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Diez AF, Leroux LP, Chagneau S, Plouffe A, Gold M, Chaparro V, Jaramillo M. Toxoplasma gondii inhibits the expression of autophagy-related genes through AKT-dependent inactivation of the transcription factor FOXO3a. mBio 2023; 14:e0079523. [PMID: 37387601 PMCID: PMC10470550 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00795-23] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii induces host AKT activation to prevent autophagy-mediated clearance; however, the molecular underpinnings are not fully understood. Autophagy can be negatively regulated through AKT-sensitive phosphorylation and nuclear export of the transcription factor Forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a). Using a combination of pharmacological and genetic approaches, herein we investigated whether T. gondii hinders host autophagy through AKT-dependent inactivation of FOXO3a. We found that infection by type I and II strains of T. gondii promotes gradual and sustained AKT-dependent phosphorylation of FOXO3a at residues S253 and T32 in human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) and murine 3T3 fibroblasts. Mechanistically, AKT-sensitive phosphorylation of FOXO3a by T. gondii required live infection and the activity of PI3K but was independent of the plasma membrane receptor EGFR and the kinase PKCα. Phosphorylation of FOXO3a at AKT-sensitive residues was paralleled by its nuclear exclusion in T. gondii-infected HFF. Importantly, the parasite was unable to drive cytoplasmic localization of FOXO3a upon pharmacological blockade of AKT or overexpression of an AKT-insensitive mutant form of FOXO3a. Transcription of a subset of bona fide autophagy-related targets of FOXO3a was reduced during T. gondii infection in an AKT-dependent fashion. However, parasite-directed repression of autophagy-related genes was AKT-resistant in cells deficient in FOXO3a. Consistent with this, T. gondii failed to inhibit the recruitment of acidic organelles and LC3, an autophagy marker, to the parasitophorous vacuole upon chemically or genetically induced nuclear retention of FOXO3a. In all, we provide evidence that T. gondii suppresses FOXO3a-regulated transcriptional programs to prevent autophagy-mediated killing. IMPORTANCE The parasite Toxoplasma gondii is the etiological agent of toxoplasmosis, an opportunistic infection commonly transmitted by ingestion of contaminated food or water. To date, no effective vaccines in humans have been developed and no promising drugs are available to treat chronic infection or prevent congenital infection. T. gondii targets numerous host cell processes to establish a favorable replicative niche. Of note, T. gondii activates the host AKT signaling pathway to prevent autophagy-mediated killing. Herein, we report that T. gondii inhibits FOXO3a, a transcription factor that regulates the expression of autophagy-related genes, through AKT-dependent phosphorylation. The parasite's ability to block the recruitment of the autophagy machinery to the parasitophorous vacuole is impeded upon pharmacological inhibition of AKT or overexpression of an AKT-insensitive form of FOXO3a. Thus, our study provides greater granularity in the role of FOXO3a during infection and reinforces the potential of targeting autophagy as a therapeutic strategy against T. gondii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Felipe Diez
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Louis-Philippe Leroux
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Sophie Chagneau
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Alexandra Plouffe
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Mackenzie Gold
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Visnu Chaparro
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Maritza Jaramillo
- Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)—Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie (AFSB), Laval, Québec, Canada
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Chagneau S, Gaucher ML, Fravalo P, Thériault WP, Thibodeau A. Intestinal Colonization of Campylobacter jejuni and Its Hepatic Dissemination Are Associated with Local and Systemic Immune Responses in Broiler Chickens. Microorganisms 2023; 11:1677. [PMID: 37512849 PMCID: PMC10385864 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11071677] [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: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is an important foodborne pathogen. Despite the lack of clinical signs associated with its colonization in poultry, it has been reported to interact with the intestinal immune system. However, little is known about the interaction between C. jejuni and the chicken immune system, especially in the context of hepatic dissemination. Therefore, to follow up on our previous study showing intestinal colonization and hepatic spread of C. jejuni, cecal tonsils and liver samples were collected from these birds to determine the mRNA levels of chemokines and cytokines. Serum samples were also collected to determine serum amyloid A (SAA) concentrations and specific IgY titers. Lack of Th17 induction was observed in the cecal tonsils of only the liver-contaminated groups. This hepatic dissemination was accompanied by innate, Th1 and Th2 immune responses in livers, as well as an increase in SAA concentrations and specific IgY levels in sera. Campylobacter appears to be able to restrain the induction of the chicken gut immunity in particular conditions, possibly enhancing its hepatic dissemination and thus eliciting systemic immune responses. Although Campylobacter is often recognized as a commensal-like bacterium in chickens, it seems to modulate the gut immune system and induce systemic immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Chagneau
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Marie-Lou Gaucher
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Philippe Fravalo
- Chaire Agroalimentaire du Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, 22440 Ploufragan, France
| | - William P Thériault
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
| | - Alexandre Thibodeau
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
- Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique (CReSP), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
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Chagneau S, Gaucher ML, Thériault WP, Fravalo P, Thibodeau A. Observations supporting hypothetical commensalism and competition between two Campylobacter jejuni strains colonizing the broiler chicken gut. Front Microbiol 2023; 13:1071175. [PMID: 36817113 PMCID: PMC9937062 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1071175] [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] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Campylobacter jejuni is the most prevalent bacterial foodborne pathogen in humans. Given the wide genetic diversity of C. jejuni strains found in poultry production, a better understanding of the relationships between these strains within chickens could lead to better control of this pathogen on farms. In this study, 14-day old broiler chickens were inoculated with two C. jejuni strains (103 or 107 CFU of D2008b and 103 CFU of G2008b, alone or together) that were previously characterized in vitro and that showed an opposite potential to compete for gut colonization in broilers. Liver samples and ileal and cecal contents were collected and used to count total C. jejuni and to quantify the presence of each strain using a strain specific qPCR or PCR approach. Ileal tissue samples were also collected to analyze the relative expression level of tight junction proteins. While a 103 CFU inoculum of D2008b alone was not sufficient to induce intestinal colonization, this strain benefited from the G2008b colonization for its establishment in the gut and its extraintestinal spread. When the inoculum of D2008b was increased to 107 CFU - leading to its intestinal and hepatic colonization - a dominance of G2008b was measured in the gut and D2008b was found earlier in the liver for birds inoculated by both strains. In addition, a transcript level decrease of JAM2, CLDN5 and CLDN10 at 7 dpi and a transcript level increase of ZO1, JAM2, OCLN, CLDN10 were observed at 21 dpi for groups of birds having livers contaminated by C. jejuni. These discoveries suggest that C. jejuni would alter the intestinal barrier function probably to facilitate the hepatic dissemination. By in vitro co-culture assay, a growth arrest of D2008b was observed in the presence of G2008b after 48 h of culture. Based on these results, commensalism and competition seem to occur between both C. jejuni strains, and the dynamics of C. jejuni intestinal colonization and liver spread in broilers appear to be strain dependent. Further in vivo experimentations should be conducted to elucidate the mechanisms of commensalism and competition between strains in order to develop adequate on-farm control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Chagneau
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center (CRIPA), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,*Correspondence: Sophie Chagneau, ✉
| | - Marie-Lou Gaucher
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center (CRIPA), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Groupe de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses en Production Animale (GREMIP), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - William P. Thériault
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center (CRIPA), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada
| | - Philippe Fravalo
- Chaire Agroalimentaire du Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Thibodeau
- Research Chair in Meat Safety, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Swine and Poultry Infectious Diseases Research Center (CRIPA), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Groupe de Recherche sur les Maladies Infectieuses en Production Animale (GREMIP), Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada,Alexandre Thibodeau, ✉
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Jouglin M, Chagneau S, Faille F, Verheyden H, Bastian S, Malandrin L. Detecting and characterizing mixed infections with genetic variants of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) by developing an ankA cluster-specific nested PCR. Parasit Vectors 2017; 10:377. [PMID: 28784148 PMCID: PMC5547487 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-017-2316-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a tick-transmitted Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium able to infect a wide variety of wild and domestic animals worldwide. Based on the genetic diversity observed with different molecular markers, several host-specific lineages have been identified. Roe deer is one of the most important reservoirs of this bacterium and hosts different genetic groups sometimes found on domestic animals. We therefore developed an ankA cluster-specific nested PCR (nPCR) to evaluate the prevalence of the three different ankA genetic groups described in roe deer (clusters II, III and IV) at three locations in France and the level of co-infections. Results The specificity of the three nPCRs was assessed by partially sequencing 35 amplicons of ankA genes obtained from the different nested PCRs. All three genetic lineages were detected in roe deer from all three geographical locations. Of the infected deer population, 60.7% were co-infected by two or three different genetic variants. Co-infections varied from 42.9 to 70.6% of the infected population depending on the local infection prevalences (from 33.3 to 73.9%). All types of mixed infections occurred, suggesting the absence of a strict variant exclusion by another variant. Conclusions Mixed infections by two or three genetic variants of A. phagocytopilum are a common feature in roe deer. Genetic variants (cluster IV) also found in domestic ruminants (cattle and sheep) were present in all the roe deer populations analyzed, suggesting a shared epidemiological cycle. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-017-2316-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggy Jouglin
- INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, CS 40706, F-44307, Nantes, France.,Bretagne-Loire University, Oniris, UMR BioEpAR, F-44307, Nantes, France
| | - Sophie Chagneau
- INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, CS 40706, F-44307, Nantes, France.,Bretagne-Loire University, Oniris, UMR BioEpAR, F-44307, Nantes, France
| | - Frédéric Faille
- INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, CS 40706, F-44307, Nantes, France.,Bretagne-Loire University, Oniris, UMR BioEpAR, F-44307, Nantes, France
| | | | - Suzanne Bastian
- INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, CS 40706, F-44307, Nantes, France.,Bretagne-Loire University, Oniris, UMR BioEpAR, F-44307, Nantes, France
| | - Laurence Malandrin
- INRA, UMR1300 Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health, CS 40706, F-44307, Nantes, France. .,Bretagne-Loire University, Oniris, UMR BioEpAR, F-44307, Nantes, France.
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