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A diverse group of intracellular microorganisms, including Listeria monocytogenes, Shigella spp., Rickettsia spp., and vaccinia virus, utilize actin-based motility to move within and spread between mammalian host cells. These organisms have in common a pathogenic life cycle that involves a stage within the cytoplasm of mammalian host cells. Within the cytoplasm of host cells, these organisms activate components of the cellular actin assembly machinery to induce the formation of actin tails on the microbial surface. The assembly of these actin tails provides force that propels the organisms through the cell cytoplasm to the cell periphery or into adjacent cells. Each of these organisms utilizes preexisting mammalian pathways of actin rearrangement to induce its own actin-based motility. Particularly remarkable is that while all of these microbes use the same or overlapping pathways, each intercepts the pathway at a different step. In addition, the microbial molecules involved are each distinctly different from the others. Taken together, these observations suggest that each of these microbes separately and convergently evolved a mechanism to utilize the cellular actin assembly machinery. The current understanding of the molecular mechanisms of microbial actin-based motility is the subject of this review.
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2001 Dec
PMID:Actin-based motility of intracellular microbial pathogens. 1172 65

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory cytokine that belongs to the IL-1 cytokine family, due to its structure, receptor family and signal transduction pathways. Similarly to IL-1beta, IL-18 is synthesized as a precursor requiring caspase-1 for cleavage into an active IL-18 molecule. However, with regard to its capacity to induce the production of Th1 cytokines and to enhance cell-mediated cytotoxicity, IL-18 is also related to IL-12. Produced mainly by antigen-presenting cells, IL-18 is a pleiotropic factor involved in the regulation of both innate and acquired immune responses, playing a key role in autoimmune, inflammatory, and infectious diseases. This review summarizes recent advances in the understanding of IL-18 structure, processing, receptor expression, and immunoregulatory functions and emphasizes the critical role of this cytokine in bacterial infections. It focuses on the participation of this cytokine in the defense against intracellular bacteria, including Listeria, Shigella, Salmonella, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Since this cytokine may be particularly useful in immunoprophylactic and immunotherapeutic interventions in which the cellular response is most desirable, the potential therapeutic aspects of IL-18 is also discussed.
J Mol Med (Berl) 2002 Mar
PMID:Immunoregulatory functions of interleukin 18 and its role in defense against bacterial pathogens. 1189 41

Several Gram negative bacteria use a complex system called "type III secretion system" (TTSS) to engage their host. The archetype of TTSS is the plasmid-encoded "Yop virulon" shared by the three species of pathogenic Yersinia (Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, and Y. enterocolitica). A second TTSS, called Ysa (for Yersinia secretion apparatus) was recently described in Y. enterocolitica 8081, a strain from serotype O:8. In this study, we describe the ysa locus from A127/90, another strain of serotype O:8, and we extend the sequence to several new genes encoding Ysp proteins which are the substrates of this secretion system, and a putative chaperone SycB. According to the deduced protein sequences, the ysa system from A127/90 is identical to that of 8081. It is different from the chromosome-encoded TTSS of Y. pestis but is instead closely related to the Mxi-Spa TTSS of Shigella and to the SPI-1 encoded TTSS of Salmonella enterica. We further demonstrated that the ysa locus is only present in biotype IB strains of Y. enterocolitica. Including this new Ysa system, a phylogenetic analysis of the 26 known TTSSs was carried out, based on the sequence analysis of three conserved proteins. All the TTSSs fall into five different clusters. The phylogenetic tree of these TTSSs is completely different from the evolutionary tree based on 16S RNA, indicating that TTSSs have been distributed by horizontal transfer.
J Mol Evol 2002 Jul
PMID:Characterization of the ysa pathogenicity locus in the chromosome of Yersinia enterocolitica and phylogeny analysis of type III secretion systems. 1216 41

Entry into non-phagocytic mammalian cells by the invasive pathogens Salmonella and Shigella is triggered by the delivery of bacterial virulence effector proteins into the host cell. This is dependent upon Salmonella SipB or its Shigella homologue IpaB, which insert into the eukaryotic cell plasma membrane. Here we show that a SipB-derived 166 residue alpha-helical polypeptide is a potent inhibitor of SipB-directed liposome fusion in vitro, preventing the membrane-associated form of SipB from inserting deeply into the bilayer. This polypeptide blocks Salmonella entry into cultured mammalian cells at 10(-10) M, and is a heterologous inhibitor of analogous IpaB activity and Shigella cell entry. These findings reveal a potential strategy to identify inhibitors of the 'trigger' mechanism underlying cell entry by these major invasive pathogens.
Mol Microbiol 2002 Sep
PMID:A Salmonella SipB-derived polypeptide blocks the 'trigger' mechanism of bacterial entry into eukaryotic cells. 1235 36

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a serious infectious disease of humans and animals that is endemic in subtropical areas. B. pseudomallei is a facultative intracellular pathogen that may invade and survive within eukaryotic cells for prolonged periods. After internalization, the bacteria escape from endocytic vacuoles into the cytoplasm of infected cells and form membrane protrusions by inducing actin polymerization at one pole. It is believed that survival within phagocytic cells and cell-to-cell spread via actin protrusions is required for full virulence. We have studied the role of a putative type III protein secretion apparatus (Bsa) in the interaction between B. pseudomallei and host cells. The Bsa system is very similar to the Inv/Mxi-Spa type III secretion systems of Salmonella and Shigella. Moreover, B. pseudomallei encodes proteins that are very similar to Salmonella and Shigella Inv/Mxi-Spa secreted proteins required for invasion, escape from endocytic vacuoles, intercellular spread and pathogenesis. Antibodies to putative Bsa-secreted proteins were detected in convalescent serum from a melioidosis patient, suggesting that the system is functionally expressed in vivo. B. pseudomallei mutant strains lacking components of the Bsa secretion and translocation apparatus were constructed. The mutant strains exhibited reduced replication in J774.2 murine macrophage-like cells, an inability to escape from endocytic vacuoles and a complete absence of formation of membrane protrusions and actin tails. These findings indicate that the Bsa type III secretion system plays an essential role in modulating the intracellular behaviour of B. pseudomallei.
Mol Microbiol 2002 Nov
PMID:An Inv/Mxi-Spa-like type III protein secretion system in Burkholderia pseudomallei modulates intracellular behaviour of the pathogen. 1241 Aug 23

Escherichia coli uses fatty acids as a sole carbon and energy source during aerobic growth by means of the enzymes encoded by the fad regulon. We report that this bacterium can also grow on fatty acids under anaerobic conditions provided that a terminal respiratory electron acceptor such as nitrate is available. This anaerobic utilization pathway is distinct from the well-studied aerobic pathway in that (i). it proceeds normally in mutant strains lacking various enzymes of the aerobic pathway; (ii). it functions with fatty acids (octanoate and decanoate) that cannot be used by wild-type E. coli strains under aerobic conditions; and (iii). super-repressor mutants of the fadR regulatory locus that block aerobic growth on fatty acids fail to block the anaerobic pathway. We have identified homologues of the FadA, FadB and FadD proteins required for aerobic fatty acid utilization called YfcY, YfcX and YdiD, respectively, which are involved in anaerobic growth on fatty acids. A strong FadR binding site was detected upstream of the yfcY gene consistent with microarray analyses, indicating that yfcYX expression is negatively regulated by FadR under aerobic growth conditions. In contrast, transcriptional regulation of ydiD appears to be independent of FadR, and anaerobic growth on fatty acids is not under FadR control. These three genes are conserved in the available genome sequences of pathogenic E. coli, Shigella and Salmonella strains.
Mol Microbiol 2003 Feb
PMID:A new Escherichia coli metabolic competency: growth on fatty acids by a novel anaerobic beta-oxidation pathway. 1253 77

Live attenuated bacterial vaccines allow vaccination via the mucosal surfaces and specific targeting to professional antigen presenting cells located at the inductive sites of the immune system. A novel approach exploits attenuated intracellular bacteria as a delivery system for eukaryotic antigen expression vectors (so-called DNA vaccines). Candidate carrier bacteria include attenuated strains of Salmonella, Shigella and Listeria spp, which have been shown, in vitro, to deliver DNA vaccines to human cells. Bacterial DNA vaccine delivery has also demonstrated in vivo efficacy in several experimental animal models of infectious diseases and tumors. The next step should be the clinical assessment of the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of DNA vaccine delivery by live bacterial vaccines.
Curr Opin Mol Ther 2003 Feb
PMID:Live attenuated bacteria as vectors to deliver plasmid DNA vaccines. 1266 65

Salmonella must express and deploy a type III secretion system located in Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) in order to survive in host phagocytic vacuoles and to cause systemic infection in mouse models of typhoid fever. A genome-wide approach to screening for Salmonella genes that are transcriptionally co-regulated in vitro with SPI-2 genes was used to identify bacterial loci that might function in a mouse model of systemic disease. Strains with mutations in three SPI-2 co-expressed genes were constructed and tested for their ability to cause disease in mice. We found that virK, a homologue of a Shigella virulence determinant, and rcsC, a sensor kinase, are important at late stages of infection. A second Salmonella gene that has VirK homology, somA, is also important for systemic infection in mice. We have shown that expression of both virK and somA requires the transcription factor PhoP, whereas rcsC does not. Additionally, rcsC expression does not require the transcription factor OmpR, but expression of one of the known targets of RcsC, the yojN rcsB putative operon, does require OmpR. virK, somA and rcsC are expressed in tissue culture macrophages and confer Salmonella resistance to the cationic peptide polymyxin B. We conclude that virK, somA and rcsC are important for late stages of Salmonella enteric fever, and that they probably contribute to the remodelling of the bacterial outer membrane in response to the host environment.
Mol Microbiol 2003 Apr
PMID:virK, somA and rcsC are important for systemic Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection and cationic peptide resistance. 1267 99

Shigella deliver a subset of effector proteins such as IpaA, IpaB and IpaC via the type III secretion system (TTSS) into host cells during the infection of colonic epithelial cells. Many bacterial effectors including some from Shigella require specific chaperones for protection from degradation and targeting to the TTSS. In this study, we have investigated the role of the icsB gene located upstream of the ipaBCDA operon in Shigella infection because the role of IcsB as a virulence factor remains unknown. Here, we found that the IcsB protein is secreted via the TTSS of Shigella in vitro and in vivo. We show that IpgA protein encoded by ipgA, the gene immediately downstream of icsB, serves as the chaperone required for the stabilization and secretion of IcsB. We have shown that IcsB binds to IpgA in bacterial cytosol and the binding site is in the middle of the IcsB protein. Intriguingly, although its significance in Shigella pathogenicity is as yet unclear, the icsB gene can be read-through into the ipgA gene to create a translational fusion protein. Furthermore, the contribution of IcsB to the pathogenicity of Shigella was demonstrated by plaque-forming assay and the Sereny test. The ability of the icsB mutant to form plaques was greatly reduced compared with that of the wild type in MDCK cell monolayers. Furthermore, when guinea pig eyes were infected with a non-polar icsB mutant, the bacteria failed to provoke keratoconjunctivitis. These results suggest that IcsB is secreted via the TTSS, chaperoned by IpgA, and required at the post-invasion stage of Shigella pathogenicity
Mol Microbiol 2003 May
PMID:IcsB, secreted via the type III secretion system, is chaperoned by IpgA and required at the post-invasion stage of Shigella pathogenicity. 1275 86

An essential early event in Shigella and Salmonella pathogenesis is invasion of non-phagocytic intestinal epithelial cells. Pathogen entry is triggered by the delivery of multiple bacterial effector proteins into target mammalian cells. The Shigella invasion plasmid antigen B (IpaB), which inserts into the host plasma membrane, is required for effector delivery and invasion. To investigate the biochemical properties and membrane topology of IpaB, we purified the native full-length protein following expression in laboratory Escherichia coli. Purified IpaB assembled into trimers via an N-terminal domain predicted to form a trimeric coiled-coil, and is predominantly alpha-helical. Upon lipid interaction, two transmembrane domains (residues 313-333 and 399-419) penetrate the bilayer, allowing the intervening hydrophilic region (334-398) to cross the membrane. Purified IpaB integrated into model, erythrocyte and mammalian cell membranes without disrupting bilayer integrity, and induced liposome fusion in vitro. An IpaB-derived 162 residue alpha-helical polypeptide (IpaB(418-580)) is a potent inhibitor of IpaB-directed liposome fusion in vitro and blocked Shigella entry into cultured mammalian cells at 10(-8) M. It is also a heterologous inhibitor of Salmonella invasion protein B (SipB) activity and Salmonella entry. In contrast, IpaB(418-580) failed to prevent the contact-dependent haemolytic activity of Shigella. These findings question the proposed direct link between contact-dependent haemolysis and Shigella entry, and demonstrate that IpaB and SipB share biochemical properties and membrane topology, consistent with a conserved mode of action during cell entry.
Mol Microbiol 2003 Jul
PMID:The purified Shigella IpaB and Salmonella SipB translocators share biochemical properties and membrane topology. 1282 40


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