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Liggins M, Ramírez Ramírez N, Abel-Santos E. Comparison of sporulation and germination conditions for Clostridium perfringens type A and G strains. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1143399. [PMID: 37228374 PMCID: PMC10203408 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1143399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is a spore forming, anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium that causes a range of diseases in humans and animals. C. perfringens forms spores, structures that are derived from the vegetative cell under conditions of nutrient deprivation and that allows survival under harsh environmental conditions. To return to vegetative growth, C. perfringens spores must germinate when conditions are favorable. Previous work in analyzing C. perfringens spore germination has produced strain-specific results. Hence, we analyzed the requirements for spore formation and germination in seven different C. perfringens strains. Our data showed that C. perfringens sporulation conditions are strain-specific, but germination responses are homogenous in all strains tested. C. perfringens spores can germinate using two distinct pathways. The first germination pathway (the amino acid-only pathway or AA) requires L-alanine, L-phenylalanine, and sodium ions (Na+) as co-germinants. L-arginine is not a required germinant but potentiates germination. The AA pathway is inhibited by aromatic amino acids and potassium ions (K+). Bicarbonate (HCO3-), on the other hand, bypasses potassium-mediated inhibition of C. perfringens spore germination through the AA pathway. The second germination pathway (the bile salt / amino acid pathway or BA) is more promiscuous and is activated by several bile salts and amino acids. In contrast to the AA pathway, the BA pathway is insensitive to Na+, although it can be activated by either K+ or HCO3-. We hypothesize that some C. perfringens strains may have evolved these two distinct germination pathways to ensure spore response to different host environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Liggins
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Norma Ramírez Ramírez
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
- Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Ernesto Abel-Santos
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, United States
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Cavagnero K, Dokoshi T, O'Neill A, Seidman J, Liggins M, Gallo R. 125 Dermal adipocyte precursor immune fibroblastic cells (IFCs) drive neutrophil recruitment in response to bacterial infection. J Invest Dermatol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2022.05.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Dokoshi T, Li F, Liggins M, Williams M, Seidman J, Knight R, Taylor B, Chang J, Olvera J, Gallo R. 226 Skin controls gut immune function through innate immune ECM cross talk. J Invest Dermatol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.03.231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Sawada Y, Nakatsuji T, Dokoshi T, Kulkarni N, Jones J, Sen G, Liggins M, Gallo R. 337 Innate immune tolerance of the epidermis is mediated by epigenetic regulation of MAP2K3. J Invest Dermatol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2020.03.344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Zhang LJ, Chen SX, Guerrero-Juarez CF, Li F, Tong Y, Liang Y, Liggins M, Chen X, Chen H, Li M, Hata T, Zheng Y, Plikus MV, Gallo RL. Age-Related Loss of Innate Immune Antimicrobial Function of Dermal Fat Is Mediated by Transforming Growth Factor Beta. Immunity 2018; 50:121-136.e5. [PMID: 30594464 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2018.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Dermal fibroblasts (dFBs) resist infection by locally differentiating into adipocytes and producing cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide in response to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Here, we show that neonatal skin was enriched with adipogenic dFBs and immature dermal fat that highly expressed cathelicidin. The pool of adipogenic and antimicrobial dFBs declined after birth, leading to an age-dependent loss of dermal fat and a decrease in adipogenesis and cathelidicin production in response to infection. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), which acted on uncommitted embryonic and adult dFBs and inhibited their adipogenic and antimicrobial function, was identified as a key upstream regulator of this process. Furthermore, inhibition of the TGF-β receptor restored the adipogenic and antimicrobial function of dFBs in culture and increased resistance of adult mice to S. aureus infection. These results provide insight into changes that occur in the skin innate immune system between the perinatal and adult periods of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Juan Zhang
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China; Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Stella Xiang Chen
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Christian F Guerrero-Juarez
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Fengwu Li
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Yun Tong
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Yuqiong Liang
- Nomis Foundation Laboratories for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Marc Liggins
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Xu Chen
- Institute of Dermatology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Skin Diseases and STIs, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Hao Chen
- Institute of Dermatology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Skin Diseases and STIs, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Min Li
- Institute of Dermatology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Skin Diseases and STIs, Chinese Academy of Medical Science and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing 210042, China
| | - Tissa Hata
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ye Zheng
- Nomis Foundation Laboratories for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Maksim V Plikus
- Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Center for Complex Biological Systems, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Richard L Gallo
- Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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Ramirez N, Liggins M, Abel-Santos E. Kinetic evidence for the presence of putative germination receptors in Clostridium difficile spores. J Bacteriol 2010; 192:4215-22. [PMID: 20562307 PMCID: PMC2916422 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00488-10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2010] [Accepted: 06/07/2010] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is a spore-forming bacterium that causes Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). Intestinal microflora keeps C. difficile in the spore state and prevents colonization. Following antimicrobial treatment, the microflora is disrupted, and C. difficile spores germinate in the intestines. The resulting vegetative cells are believed to fill empty niches left by the depleted microbial community and establish infection. Thus, germination of C. difficile spores is the first required step in CDAD. Interestingly, C. difficile genes encode most known spore-specific protein necessary for germination, except for germination (Ger) receptors. Even though C. difficile Ger receptors have not been identified, taurocholate (a bile salt) and glycine (an amino acid) have been shown to be required for spore germination. Furthermore, chenodeoxycholate, another bile salt, can inhibit taurocholate-induced C. difficile spore germination. In the present study, we examined C. difficile spore germination kinetics to determine whether taurocholate acts as a specific germinant that activates unknown germination receptors or acts nonspecifically by disrupting spores' membranes. Kinetic analysis of C. difficile spore germination suggested the presence of distinct receptors for taurocholate and glycine. Furthermore, taurocholate, glycine, and chenodeoxycholate seem to bind to C. difficile spores through a complex mechanism, where both receptor homo- and heterocomplexes are formed. The kinetic data also point to an ordered sequential progression of binding where taurocholate must be recognized first before detection of glycine can take place. Finally, comparing calculated kinetic parameters with intestinal concentrations of the two germinants suggests a mechanism for the preferential germination of C. difficile spores in antibiotic-treated individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norma Ramirez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
| | - Marc Liggins
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
| | - Ernesto Abel-Santos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154
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