Whole genome transcription profiling of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in human and tick host cells by tiling array analysis

Current vaccines, experimental immunization trials, and new perspectives to control selected vector borne blood parasites of veterinary importance

Parasite infections transmitted by vectors such as ticks and blood-sucking arthropods pose a significant threat to both human and animal health worldwide and have a substantial economic impact, particularly in the context of worsening environmental conditions. These infections can manifest in a variety of symptoms, including fever, anemia, jaundice, enlarged spleen, neurological disorders, and lymphatic issues, and can have varying mortality rates. In this review, we will focus on the current state of available vaccines, vaccine research approaches, and trials for diseases caused by vector-borne blood parasites, such as Babesia, Theileria, Anaplasma, and Trypanosoma, in farm animals. Control measures for these infections primarily rely on vector control, parasiticidal drug treatments, and vaccinations for disease prevention. However, many of these approaches have limitations, such as environmental concerns associated with the use of parasiticides, acaricides, and insecticides. Additionally, while some vaccines for blood parasites are already available, they still have several drawbacks, including practicality issues, unsuitability in non-endemic areas, and concerns about spreading other infectious agents, particularly in the case of live vaccines. This article highlights recent efforts to develop vaccines for controlling blood parasites in animals. The focus is on vaccine development approaches that show promise, including those based on recombinant antigens, vectored vaccines, and live attenuated or genetically modified parasites. Despite intensive research, developing effective subunit vaccines against blood stage parasites remains a challenge. By learning from previous vaccine development efforts and using emerging technologies to define immune mechanisms of protection, appropriate adjuvants, and protective antigens, we can expand our toolkit for controlling these burdensome diseases.

Genome sequence of Ehrlichia muris from Ixodes ricinus collected in Italy on a migratory bird provides epidemiological and evolutionary insights

Ticks are prominent vectors of several zoonotic diseases. Tick-borne pathogens include the members of the genus Ehrlichia, which are obligate intracellular bacteria infecting immune and hematopoietic cells. Ehrlichia muris predominantly affects rodents, but was also reported to be a human pathogen. The known geographical distribution of this bacterium ranges from Asia, to the USA and eastern Europe. In the present work, we report the finding of E. muris in an Ixodes ricinus tick collected from a migratory bird (Turdus iliacus) in Italy, southern Europe. We sequenced the total DNA from this tick sample, and, thanks to a dedicated bioinformatic pipeline, selectively assembled the genome of the bacterium, which represents the first one for E. muris from Europe. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analyses were then performed. Accounting for tick species distribution, bird migratory routes, and molecular phylogeny of the bacterium, it is likely that this bird transported the tick to Italy from an endemic area of E. muris, such as eastern Europe. In addition, comparative genomic analyses highlighted that E. muris and other Ehrlichia spp. display copy number variations in two families of membrane proteins, likely due to recent gene duplication, deletion and recombination events. These differences are probably a source of variability for surface antigens to evade host immunity, with a potential role in host adaptation and specificity. The present results underline the impact of migratory birds on the spread of tick-borne pathogens towards non-endemic areas, highlighting the need for further epidemiological surveillance at bird ringing stations in Italy, and advocating further investigations on possible local transmission of E. muris in competent mammalian hosts.

An Anaplasma phagocytophilum T4SS effector, AteA, is essential for tick infection

IMPORTANCE

Ticks are the number one vector of pathogens for livestock worldwide and for humans in the United States. The biology of tick transmission is an understudied area. Understanding this critical interaction could provide opportunities to affect the course of disease spread. In this study, we examined the zoonotic tick-borne agent Anaplasma phagocytophilum and identified a secreted protein, AteA, which is expressed in a tick-specific manner. These secreted proteins, termed effectors, are the first proteins to interact with the host environment. AteA is essential for survival in ticks and appears to interact with cortical actin. Most effector proteins are studied in the context of the mammalian host; however, understanding how this unique set of proteins affects tick transmission is critical to developing interventions.

Enhancement of Cell Adhesion by Anaplasma phagocytophilum Nucleolin-Interacting Protein AFAP

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the aetiologic agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium. During infection, A. phagocytophilum enhances the adhesion of neutrophils to the infected endothelial cells. However, the bacterial factors contributing to this phenomenon remain unknown. In this study, we characterized a type IV secretion system substrate of A. phagocytophilum, AFAP (an actin filament-associated Anaplasma phagocytophilum protein) and found that it dynamically changed its pattern and subcellular location in cells and enhanced cell adhesion. Tandem affinity purification combined with mass spectrometry identified host nucleolin as an AFAP-interacting protein. Further study showed the disruption of nucleolin by RNA interference, and the treatment of a nucleolin-binding DNA aptamer AS1411 attenuated AFAP-mediated cell adhesion, indicating that AFAP enhanced cell adhesion in a nucleolin-dependent manner. The characterization of cell adhesion-enhancing AFAP and the identification of host nucleolin as its interaction partner may help understand the mechanism underlying A. phagocytophilum-promoting cell adhesion, facilitating the elucidation of HGA pathogenesis.

Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Control of Canine Infectious Cyclic Thrombocytopenia and Granulocytic Anaplasmosis: Emerging Diseases of Veterinary and Public Health Significance

This review highlights the diagnostic methods used, the control strategies adopted, and the global epidemiological status of canine cyclic thrombocytopenia and granulocytic anaplasmosis at the animal–human interface. Canine anaplasmosis is an important worldwide disease, mainly caused by Anaplasma platys and A. phagocytophilum with zoonotic implications. A. platys chiefly infects platelets in canids, while A. phagocytophilum is the most common zoonotic pathogen infecting neutrophils of various vertebrate hosts. Diagnosis is based on the identification of clinical signs, the recognition of intracellular inclusions observed by microscopic observation of stained blood smear, and/or methods detecting antibodies or nucleic acids, although DNA sequencing is usually required to confirm the pathogenic strain. Serological cross-reactivity is the main problem in serodiagnosis. Prevalence varies from area to area depending on tick exposure. Tetracyclines are significant drugs for human and animal anaplasmosis. No universal vaccine is yet available that protects against diverse geographic strains. The control of canine anaplasmosis therefore relies on the detection of vectors/reservoirs, control of tick vectors, and prevention of iatrogenic/mechanical transmission. The control strategies for human anaplasmosis include reducing high-risk tick contact activities (such as gardening and hiking), careful blood transfusion, by passing immunosuppression, recognizing, and control of reservoirs/vectors.

Biostatistical prediction of genes essential for growth of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in a human promyelocytic cell line using a random transposon mutant library

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap), agent of human anaplasmosis, is an intracellular bacterium that causes the second most common tick-borne illness in North America. To address the lack of a genetic system for these pathogens, we used random Himar1 transposon mutagenesis to generate a library of Ap mutants capable of replicating in human promyelocytes (HL-60 cells). Illumina sequencing identified 1195 non-randomly distributed insertions. As the density of mutants was non-saturating, genes without insertions were either essential for Ap, or spared randomly. To resolve this question, we applied a biostatistical method for prediction of essential genes. Since the chances that a transposon was inserted into genomic TA dinucleotide sites should be the same for all loci, we used a Markov chain Monte Carlo model to estimate the probability that a non-mutated gene was essential for Ap. Predicted essential genes included those coding for structural ribosomal proteins, enzymes involved in metabolism, components of the type IV secretion system, antioxidant defense molecules and hypothetical proteins. We have used an in silico post-genomic approach to predict genes with high probability of being essential for replication of Ap in HL-60 cells. These results will help target genes to investigate their role in the pathogenesis of human anaplasmosis.

The genus Anaplasma: drawing back the curtain on tick-pathogen interactions

Tick-borne illnesses pose a serious concern to human and veterinary health and their prevalence is on the rise. The interactions between ticks and the pathogens they carry are largely undefined. However, the genus Anaplasma, a group of tick-borne bacteria, has been instrumental in uncovering novel paradigms in tick biology. The emergence of sophisticated technologies and the convergence of entomology with microbiology, immunology, metabolism and systems biology has brought tick-Anaplasma interactions to the forefront of vector biology with broader implications for the infectious disease community. Here, we discuss the use of Anaplasma as an instrument for the elucidation of novel principles in arthropod-microbe interactions. We offer an outlook of the primary areas of study, outstanding questions and future research directions.

Comparative Analysis of Genome of Ehrlichia sp. HF, a Model Bacterium to Study Fatal Human Ehrlichiosis

BACKGROUND

The genus Ehrlichia consists of tick-borne obligatory intracellular bacteria that can cause deadly diseases of medical and agricultural importance. Ehrlichia sp. HF, isolated from Ixodes ovatus ticks in Japan [also referred to as I. ovatus Ehrlichia (IOE) agent], causes acute fatal infection in laboratory mice that resembles acute fatal human monocytic ehrlichiosis caused by Ehrlichia chaffeensis. As there is no small laboratory animal model to study fatal human ehrlichiosis, Ehrlichia sp. HF provides a needed disease model. However, the inability to culture Ehrlichia sp. HF and the lack of genomic information have been a barrier to advance this animal model. In addition, Ehrlichia sp. HF has several designations in the literature as it lacks a taxonomically recognized name.

RESULTS

We stably cultured Ehrlichia sp. HF in canine histiocytic leukemia DH82 cells from the HF strain-infected mice, and determined its complete genome sequence. Ehrlichia sp. HF has a single double-stranded circular chromosome of 1,148,904 bp, which encodes 866 proteins with a similar metabolic potential as E. chaffeensis. Ehrlichia sp. HF encodes homologs of all virulence factors identified in E. chaffeensis, including 23 paralogs of P28/OMP-1 family outer membrane proteins, type IV secretion system apparatus and effector proteins, two-component systems, ankyrin-repeat proteins, and tandem repeat proteins. Ehrlichia sp. HF is a novel species in the genus Ehrlichia, as demonstrated through whole genome comparisons with six representative Ehrlichia species, subspecies, and strains, using average nucleotide identity, digital DNA-DNA hybridization, and core genome alignment sequence identity.

CONCLUSIONS

The genome of Ehrlichia sp. HF encodes all known virulence factors found in E. chaffeensis, substantiating it as a model Ehrlichia species to study fatal human ehrlichiosis. Comparisons between Ehrlichia sp. HF and E. chaffeensis will enable identification of in vivo virulence factors that are related to host specificity, disease severity, and host inflammatory responses. We propose to name Ehrlichia sp. HF as Ehrlichia japonica sp. nov. (type strain HF), to denote the geographic region where this bacterium was initially isolated.

Disruption of VirB6 Paralogs in Anaplasma phagocytophilum Attenuates Its Growth

Knowledge of the T4SS is derived from model systems, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The structure of the T4SS in Rickettsiales differs from the classical arrangement. These differences include missing and duplicated components with structural alterations. Particularly, two sequenced virB6-4 genes encode unusual C-terminal structural extensions resulting in proteins of 4,322 (GenBank accession number AGR79286.1) and 9,935 (GenBank accession number ANC34101.1) amino acids. To understand how the T4SS is used in A. phagocytophilum, we describe the expression of the virB6 paralogs and explore their role as the bacteria replicate within its host cell. Conclusions about the importance of these paralogs for colonization of human and tick cells are supported by the deficient phenotype of an A. phagocytophilum mutant isolated from a sequence-defined transposon insertion library.

Many pathogenic bacteria translocate virulence factors into their eukaryotic hosts by means of type IV secretion systems (T4SS) spanning the inner and outer membranes. Genes encoding components of these systems have been identified within the order Rickettsiales based upon their sequence similarities to other prototypical systems. Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains are obligate intracellular, tick-borne bacteria that are members of this order. The organization of these components at the genomic level was determined in several Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains, showing overall conservation, with the exceptions of the virB2 and virB6 genes. The virB6 loci are characterized by the presence of four virB6 copies (virB6-1 through virB6-4) arranged in tandem within a gene cluster known as the sodB-virB operon. Interestingly, the virB6-4 gene varies significantly in length among different strains due to extensive tandem repeats at the 3′ end. To gain an understanding of how these enigmatic virB6 genes function in A. phagocytophilum, we investigated their expression in infected human and tick cells. Our results show that these genes are expressed by A. phagocytophilum replicating in both cell types and that VirB6-3 and VirB6-4 proteins are surface exposed. Analysis of an A. phagocytophilum mutant carrying the Himar1 transposon within the virB6-4 gene demonstrated that the insertion not only disrupted its expression but also exerted a polar effect on the sodB-virB operon. Moreover, the altered expression of genes within this operon was associated with the attenuated in vitro growth of A. phagocytophilum in human and tick cells, indicating the importance of these genes in the physiology of this obligate intracellular bacterium in such different environments.

IMPORTANCE Knowledge of the T4SS is derived from model systems, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The structure of the T4SS in Rickettsiales differs from the classical arrangement. These differences include missing and duplicated components with structural alterations. Particularly, two sequenced virB6-4 genes encode unusual C-terminal structural extensions resulting in proteins of 4,322 (GenBank accession number AGR79286.1) and 9,935 (GenBank accession number ANC34101.1) amino acids. To understand how the T4SS is used in A. phagocytophilum, we describe the expression of the virB6 paralogs and explore their role as the bacteria replicate within its host cell. Conclusions about the importance of these paralogs for colonization of human and tick cells are supported by the deficient phenotype of an A. phagocytophilum mutant isolated from a sequence-defined transposon insertion library.

Comparative transcriptomic analysis of Rickettsia conorii during in vitro infection of human and tick host cells

BACKGROUND

Pathogenic Rickettsia species belonging to the spotted fever group are arthropod-borne, obligate intracellular bacteria which exhibit preferential tropism for host microvascular endothelium in the mammalian hosts, resulting in disease manifestations attributed primarily to endothelial damage or dysfunction. Although rickettsiae are known to undergo evolution through genomic reduction, the mechanisms by which these pathogens regulate their transcriptome to ensure survival in tick vectors and maintenance by transovarial/transstadial transmission, in contrast to their ability to cause debilitating infections in human hosts remain unknown. In this study, we compare the expression profiles of rickettsial sRNAome/transcriptome and determine the transcriptional start sites (TSSs) of R. conorii transcripts during in vitro infection of human and tick host cells.

RESULTS

We performed deep sequencing on total RNA from Amblyomma americanum AAE2 cells and human microvascular endothelial cells (HMECs) infected with R. conorii. Strand-specific RNA sequencing of R. conorii transcripts revealed the expression 32 small RNAs (Rc_sR's), which were preferentially expressed above the limit of detection during tick cell infection, and confirmed the expression of Rc_sR61, sR71, and sR74 by quantitative RT-PCR. Intriguingly, a total of 305 and 132 R. conorii coding genes were differentially upregulated (> 2-fold) in AAE2 cells and HMECs, respectively. Further, enrichment for primary transcripts by treatment with Terminator 5'-Phosphate-dependent Exonuclease resulted in the identification of 3903 and 2555 transcription start sites (TSSs), including 214 and 181 primary TSSs in R. conorii during the infection to tick and human host cells, respectively. Seventy-five coding genes exhibited different TSSs depending on the host environment. Finally, we also observed differential expression of 6S RNA during host-pathogen and vector-pathogen interactions in vitro, implicating an important role for this noncoding RNA in the regulation of rickettsial transcriptome depending on the supportive host niche.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, the findings of this study authenticate the presence of novel Rc_sR's in R. conorii, reveal the first evidence for differential expression of coding transcripts and utilization of alternate transcriptional start sites depending on the host niche, and implicate a role for 6S RNA in the regulation of coding transcriptome during tripartite host-pathogen-vector interactions.

Sensing, Signaling, and Secretion: A Review and Analysis of Systems for Regulating Host Interaction in Wolbachia

Wolbachia (Anaplasmataceae) is an endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that resides within host cells and is well known for manipulating host biology to facilitate transmission via the female germline. The effects Wolbachia has on host physiology, combined with reproductive manipulations, make this bacterium a promising candidate for use in biological- and vector-control. While it is becoming increasingly clear that Wolbachia's effects on host biology are numerous and vary according to the host and the environment, we know very little about the molecular mechanisms behind Wolbachia's interactions with its host. Here, I analyze 29 Wolbachia genomes for the presence of systems that are likely central to the ability of Wolbachia to respond to and interface with its host, including proteins for sensing, signaling, gene regulation, and secretion. Second, I review conditions under which Wolbachia alters gene expression in response to changes in its environment and discuss other instances where we might hypothesize Wolbachia to regulate gene expression. Findings will direct mechanistic investigations into gene regulation and host-interaction that will deepen our understanding of intracellular infections and enhance applied management efforts that leverage Wolbachia.

Global Transcription Profiles of Anaplasma phagocytophilum at Key Stages of Infection in Tick and Human Cell Lines and Granulocytes

The incidence of human diseases caused by tick-borne pathogens is increasing but little is known about the molecular interactions between the agents and their vectors and hosts. Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is an obligate intracellular, tick-borne bacterium that causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans, dogs, sheep, and horses. In mammals, neutrophil granulocytes are a primary target of infection, and in ticks, Ap has been found in gut and salivary gland cells. To identify bacterial genes that enable Ap to invade and proliferate in human and tick cells, labeled mRNA from Ap bound to or replicating within human and tick cells (lines HL-60 and ISE6), and replicating in primary human granulocytes ex vivo, was hybridized to a custom tiling microarray containing probes representing the entire Ap genome. Probe signal values plotted over a map of the Ap genome revealed antisense transcripts and unannotated genes. Comparisons of transcript levels from each annotated gene between test conditions (e.g., Ap replicating in HL-60 vs. ISE6) identified those that were differentially transcribed, thereby highlighting genes associated with each condition. Bacteria replicating in HL-60 cells upregulated 122 genes compared to those in ISE6, including numerous p44 paralogs, five HGE-14 paralogs, and 32 hypothetical protein genes, of which 47% were predicted to be secreted or localized to the membrane. By comparison, 60% of genes upregulated in ISE6 encoded hypothetical proteins, 60% of which were predicted to be secreted or membrane associated. In granulocytes, Ap upregulated 120 genes compared to HL-60, 33% of them hypothetical and 43% of those predicted to encode secreted or membrane associated proteins. HL-60-grown bacteria binding to HL-60 cells barely responded transcriptionally, while ISE6-grown bacteria binding to ISE6 cells upregulated 48 genes. HL-60-grown bacteria, when incubated with ISE6 cells, upregulated the same genes that were upregulated by ISE6-grown bacteria exposed to uninfected ISE6. Hypothetical genes (constituting about 29% of Ap genes) played a disproportionate role in most infection scenarios, and particular sets of them were consistently upregulated in bacteria binding/entering both ISE6 and HL-60 cells. This suggested that the encoded proteins played central roles in establishing infection in ticks and humans.

A review on the eco-epidemiology and clinical management of human granulocytic anaplasmosis and its agent in Europe

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the agent of tick-borne fever, equine, canine and human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The common route of A. phagocytophilum transmission is through a tick bite, the main vector in Europe being Ixodes ricinus. Despite the apparently ubiquitous presence of the pathogen A. phagocytophilum in ticks and various wild and domestic animals from Europe, up to date published clinical cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) remain rare compared to the worldwide status. It is unclear if this reflects the epidemiological dynamics of the human infection in Europe or if the disease is underdiagnosed or underreported. Epidemiologic studies in Europe have suggested an increased occupational risk of infection for forestry workers, hunters, veterinarians, and farmers with a tick-bite history and living in endemic areas. Although the overall genetic diversity of A. phagocytophilum in Europe is higher than in the USA, the strains responsible for the human infections are related on both continents. However, the study of the genetic variability and assessment of the difference of pathogenicity and infectivity between strains to various hosts has been insufficiently explored to date. Most of the European HGA cases presented as a mild infection, common clinical signs being pyrexia, headache, myalgia and arthralgia. The diagnosis of HGA in the USA was recommended to be based on clinical signs and the patient’s history and later confirmed using specialized laboratory tests. However, in Europe since the majority of cases are presenting as mild infection, laboratory tests may be performed before the treatment in order to avoid antibiotic overuse. The drug of choice for HGA is doxycycline and because of potential for serious complication the treatment should be instituted on clinical suspicion alone.

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.

Ixodes scapularis Src tyrosine kinase facilitates Anaplasma phagocytophilum survival in its arthropod vector

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human anaplasmosis, is an obligate intracellular bacterium that uses multiple survival strategies to persist in Ixodes scapularis ticks. Our previous study showed that A. phagocytophilum efficiently induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of several Ixodes proteins that includes extended phosphorylation of actin at tyrosine residue Y178. In order to identify the tyrosine kinase responsible for the A. phagocytophilum induced tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins, we combed the I. scapularis genome and identified a non-receptor Src tyrosine kinase ortholog. I. scapularis Src kinase showed high degree of amino acid sequence conservation with Dsrc from Drosophila melanogaster. We noted that at different developmental stages of I. scapularis ticks, larvae expressed significantly higher levels of src transcripts in comparison to the other stages. We found that A. phagocytophilum significantly reduced Src levels in unfed nymphs and in nymphs while blood feeding (48 h during feeding) in comparison to the levels noted to relative uninfected controls. However, A. phagocytophilum increased Src levels in fully engorged larvae and nymphs (48 h post feeding) and in vitro tick cells in comparison to the relative uninfected controls. Inhibition of Src kinase expression and activity by treatment with src-dsRNA or Src-inhibitor, respectively, significantly reduced A. phagocytophilum loads in ticks and tick cells. Overall, our study provides evidence for the important role of I. scapularis Src kinase in facilitating A. phagocytophilum colonization and survival in the arthropod vector.

Mutational analysis of gene function in the Anaplasmataceae: Challenges and perspectives

Mutational analysis is an efficient approach to identifying microbial gene function. Until recently, lack of an effective tool for Anaplasmataceae yielding reproducible results has created an obstacle to functional genomics, because surrogate systems, e.g., ectopic gene expression and analysis in E. coli, may not provide accurate answers. We chose to focus on a method for high-throughput generation of mutants via random mutagenesis as opposed to targeted gene inactivation. In our search for a suitable mutagenesis tool, we considered attributes of the Himar1 transposase system, i.e., random insertion into AT dinucleotide sites, which are abundant in Anaplasmataceae, and lack of requirement for specific host factors. We chose the Anaplasma marginale tr promoter, and the clinically irrelevant antibiotic spectinomycin for selection, and in addition successfully implemented non-antibiotic selection using an herbicide resistance gene. These constructs function reasonably well in Anaplasma phagocytophilum harvested from human promyelocyte HL-60 cells or Ixodes scapularis tick cells. We describe protocols developed in our laboratory, and discuss what likely makes them successful. What makes Anaplasmataceae electroporation competent is unknown and manipulating electroporation conditions has not improved mutational efficiency. A concerted effort is needed to resolve remaining problems that are inherent to the obligate intracellular bacteria. Finally, using this approach, we describe the discovery and characterization of a putative secreted effector necessary for Ap survival in HL-60 cells.

Predominant Shift of Different P44-Expressing Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Infected HL-60, THP-1, NB4, and RF/6A Cell Lines

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, an agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that dominantly produces P44 outer membrane proteins encoded by the p44/msp2 multigene family, which are major antigens for serodiagnosis. However, A. phagocytophilum antigens from cultures with different cell lines seem to have varying reactivities with sera. In this study, we performed RNA-seq to investigate the P44 expression of A. phagocytophilum propagated in 4 cell lines. In infected HL-60 cells, the P44-2b transcript was predominant in the first RNA-seq analysis (HL-60.1). However, the P44-23 transcript was predominant in the second RNA-seq analysis at 1 month after additional passages (HL-60.2). We further analyzed the P44 expression of A. phagocytophilum cultured in THP-1, NB4, and RF/6A cells through consecutive passages in the same cell lines for 1 year after transferring A. phagocytophilum from infected HL-60 cells to the respective cell lines. In the long-term cultures, P44-18, P44-78, and P44-51 were predominantly transcribed in infected THP-1, NB4, and RF/6A cells, respectively. Therefore, the predominant shifts of different P44-expressing transcripts of A. phagocytophilum might occur during cell culture even in the same cell line at different time points of sample harvest (HL-60.1 and HL-60.2), which may be attributed to host cell adaptation/selection/interaction.

Arthropod transcriptional activator protein-1 (AP-1) aids tick-rickettsial pathogen survival in the cold

Ixodes scapularis ticks transmit several pathogens to humans including rickettsial bacterium, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Here, we report that A. phagocytophilum uses tick transcriptional activator protein-1 (AP-1) as a molecular switch in the regulation of arthropod antifreeze gene, iafgp. RNAi-mediated silencing of ap-1 expression significantly affected iafgp gene expression and A. phagocytophilum burden in ticks upon acquisition from the murine host. Gel shift assays provide evidence that both the bacterium and AP-1 influences iafgp promoter and expression. The luciferase assays revealed that a region of approximately 700 bp upstream of the antifreeze gene is sufficient for AP-1 binding to promote iafgp gene expression. Furthermore, survival assays revealed that AP-1-deficient ticks were more susceptible to cold in comparison to the mock controls. In addition, this study also indicates arthropod AP-1 as a global regulator for some of the tick genes critical for A. phagocytophilum survival in the vector. In summary, our study defines a novel mode of arthropod signaling for the survival of both rickettsial pathogen and its medically important vector in the cold.

Mucosal and systemic responses of immunogenic vaccines candidates against enteric Escherichia coli infections in ruminants: A review

Innumerable Escherichia coli of animal origin are identified, which are of economic significance, likewise, cattle, sheep and goats are the carrier of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, which are less pathogenic, and can spread to people by way of direct contact and through the contamination of foodstuff or portable drinking water, causing serious illness. The immunization of ruminants has been carried out for ages and is largely acknowledged as the most economical and maintainable process of monitoring E. coli infection in ruminants. Yet, only a limited number of E. coli vaccines are obtainable. Mucosal surfaces are the most important ingress for E. coli and thus mucosal immune responses function as the primary means of fortification. Largely contemporary vaccination processes are done by parenteral administration and merely limited number of E. coli vaccines are inoculated via mucosal itinerary, due to its decreased efficacy. Nevertheless, aiming at maximal mucosal partitions to stimulate defensive immunity at both mucosal compartments and systemic site epitomises a prodigious task. Enormous determinations are involved in order to improve on novel mucosal E. coli vaccines candidate by choosing apposite antigens with potent immunogenicity, manipulating novel mucosal itineraries of inoculation and choosing immune-inducing adjuvants. The target of E. coli mucosal vaccines is to stimulate a comprehensive, effective and defensive immunity by specifically counteracting the antibodies at mucosal linings and by the stimulation of cellular immunity. Furthermore, effective E. coli mucosal vaccine would make vaccination measures stress-free and appropriate for large number of inoculation. On account of contemporary advancement in proteomics, metagenomics, metabolomics and transcriptomics research, a comprehensive appraisal of the immeasurable genes and proteins that were divulged by a bacterium is now in easy reach. Moreover, there exist marvellous prospects in this bourgeoning technologies in comprehending the host bacteria affiliation. Accordingly, the flourishing knowledge could massively guarantee to the progression of immunogenic vaccines against E. coli infections in both humans and animals. This review highlight and expounds on the current prominence of mucosal and systemic immunogenic vaccines for the prevention of E. coli infections in ruminants.

Iron Starvation Conditions Upregulate Ehrlichia ruminantium Type IV Secretion System, tr1 Transcription Factor and map1 Genes Family through the Master Regulatory Protein ErxR

Ehrlichia ruminantium is an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes heartwater, a fatal disease in ruminants. Due to its intracellular nature, E. ruminantium requires a set of specific virulence factors, such as the type IV secretion system (T4SS), and outer membrane proteins (Map proteins) in order to avoid and subvert the host's immune response. Several studies have been conducted to understand the regulation of the T4SS or outer membrane proteins, in Ehrlichia, but no integrated approach has been used to understand the regulation of Ehrlichia pathogenicity determinants in response to environmental cues. Iron is known to be a key nutrient for bacterial growth both in the environment and within hosts. In this study, we experimentally demonstrated the regulation of virB, map1, and tr1 genes by the newly identified master regulator ErxR (for Ehrlichia ruminantium expression regulator). We also analyzed the effect of iron depletion on the expression of erxR gene, tr1 transcription factor, T4SS and map1 genes clusters in E. ruminantium. We show that exposure of E. ruminantium to iron starvation induces erxR and subsequently tr1, virB, and map1 genes. Our results reveal tight co-regulation of T4SS and map1 genes via the ErxR regulatory protein at the transcriptional level, and, for the first time link map genes to the virulence function sensu stricto, thereby advancing our understanding of Ehrlichia's infection process. These results suggest that Ehrlichia is able to sense changes in iron concentrations in the environment and to regulate the expression of virulence factors accordingly.

A genetic system for targeted mutations to disrupt and restore genes in the obligate bacterium, Ehrlichia chaffeensis

Obligate intracellular bacteria (obligates) belonging to Rickettsiales and Chlamydiales cause diseases in hundreds of millions of people worldwide and in many animal species. Lack of an efficient system for targeted mutagenesis in obligates remains a major impediment in understanding microbial pathogenesis. Challenges in creating targeted mutations may be attributed to essential nature of majority of the genes and intracellular replication dependence. Despite success in generating random mutations, a method that works well in creating mutations in specific genes of interest followed by complementation remains problematic for obligates and is a highly sought-after goal. We describe protocols to generate stable targeted mutations by allelic exchange in Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligate intracellular tick-borne bacterium responsible for human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Targeted mutations in E. chaffeensis were created to disrupt two genes, and also to restore one gene by another allelic exchange mutation leading to the restoration of transcription and protein expression from the inactivated gene and the recovered organisms also express mCherry, which distinguishes from the wild type. We expect that the methods developed are broadly applicable to other obligates, particularly to rickettsial pathogens, to routinely perform targeted mutations to enable studies focused on protein structure-function analyses, host-pathogen interactions and in developing vaccines.

Human rickettsial pathogen modulates arthropod organic anion transporting polypeptide and tryptophan pathway for its survival in ticks

The black-legged tick Ixodes scapularis transmits the human anaplasmosis agent, Anaplasma phagocytophilum. In this study, we show that A. phagocytophilum specifically up-regulates I. scapularis organic anion transporting polypeptide, isoatp4056 and kynurenine amino transferase (kat), a gene involved in the production of tryptophan metabolite xanthurenic acid (XA), for its survival in ticks. RNAi analysis revealed that knockdown of isoatp4056 expression had no effect on A. phagocytophilum acquisition from the murine host but affected the bacterial survival in tick cells. Knockdown of the expression of kat mRNA alone or in combination with isoatp4056 mRNA significantly affected A. phagocytophilum survival and isoatp4056 expression in tick cells. Exogenous addition of XA induces isoatp4056 expression and A. phagocytophilum burden in both tick salivary glands and tick cells. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays provide further evidence that A. phagocytophilum and XA influences isoatp4056 expression. Collectively, this study provides important novel information in understanding the interplay between molecular pathways manipulated by a rickettsial pathogen to survive in its arthropod vector.

Genetic diversity and molecular epidemiology of Anaplasma

Anaplasma are obligate intracellular bacteria of cells of haematopoietic origin and are aetiological agents of tick-borne diseases of both veterinary and medical interest common in both tropical and temperate regions. The recent disclosure of their zoonotic potential has greatly increased interest in the study of these bacteria, leading to the recent reorganisation of Rickettsia taxonomy and to the possible discovery of new species belonging to the genus Anaplasma. This review is particularly focused on the common and unique characteristics of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, with an emphasis on genetic diversity and evolution, and the main distinguishing features of the diseases caused by the different Anaplasma spp. are described as well.

Persistent Infections and Immunity in Ruminants to Arthropod-Borne Bacteria in the Family Anaplasmataceae

Tick-transmitted gram-negative bacteria in the family Anaplasmataceae in the order Rickettsiales cause persistent infection and morbidity and mortality in ruminants. Whereas Anaplasma marginale infection is restricted to ruminants, Anaplasma phagocytophilum is promiscuous and, in addition to causing disease in sheep and cattle, notably causes disease in humans, horses, and dogs. Although the two pathogens invade and replicate in distinct blood cells (erythrocytes and neutrophils, respectively), they have evolved similar mechanisms of antigenic variation in immunodominant major surface protein 2 (MSP2) and MSP2(P44) that result in immune evasion and persistent infection. Furthermore, these bacteria have evolved distinct strategies to cause immune dysfunction, characterized as an antigen-specific CD4 T-cell exhaustion for A. marginale and a generalized immune suppression for A. phagocytophilum, that also facilitate persistence. This indicates highly adapted strategies of Anaplasma spp. to both suppress protective immune responses and evade those that do develop. However, conserved subdominant antigens are potential targets for immunization.

An O-Methyltransferase Is Required for Infection of Tick Cells by Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA), is an obligately intracellular α-proteobacterium that is transmitted by Ixodes spp ticks. However, the pathogen is not transovarially transmitted between tick generations and therefore needs to survive in both a mammalian host and the arthropod vector to complete its life cycle. To adapt to different environments, pathogens rely on differential gene expression as well as the modification of proteins and other molecules. Random transposon mutagenesis of A. phagocytophilum resulted in an insertion within the coding region of an o-methyltransferase (omt) family 3 gene. In wild-type bacteria, expression of omt was up-regulated during binding to tick cells (ISE6) at 2 hr post-inoculation, but nearly absent by 4 hr p.i. Gene disruption reduced bacterial binding to ISE6 cells, and the mutant bacteria that were able to enter the cells were arrested in their replication and development. Analyses of the proteomes of wild-type versus mutant bacteria during binding to ISE6 cells identified Major Surface Protein 4 (Msp4), but also hypothetical protein APH_0406, as the most differentially methylated. Importantly, two glutamic acid residues (the targets of the OMT) were methyl-modified in wild-type Msp4, whereas a single asparagine (not a target of the OMT) was methylated in APH_0406. In vitro methylation assays demonstrated that recombinant OMT specifically methylated Msp4. Towards a greater understanding of the overall structure and catalytic activity of the OMT, we solved the apo (PDB_ID:4OA8), the S-adenosine homocystein-bound (PDB_ID:4OA5), the SAH-Mn²⁺ bound (PDB_ID:4PCA), and SAM- Mn²⁺ bound (PDB_ID:4PCL) X-ray crystal structures of the enzyme. Here, we characterized a mutation in A. phagocytophilum that affected the ability of the bacteria to productively infect cells from its natural vector. Nevertheless, due to the lack of complementation, we cannot rule out secondary mutations.

Since its discovery in 1994, Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (HGA) has become the second most commonly diagnosed tick-borne disease in the US, and it is gaining importance in several countries in Europe. HGA is caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a bacterium transmitted by black-legged ticks and their relatives. Whereas several of the molecules and processes leading to infection of human cells have been identified, little is known about their counterparts in the tick. We analyzed the effects of a mutation in a gene encoding an o-methyltransferase that is involved in methylation of an outer membrane protein. The mutation of the OMT appears to be important for the ability of A. phagocytophilum to adhere to, invade, and replicate in tick cells. Several tests including binding assays, microscopic analysis of the infection cycle within tick cells, gene expression assays, and biochemical assays using recombinant OMT strongly suggested that the mutation of the o-methyltransferase gene arrested the growth and development of this bacterium within tick cells. Proteomic analyses identified several possible OMT substrates, and in vitro methylation assays using recombinant o-methyltransferase identified an outer membrane protein, Msp4, as a specifically methyl-modified target. Our results indicated that methylation was important for infection of tick cells by A. phagocytophilum, and suggested possible strategies to block transmission of this emerging pathogen. The solved crystal structure of the o-methyltransferase will further stimulate the search for small molecule inhibitors that could break the tick transmission cycle of A. phagocytophilum in nature.

An Ixodes scapularis cell line with a predominantly neuron-like phenotype

The Ixodes scapularis embryo-derived cell line ISE6 is the most widely utilized tick-derived cell line due to its susceptibility to a wide variety of tick- and non-tick-vectored pathogens. Little is known about its tissue origin or biological background. Protein expression of ISE6 cells was compared with that of another I. scapularis-derived cell line, IDE12, and dissected tick synganglia. Results demonstrated the presence of a neuronal marker protein, type 3 β-tubulin, in all three samples, as well as other shared and unique neuronal and immune response-associated proteins. Of neuronal proteins shared between the two cell lines, ISE6 expressed several in significantly greater quantities than IDE12. Stimulation of ISE6 cells by in vivo exposure to the hemocoel environment in unfed larval and molting nymphal ticks, but not unfed nymphal ticks, resulted in the development of neuron-like morphologic characteristics in the implanted cells.

Tissue distribution of the Ehrlichia muris-like agent in a tick vector

Human pathogens transmitted by ticks undergo complex life cycles alternating between the arthropod vector and a mammalian host. While the latter has been investigated to a greater extent, examination of the biological interactions between microbes and the ticks that carry them presents an equally important opportunity for disruption of the disease cycle. In this study, we used in situ hybridization to demonstrate infection by the Ehrlichia muris-like organism, a newly recognized human pathogen, of Ixodes scapularis ticks, a primary vector for several important human disease agents. This allowed us to assess whole sectioned ticks for the patterns of tissue invasion, and demonstrate generalized dissemination of ehrlichiae in a variety of cell types and organs within ticks infected naturally via blood feeding. Electron microscopy was used to confirm these results. Here we describe a strong ehrlichial affinity for epithelial cells, neuronal cells of the synganglion, salivary glands, and male accessory glands.

Bioinformatic and mass spectrometry identification of Anaplasma phagocytophilum proteins translocated into host cell nuclei

Obligate intracellular bacteria have an arsenal of proteins that alter host cells to establish and maintain a hospitable environment for replication. Anaplasma phagocytophilum secrets Ankyrin A (AnkA), via a type IV secretion system, which translocates to the nucleus of its host cell, human neutrophils. A. phagocytophilum-infected neutrophils have dramatically altered phenotypes in part explained by AnkA-induced transcriptional alterations. However, it is unlikely that AnkA is the sole effector to account for infection-induced transcriptional changes. We developed a simple method combining bioinformatics and iTRAQ protein profiling to identify potential bacterial-derived nuclear-translocated proteins that could impact transcriptional programming in host cells. This approach identified 50 A. phagocytophilum candidate genes or proteins. The encoding genes were cloned to create GFP fusion protein-expressing clones that were transfected into HEK-293T cells. We confirmed nuclear translocation of six proteins: APH_0062, RplE, Hup, APH_0382, APH_0385, and APH_0455. Of the six, APH_0455 was identified as a type IV secretion substrate and is now under investigation as a potential nucleomodulin. Additionally, application of this approach to other intracellular bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Chlamydia trachomatis and other intracellular bacteria identified multiple candidate genes to be investigated.

Transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum from endothelial cells to peripheral granulocytes in vitro under shear flow conditions

Anaplasma phagocytophilum (Ap) is a tick-borne pathogen, which can cause granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and animals. In vivo this obligate intracellular pathogen is primarily located in circulating mature granulocytes, but it also infects endothelial cells. In order to study the interaction between Ap-infected endothelial cells and human granulocytes under conditions similar to those found naturally in the infected host, an in vitro model that mimics physiological flow conditions in the microvasculature was established. Cell-to-cell interactions were then visualized by microscopy, which showed that granulocytes adhered strongly to Ap-infected endothelial cells at a shear stress of 0.5 dyne/cm(2). In addition, Ap-transmission assays under flow conditions showed that the bacteria transferred from infected endothelial cells to circulating granulocytes and were able to establish infection in constantly moving granulocytes. Cell surface analysis showed that Ap induced up-regulation of the cell adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on infected endothelial cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, IL-8 secretion by endothelial cells indicated that the presence of Ap induced a pro-inflammatory response. In summary, the results of this study suggest that endothelial cells of the microvasculature (1) provide an excellent site for Ap dissemination to peripheral blood granulocytes under flow conditions and therefore may play a crucial role in the development of persistent infection, and (2) are stimulated by Ap to express surface molecules and cytokines that may lead to inflammatory responses at the site of the infection.

Secretome of obligate intracellular Rickettsia

The genus Rickettsia (Alphaproteobacteria, Rickettsiales, Rickettsiaceae) is comprised of obligate intracellular parasites, with virulent species of interest both as causes of emerging infectious diseases and for their potential deployment as bioterrorism agents. Currently, there are no effective commercially available vaccines, with treatment limited primarily to tetracycline antibiotics, although others (e.g. josamycin, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and azithromycin) are also effective. Much of the recent research geared toward understanding mechanisms underlying rickettsial pathogenicity has centered on characterization of secreted proteins that directly engage eukaryotic cells. Herein, we review all aspects of the Rickettsia secretome, including six secretion systems, 19 characterized secretory proteins, and potential moonlighting proteins identified on surfaces of multiple Rickettsia species. Employing bioinformatics and phylogenomics, we present novel structural and functional insight on each secretion system. Unexpectedly, our investigation revealed that the majority of characterized secretory proteins have not been assigned to their cognate secretion pathways. Furthermore, for most secretion pathways, the requisite signal sequences mediating translocation are poorly understood. As a blueprint for all known routes of protein translocation into host cells, this resource will assist research aimed at uniting characterized secreted proteins with their apposite secretion pathways. Furthermore, our work will help in the identification of novel secreted proteins involved in rickettsial 'life on the inside'.

Understanding Anaplasmataceae pathogenesis using "Omics" approaches

This paper examines how "Omics" approaches improve our understanding of Anaplasmataceae pathogenesis, through a global and integrative strategy to identify genes and proteins involved in biochemical pathways key for pathogen-host-vector interactions. The Anaplasmataceae family comprises obligate intracellular bacteria mainly transmitted by arthropods. These bacteria are responsible for major human and animal endemic and emerging infectious diseases with important economic and public health impacts. In order to improve disease control strategies, it is essential to better understand their pathogenesis. Our work focused on four Anaplasmataceae, which cause important animal, human and zoonotic diseases: Anaplasma marginale, A. phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia chaffeensis, and E. ruminantium. Wolbachia spp. an endosymbiont of arthropods was also included in this review as a model of a non-pathogenic Anaplasmataceae. A gap analysis on "Omics" approaches on Anaplasmataceae was performed, which highlighted a lack of studies on the genes and proteins involved in the infection of hosts and vectors. Furthermore, most of the studies have been done on the pathogen itself, mainly on infectious free-living forms and rarely on intracellular forms. In order to perform a transcriptomic analysis of the intracellular stage of development, researchers developed methods to enrich bacterial transcripts from infected cells. These methods are described in this paper. Bacterial genes encoding outer membrane proteins, post-translational modifications, eukaryotic repeated motif proteins, proteins involved in osmotic and oxidative stress and hypothetical proteins have been identified to play a key role in Anaplasmataceae pathogenesis. Further investigations on the function of these outer membrane proteins and hypothetical proteins will be essential to confirm their role in the pathogenesis. Our work underlines the need for further studies in this domain and on host and vector responses to infection.

Global transcriptional analysis reveals surface remodeling of Anaplasma marginale in the tick vector

BACKGROUND

Pathogens dependent upon vectors for transmission to new hosts undergo environment specific changes in gene transcription dependent on whether they are replicating in the vector or the mammalian host. Differential gene transcription, especially of potential vaccine candidates, is of interest in Anaplasma marginale, the tick-borne causative agent of bovine anaplasmosis.

METHODS

RNA-seq technology allowed a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptional status of A. marginale genes in two conditions: bovine host blood and tick derived cell culture, a model for the tick vector. Quantitative PCR was used to assess transcription of a set of genes in A. marginale infected tick midguts and salivary glands at two time points during the transmission cycle.

RESULTS

Genes belonging to fourteen pathways or component groups were found to be differentially transcribed in A. marginale in the bovine host versus the tick vector. One of the most significantly altered groups was composed of surface proteins. Of the 56 genes included in the surface protein group, eight were up regulated and 26 were down regulated. The down regulated surface protein encoding genes include several that are well studied due to their immunogenicity and function. Quantitative PCR of a set of genes demonstrated that transcription in tick cell culture most closely approximates transcription in salivary glands of recently infected ticks.

CONCLUSIONS

The ISE6 tick cell culture line is an acceptable model for early infection in tick salivary glands, and reveals disproportionate down regulation of surface protein genes in the tick. Transcriptional profiling in other cell lines may help us simulate additional microenvironments. Understanding vector-specific alteration of gene transcription, especially of surface protein encoding genes, may aid in the development of vaccines or transmission blocking therapies.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum surface protein AipA mediates invasion of mammalian host cells

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, which causes granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and animals, is a tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium that mediates its own uptake into neutrophils and non-phagocytic cells. Invasins of obligate intracellular pathogens are attractive targets for protecting against or curing infection because blocking the internalization step prevents survival of these organisms. The complement of A. phagocytophilum invasins is incompletely defined. Here, we report the significance of a novel A. phagocytophilum invasion protein, AipA. A. phagocytophilum induced aipA expression during transmission feeding of infected ticks on mice. The bacterium upregulated aipA transcription when it transitioned from its non-infectious reticulate cell morphotype to its infectious dense-cored morphotype during infection of HL-60 cells. AipA localized to the bacterial surface and was expressed during in vivo infection. Of the AipA regions predicted to be surface-exposed, only residues 1 to 87 (AipA1-87 ) were found to be essential for host cell invasion. Recombinant AipA1-87 protein bound to and competitively inhibited A. phagocytophilum infection of mammalian cells. Antiserum specific for AipA1-87 , but not other AipA regions, antagonized infection. Additional blocking experiments using peptide-specific antisera narrowed down the AipA invasion domain to residues 9 to 21. An antisera combination targeting AipA1-87 together with two other A. phagocytophilum invasins, OmpA and Asp14, nearly abolished infection of host cells. This study identifies AipA as an A. phagocytophilum surface protein that is critical for infection, demarcates its invasion domain, and establishes a rationale for targeting multiple invasins to protect against granulocytic anaplasmosis.

Isolation of "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae" (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) in embryonic cells of naturally infected Amblyomma maculatum (Ixodida: Ixodidae)

The Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, has become increasingly important in public health for its role as a vector of the recently recognized human pathogen, Rickettsia parkeri. More recently, these ticks were also found to harbor a novel spotted fever group rickettsia, "Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae." First identified in Peru, and subsequently reported in ticks collected in the United States, Chile, and Argentina, "Ca. R. andeanae" remains largely uncharacterized, in part because of the lack of a stable isolate. Although the isolation of "Ca. R. andeanae" was recently described in DH82, Vero, and Drosophila S2 cells, its stability in these cell lines was not shown. To evaluate "Ca. R. andeanae" transmission and pathogenicity in vertebrates, as well as further describe biological characteristics of this candidate species to fulfill criteria for its establishment as a new species, availability of a stable isolate is essential. Here we describe the propagation of "Ca. R. andeanae" by using a primary culture derived from naturally infected A. maculatum embryos. Subsequent passage of the "Ca. R. andeanae" isolate to ISE6 (Ixodes scapularis embryonic) and Vero (African green monkey kidney epithelial) cell lines demonstrated limited propagation of the rickettsiae. Treatment of the infected primary cells with tetracycline resulted in cultures negative for "Ca. R. andeanae" by polymerase chain reaction and microscopy. Establishment of an isolate of "Ca. R. andeanae" will promote further investigation into the significance of this tick-associated rickettsia, including its role in spotted fever and interactions with the sympatric species, R. parkeri in A.

Identification of a novel gene by whole human genome tiling array

When the whole human genome sequence was determined by the Human Genome Project, the number of identified genes was fewer than expected. However, recent studies suggest that undiscovered transcripts still exist in the human genome. Furthermore, a new technology, the DNA microarray, which can simultaneously characterize huge amounts of genome sequence data, has become a useful tool for analyzing genetic changes in various diseases. A version of this tool, the tiling DNA microarray, was designed to search all the transcripts of the entire human genome, and provides huge amounts of data, including both exon and intron sequences, by a simple process. Although some previous studies using tiling DNA microarray analysis have indicated that numerous novel transcripts can be found in the human genome, none of them has reported any novel full-length human genes. Here, to find novel genes, we analyzed all the transcripts expressed in normal human prostate cells using this microarray. Because the optimal analytical parameters for using tiling DNA microarray data for this purpose had not been established, we established parameters for extracting the most likely regions for novel transcripts. The three parameters we optimized were the threshold for positive signal intensity, the Max gap, and the Min run, which we set to detect all transcriptional regions that were above the average length of known exons and had a signal intensity in the top 5%. We succeeded in obtaining the full-length sequence of one novel gene, located on chromosome 12q24.13. We named the novel gene "POTAGE". Its 5841-bp mRNA consists of 26 exons. We detected part of exon 2 in the tiling data analysis. The full-length sequence was then obtained by RT-PCR and RACE. Although the function of POTAGE is unclear, its sequence showed high homology with genes in other species, suggesting it might have an important or essential function. This study demonstrates that the tiling DNA microarray can be useful for identifying novel human genes.

In vitro cultivation of Anaplasma marginale and A. phagocytophilum in tick cell lines: a review

Continuous cell lines have been established from several ixodid and argasid tick species, representing an excellent tool suitable for the isolation of pathogens and their subsequent propagation, which in turn allows the production of antigenic material for diagnostic tests, antibody and vaccine production, and also for studies on host-vector-pathogen relationships. This paper reviews the use of tick cells for culture initiation and maintenance of two obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens, Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. These in vitro cultivation systems have been used in a wide range of studies, covering morphological ultrastructural analysis, genetics, proteomics and biological differences between strains, including genome transcriptional and protein expression approaches, enabling comparisons between host and vector cells. Thus, such systems open a new window for a better understanding of interactions between pathogens and tick cells. Last but not least, such systems contribute to the reduction in usage of animals for experimental research, as antigenic material can be produced in reasonably large quantities without the use of in vivo species-specific systems.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum outer membrane protein A interacts with sialylated glycoproteins to promote infection of mammalian host cells

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is the tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium that causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA). A. phagocytophilum binding to sialyl Lewis x (sLe(x)) and other sialylated glycans that decorate P selectin glycoprotein 1 (PSGL-1) and other glycoproteins is critical for infection of mammalian host cells. Here, we demonstrate the importance of A. phagocytophilum outer membrane protein A (OmpA) APH_0338 in infection of mammalian host cells. OmpA is transcriptionally induced during transmission feeding of A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks on mice and is upregulated during invasion of HL-60 cells. OmpA is presented on the pathogen's surface. Sera from HGA patients and experimentally infected mice recognize recombinant OmpA. Pretreatment of A. phagocytophilum organisms with OmpA antiserum reduces their abilities to infect HL-60 cells. The OmpA N-terminal region is predicted to contain the protein's extracellular domain. Glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged versions of OmpA and OmpA amino acids 19 to 74 (OmpA(19-74)) but not OmpA(75-205) bind to, and competitively inhibit A. phagocytophilum infection of, host cells. Pretreatment of host cells with sialidase or trypsin reduces or nearly eliminates, respectively, GST-OmpA adhesion. Therefore, OmpA interacts with sialylated glycoproteins. This study identifies the first A. phagocytophilum adhesin-receptor pair and delineates the region of OmpA that is critical for infection.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum: deceptively simple or simply deceptive?

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular rickettsial pathogen transmitted by ixodid ticks. This bacterium colonizes myeloid and nonmyeloid cells and causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis--an important immunopathological vector-borne disease in the USA, Europe and Asia. Recent studies uncovered novel insights into the mechanisms of A. phagocytophilum pathogenesis and immunity. Here, we provide an overview of the underlying events by which the immune system responds to A. phagocytophilum infection, how this pathogen counteracts host immunity and the contribution of the tick vector for microbial transmission. We also discuss current scientific gaps in the knowledge of A. phagocytophilum biology for the purpose of exchanging research perspectives.

Postgenomic analyses reveal development of infectious Anaplasma phagocytophilum during transmission from ticks to mice

Obligate intracellular bacteria of the Rickettsiales order have evolved to colonize both arthropod and mammalian hosts, but few details are known about the bacterial adaptations that occur during transmission from blood-feeding arthropods to mammals. Here we apply proteomics and transcriptome sequencing to Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis, in Ixodes scapularis tick salivary glands, to detect proteins or genes expressed by the pathogen during transmission feeding by the tick. We detected expression of 139 genes, representing 11% of the open reading frames (ORFs) in the A. phagocytophilum genome. The predominant categories of proteins were ribosomal proteins, cell surface proteins, chaperones, and uncharacterized proteins. There was no evidence of DNA replication enzymes, suggesting that most of the A. phagocytophilum cells were no longer dividing. Instead, protein expression reflected conversion to the extracellular, infectious "dense-core" (DC) form. High expression of a DC-specific marker, APH_1235, further suggested this developmental transition in ticks. We showed that blocking APH_1235 with antibodies reduced A. phagocytophilum infection levels in mammalian cell culture. This work represents a starting point for clarifying essential proteins expressed by A. phagocytophilum during transmission from ticks to mammals and demonstrates that the abundantly expressed, DC-associated APH_1235 protein is important during in vivo infection by A. phagocytophilum.

Proteomic analysis of Anaplasma phagocytophilum during infection of human myeloid cells identifies a protein that is pronouncedly upregulated on the infectious dense-cored cell

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterium that invades neutrophils to cause the emerging infectious disease human granulocytic anaplasmosis. A. phagocytophilum undergoes a biphasic developmental cycle, transitioning between an infectious dense-cored cell (DC) and a noninfectious reticulate cell (RC). To gain insights into the organism's biology and pathogenesis during human myeloid cell infection, we conducted proteomic analyses on A. phagocytophilum organisms purified from HL-60 cells. A total of 324 proteins were unambiguously identified, thereby verifying 23.7% of the predicted A. phagocytophilum proteome. Fifty-three identified proteins had been previously annotated as hypothetical or conserved hypothetical. The second most abundant gene product, after the well-studied major surface protein 2 (P44), was the hitherto hypothetical protein APH_1235. APH_1235 homologs are found in other Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species but not in other bacteria. The aph_1235 RNA level is increased 70-fold in the DC form relative to that in the RC form. Transcriptional upregulation of and our ability to detect APH_1235 correlate with RC to DC transition, DC exit from host cells, and subsequent DC binding and entry during the next round of infection. Immunoelectron microscopy pronouncedly detects APH_1235 on DC organisms, while detection on RC bacteria minimally, at best, exceeds background. This work represents an extensive study of the A. phagocytophilum proteome, discerns the complement of proteins that is generated during survival within human myeloid cells, and identifies APH_1235 as the first known protein that is pronouncedly upregulated on the infectious DC form.

Dermacentor andersoni transmission of Francisella tularensis subsp. novicida reflects bacterial colonization, dissemination, and replication coordinated with tick feeding

Ticks serve as biological vectors for a wide variety of bacterial pathogens which must be able to efficiently colonize specific tick tissues prior to transmission. The bacterial determinants of tick colonization are largely unknown, a knowledge gap attributed in large part to the paucity of tools to genetically manipulate these pathogens. In this study, we demonstrated that Francisella tularensis subsp. novicida, for which a complete two-allele transposon mutant library has been constructed, initially infects the midguts of 100% of acquisition-fed Dermacentor andersoni nymphs, with stable colonization and replication during a subsequent molt. Increased dissemination to and marked replication within the salivary gland was closely linked to a second (transmission) feed and culminated in secretion of bacteria into the saliva and successful transmission. Simultaneous testing of multiple mutants resulted in total bacterial levels similar to those observed for single mutants. However, there was evidence of a bottleneck during colonization, resulting in a founder effect in which the most successful mutant varied when comparing individual ticks. Thus, it is essential to assess mutant success at the level of the tick population rather than in individual ticks. The ability of F. tularensis subsp. novicida to recapitulate the key physiological events by which bacteria colonize and are transmitted by ixodid ticks provides a new genome-wide approach to identify the required pathogen molecules and pathways. The identification of specific genes and, more importantly, conserved pathways that function at the tick-pathogen interface will accelerate the development of new methods to block transmission.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis transcriptome in mammalian and arthropod hosts reveals differential gene expression and post transcriptional regulation

BACKGROUND

Human monocytotropic ehrlichiosis is an emerging life-threatening zoonosis caused by obligately intracellular bacterium, Ehrlichia chaffeensis. E. chaffeensis is transmitted by the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, and replicates in mononuclear phagocytes in mammalian hosts. Differences in the E. chaffeensis transcriptome in mammalian and arthropod hosts are unknown. Thus, we determined host-specific E. chaffeensis gene expression in human monocyte (THP-1) and in Amblyomma and Ixodes tick cell lines (AAE2 and ISE6) using a whole genome microarray.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The majority (∼80%) of E. chaffeensis genes were expressed during infection in human and tick cells. There were few differences observed in E. chaffeensis gene expression between the vector Amblyomma and non-vector Ixodes tick cells, but extensive host-specific and differential gene expression profiles were detected between human and tick cells, including higher transcriptional activity in tick cells and identification of gene subsets that were differentially expressed in the two hosts. Differentially and host-specifically expressed ehrlichial genes encoded major immunoreactive tandem repeat proteins (TRP), the outer membrane protein (OMP-1) family, and hypothetical proteins that were 30-80 amino acids in length. Consistent with previous observations, high expression of p28 and OMP-1B genes was detected in human and tick cells, respectively. Notably, E. chaffeensis genes encoding TRP32 and TRP47 were highly upregulated in the human monocytes and expressed as proteins; however, although TRP transcripts were expressed in tick cells, the proteins were not detected in whole cell lysates demonstrating that TRP expression was post transcriptionally regulated.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Ehrlichia gene expression is highly active in tick cells, and differential gene expression among a wide variety of host-pathogen associated genes occurs. Furthermore, we demonstrate that genes associated with host-pathogen interactions are differentially expressed and regulated by post transcriptional mechanisms.

Emergence of a new pathogenic Ehrlichia species, Wisconsin and Minnesota, 2009

BACKGROUND

Ehrlichiosis is a clinically important, emerging zoonosis. Only Ehrlichia chaffeensis and E. ewingii have been thought to cause ehrlichiosis in humans in the United States. Patients with suspected ehrlichiosis routinely undergo testing to ensure proper diagnosis and to ascertain the cause.

METHODS

We used molecular methods, culturing, and serologic testing to diagnose and ascertain the cause of cases of ehrlichiosis.

RESULTS

On testing, four cases of ehrlichiosis in Minnesota or Wisconsin were found not to be from E. chaffeensis or E. ewingii and instead to be caused by a newly discovered ehrlichia species. All patients had fever, malaise, headache, and lymphopenia; three had thrombocytopenia; and two had elevated liver-enzyme levels. All recovered after receiving doxycycline treatment. At least 17 of 697 Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in Minnesota or Wisconsin were positive for the same ehrlichia species on polymerase-chain-reaction testing. Genetic analyses revealed that this new ehrlichia species is closely related to E. muris.

CONCLUSIONS

We report a new ehrlichia species in Minnesota and Wisconsin and provide supportive clinical, epidemiologic, culture, DNA-sequence, and vector data. Physicians need to be aware of this newly discovered close relative of E. muris to ensure appropriate testing, treatment, and regional surveillance. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.).

Temporal characterisation of the organ-specific Rhipicephalus microplus transcriptional response to Anaplasma marginale infection

Arthropods transmit important infectious diseases of humans and animals. Importantly, replication and the development of pathogen infectivity are tightly linked to vector feeding on the mammalian host; thus analysis of the transcriptomes of both vector and pathogen during feeding is fundamental to understanding transmission. Using Anaplasma marginale infection of Rhipicephalus microplus as the experimental model, we tested three hypotheses exploring the temporal and organ-specific nature of the tick midgut and salivary gland transcriptomes during feeding and in response to infection. Numerous R. microplus genes were regulated in response to feeding and were differentially regulated between the midgut and salivary gland; additionally, there was a progression in regulated gene expression in the salivary gland over time. In contrast, relatively few tick genes were specifically regulated in response to A. marginale infection and these genes were predominantly annotated as hypothetical or were of unknown function. Notable among the genes with informative annotation was that several ribosomal proteins were down-regulated, suggesting that there may be a corresponding decrease in translation. The hypotheses that R. microplus midgut and salivary gland genes are differentially regulated and that the salivary gland transcriptome is dynamic over time were accepted. This is consistent with, and important for understanding the roles of, the two organs, the midgut serving as an initial site of uptake and replication while the salivary gland serves as the final site of replication and secretion. The nominal effect of A. marginale on the tick transcriptome in terms of numbers of regulated genes and fold of regulation supports the view that the vector-pathogen relationship is well established with minimal deleterious effect on the tick. The small set of predominantly hypothetical genes regulated by infection suggests that A. marginale is affecting a novel set of tick genes and may provide new opportunities for blocking transmission from the tick.

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.

Expression of Anaplasma marginale ankyrin repeat-containing proteins during infection of the mammalian host and tick vector

Transmission of tick-borne pathogens requires transition between distinct host environments with infection and replication in host-specific cell types. Anaplasma marginale illustrates this transition: in the mammalian host, the bacterium infects and replicates in mature (nonnucleated) erythrocytes, while in the tick vector, replication occurs in nucleated epithelial cells. We hypothesized that proteins containing ankyrin motifs would be expressed by A. marginale only in tick cells and would traffic to the infected host cell nucleus. A. marginale encodes three proteins containing ankyrin motifs, an AnkA orthologue (the AM705 protein), AnkB (the AM926 protein), and AnkC (the AM638 protein). All three A. marginale Anks were confirmed to be expressed during intracellular infection: AnkA is expressed at significantly higher levels in erythrocytes, AnkB is expressed equally by both infected erythrocytes and tick cells, and AnkC is expressed exclusively in tick cells. There was no evidence of any of the Ank proteins trafficking to the nucleus. Thus, the hypothesis that ankyrin-containing motifs were predictive of cell type expression and nuclear localization was rejected. In contrast, AnkA orthologues in the closely related A. phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis have been shown to localize to the host cell nucleus. This difference, together with the lack of a nuclear localization signal in any of the AnkA orthologues, suggests that trafficking may be mediated by a separate transporter rather than by endogenous signals. Selection for divergence in Ank function among Anaplasma and Ehrlichia spp. is supported by both locus and allelic analyses of genes encoding orthologous proteins and their ankyrin motif compositions.

Cloning of the major outer membrane protein expression locus in Anaplasma platys and seroreactivity of a species-specific antigen

Anaplasma platys infects peripheral blood platelets and causes infectious cyclic thrombocytopenia in canines. The genes, proteins, and antigens of A. platys are largely unknown, and an antigen for serodiagnosis of A. platys has not yet been identified. In this study, we cloned the A. platys major outer membrane protein cluster, including the P44/Msp2 expression locus (p44ES/msp2ES) and outer membrane protein (OMP), using DNA isolated from the blood of four naturally infected dogs from Venezuela and Taiwan, Republic of China. A. platys p44ES is located within a 4-kb genomic region downstream from a putative transcriptional regulator, tr1, and a homolog of the Anaplasma phagocytophilum, identified here as A. platys omp-1X. The predicted molecular masses of the four mature A. platys P44ES proteins ranged from 43.3 to 43.5 kDa. Comparative analyses of the deduced amino acid sequences of Tr1, OMP-1X, and P44/Msp2 proteins from A. platys with those from A. phagocytophilum showed sequence identities of 86.4% for Tr1, 45.9% to 46.3% for OMP-1X, and 55.0% to 56.9% for P44/Msp2. Comparison between A. platys and Anaplasma marginale proteins showed sequence identities of 73.1% for Tr1/Tr, 39.8% for OMP-1X/OMP1, and 41.5% to 42.1% for P44/Msp2. A synthetic OMP-1X peptide was shown to react with A. platys-positive sera but not with A. platys-negative sera or A. phagocytophilum-positive sera. Together, determination of the genomic locus of A. platys outer membrane proteins not only contributes to the fundamental understanding of this enigmatic pathogen but also helps in developing A. platys-specific PCR and serodiagnosis.

Global proteomic analysis of two tick-borne emerging zoonotic agents: anaplasma phagocytophilum and ehrlichia chaffeensis

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia chaffeensis are obligatory intracellular α-proteobacteria that infect human leukocytes and cause potentially fatal emerging zoonoses. In the present study, we determined global protein expression profiles of these bacteria cultured in the human promyelocytic leukemia cell line, HL-60. Mass spectrometric (MS) analyses identified a total of 1,212 A. phagocytophilum and 1,021 E. chaffeensis proteins, representing 89.3 and 92.3% of the predicted bacterial proteomes, respectively. Nearly all bacterial proteins (≥99%) with known functions were expressed, whereas only approximately 80% of “hypothetical” proteins were detected in infected human cells. Quantitative MS/MS analyses indicated that highly expressed proteins in both bacteria included chaperones, enzymes involved in biosynthesis and metabolism, and outer membrane proteins, such as A. phagocytophilum P44 and E. chaffeensis P28/OMP-1. Among 113 A. phagocytophilum p44 paralogous genes, 110 of them were expressed and 88 of them were encoded by pseudogenes. In addition, bacterial infection of HL-60 cells up-regulated the expression of human proteins involved mostly in cytoskeleton components, vesicular trafficking, cell signaling, and energy metabolism, but down-regulated some pattern recognition receptors involved in innate immunity. Our proteomics data represent a comprehensive analysis of A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis proteomes, and provide a quantitative view of human host protein expression profiles regulated by bacterial infection. The availability of these proteomic data will provide new insights into biology and pathogenesis of these obligatory intracellular pathogens.