A bacterial encoded protein induces extreme multinucleation and cell-cell internalization in intestinal cells

Alzheimer's Progenitor Amyloid-β Targets and Dissolves Microbial Amyloids and Impairs Biofilm Function

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a leading form of dementia where the presence of extra-neuronal plaques of Amyloid-β (Aβ) is a pathological hallmark. However, Aβ peptide is also observed in the intestinal tissues of AD patients and animal models. In this study, it is reported that Aβ monomers can target and disintegrate microbial amyloids of FapC and CsgA formed by opportunistic gut pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, explaining a potential role of Aβ in the gut-brain axis. Employing a zebrafish-based transparent in vivo system and whole-mount live-imaging, Aβ is observed to diffuse into the vasculature and subsequently localize with FapC or CsgA fibrils that were injected into the tail muscles of the fish. FapC aggregates, produced after Aβ treatment (Faβ), present selective toxicity to SH-SY5Y neuronal cells while the intestinal Caco-2 cells are shown to phagocytose Faβ in a non-toxic cellular process. After remodeling by Aβ, microbial fibrils lose their native function of cell adhesion with intestinal Caco-2 cells and Aβ dissolves and detaches the microbial fibrils already attached to the cell membrane. Taken together, this study strongly indicates an anti-biofilm role for Aβ monomers that can help aid in the future development of selective anti-Alzheimer's and anti-infective medicine.

An Escherichia coli Effector Protein EspF May Induce Host DNA Damage via Interaction With SMC1

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157: H7 is an important foodborne pathogen that causes human diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic uremic syndrome. EspF is one of the most important effector proteins injected by the Type III Secretion System. It can target mitochondria and nucleoli, stimulate host cells to produce ROS, and promote host cell apoptosis. However, the mechanism of the host-pathogen interaction leading to host oxidative stress and cell cytotoxic effects such as DNA damage remains to be elucidated. Here, we used Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) ELISA to study cell viability and DNA oxidative damage level after exposure to EspF. Western blot and immunofluorescence were also used to determine the level of the DNA damage target protein p-H2AX and cell morphology changes after EspF infection. Moreover, we verified the toxicity in intestinal epithelial cells mediated by EspF infection in vivo. In addition, we screened the host proteins that interact with EspF using CoIP-MS. We found that EspF may more depend on its C-terminus to interact with SMC1, and EspF could activate SMC1 phosphorylation and migrate it to the cytoplasm. In summary, this study revealed that EspF might mediate host cell DNA damage and found a new interaction between EspF and the DNA damage repair protein SMC1. Thus, EspF may mediate DNA damage by regulating the subcellular localization and phosphorylation of SMC1.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Effector Protein EspF Interacts With Host Protein ANXA6 and Triggers Myosin Light Chain Kinase (MLCK)-Dependent Tight Junction Dysregulation

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in humans. EspF is one of the best-characterized effector proteins secreted from the type three secretion system to hijack host cell functions. However, the crucial pathogen-host interactions and the basis for the intestinal barrier disruption during infections remain elusive. Our previous study screened and verified the interaction between host protein ANXA6 and EspF protein. Here, by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP), we verified that EspF interacts with ANXA6 through its C-terminal domain. Furthermore, we found that both the constitutive expression of EspF or ANXA6 and the co-expression of EspF-ANXA6 could decrease the levels of tight junction (TJ) proteins ZO-1 and occludin, and disrupt the distribution of ZO-1. Moreover, we showed that EspF-ANXA6 activated myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), induced the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and PKCα, and down-regulated the expression level of Calmodulin protein. Collectively, this study revealed a novel interaction between the host protein (ANXA6) and EspF. The binding of EspF to ANXA6 may perturb TJs in an MLCK-MLC-dependent manner, and thus may be involved in EHEC pathogenic function.

Clever Cooperation: Interactions Between EspF and Host Proteins

EspF is a central effector protein of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and Citrobacter rodentium (CR) that is secreted through the type III secretion system to host cells. The interaction between EspF and host proteins plays an important role in bacterial pathogenesis. EspF protein binds to host SNX9 and N-WASP proteins to promote the colonization of pathogenic bacteria in intestinal epithelial cells; combines with cytokeratin 18, actin, 14-3-3ζ, Arp2/3, profilin, and ZO-1 proteins to intervene in the redistribution of intermediate filaments, the rearrangement of actin, and the disruption of tight junctions; acts together with Abcf2 to boost host cell intrinsic apoptosis; and collaborates with Anxa6 protein to inhibit phagocytosis. The interaction between EspF and host proteins is key to the pathogenic mechanism of EHEC and EPEC. Here, we review how EspF protein functions through interactions with these 10 host proteins and contributes to the pathogenicity of EHEC/EPEC.

Screening for host proteins interacting with Escherichia coli O157:H7 EspF using bimolecular fluorescence complementation

AIM

To screen host proteins that interact with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 EspF.

MATERIALS & METHODS

Flow cytometry and high-throughput sequencing were used to screen interacting proteins. Molecular function, biological processes and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways were studied using the DAVID online tool. Glutathione S-transferase pull down and dot blotting were used to verify the interactions.

RESULTS

293 host proteins were identified to associate with EspF. They were mainly enriched in RNA splicing (p = 0.005), ribosome structure (p = 0.012), and involved in 109 types of signaling pathways. SNX9 and ANXA6 were confirmed to interact with EspF.

CONCLUSION

EspF interacts with ANXA6; they may form a complex to manipulate the process of phagocytosis; EspF plays a highlighted pathogenic role in enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection process.

A high-resolution method to assess cell multinucleation with cytoplasm-localized fluorescent probes

Cell multinucleation is closely related to chromosomal instability.