1
|
Kowalczyk B, Petzold M, Kaczyński Z, Szuster-Ciesielska A, Luchowski R, Gruszecki WI, Fuchs B, Galuska CE, Choma A, Tarasiuk J, Palusińska-Szysz M. Lipopolysaccharide of Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Facilitates Interaction with Host Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14602. [PMID: 37834049 PMCID: PMC10572746 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is the primary causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. The mutant-type strain interrupted in the ORF7 gene region responsible for the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis of the L. pneumophila strain Heysham-1, lacking the O-acetyl groups attached to the rhamnose of the core part, showed a higher surface polarity compared with the wild-type strain. The measurement of excitation energy transfer between fluorophores located on the surface of bacteria and eukaryotic cells showed that, at an early stage of interaction with host cells, the mutant exhibited weaker interactions with Acanthamoeba castellanii cells and THP-1-derived macrophages. The mutant displayed reduced adherence to macrophages but enhanced adherence to A. castellanii, suggesting that the O-acetyl group of the LPS core region plays a crucial role in facilitating interaction with macrophages. The lack of core rhamnose O-acetyl groups made it easier for the bacteria to multiply in amoebae and macrophages. The mutant induced TNF-α production more strongly compared with the wild-type strain. The mutant synthesized twice as many ceramides Cer(t34:0) and Cer(t38:0) than the wild-type strain. The study showed that the internal sugars of the LPS core region of L. pneumophila sg 1 can interact with eukaryotic cell surface receptors and mediate in contacting and attaching bacteria to host cells as well as modulating the immune response to infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bożena Kowalczyk
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Markus Petzold
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, University of Technology Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany;
| | - Zbigniew Kaczyński
- Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-309 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska
- Department of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Rafał Luchowski
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland; (R.L.); (W.I.G.)
| | - Wiesław I. Gruszecki
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland; (R.L.); (W.I.G.)
| | - Beate Fuchs
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Core Facility Metabolomics, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; (B.F.); (C.E.G.)
| | - Christina E. Galuska
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Core Facility Metabolomics, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; (B.F.); (C.E.G.)
| | - Adam Choma
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Jacek Tarasiuk
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Marta Palusińska-Szysz
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zhan XY, Yang JL, Sun H, Zhou X, Qian YC, Huang K, Leng Y, Huang B, He Y. Presence of Viable, Clinically Relevant Legionella Bacteria in Environmental Water and Soil Sources of China. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0114021. [PMID: 35438512 PMCID: PMC9241679 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01140-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The distribution of pathogenic Legionella in the environmental soil and water of China has not been documented yet. In this study, Legionella was detected in 129 of 575 water (22.43%) and 41 of 442 soil samples (9.28%) by culture. Twelve Legionella species were identified, of which 11 were disease-associated. Of the Legionella-positive samples, 109 of 129 (84.50%) water and 29 of 41 (70.73%) soil were positive for L. pneumophila, which accounted for about 75% of Legionella isolates in both water and soil, suggesting L. pneumophila was the most frequent species. Soil showed a higher diversity of Legionella spp. as compared with water (0.6279 versus 0.4493). In contrast, serogroup (sg) 1 was more prevalent among L. pneumophila isolates from water than from soil (26.66% versus 12.21%). Moreover, many disease-associated sequence types (STs) of L. pneumophila were found in China. Intragenic recombination was acting on L. pneumophila from both water and soil. Phylogeny, population structure, and molecular evolution analyses revealed a probable existence of L. pneumophila isolates with a special genetic background that is more adaptable to soil or water sources and a small proportion of genetic difference between water and soil isolates. The detection of viable, clinically relevant Legionella demonstrates soil as another source for harboring and dissemination of pathogenic Legionella bacteria in China. Future research should assess the implication in public health with the presence of Legionella in the soil and illustrate the genetic and pathogenicity difference of Legionella between water and soil, particularly the most prevalent L. pneumophila. IMPORTANCE Pathogenic Legionella spp. is the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and L. pneumophila is the most common one. Most studies have focused on L. pneumophila from water and clinical samples. However, the soil is another important reservoir for this bacterium, and the distribution of Legionella spp. in water and soil sources has not been compared and documented in China yet. Discovering the distribution of Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila in the two environments may help a deep understanding of the pathogenesis and molecular evolution of the bacterium. Our research systematically uncovered the distributions of Legionella spp. in different regions and sources (e.g., water and soil) of China. Moreover, phylogeny, population structure, and molecular evolution study revealed the possible existence of L. pneumophila with a special genetic background that is more adaptable to soil or water sources, and genetic difference may exist.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Yong Zhan
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jin-Lei Yang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Honghua Sun
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuefu Zhou
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yi-Chao Qian
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ke Huang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yang Leng
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bihui Huang
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yulong He
- The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Wee BA, Alves J, Lindsay DSJ, Klatt AB, Sargison FA, Cameron RL, Pickering A, Gorzynski J, Corander J, Marttinen P, Opitz B, Smith AJ, Fitzgerald JR. Population analysis of Legionella pneumophila reveals a basis for resistance to complement-mediated killing. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7165. [PMID: 34887398 PMCID: PMC8660822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27478-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is the most common cause of the severe respiratory infection known as Legionnaires' disease. However, the microorganism is typically a symbiont of free-living amoeba, and our understanding of the bacterial factors that determine human pathogenicity is limited. Here we carried out a population genomic study of 902 L. pneumophila isolates from human clinical and environmental samples to examine their genetic diversity, global distribution and the basis for human pathogenicity. We find that the capacity for human disease is representative of the breadth of species diversity although some clones are more commonly associated with clinical infections. We identified a single gene (lag-1) to be most strongly associated with clinical isolates. lag-1, which encodes an O-acetyltransferase for lipopolysaccharide modification, has been distributed horizontally across all major phylogenetic clades of L. pneumophila by frequent recent recombination events. The gene confers resistance to complement-mediated killing in human serum by inhibiting deposition of classical pathway molecules on the bacterial surface. Furthermore, acquisition of lag-1 inhibits complement-dependent phagocytosis by human neutrophils, and promoted survival in a mouse model of pulmonary legionellosis. Thus, our results reveal L. pneumophila genetic traits linked to disease and provide a molecular basis for resistance to complement-mediated killing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bryan A. Wee
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Joana Alves
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Diane S. J. Lindsay
- Bacterial Respiratory Infections Service (Ex Mycobacteria), Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | - Ann-Brit Klatt
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fiona A. Sargison
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Ross L. Cameron
- grid.413893.40000 0001 2232 4338NHS National Services Scotland, Health Protection Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | - Amy Pickering
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Jamie Gorzynski
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Jukka Corander
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland ,grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pekka Marttinen
- grid.500231.50000 0004 0530 9461Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
| | - Bastian Opitz
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew J. Smith
- Bacterial Respiratory Infections Service (Ex Mycobacteria), Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Glasgow, Scotland UK ,grid.8756.c0000 0001 2193 314XCollege of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, Glasgow Dental Hospital & School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - J. Ross Fitzgerald
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Development of a multiplex-PCR serotyping assay for characterizing Legionella pneumophila serogroups based on the diversity of LPS biosynthetic loci. J Clin Microbiol 2021; 59:e0015721. [PMID: 34379526 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00157-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila, which is the main cause of Legionnaires' disease, comprises at least 15 serogroups (SGs). We show here the diversity of LPS biosynthetic loci among serogroups and describe the development of a PCR serotyping assay for 15 SGs based on the sequences of LPS biosynthetic loci. Using this multiplex-PCR (M-PCR) system, serogroup(s) were detected using primers that specifically amplify the sequences of SG1, SG2, SG5, SG7, SG8, SG9, SG11, SG13, SG3/15, and SG6/12. When PCR products of the expected sizes were not detected, we used primers that identified SG4/10/14. The PCR serotyping system specifically amplified the sequences corresponding SGs of 238 L. pneumophila strains. This method will be very useful for conducting epidemiological studies and investigating outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
Collapse
|
5
|
The Role of Lipids in Legionella-Host Interaction. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031487. [PMID: 33540788 PMCID: PMC7867332 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella are Gram-stain-negative rods associated with water environments: either natural or man-made systems. The inhalation of aerosols containing Legionella bacteria leads to the development of a severe pneumonia termed Legionnaires' disease. To establish an infection, these bacteria adapt to growth in the hostile environment of the host through the unusual structures of macromolecules that build the cell surface. The outer membrane of the cell envelope is a lipid bilayer with an asymmetric composition mostly of phospholipids in the inner leaflet and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the outer leaflet. The major membrane-forming phospholipid of Legionella spp. is phosphatidylcholine (PC)-a typical eukaryotic glycerophospholipid. PC synthesis in Legionella cells occurs via two independent pathways: the N-methylation (Pmt) pathway and the Pcs pathway. The utilisation of exogenous choline by Legionella spp. leads to changes in the composition of lipids and proteins, which influences the physicochemical properties of the cell surface. This phenotypic plasticity of the Legionella cell envelope determines the mode of interaction with the macrophages, which results in a decrease in the production of proinflammatory cytokines and modulates the interaction with antimicrobial peptides and proteins. The surface-exposed O-chain of Legionella pneumophila sg1 LPS consisting of a homopolymer of 5-acetamidino-7-acetamido-8-O-acetyl-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-l-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid is probably the first component in contact with the host cell that anchors the bacteria in the host membrane. Unusual in terms of the structure and function of individual LPS regions, it makes an important contribution to the antigenicity and pathogenicity of Legionella bacteria.
Collapse
|
6
|
Jiang L, Amemura-Maekawa J, Ren H, Li Y, Sakata M, Zhou H, Murai M, Chang B, Ohnishi M, Qin T. Distribution of lag-1 Alleles, ORF7, and ORF8 Genes of Lipopolysaccharide and Sequence-Based Types Among Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Isolates in Japan and China. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2019; 9:274. [PMID: 31448241 PMCID: PMC6691400 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Approximately 85% of cases of Legionnaires' disease are caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. In this study, we analyzed the distribution of lag-1 alleles, ORF 7 and ORF 8 genes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and sequence-based types of 616 L. pneumophila serogroup 1 strains isolated in Japan (206 clinical, 225 environmental) and China (13 clinical and 172 environmental). The lag-1 gene was harbored by significantly more of the clinical isolates compared with the environmental isolates (90.3 vs. 19.1% and 61.6 vs. 3.0%, respectively; both P < 0.001). ORF 7 genes were detected in 51.0% of Japanese clinical and 36.0% of Japanese environmental (P = 0.001) isolates, as well as 15.3% of Chinese clinical and 9.9% of Chinese environmental isolates (P = 0.544). ORF 8 genes were detected in 12.1% of Japanese clinical and 5.8% of Japanese environmental (P = 0.017) isolates, as well as 7.7% of Chinese clinical and 3.4% of Chinese environmental isolates (P = 0.388). The Japanese and Chinese isolates were assigned to 203 and 36 different sequence-types (ST), respectively. ST1 was predominant. Most isolates with the same ST also had the same lag-1, ORF 7, and ORF 8 gene subgroups. In conclusion, the lag-1 was present in most of the clinical isolates, but was absent from most of the environmental isolates from both China and Japan, regardless of the water source and SBT type. PCR-based serotyping and subgrouping methods can be used to define a hierarchy of virulence genotypes that require stringent surveillance to prevent human disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luxi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junko Amemura-Maekawa
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hongyu Ren
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yinan Li
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Miho Sakata
- Department of Health Sciences, Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Haijian Zhou
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| | - Miyo Murai
- Department of Health Sciences, Saitama Prefectural University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Bin Chang
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Makoto Ohnishi
- Department of Bacteriology I, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tian Qin
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Hangzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Mercante JW, Caravas JA, Ishaq MK, Kozak-Muiznieks NA, Raphael BH, Winchell JM. Genomic heterogeneity differentiates clinical and environmental subgroups of Legionella pneumophila sequence type 1. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0206110. [PMID: 30335848 PMCID: PMC6193728 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella spp. are the cause of a severe bacterial pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease (LD). In some cases, current genetic subtyping methods cannot resolve LD outbreaks caused by common, potentially endemic L. pneumophila (Lp) sequence types (ST), which complicates laboratory investigations and environmental source attribution. In the United States (US), ST1 is the most prevalent clinical and environmental Lp sequence type. In order to characterize the ST1 population, we sequenced 289 outbreak and non-outbreak associated clinical and environmental ST1 and ST1-variant Lp strains from the US and, together with international isolate sequences, explored their genetic and geographic diversity. The ST1 population was highly conserved at the nucleotide level; 98% of core nucleotide positions were invariant and environmental isolates unassociated with human disease (n = 99) contained ~65% more nucleotide diversity compared to clinical-sporadic (n = 139) or outbreak-associated (n = 28) ST1 subgroups. The accessory pangenome of environmental isolates was also ~30-60% larger than other subgroups and was enriched for transposition and conjugative transfer-associated elements. Up to ~10% of US ST1 genetic variation could be explained by geographic origin, but considerable genetic conservation existed among strains isolated from geographically distant states and from different decades. These findings provide new insight into the ST1 population structure and establish a foundation for interpreting genetic relationships among ST1 strains; these data may also inform future analyses for improved outbreak investigations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W. Mercante
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Jason A. Caravas
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Maliha K. Ishaq
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Natalia A. Kozak-Muiznieks
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Brian H. Raphael
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Jonas M. Winchell
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Cochet F, Peri F. The Role of Carbohydrates in the Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/Toll-Like Receptor 4 (TLR4) Signalling. Int J Mol Sci 2017; 18:E2318. [PMID: 29099761 PMCID: PMC5713287 DOI: 10.3390/ijms18112318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The interactions between sugar-containing molecules from the bacteria cell wall and pattern recognition receptors (PRR) on the plasma membrane or cytosol of specialized host cells are the first molecular events required for the activation of higher animal's immune response and inflammation. This review focuses on the role of carbohydrates of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS, lipooligosaccharide, LOS, and lipid A), in the interaction with the host Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 2 (TLR4/MD-2) complex. The lipid chains and the phosphorylated disaccharide core of lipid A moiety are responsible for the TLR4 agonist action of LPS, and the specific interaction between MD-2, TLR4, and lipid A are key to the formation of the activated complex (TLR4/MD-2/LPS)₂, which starts intracellular signalling leading to nuclear factors activation and to production of inflammatory cytokines. Subtle chemical variations in the lipid and sugar parts of lipid A cause dramatic changes in endotoxin activity and are also responsible for the switch from TLR4 agonism to antagonism. While the lipid A pharmacophore has been studied in detail and its structure-activity relationship is known, the contribution of core saccharides 3-deoxy-d-manno-octulosonic acid (Kdo) and heptosyl-2-keto-3-deoxy-octulosonate (Hep) to TLR4/MD-2 binding and activation by LPS and LOS has been investigated less extensively. This review focuses on the role of lipid A, but also of Kdo and Hep sugars in LPS/TLR4 signalling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Florent Cochet
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Francesco Peri
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza, 2, 20126 Milano, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
David S, Sánchez-Busó L, Harris SR, Marttinen P, Rusniok C, Buchrieser C, Harrison TG, Parkhill J. Dynamics and impact of homologous recombination on the evolution of Legionella pneumophila. PLoS Genet 2017. [PMID: 28650958 PMCID: PMC5507463 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is an environmental bacterium and the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. Previous genomic studies have shown that recombination accounts for a high proportion (>96%) of diversity within several major disease-associated sequence types (STs) of L. pneumophila. This suggests that recombination represents a potentially important force shaping adaptation and virulence. Despite this, little is known about the biological effects of recombination in L. pneumophila, particularly with regards to homologous recombination (whereby genes are replaced with alternative allelic variants). Using newly available population genomic data, we have disentangled events arising from homologous and non-homologous recombination in six major disease-associated STs of L. pneumophila (subsp. pneumophila), and subsequently performed a detailed characterisation of the dynamics and impact of homologous recombination. We identified genomic "hotspots" of homologous recombination that include regions containing outer membrane proteins, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) region and Dot/Icm effectors, which provide interesting clues to the selection pressures faced by L. pneumophila. Inference of the origin of the recombined regions showed that isolates have most frequently imported DNA from isolates belonging to their own clade, but also occasionally from other major clades of the same subspecies. This supports the hypothesis that the possibility for horizontal exchange of new adaptations between major clades of the subspecies may have been a critical factor in the recent emergence of several clinically important STs from diverse genomic backgrounds. However, acquisition of recombined regions from another subspecies, L. pneumophila subsp. fraseri, was rarely observed, suggesting the existence of a recombination barrier and/or the possibility of ongoing speciation between the two subspecies. Finally, we suggest that multi-fragment recombination may occur in L. pneumophila, whereby multiple non-contiguous segments that originate from the same molecule of donor DNA are imported into a recipient genome during a single episode of recombination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophia David
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Respiratory and Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Reference Unit, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leonor Sánchez-Busó
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Simon R. Harris
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Pekka Marttinen
- Helsinki Institute for Information Technology HIIT, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Aalto, Espoo, Finland
| | - Christophe Rusniok
- Institut Pasteur, Biologie des Bactéries Intracellulaires, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3525, Paris, France
| | - Carmen Buchrieser
- Institut Pasteur, Biologie des Bactéries Intracellulaires, Paris, France
- CNRS UMR 3525, Paris, France
| | - Timothy G. Harrison
- Respiratory and Vaccine Preventable Bacteria Reference Unit, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Julian Parkhill
- Pathogen Genomics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mercante JW, Morrison SS, Desai HP, Raphael BH, Winchell JM. Genomic Analysis Reveals Novel Diversity among the 1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak Isolates and Additional ST36 Strains. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0164074. [PMID: 27684472 PMCID: PMC5042515 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila was first recognized as a cause of severe and potentially fatal pneumonia during a large-scale outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) at a Pennsylvania veterans’ convention in Philadelphia, 1976. The ensuing investigation and recovery of four clinical isolates launched the fields of Legionella epidemiology and scientific research. Only one of the original isolates, “Philadelphia-1”, has been widely distributed or extensively studied. Here we describe the whole-genome sequencing (WGS), complete assembly, and comparative analysis of all Philadelphia LD strains recovered from that investigation, along with L. pneumophila isolates sharing the Philadelphia sequence type (ST36). Analyses revealed that the 1976 outbreak was due to multiple serogroup 1 strains within the same genetic lineage, differentiated by an actively mobilized, self-replicating episome that is shared with L. pneumophila str. Paris, and two large, horizontally-transferred genomic loci, among other polymorphisms. We also found a completely unassociated ST36 strain that displayed remarkable genetic similarity to the historical Philadelphia isolates. This similar strain implies the presence of a potential clonal population, and suggests important implications may exist for considering epidemiological context when interpreting phylogenetic relationships among outbreak-associated isolates. Additional extensive archival research identified the Philadelphia isolate associated with a non-Legionnaire case of “Broad Street pneumonia”, and provided new historical and genetic insights into the 1976 epidemic. This retrospective analysis has underscored the utility of fully-assembled WGS data for Legionella outbreak investigations, highlighting the increased resolution that comes from long-read sequencing and a sequence type-matched genomic data set.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W. Mercante
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Shatavia S. Morrison
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Heta P. Desai
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Brian H. Raphael
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jonas M. Winchell
- Pneumonia Response and Surveillance Laboratory, Respiratory Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Complete Genome Sequences of the Historical Legionella pneumophila Strains OLDA and Pontiac. GENOME ANNOUNCEMENTS 2016; 4:4/4/e00866-16. [PMID: 27563044 PMCID: PMC5000828 DOI: 10.1128/genomea.00866-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Here, we report the complete genome sequences of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 strains OLDA and Pontiac, which predate the 1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease outbreak. Strain OLDA was isolated in 1947 from an apparent sporadic case, and strain Pontiac caused an explosive outbreak at a Michigan health department in 1968.
Collapse
|
12
|
Borges V, Nunes A, Sampaio DA, Vieira L, Machado J, Simões MJ, Gonçalves P, Gomes JP. Legionella pneumophila strain associated with the first evidence of person-to-person transmission of Legionnaires' disease: a unique mosaic genetic backbone. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26261. [PMID: 27196677 PMCID: PMC4872527 DOI: 10.1038/srep26261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
A first strong evidence of person-to-person transmission of Legionnaires’ Disease (LD) was recently reported. Here, we characterize the genetic backbone of this case-related Legionella pneumophila strain (“PtVFX/2014”), which also caused a large outbreak of LD. PtVFX/2014 is phylogenetically divergent from the most worldwide studied outbreak-associated L. pneumophila subspecies pneumophila serogroup 1 strains. In fact, this strain is also from serogroup 1, but belongs to the L. pneumophila subspecies fraseri. Its genomic mosaic backbone reveals eight horizontally transferred regions encompassing genes, for instance, involved in lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis or encoding virulence-associated Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) substrates. PtVFX/2014 also inherited a rare ~65 kb pathogenicity island carrying virulence factors and detoxifying enzymes believed to contribute to the emergence of best-fitted strains in water reservoirs and in human macrophages, as well as a inter-species transferred (from L. oakridgensis) ~37.5 kb genomic island (harboring a lvh/lvr T4ASS cluster) that had never been found intact within L. pneumophila species. PtVFX/2014 encodes another lvh/lvr cluster near to CRISPR-associated genes, which may boost L. pneumophila transition from an environmental bacterium to a human pathogen. Overall, this unique genomic make-up may impact PtVFX/2014 ability to adapt to diverse environments, and, ultimately, to be transmitted and cause human disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vítor Borges
- Bioinformatics Unit and Research Unit, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Alexandra Nunes
- Bioinformatics Unit and Research Unit, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Daniel A Sampaio
- Innovation and Technology Unit, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Luís Vieira
- Innovation and Technology Unit, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jorge Machado
- Coordination of the Department of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria J Simões
- National Reference Laboratory for Legionella, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paulo Gonçalves
- National Reference Laboratory for Legionella, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João P Gomes
- Bioinformatics Unit and Research Unit, National Institute of Health, Lisbon, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Subtyping of the Legionella pneumophila “Ulm” outbreak strain using the CRISPR–Cas system. Int J Med Microbiol 2015; 305:828-37. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2015.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2015] [Revised: 07/13/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
|
14
|
Cao B, Tian Z, Wang S, Zhu Z, Sun Y, Feng L, Wang L. Structural comparison of O-antigen gene clusters of Legionella pneumophila and its application of a serogroup-specific multiplex PCR assay. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 2015; 108:1405-1423. [PMID: 26415652 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-015-0594-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The Legionella pneumophila serogroups O1, O4, O6, O7, O10 and O13 are pathogenic strains associated with pneumonia. The surface O-antigen gene clusters of L. pneumophila serogroups O4, O6, O7, O10 and O13 were sequenced and analyzed, with the function annotated on the basis of homology to that of the genes of L. pneumophila serogroup O1 (L. pneumophila subsp. pneumophila str. Philadelphia 1). The gene locus of the six L. pneumophila serogroups contains genes of yvfE, neuABCD, pseA-like for nucleotide sugar biosynthesis, wecA for sugar transfer, and wzm as well as wzt for O-antigen processing. The detection of O-antigen genes allows the fine differentiation at species and serogroup level without the neccessity of nucleotide sequencing. The O-antigen-processing genes wzm and wzt, which were found to be distinctive for different for different serogroups, have been used as the target genes for the detection and identification of L. pneumophila strains of different O serogroups. In this report, a multiplex PCR assay based on wzm or wzt that diferentiates all the six serogroups by amplicon size was developed with the newly designed specific primer pairs for O1 and O7, and the specific primer pairs for O4, O6, O10, and O13 reported previously. The array was validated by analysis of 34 strains including 15 L. pneumophila O-standard reference strains, eight reference strains of other Legionella non-pneumophila species, six other bacterial species, and five L. pneumophila environmental isolates. The detection sensitivity was one ng genomic DNA. The accurate and sensitive assay is suitable for the identification and detection of strains of these serogroups in environmental and clinical samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boyang Cao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China. .,TEDA Institue of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China. .,Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. .,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhenyang Tian
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,TEDA Institue of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Suwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,TEDA Institue of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiyan Zhu
- Basic Medical College, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300070, People's Republic of China
| | - Yamin Sun
- Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Feng
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,TEDA Institue of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Lei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Technology of the Ministry of Education, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China. .,TEDA Institue of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300457, People's Republic of China. .,Tianjin Research Center for Functional Genomics and Biochips, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China. .,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Microbial Functional Genomics, TEDA College, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|