scholarly journals Directed inter-domain motions enable the IsdH Staphylococcus aureus receptor to rapidly extract heme from human hemoglobin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Clayton ◽  
Kat Ellis-Guardiola ◽  
Brandon Mahoney ◽  
Jess Soule ◽  
Robert T. Clubb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Extraction Process ◽  
Markov Modeling ◽  
Human Hemoglobin ◽  
Surface Receptor ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Domain Motions ◽  
Mutant Receptors ◽  
Linker Domain

Pathogenic Staphylococcus aureus actively acquires iron from human hemoglobin (Hb) using the IsdH surface receptor. Heme extraction is mediated by a tridomain unit within the receptor that contains its second (N2) and third (N3) NEAT domains joined by a helical linker domain. Extraction occurs within a dynamic complex, in which receptors engage each globin chain; the N2 domain tightly binds to Hb, while substantial inter-domain motions within the receptor enable its N3 domain to transiently distort the globin's heme pocket. Using molecular simulations, Markov modeling, and quantitative measurements of heme transfer kinetics, we show that directed inter-domain motions within the receptor play a critical role in the extraction process. The directionality of N3 domain motion and the rate of heme extraction is controlled by amino acids within a short, flexible inter-domain tether that connects the N2 and linker domains. In the wild-type receptor directed motions originating from the tether enable the N3 domain to populate configurations capable of distorting Hb's pocket, whereas mutant receptors containing altered tethers are less able to adopt these conformers and capture heme slowly via indirect processes in which Hb first releases heme into the solvent. Thus, our results show inter-domain motions within the IsdH receptor play a critical role in its ability to extract heme from Hb and highlight the importance of directed motions by the short, unstructured, amino acid sequence connecting the domains in controlling the directionality and magnitude of these functionally important motions.

scholarly journals GSDMD contributes to host defence against Staphylococcus aureus skin infection by suppressing the Cxcl1–Cxcr2 axis

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen-Zhen Liu ◽  
Yong-Jun Yang ◽  
Feng-Hua Zhou ◽  
Ke Ma ◽  
Xiao-Qi Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Skin Infection ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Host Defence ◽  
Skin Damage ◽  
Microbial Infection ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Deficient Mice

AbstractGasdermin D (GSDMD), a member of the gasdermin protein family, is a caspase substrate, and its cleavage is required for pyroptosis and IL-1β secretion. To date, the role and regulatory mechanism of GSDMD during cutaneous microbial infection remain unclear. Here, we showed that GSDMD protected against Staphylococcus aureus skin infection by suppressing Cxcl1–Cxcr2 signalling. GSDMD deficiency resulted in larger abscesses, more bacterial colonization, exacerbated skin damage, and increased inflammatory cell infiltration. Although GSDMD deficiency resulted in defective IL-1β production, the critical role of IL-1β was counteracted by the fact that Caspase-1/11 deficiency also resulted in less IL-1β production but did not aggravate disease severity during S. aureus skin infection. Interestingly, GSDMD-deficient mice had increased Cxcl1 secretion accompanied by increased recruitment of neutrophils, whereas Caspase-1/11-deficient mice presented similar levels of Cxcl1 and neutrophils as wild-type mice. Moreover, the absence of GSDMD promoted Cxcl1 secretion in bone marrow-derived macrophages induced by live, dead, or different strains of S. aureus. Corresponding to higher transcription and secretion of Cxcl1, enhanced NF-κB activation was shown in vitro and in vivo in the absence of GSDMD. Importantly, inhibiting the Cxcl1–Cxcr2 axis with a Cxcr2 inhibitor or anti-Cxcl1 blocking antibody rescued host defence defects in the GSDMD-deficient mice. Hence, these results revealed an important role of GSDMD in suppressing the Cxcl1–Cxcr2 axis to facilitate pathogen control and prevent tissue damage during cutaneous S. aureus infection.

scholarly journals Cytosolic Phospholipase A2α–deficient Mice Are Resistant to Collagen-induced Arthritis

2003 ◽  
Vol 197 (10) ◽  
pp. 1297-1302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Hegen ◽  
Linhong Sun ◽  
Naonori Uozumi ◽  
Kazuhiko Kume ◽  
Mary E. Goad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Collagen Induced Arthritis ◽  
Cytosolic Phospholipase ◽  
Severity Scores ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Cytosolic Phospholipase A2α ◽  
Antibody Levels ◽  
Deficient Mice

Pathogenic mechanisms relevant to rheumatoid arthritis occur in the mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Cytosolic phospholipase A2α (cPLA2α) releases arachidonic acid from cell membranes to initiate the production of prostaglandins and leukotrienes. These inflammatory mediators have been implicated in the development of CIA. To test the hypothesis that cPLA2α plays a key role in the development of CIA, we backcrossed cPLA2α-deficient mice on the DBA/1LacJ background that is susceptible to CIA. The disease severity scores and the incidence of disease were markedly reduced in cPLA2α-deficient mice compared with wild-type littermates. At completion of the study, >90% of the wild-type mice had developed disease whereas none of the cPLA2α-deficient mice had more than one digit inflamed. Furthermore, visual disease scores correlated with severity of disease determined histologically. Pannus formation, articular fibrillation, and ankylosis were all dramatically reduced in the cPLA2α-deficient mice. Although the disease scores differed significantly between cPLA2α mutant and wild-type mice, anti-collagen antibody levels were similar in the wild-type mice and mutant littermates. These data demonstrate the critical role of cPLA2α in the pathogenesis of CIA.

scholarly journals Linezolid Attenuates Lethal Lung Damage during Postinfluenza Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia

2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atul K. Verma ◽  
Christopher Bauer ◽  
Vijaya Kumar Yajjala ◽  
Shruti Bansal ◽  
Keer Sun
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Therapeutic Effect ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Lung Damage ◽  
Alpha Toxin ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Linezolid Therapy ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus Pneumonia ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Postinfluenza methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection can quickly develop into severe, necrotizing pneumonia, causing over 50% mortality despite antibiotic treatments. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of antibiotic therapies and the impact of S. aureus alpha-toxin in a model of lethal influenza virus and MRSA coinfection. We demonstrate that antibiotics primarily attenuate alpha-toxin-induced acute lethality, even though both alpha-toxin-dependent and -independent mechanisms significantly contribute to animal mortality after coinfection. Furthermore, we found that the protein synthesis-suppressing antibiotic linezolid has an advantageous therapeutic effect on alpha-toxin-induced lung damage, as measured by protein leak and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity. Importantly, using a Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-negative MRSA isolate from patient sputum, we show that linezolid therapy significantly improves animal survival from postinfluenza MRSA pneumonia compared with vancomycin treatment. Rather than improved viral or bacterial control, this advantageous therapeutic effect is associated with a significantly attenuated proinflammatory cytokine response and acute lung damage in linezolid-treated mice. Together, our findings not only establish a critical role of alpha-toxin in the extreme mortality of secondary MRSA pneumonia after influenza but also provide support for the possibility that linezolid could be a more effective treatment than vancomycin to improve disease outcomes.

scholarly journals Disruption of Glycolysis by Nutritional Immunity Activates a Two-Component System That Coordinates a Metabolic and Antihost Response by Staphylococcus aureus

mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola K. Párraga Solórzano ◽  
Jiangwei Yao ◽  
Charles O. Rock ◽  
Thomas E. Kehl-Fie
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Metabolic Flux ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Two Component System ◽  
Component System ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutritional Immunity ◽  
Two Component

ABSTRACT During infection, bacteria use two-component signal transduction systems to sense and adapt to the dynamic host environment. Despite critically contributing to infection, the activating signals of most of these regulators remain unknown. This also applies to the Staphylococcus aureus ArlRS two-component system, which contributes to virulence by coordinating the production of toxins, adhesins, and a metabolic response that enables the bacterium to overcome host-imposed manganese starvation. Restricting the availability of essential transition metals, a strategy known as nutritional immunity, constitutes a critical defense against infection. In this work, expression analysis revealed that manganese starvation imposed by the immune effector calprotectin or by the absence of glycolytic substrates activates ArlRS. Manganese starvation imposed by calprotectin also activated the ArlRS system even when glycolytic substrates were present. A combination of metabolomics, mutational analysis, and metabolic feeding experiments revealed that ArlRS is activated by alterations in metabolic flux occurring in the latter half of the glycolytic pathway. Moreover, calprotectin was found to induce expression of staphylococcal leukocidins in an ArlRS-dependent manner. These studies indicated that ArlRS is a metabolic sensor that allows S. aureus to integrate multiple environmental stresses that alter glycolytic flux to coordinate an antihost response and to adapt to manganese starvation. They also established that the latter half of glycolysis represents a checkpoint to monitor metabolic state in S. aureus. Altogether, these findings contribute to understanding how invading pathogens, such as S. aureus, adapt to the host during infection and suggest the existence of similar mechanisms in other bacterial species. IMPORTANCE Two-component regulatory systems enable bacteria to adapt to changes in their environment during infection by altering gene expression and coordinating antihost responses. Despite the critical role of two-component systems in bacterial survival and pathogenesis, the activating signals for most of these regulators remain unidentified. This is exemplified by ArlRS, a Staphylococcus aureus global regulator that contributes to virulence and to resisting host-mediated restriction of essential nutrients, such as manganese. In this report, we demonstrate that manganese starvation and the absence of glycolytic substrates activate ArlRS. Further investigations revealed that ArlRS is activated when the latter half of glycolysis is disrupted, suggesting that S. aureus monitors flux through the second half of this pathway. Host-imposed manganese starvation also induced the expression of pore-forming toxins in an ArlRS-dependent manner. Cumulatively, this work reveals that ArlRS acts as a sensor that links nutritional status, cellular metabolism, and virulence regulation.

scholarly journals Colonization and Inflammation Deficiencies in Mongolian Gerbils Infected by Helicobacter pylori Chemotaxis Mutants

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1820-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. McGee ◽  
Melanie L. Langford ◽  
Emily L. Watson ◽  
J. Elliot Carter ◽  
Yu-Ting Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Helicobacter Pylori ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Response Regulator ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Mongolian Gerbils ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
H Pylori

ABSTRACT Helicobacter pylori causes disease in the human stomach and in mouse and gerbil stomach models. Previous results have shown that motility is critical for H. pylori to colonize mice, gerbils, and other animal models. The role of chemotaxis, however, in colonization and disease is less well understood. Two genes in the H. pylori chemotaxis pathway, cheY and tlpB, which encode the chemotaxis response regulator and a methyl-accepting chemoreceptor, respectively, were disrupted. The cheY mutation was complemented with a wild-type copy of cheY inserted into the chromosomal rdxA gene. The cheY mutant lost chemotaxis but retained motility, while all other strains were motile and chemotactic in vitro. These strains were inoculated into gerbils either alone or in combination with the wild-type strain, and colonization and inflammation were assessed. While the cheY mutant completely failed to colonize gerbil stomachs, the tlpB mutant colonized at levels similar to those of the wild type. With the tlpB mutant, there was a substantial decrease in inflammation in the gerbil stomach compared to that with the wild type. Furthermore, there were differences in the numbers of each immune cell in the tlpB-mutant-infected stomach: the ratio of lymphocytes to neutrophils was about 8 to 1 in the wild type but only about 1 to 1 in the mutant. These results suggest that the TlpB chemoreceptor plays an important role in the inflammatory response while the CheY chemotaxis regulator plays a critical role in initial colonization. Chemotaxis mutants may provide new insights into the steps involved in H. pylori pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Modulation of Cell Wall Structure and Antimicrobial Susceptibility by a Staphylococcus aureus Eukaryote-Like Serine/Threonine Kinase and Phosphatase

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 1406-1416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda M. Beltramini ◽  
Chitrangada D. Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Vijay Pancholi
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Wall Structure ◽  
Wall Structure ◽  
Cellular Functions ◽  
Serine Threonine Kinase ◽  
Threonine Kinase ◽  
Irregular Cell

ABSTRACT It is well established that prokaryotes and eukaryotes alike utilize phosphotransfer to regulate cellular functions. One method by which this occurs is via eukaryote-like serine/threonine kinase (ESTK)- and phosphatase (ESTP)-regulated pathways. The role of these enzymes in Staphylococcus aureus has not yet been examined. This resilient organism is a common cause of hospital-acquired and community-associated infections, infecting immunocompromised and immunocompetent hosts alike. In this study, we have characterized a major functional ESTK (STK) and ESTP (STP) in S. aureus and found them to be critical modulators of cell wall structure and susceptibility to cell wall-acting β-lactam antibiotics. By utilizing gene knockout strategies, we created S. aureus N315 mutants lacking STP and/or STK. The strain lacking both STP and STK displayed notable cell division defects, including multiple and incomplete septa, bulging, and irregular cell size, as observed by transmission electron microscopy. Mutants lacking STP alone displayed thickened cell walls and increased resistance to the peptidoglycan-targeting glycylglycine endopeptidase lysostaphin, compared to the wild type. Additionally, mutant strains lacking STK or both STK and STP displayed increased sensitivity to cell wall-acting cephalosporin and carbapenem antibiotics. Together, these results indicate that S. aureus STK- and STP-mediated reversible phosphorylation reactions play a critical role in proper cell wall architecture, and thus the modulation of antimicrobial resistance, in S. aureus.

scholarly journals Functional disruption of α4 integrin mobilizes bone marrow–derived endothelial progenitors and augments ischemic neovascularization

2006 ◽  
Vol 203 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangjian Qin ◽  
Masaaki Ii ◽  
Marcy Silver ◽  
Andrea Wecker ◽  
Evelyn Bord ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Surface Receptor ◽  
Ischemic Disease ◽  
Angiogenic Therapy ◽  
Ischemic Tissue ◽  
Surface Receptor

The cell surface receptor α4 integrin plays a critical role in the homing, engraftment, and maintenance of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in the bone marrow (BM). Down-regulation or functional blockade of α4 integrin or its ligand vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 mobilizes long-term HPCs. We investigated the role of α4 integrin in the mobilization and homing of BM endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). EPCs with endothelial colony-forming activity in the BM are exclusively α4 integrin–expressing cells. In vivo, a single dose of anti–α4 integrin antibody resulted in increased circulating EPC counts for 3 d. In hindlimb ischemia and myocardial infarction, systemically administered anti–α4 integrin antibody increased recruitment and incorporation of BM EPCs in newly formed vasculature and improved functional blood flow recovery and tissue preservation. Interestingly, BM EPCs that had been preblocked with anti–α4 integrin ex vivo or collected from α4 integrin–deficient mice incorporated as well as control cells into the neovasculature in ischemic sites, suggesting that α4 integrin may be dispensable or play a redundant role in EPC homing to ischemic tissue. These data indicate that functional disruption of α4 integrin may represent a potential angiogenic therapy for ischemic disease by increasing the available circulating supply of EPCs.

scholarly journals Impaired Differentiation of Osteoclasts in TREM-2–deficient Individuals

2003 ◽  
Vol 198 (4) ◽  
pp. 645-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Cella ◽  
Cecilia Buonsanti ◽  
Carey Strader ◽  
Takayuki Kondo ◽  
Andrea Salmaggi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Function ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Cell Surface Receptor ◽  
Genetic Defects ◽  
Bone Modeling ◽  
Bone Cysts ◽  
Presenile Dementia ◽  
Surface Receptor ◽  
Resorptive Activity

TREM-2 is an immunoglobulin-like cell surface receptor associated with DAP12/KARAP that activates monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro. Recently, it has been shown that genetic defects of human DAP12/KARAP and TREM-2 result in a rare syndrome characterized by bone cysts and presenile dementia called Nasu-Hakola disease. This observation suggests that TREM-2 may function in myeloid cells other than DCs, most probably osteoclasts (OCs) and microglial cells, which are involved in bone modeling and brain function. Consistent with this prediction, here we show that OC differentiation is dramatically arrested in TREM-2–deficient patients, resulting in large aggregates of immature OCs that exhibit impaired bone resorptive activity. These results demonstrate a critical role for TREM-2 in the differentiation of mononuclear myeloid precursors into functional multinucleated OCs.

scholarly journals CodY in Staphylococcus aureus: a Regulatory Link between Metabolism and Virulence Gene Expression

2009 ◽  
Vol 191 (9) ◽  
pp. 2953-2963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstanze Pohl ◽  
Patrice Francois ◽  
Ludwig Stenz ◽  
Frank Schlink ◽  
Tobias Geiger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Nitrogen Metabolism ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Defined Medium ◽  
Nucleotide Metabolism ◽  
Virulence Gene Expression ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Regulatory Link ◽  
Virulence Gene Regulation ◽  
Virulence Regulator

ABSTRACT The repressor CodY is reported to inhibit metabolic genes mainly involved in nitrogen metabolism. We analyzed codY mutants from three unrelated Staphylococcus aureus strains (Newman, UAMS-1, and RN1HG). The mutants grew more slowly than their parent strains in a chemically defined medium. However, only codY mutants were able to grow in medium lacking threonine. An excess of isoleucine resulted in growth inhibition in the wild type but not in the codY mutants, indicating that isoleucine plays a role in CodY-dependent repression. Prototypic CodY-repressed genes including the virulence regulator agr are repressed after up-shift with isoleucine. The CodY-dependent repression of agr is consistent with the concomitant influence of CodY on typical agr-regulated genes such as cap, spa, fnbA, and coa. However, some of these virulence genes (e.g., cap, fnbA, and spa) were also regulated by CodY in an agr-negative background. Microarray analysis revealed that the large majority of CodY-repressed genes were involved in amino acid metabolism; CodY-activated genes were mainly involved in nucleotide metabolism or virulence. In summary, CodY in S. aureus not only acts as a repressor for genes involved in nitrogen metabolism but also contributes to virulence gene regulation by supporting as well as substituting for agr function.

scholarly journals Cellular Accumulation and Pharmacodynamic Evaluation of the Intracellular Activity of CEM-101, a Novel Fluoroketolide, against Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, and Legionella pneumophila in Human THP-1 Macrophages

2009 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 3734-3743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandrine Lemaire ◽  
Françoise Van Bambeke ◽  
Paul M. Tulkens
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Listeria Monocytogenes ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Intracellular Accumulation ◽  
Cellular Accumulation ◽  
Intracellular Activity ◽  
P Glycoprotein

ABSTRACT CEM-101 is a novel fluoroketolide with lower MICs than those of telithromycin and macrolides. Our aim was to assess the cellular accumulation and intracellular activity of CEM-101 using models developed for analyzing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacological properties of antibiotics against phagocytized bacteria. We used THP-1 macrophages and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923 [methicillin (meticillin) sensitive]), Listeria monocytogenes (strain EGD), and Legionella pneumophila (ATCC 33153). CEM-101 reached cellular-to-extracellular-concentration ratios of about 350 within 24 h (versus approximately 20, 30, and 160 for telithromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin, respectively). This intracellular accumulation was suppressed by incubation at a pH of ≤6 and by monensin (proton ionophore) and was unaffected by verapamil (P-glycoprotein inhibitor; twofold accumulation increase for azithromycin) or gemfibrozil. While keeping with the general properties of the macrolide antibiotics in terms of maximal efficacy (E max; approximately 1-log10-CFU decrease compared to the postphagocytosis inoculum after a 24-h incubation), CEM-101 showed significantly greater potency against phagocytized S. aureus than telithromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin (for which the 50% effective concentration [EC50] and static concentrations were about 3-, 6-, and 15-fold lower, respectively). CEM-101 was also about 50-fold and 100-fold more potent than azithromycin against phagocytized L. monocytogenes and L. pneumophila, respectively. These differences in EC50s and static concentrations between drugs were minimized when data were expressed as multiples of the MIC, demonstrating the critical role of intrinsic drug activity (MIC) in eliciting the antibacterial intracellular effects, whereas accumulation per se was unimportant. CEM-101 should show enhanced in vivo potency if used at doses similar to those of the comparators tested here.

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