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Akbari MS, Keogh RA, Radin JN, Sanchez-Rosario Y, Johnson MDL, Horswill AR, Kehl-Fie TE, Burcham LR, Doran KS. The impact of nutritional immunity on Group B streptococcal pathogenesis during wound infection. mBio 2023; 14:e0030423. [PMID: 37358277 PMCID: PMC10470527 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00304-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a Gram-positive pathobiont that can cause adverse health outcomes in neonates and vulnerable adult populations. GBS is one of the most frequently isolated bacteria from diabetic (Db) wound infections but is rarely found in the non-diabetic (nDb) wound environment. Previously, RNA sequencing of wound tissue from Db wound infections in leprdb diabetic mice showed increased expression of neutrophil factors, and genes involved in GBS metal transport such as the zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and putative nickel (Ni) import systems. Here, we develop a Streptozotocin-induced diabetic wound model to evaluate the pathogenesis of two invasive strains of GBS, serotypes Ia and V. We observe an increase in metal chelators such as calprotectin (CP) and lipocalin-2 during diabetic wound infections compared to nDb. We find that CP limits GBS survival in wounds of non-diabetic mice but does not impact survival in diabetic wounds. Additionally, we utilize GBS metal transporter mutants and determine that the Zn, Mn, and putative Ni transporters in GBS are dispensable in diabetic wound infection but contributed to bacterial persistence in non-diabetic animals. Collectively, these data suggest that in non-diabetic mice, functional nutritional immunity mediated by CP is effective at mitigating GBS infection, whereas in diabetic mice, the presence of CP is not sufficient to control GBS wound persistence. IMPORTANCE Diabetic wound infections are difficult to treat and often become chronic due to an impaired immune response as well as the presence of bacterial species that establish persistent infections. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is one of the most frequently isolated bacterial species in diabetic wound infections and, as a result, is one of the leading causes of death from skin and subcutaneous infection. However, GBS is notoriously absent in non-diabetic wounds, and little is known about why this species thrives in diabetic infection. The work herein investigates how alterations in diabetic host immunity may contribute to GBS success during diabetic wound infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline S. Akbari
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Rebecca A. Keogh
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Jana N. Radin
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Yamil Sanchez-Rosario
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Michael D. L. Johnson
- Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Valley Fever Center for Excellence, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine—Tucson, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Alexander R. Horswill
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Thomas E. Kehl-Fie
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Lindsey R. Burcham
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Kelly S. Doran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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da Conceição Mendonça J, Sobral Pena JM, Dos Santos Macêdo N, de Souza Rodrigues D, de Oliveira DA, Spencer BL, Lopes-Torres EJ, Burcham LR, Doran KS, Nagao PE. Enhanced Vulnerability of Diabetic Mice to Hypervirulent Streptococcus agalactiae ST-17 Infection. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12040580. [PMID: 37111466 PMCID: PMC10142174 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12040580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis but has been recently isolated from non-pregnant adults with underlying medical conditions like diabetes. Despite diabetes being a key risk factor for invasive disease, the pathological consequences during GBS infection remain poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrate the pathogenicity of the GBS90356-ST17 and COH1-ST17 strains in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. We show that GBS can spread through the bloodstream and colonize several tissues, presenting a higher bacterial count in diabetic-infected mice when compared to non-diabetic-infected mice. Histological sections of the lungs showed inflammatory cell infiltration, collapsed septa, and red blood cell extravasation in the diabetic-infected group. A significant increase in collagen deposition and elastic fibers were also observed in the lungs. Moreover, the diabetic group presented red blood cells that adhered to the valve wall and disorganized cardiac muscle fibers. An increased expression of KC protein, IL-1β, genes encoding immune cell markers, and ROS (reactive oxygen species) production was observed in diabetic-infected mice, suggesting GBS promotes high levels of inflammation when compared to non-diabetic animals. Our data indicate that efforts to reverse the epidemic of diabetes could considerably reduce the incidence of invasive infection, morbidity and mortality due to GBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica da Conceição Mendonça
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA
| | - João Matheus Sobral Pena
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
| | - Noemi Dos Santos Macêdo
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dayane de Souza Rodrigues
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
| | - Dayane Alvarinho de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Helmintologia Romero Lascasas Porto, Department of Immunology, Microbiology e Parasitology, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
| | - Brady L Spencer
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 12800, USA
| | - Eduardo José Lopes-Torres
- Laboratório de Helmintologia Romero Lascasas Porto, Department of Immunology, Microbiology e Parasitology, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
| | - Lindsey R Burcham
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN 37916, USA
| | - Kelly S Doran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 12800, USA
| | - Prescilla Emy Nagao
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Physiology of Streptococci, Institute of Biology Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro 20550-013, RJ, Brazil
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Akbari MS, Doran KS, Burcham LR. Metal Homeostasis in Pathogenic Streptococci. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10081501. [PMID: 35893559 PMCID: PMC9331361 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10081501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Streptococcus spp. are an important genus of Gram-positive bacteria, many of which are opportunistic pathogens that are capable of causing invasive disease in a wide range of populations. Metals, especially transition metal ions, are an essential nutrient for all organisms. Therefore, to survive across dynamic host environments, Streptococci have evolved complex systems to withstand metal stress and maintain metal homeostasis, especially during colonization and infection. There are many different types of transport systems that are used by bacteria to import or export metals that can be highly specific or promiscuous. Focusing on the most well studied transition metals of zinc, manganese, iron, nickel, and copper, this review aims to summarize the current knowledge of metal homeostasis in pathogenic Streptococci, and their role in virulence.
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Burcham LR, Bath JR, Werlang CA, Lyon LM, Liu N, Evans C, Ribbeck K, Doran KS. Role of MUC5B during Group B Streptococcal Vaginal Colonization. mBio 2022; 13:e0003922. [PMID: 35323039 PMCID: PMC9040740 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00039-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The female reproductive tract (FRT) is a complex environment, rich in mucin glycoproteins that form a dense network on the surface of the underlying epithelia. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) asymptomatically colonizes 25-30% of healthy women, but during pregnancy can cause ascending infection in utero or be transmitted to the newborn during birth to cause invasive disease. Though the cervicovaginal mucosa is a natural site for GBS colonization, the specific interactions between GBS and mucins remain unknown. Here we demonstrate for the first time that MUC5B interacts directly with GBS and promotes barrier function by inhibiting both bacterial attachment to human epithelial cells and ascension from the vagina to the uterus in a murine model of GBS colonization. RNA sequencing analysis of GBS exposed to MUC5B identified 128 differentially expressed GBS genes, including upregulation of the pilus island-2b (PI-2b) locus. We subsequently show that PI-2b is important for GBS attachment to reproductive cells, binding to immobilized mucins, and vaginal colonization in vivo. Our results suggest that while MUC5B plays an important role in host defense, GBS upregulates pili in response to mucins to help promote persistence within the vaginal tract, illustrating the dynamic interplay between pathogen and host. IMPORTANCE Mucin glycoproteins are a major component that contributes to the complexity of the female reproductive tract (FRT). Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is present in the FRT of 25-30% of healthy women, but during pregnancy can ascend to the uterus to cause preterm birth and fetal infection in utero. Here we show that a prominent mucin found in the FRT, MUC5B, promotes host defense by inhibiting GBS interaction with epithelial cells found in the FRT and ascension from the vagina to the uterus in vivo. In response to MUC5B, GBS induces the expression of surface expressed pili, which in turn contributes to GBS persistence within the vaginal lumen. These observations highlight the importance and complexity of GBS-mucin interactions that warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey R. Burcham
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Jade R. Bath
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Caroline A. Werlang
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Laurie M. Lyon
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Naoko Liu
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Christopher Evans
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Katharina Ribbeck
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kelly S. Doran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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Burcham LR, Hill RA, Caulkins RC, Emerson JP, Nanduri B, Rosch JW, Fitzkee NC, Thornton JA. Streptococcus pneumoniae metal homeostasis alters cellular metabolism. Metallomics 2021; 12:1416-1427. [PMID: 32676626 DOI: 10.1039/d0mt00118j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Streptococcus pneumoniae colonizes the human nasopharyngeal mucosa and is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia, acute otitis media, and bacterial meningitis. Metal ion homeostasis is vital to the survival of this pathogen across diverse biological sites and contributes significantly to colonization and invasive disease. Microarray and qRT-PCR analysis revealed an upregulation of an uncharacterized operon (SP1433-1438) in pneumococci subjected to metal-chelation by N,N,N',N'-tetrakis-(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN). Supplementation of zinc, cobalt, and nickel following TPEN treatment significantly abrogated induction. BLASTP comparisons and protein topology analysis predicted this locus to encode components of ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters involved in multidrug resistance (SP1434-1435) and energy-coupling factor (ECF) transporters (SP1436-1438). Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis identified differences in intracellular metal content in a Δ1434-8 mutant strain compared to parental T4R. Further, analysis of the secreted metabolome of WT and Δ1434-8 strains identified significant changes in pneumococcal glycolytic and amino acid metabolic pathways, indicating a shift towards mixed acid fermentation. Additionally, proteomic analysis revealed differentially expressed proteins in the Δ1434-8 mutant strain, with nearly 20% regulated by the global catabolite repressor, CcpA. Based on these findings, we propose that the transporters encoded by SP1433-1438 are involved in regulating the central metabolism of S. pneumoniae and contributing to bacterial survival during metal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey R Burcham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA.
| | - Rebecca A Hill
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA
| | - Rachel C Caulkins
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA.
| | - Joseph P Emerson
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA
| | - Bindu Nanduri
- Department of Basic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA
| | - Jason W Rosch
- Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Nicholas C Fitzkee
- Department of Chemistry, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA
| | - Justin A Thornton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State MS 39762, USA.
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Spencer BL, Doran KS, Burcham LR. The Virtual Streptococcal Seminar Series and Trainee Symposium: Adaptations of a Research Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Microbiol Biol Educ 2021; 22:jmbe-22-55. [PMID: 33884095 PMCID: PMC8046663 DOI: 10.1128/jmbe.v22i1.2479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced academic research communities to develop online means of learning, networking, and engaging in new research. To allow increased interaction and engagement of the streptococcal research community during the COVID-19 shutdown, we organized the Virtual Streptococcal Seminar Series and Virtual Streptococcal Trainee Symposium and advertised via e-mail and social media outlets. The seminar series initially met weekly on Thursdays at 12 pm Eastern Daylight Time and transitioned to monthly seminars, while the trainee symposium spanned 3 days in September 2020. In this study, we analyzed seminar attendance data and online recording accesses from the first 20 seminars and found community engagement to be independent of speaker gender, career stage, geographic location, and organism of interest, with an average of 124 live attendees and 1,683 recording accesses per seminar. We also report attendance and speaker statistics from the 3-day Virtual Streptococcal Trainee Symposium, which hosted a total of 38 trainees from five continents presenting on Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus suis, oral streptococci, or Enterococcus faecalis. The Virtual Streptococcal Trainee Symposium averaged 119 live attendees per session, with a total of 220 unique attendees from six continents across the 3-day event. We conclude that while online platforms do not replace in-person conferences, the seminar and symposium successfully engaged the streptococcal research community and have provided a forum for scientific sharing during the COVID-19 crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lindsey R. Burcham
- Corresponding author. Mailing address: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Research Complex 1 North, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045. Phone: 303-724-3539. E-mail:
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Alhajjar N, Chatterjee A, Spencer BL, Burcham LR, Willett JLE, Dunny GM, Duerkop BA, Doran KS. Genome-Wide Mutagenesis Identifies Factors Involved in Enterococcus faecalis Vaginal Adherence and Persistence. Infect Immun 2020; 88:e00270-20. [PMID: 32778611 PMCID: PMC7504943 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00270-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram-positive commensal bacterium native to the gastrointestinal tract and an opportunistic pathogen of increasing clinical concern. E. faecalis also colonizes the female reproductive tract, and reports suggest vaginal colonization increases following antibiotic treatment or in patients with aerobic vaginitis. Currently, little is known about specific factors that promote E. faecalis vaginal colonization and subsequent infection. We modified an established mouse vaginal colonization model to explore E. faecalis vaginal carriage and demonstrate that both vancomycin-resistant and -sensitive strains colonize the murine vaginal tract. Following vaginal colonization, we observed E. faecalis in vaginal, cervical, and uterine tissue. A mutant lacking endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pili (Ebp) exhibited a decreased ability to associate with human vaginal and cervical cells in vitro but did not contribute to colonization in vivo Thus, we screened a low-complexity transposon (Tn) mutant library to identify novel genes important for E. faecalis colonization and persistence in the vaginal tract. This screen revealed 383 mutants that were underrepresented during vaginal colonization at 1, 5, and 8 days postinoculation compared to growth in culture medium. We confirmed that mutants deficient in ethanolamine catabolism or in the type VII secretion system were attenuated in persisting during vaginal colonization. These results reveal the complex nature of vaginal colonization and suggest that multiple factors contribute to E. faecalis persistence in the reproductive tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norhan Alhajjar
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Anushila Chatterjee
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Brady L Spencer
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Lindsey R Burcham
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Julia L E Willett
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gary M Dunny
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Breck A Duerkop
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Kelly S Doran
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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