have not been functionally characterized yet, despite their possible utility as drug targets. To increase the repertoire of functionally characterized QS systems in bacteria, we studied Rgg144/Shp144 and Rgg939/Shp939, two putative QS systems in the important human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. We find that both of these QS circuits are induced by short hydrophobic peptides (Shp) upon sensing sugars found in the respiratory tract, such as galactose and mannose. Microarray analyses using cultures grown on mannose and galactose revealed that the expression of a large number of genes is controlled by these QS systems, especially those encoding for essential physiological functions and virulence-related genes such as the capsular locus. Moreover, the array data revealed evidence for cross-talk between these systems. Finally, these Rgg systems play a key role in colonization and virulence, as deletion mutants of these QS systems are attenuated in the mouse models of colonization and pneumonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyun Zhi
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Iman Tajer Abdullah
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Kirkuk, Kirkuk, Iraq
| | - Ozcan Gazioglu
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Irfan Manzoor
- Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sulman Shafeeq
- Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Oscar P Kuipers
- Molecular Genetics, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - N Luisa Hiller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Peter W Andrew
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK
| | - Hasan Yesilkaya
- Department of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 9HN, UK.
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