The microbe's view of infection.
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Humans↗
Biomedical subjects
S Falkow
Publications and source records attributed to S Falkow.
Flow cytometry and bacterial pathogenesis.
Our understanding of microbial adaptations to diverse and threatening environments is limited by the assumption that the behavior of individual bacteria can be accurately determined by measuring the behavior of populations. Recent advances in gene expression reporter systems, fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry allow microbiologists to explore the complex interactions between bacteria and their environment with single cell resolution. The application of these technologies has been particularly useful in systems, such as host-pathogen interactions, where genetic analysis is often cumbersome. Recently, flow cytometry is increasingly being applied to study host-pathogen interactions.
Bacterial Infections↗
The Yersinia Yops inhibit invasion of Listeria, Shigella and Edwardsiella but not Salmonella into epithelial cells.
Yersinia virulence is dependent on the expression of plasmid-encoded secreted proteins called Yops. After bacterial adherence to receptors on the mammalian cell membrane, several Yops are transported by a type III secretion pathway into the host cell cytoplasm. Two Yops, YopH and YopE, prevent macrophages from phagocytosing Yersinia by disrupting the host cell cytoskeleton and signal transduction pathways. In contrast to this active inhibition of phagocytosis by Yersinia, other pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria and Edwardsiella actively promote their entry into mammalian cells by binding to specific host surface receptors and exploiting existing cell cytoskeletal and signalling pathways. We have tested whether Yersinia Yops can prevent the uptake of these diverse invasive pathogens. We first infected epithelial cells with Yersinia to permit delivery of Yops and subsequently with an invasive pathogen. We then measured the level of bacterial invasion. Preinfection with Yersinia inhibited invasion of Edwardsiella, Shigella and Listeria, but not Salmonella. Furthermore, we found that either YopE or YopH prevented Listeria invasion, whereas only YopE prevented Edwardsiella and Shigella invasion. We correlated the inhibitory effect of the Yops with the inhibitory action of the cell-signalling inhibitors Wortmannin, LY294002 and NDGA, and concluded that the four invasive pathogenic species enter epithelial cells using at least three distinct host cell pathways. We also speculate that YopE affects the rho pathway.
Androstadienes↗
Macrophage-dependent induction of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 type III secretion system and its role in intracellular survival.
Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) encodes a putative type III secretion system necessary for systemic infection in animals. We have investigated the transcriptional organization and regulation of SPI-2 by creating gfp fusions throughout the entire gene cluster. These gfp fusions demonstrated that SPI-2 genes encoding structural, regulatory and previously uncharacterized putative secreted proteins are preferentially expressed in the intracellular environment of the host macrophage. Furthermore, the transcription of these genes within host cells was dependent on the two-component regulatory system SsrA/SsrB and an acidic phagosomal environment. Most SPI-2 mutants failed to replicate to the same level as wild-type strains in murine macrophages and human epithelial cells. In orally infected mice, SPI-2 mutants colonized the Peyer's patches but did not progress to the mesenteric lymph nodes. We conclude that SPI-2 genes are specifically expressed upon entry into mammalian cells and are required for intracellular growth in host cells in vivo and in vitro.
Animals↗
Constitutive and inducible green fluorescent protein expression in Bartonella henselae.
The green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was expressed on a plasmid in B. henselae, and GFP-expressing bacteria were visualized by fluorescence microscopy. HEp-2 cells infected with GFP-expressing bacteria were separated from uninfected cells with a fluorescence activated cell sorter. Promoter fusions of B. henselae chromosomal DNA to gfp were examined by flow cytometry, and a B. henselae groEL promoter fusion which induced expression at 37 degreesC was isolated.
Bartonella henselae↗
Fluorescence-based isolation of bacterial genes expressed within host cells.
A selection strategy was devised to identify bacterial genes preferentially expressed when a bacterium associates with its host cell. Fourteen Salmonella typhimurium genes, which were under the control of at least four independent regulatory circuits, were identified to be selectively induced in host macrophages. Four genes encode virulence factors, including a component of a type III secretory apparatus. This selection methodology should be generally applicable to the identification of genes from pathogenic organisms that are induced upon association with host cells or tissues.
Animals↗
Yersinia signals macrophages to undergo apoptosis and YopJ is necessary for this cell death.
Pathogenic Yersinia spp. carry a large common plasmid that encodes a number of essential virulence determinants. Included in these factors are the Yersinia-secreted proteins called Yops. We analyzed the consequences of wild-type and mutant strains of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis interactions with the macrophage cell line RAW264. 7 and murine bone marrow-derived macrophages. Wild-type Y. pseudotuberculosis kills approximately 70% of infected RAW264.7 macrophages and marrow-derived macrophages after an 8-h infection. We show that the cell death mediated by Y. pseudotuberculosis is apoptosis. Mutant Y. pseudotuberculosis that do not make any Yop proteins no longer cause host cell death. Attachment to host cells via invasin or YadA is necessary for the cell death phenotype. Several Yop mutant strains that fail to express one or more Yop proteins were engineered and then characterized for their ability to cause host cell death. A mutant with a polar insertion in YpkA Ser/Thr kinase that does not express YpkA or YopJ is no longer able to cause apoptosis. In contrast, a mutant no longer making YopE or YopH (a tyrosine phosphatase) induces apoptosis in macrophages similar to wild type. When yopJ is added in trans to the ypkAyopJ mutant, the ability of this strain to signal programmed cell death in macrophages is restored. Thus, YopJ is necessary for inducing apoptosis. The ability of Y. pseudotuberculosis to promote apoptosis of macrophages in cell culture suggests that this process is important for the establishment of infection in the host and for evasion of the host immune response.
Animals↗
Perspectives series: host/pathogen interactions. Invasion and intracellular sorting of bacteria: searching for bacterial genes expressed during host/pathogen interactions.
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Animals↗
Induction of host signal transduction pathways by Helicobacter pylori.
Adherence of Helicobacter pylori to cultured gastric epithelial cells is associated with several cellular events, including the tyrosine phosphorylation of a 145-kDa host protein; the reorganization of the host cell actin and associated cellular proteins, like vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, adjacent to the attached bacterial cell; and the subsequent release of the cytokine, interleukin 8 (IL-8). H. pylori isolated from patients with ulcer disease and gastric cancer contain a DNA insertion, the cag pathogenicity island (PAI), that is not present in bacteria isolated from individuals with asymptomatic infection. Mutations in a number of PAI genes abolish tyrosine phosphorylation and IL-8 synthesis but not the cytoskeletal rearrangements. Kinase inhibition studies suggest there are two distinct pathways operative in stimulating IL-8 release from host cells and one of these H. pylori pathways is independent of the tyrosine phosphorylation step.
Cell Line↗
Microbial pathogenesis: genomics and beyond.
The growing number of complete microbial genome sequences provides a powerful tool for studying the biology of microorganisms. In combination with assays for function, genomic-based approaches can facilitate efficient and directed research strategies to elucidate mechanisms of bacterial pathogenicity. As genomic information accrues, the challenge remains to construct a picture of the biology that accurately reflects how individual genes collaborate to create the complex world of microbial specialization.
Animals↗
Did the inheritance of a pathogenicity island modify the virulence of Helicobacter pylori?
Strains of Helicobacter pylori from patients with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer contain a 40-kb fragment of DNA that is not present in isolates from carriers with asymptomatic infections. The discovery of the cag pathogenicity island suggests that virulence has evolved by quantum leaps through the inheritance of one or more DNA insertions.
Biological Evolution↗
Probing bacterial gene expression within host cells.
The study of bacterial gene expression in the host environment is critical to our understanding of the disease process. New research tools, such as luciferase and green fluorescent protein, provide the means to measure bacterial responses to the intracellular environment with minimal perturbations and with single-cell resolution.
Bacteria↗
Functional analysis of ssaJ and the ssaK/U operon, 13 genes encoding components of the type III secretion apparatus of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2.
We have investigated the structure and transcriptional organization of 13 genes of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2) that encode components of the second type III secretion apparatus of Salmonella typhimurium. ssaK, L, M, V, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U constitute one operon of 10 kb. ssaJ lles upstream of ssaK and is the terminal gene of another operon. The deduced products of ssaJ, ssaK, ssaV, ssaN, ssaO, ssaQ, ssaR, ssaS, ssaT, and ssaU show greatest similarity to the Yersinia spp. genes yscJ, yscL, lcrD, yscN, yscO, yscQ, yscR, yscS, yscT, and yscU, respectively. The products of the ssaL, ssaM and ssaP genes do not have significant similarity to products of other type III secretion systems, and might be important for the specific function of the SPI2 type III secretion system. Bacterial strains carrying different ssa mutations display minor alterations in terms of serum sensitivity when compared with the wild-type strain, but none are defective in replication within macrophage-like RAW 264.7 cells. However, some of the ssa mutant strains invade HEp2 cells less efficiently and are less cytotoxic to RAW 264.7 macrophages than the wild-type strain. We show that the invasion defect is correlated with a lack of SipC in culture supernatants of these mutant strains. SipC is a product of the SPI1 type III secretion system of S. typhimurium, and is important for epithelial cell invasion. Therefore, mutations in SPI2 can affect the SPI1 secretion system, which raises the possibility of an interaction between the two type III secretion systems.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Mycobacterium marinum causes both long-term subclinical infection and acute disease in the leopard frog (Rana pipiens).
Mycobacterium marinum grows at an optimal temperature of 33 degrees C, far lower than that for M. tuberculosis. Consequently, M. marinum infection of mammals is restricted largely to the cooler surfaces of the body, such as the extremities, but it causes a systemic infection in a large number of poikilothermic animals. Here, we describe a laboratory animal model for M. marinum disease in the leopard frog (Rana pipiens), a natural host species. M. marinum causes a chronic granulomatous, nonlethal disease in immunocompetent frogs. Immunosuppression of the frogs with hydrocortisone results in an acute, fulminant, lethal disease. This animal model, in which a spectrum of tuberculosis-like disease can be produced, will be useful for the dissection of the genetic basis of mycobacterial pathogenesis.
Acute Disease↗
The unique trafficking pattern of Salmonella typhimurium-containing phagosomes in murine macrophages is independent of the mechanism of bacterial entry.
Although it has been known for some time that Salmonella typhimurium is able to survive and even replicate in the normally bactericidal environment of the macrophage phagosome, the mechanisms by which this organism accomplishes this feat remain obscure. In this study, a murine macrophage cell line and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy were used to more thoroughly define the specific nature of phagosomes containing latex beads or wild-type S. typhimurium (viable or heat-killed organisms). Live S. typhimurium organisms were observed to reside in phagosomes that diverge from the degradative pathway of the macrophage. These compartments contain lysosomal glycoproteins and lysosomal acid phosphatase, endocytic markers delivered to vacuoles by mannose 6-phosphate receptor-independent mechanisms, but are devoid of the mannose 6-phosphate receptor and cathepsin L. In contrast, phagosomes containing latex beads or heat-killed organisms appeared to be processed along the degradative pathway of the host cell; these compartments colocalized not only with lysosomal glycoproteins and lysosomal acid phosphatases but also with mannose 6-phosphate receptors and cathepsin L. The uniqueness of the phagosome containing viable S. typhimurium was confirmed by the observation that these compartments, in comparison to phagosomes containing latex beads, do not readily interact with incoming endocytic traffic. Finally, we show that an isogenic, noninvasive mutant of S. typhimurium, BJ66, ends up in an intracellular compartment identical to the wild-type S. typhimurium-containing phagosome. Thus, modifications of the Salmonella-containing compartment occur independently of the mechanism of bacterial entry.
Animals↗
Differential trafficking of live and dead Mycobacterium marinum organisms in macrophages.
We characterized the Mycobacterium marinum phagosome by using a variety of endocytic markers to follow the path of the bacteria through a mouse macrophage cell line. Using a laser confocal microscope, we found that the majority of viable M. marinum cells were in nonacidic vacuoles that did not colocalize with the vacuolar proton ATPase (V-ATPase), the calcium-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (CI-M6PR), or cathepsin D. In contrast, heat-killed organisms and latex beads were in acidic vacuoles which contained the V-ATPase, the CI-M6PR, and cathepsin D. A population of vesicles that contained live M. marinum labeled with the lysosomal glycoprotein LAMP-1, but the percentage of vacuoles that labeled was lower than for heat-killed organisms or latex beads. When testing live and heat-killed Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we found levels of colocalization with LAMP- and cathepsin D comparable to those for the M. marinum isolate. We conclude that M. marinum, like M. tuberculosis, can circumvent the host endocytic pathway and reside in an intracellular compartment which is not acidic and does not fuse with lysosomes. In addition, we describe a system for sampling a large population of intracellular organisms by using a laser confocal microscope.
Animals↗
Interaction of Mycobacterium avium with environmental amoebae enhances virulence.
Environmental mycobacteria are a common cause of human infections. Recently, contaminated domestic water supplies have been suggested as a potential environmental source of several mycobacterial diseases. Since many of these mycobacterial species replicate best intracellularly, environmental hosts have been sought. In the present study, we examined the interaction of Mycobacterium avium with a potential protozoan host, the water-borne amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii. We found that M. avium enters and replicates in A. castellanii. In addition, similar to that shown for mycobacteria within macrophages, M. avium inhibits lysosomal fusion and replicates in vacuoles that are tightly juxtaposed to the bacterial surfaces within amoebae. In order to determine whether growth of M. avium in amoebae plays a role in human infections, we tested the effects of this growth condition on virulence. We found that growth of M. avium in amoebae enhances both entry and intracellular replication compared to growth of bacteria in broth. Furthermore, amoeba-grown M. avium was also more virulent in the beige mouse model of infection. These data suggest a role for protozoa present in water environments as hosts for pathogenic mycobacteria, particularly M. avium.
Amoeba↗
An Edwardsiella tarda strain containing a mutation in a gene with homology to shlB and hpmB is defective for entry into epithelial cells in culture.
Edwardsiella tarda is an enteric pathogen that causes diarrhea, wound infections, and death due to septicemia. This species is capable of invading human epithelial cell lines, and we have now been able to follow the entry and replication of E. tarda within tissue culture host cells. E. tarda escapes from the endocytic vacuole within minutes of entry and then replicates within the cytoplasm. Unlike other well-studied bacteria that replicate and reside in the cytoplasm, we never observed this organism moving directly from cell to cell; instead the bacteria spread by lysing the plasma membrane after several rounds of replication. Efforts to study the interactions of E. tarda with tissue culture cells are complicated by the presence of a potent cytotoxin that the bacterium produces. Using transposon mutagenesis, we isolated a noncytotoxic strain of E. tarda. This mutant is also defective for hemolysin production. The dual phenotype of this strain is consistent with the hypothesis that cytotoxicity is due to the previously characterized E. tarda hemolysin activity. The nonhemolytic strain is also unable to enter HEp-2 cells. The disrupted gene has sequence similarity to members of a family of genes required for transport and activation of the hemolysin genes, shlA and hpmA. A cosmid bearing 40 kb of E. tarda DNA, including wild-type copies of the E. tarda homologs of the transporter-activator protein and the hemolysin itself, confers hemolytic, cytotoxic, and invasive abilities upon normally nonhemolytic, noncytotoxic, and noninvasive strains of Escherichia coli. Sequence data indicate that the genes required for hemolytic activity are linked to a transposable element, suggesting that they arose in the E. tarda genome by horizontal transfer.
Adhesins, Bacterial↗