scholarly journals Coxiella burnetii type IVB secretion system region I genes are expressed early during the infection of host cells

2010 ◽  
Vol 311 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
John K. Morgan ◽  
Brandon E. Luedtke ◽  
Herbert A. Thompson ◽  
Edward I. Shaw
npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie M. Long ◽  
Paul A. Beare ◽  
Diane C. Cockrell ◽  
Jonathan Fintzi ◽  
Mahelat Tesfamariam ◽  
...  

AbstractCoxiella burnetii is the bacterial causative agent of the zoonosis Q fever. The current human Q fever vaccine, Q-VAX®, is a fixed, whole cell vaccine (WCV) licensed solely for use in Australia. C. burnetii WCV administration is associated with a dermal hypersensitivity reaction in people with pre-existing immunity to C. burnetii, limiting wider use. Consequently, a less reactogenic vaccine is needed. Here, we investigated contributions of the C. burnetii Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in protection and reactogenicity of fixed WCVs. A 32.5 kb region containing 23 dot/icm genes was deleted in the virulent Nine Mile phase I (NMI) strain and the resulting mutant was evaluated in guinea pig models of C. burnetii infection, vaccination-challenge, and post-vaccination hypersensitivity. The NMI ∆dot/icm strain was avirulent, protective as a WCV against a robust C. burnetii challenge, and displayed potentially altered reactogenicity compared to NMI. Nine Mile phase II (NMII) strains of C. burnetii that produce rough LPS, were similarly tested. NMI was significantly more protective than NMII as a WCV; however, both vaccines exhibited similar reactogenicity. Collectively, our results indicate that, like phase I LPS, the T4BSS is required for full virulence by C. burnetii. Conversely, unlike phase I LPS, the T4BSS is not required for vaccine-induced protection. LPS length does not appear to contribute to reactogenicity while the T4BSS may contribute to this response. NMI ∆dot/icm represents an avirulent phase I strain with full vaccine efficacy, illustrating the potential of genetically modified C. burnetii as improved WCVs.


mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin A. McDonough ◽  
Hayley J. Newton ◽  
Scott Klum ◽  
Rachel Swiss ◽  
Hervé Agaisse ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCoxiella burnetiiis an intracellular pathogen that replicates within a lysosome-like vacuole. A Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system is used byC. burnetiito translocate effector proteins into the host cytosol that likely modulate host factor function. To identify host determinants required forC. burnetiiintracellular growth, a genome-wide screen was performed using gene silencing by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Replication ofC. burnetiiwas measured by immunofluorescence microscopy in siRNA-transfected HeLa cells. Newly identified host factors included components of the retromer complex, which mediates cargo cycling between the endocytic pathway and the Golgi apparatus. Reducing the levels of the retromer cargo-adapter VPS26-VPS29-VPS35 complex or retromer-associated sorting nexins abrogatedC. burnetiireplication. Several genes, when silenced, resulted in enlarged vacuoles or an increased number of vacuoles withinC. burnetii-infected cells. Silencing of theSTX17gene encoding syntaxin-17 resulted in a striking defect in homotypic fusion of vacuoles containingC. burnetii, suggesting a role for syntaxin-17 in regulating this process. Lastly, silencing host genes needed forC. burnetiireplication correlated with defects in the translocation of Dot/Icm effectors, whereas, silencing of genes that affected vacuole morphology, but did not impact replication, did not affect Dot/Icm translocation. These data demonstrate thatC. burnetiivacuole maturation is important for creating a niche that permits Dot/Icm function. Thus, genome-wide screening has revealed host determinants involved in sequential events that occur duringC. burnetiiinfection as defined by bacterial uptake, vacuole transport and acidification, activation of the Dot/Icm system, homotypic fusion of vacuoles, and intracellular replication.IMPORTANCEQ fever in humans is caused by the bacteriumCoxiella burnetii. Infection withC. burnetiiis marked by its unique ability to replicate within a large vacuolar compartment inside cells that resembles the harsh, acidic environment of a lysosome. Central to its pathogenesis is the delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cell cytosol by a Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system. These proteins can interact with and manipulate host factors, thereby leading to creation and maintenance of the vacuole that the bacteria grow within. Using high-throughput genome-wide screening in human cells, we identified host factors important for several facets ofC. burnetiiinfection, including vacuole transport and membrane fusion events that promote vacuole expansion. In addition, we show that maturation of theC. burnetiivacuole is necessary for creating an environment permissive for the Dot/Icm delivery of bacterial effector proteins into the host cytosol.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
KwangCheol C. Jeong ◽  
Jacob Gyore ◽  
Lin Teng ◽  
Debnath Ghosal ◽  
Grant J. Jensen ◽  
...  

SummaryLegionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, survives and replicates inside amoebae and macrophages by injecting a large number of protein effectors into the host cells’ cytoplasm via the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS). Previously, we showed that the Dot/Icm T4BSS is localized to both poles of the bacterium and that polar secretion is necessary for the proper targeting of theLegionellacontaining vacuole (LCV). Here we show that polar targeting of the Dot/Icm core-transmembrane subcomplex (DotC, DotD, DotF, DotG and DotH) is mediated by two Dot/Icm proteins, DotU and IcmF, which are able to localize to the poles ofL. pneumophilaby themselves. Interestingly, DotU and IcmF are homologs of the T6SS components TssL and TssM, which are part of the T6SS membrane complex (MC). We propose thatLegionellaco-opted these T6SS components to a novel function that mediates subcellular localization and assembly of this T4SS. Finally, in depth examination of the biogenesis pathway revealed that polar targeting and assembly of theLegionellaT4BSS apparatus is mediated by an innovative “outside-inside” mechanism.


mBio ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Beare ◽  
Stacey D. Gilk ◽  
Charles L. Larson ◽  
Joshua Hill ◽  
Christopher M. Stead ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCentral to Q fever pathogenesis is replication of the causative agent,Coxiella burnetii, within a phagolysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in mononuclear phagocytes.C. burnetiimodulates PV biogenesis and other host cell functions, such as apoptotic signaling, presumably via the activity of proteins delivered to the host cytosol by a Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS). In this study, we utilized aC. burnetiistrain carrying IcmD inactivated by theHimar1transposon to investigate the requirements for Dot/Icm function inC. burnetiiparasitism of human THP-1 macrophage-like cells. TheicmD::Tn mutant failed to secrete characterized T4BSS substrates, a defect that correlated with deficient replication, PV development, and apoptosis protection. Restoration of type IVB secretion and intracellular growth of theicmD::Tn mutant required complementation withicmD,-J, and-B, indicating a polar effect of the transposon insertion on downstreamdot/icmgenes. Induction oficmDJBexpression at 1 day postinfection resulted inC. burnetiireplication and PV generation. Collectively, these data prove that T4BSS function is required for productive infection of human macrophages byC. burnetii. However, illustrating the metabolic flexibility ofC.burnetti, theicmD::Tn mutant could replicate intracellularly when sequestered in a PV generated by wild-type bacteria, where Dot/Icm function is provided intrans, and within a phenotypically similar PV generated by the protozoan parasiteLeishmania amazonensis, where host cells are devoid of Dot/Icm T4BSS effector proteins.IMPORTANCECoxiella burnetii, the cause of human Q fever, is the only bacterial pathogen known to replicate in a vacuole resembling a phagolysosome. The organism manipulates host macrophages to promote the biogenesis of a vacuolar compartment permissive for growth. By analogy to the well-established cellular microbiology ofLegionella pneumophila, the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system ofC. burnetiiis implicated as a critical virulence factor in host cell modification that delivers proteins with effector functions directly into the host cell cytosol. Using new genetic tools, we verify that Dot/Icm function is essential for productive infection of human macrophages byC. burnetii. Interestingly, despite the production of homologous secretion systems,L. pneumophilaandC. burnetiihave strikingly different temporal requirements for Dot/Icm function during their respective infectious cycles.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (51) ◽  
pp. 13543-13548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianpo Xu ◽  
Dandan Xu ◽  
Muyang Wan ◽  
Li Yin ◽  
Xiaofei Wang ◽  
...  

The type IVb secretion system (T4BSS) of Legionella pneumophila is a multiple-component apparatus that delivers ∼300 virulent effector proteins into host cells. The injected effectors modulate host cellular processes to promote bacterial infection and proliferation. IcmS and IcmW are two conserved small, acidic adaptor proteins that form a binary complex to interact with many effectors and facilitate their translocation. IcmS and IcmW can also interact with DotL, an ATPase of the type IV coupling protein complex (T4CP). However, how IcmS–IcmW recognizes effectors, and what the roles of IcmS–IcmW are in T4BSSs are unclear. In this study, we found that IcmS and IcmW form a 1:1 heterodimeric complex to bind effector substrates. Both IcmS and IcmW adopt new structural folds and have no structural similarities with known effector chaperones. IcmS has a compact global structure with an α/β fold, while IcmW adopts a fully α-folded, relatively loose architecture. IcmS stabilizes IcmW by binding to its two C-terminal α-helices. Photocrosslinking assays revealed that the IcmS–IcmW complex binds its cognate effectors via an extended hydrophobic surface, which can also interact with the C terminus of DotL. A crystal structure of the DotL–IcmS–IcmW complex reveals extensive and highly stable interactions between DotL and IcmS–IcmW. Moreover, IcmS–IcmW recruits LvgA to DotL and assembles a unique T4CP. These data suggest that IcmS–IcmW also functions as an inseparable integral component of the DotL–T4CP complex in the bacterial inner membrane. This study provides molecular insights into the dual roles of the IcmS–IcmW complex in T4BSSs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (30) ◽  
pp. 8077-8082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwangcheol C. Jeong ◽  
Debnath Ghosal ◽  
Yi-Wei Chang ◽  
Grant J. Jensen ◽  
Joseph P. Vogel

A recurrent emerging theme is the targeting of proteins to subcellular microdomains within bacterial cells, particularly to the poles. In most cases, it has been assumed that this localization is critical to the protein’s function.Legionella pneumophilauses a type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) to export a large number of protein substrates into the cytoplasm of host cells. Here we show that theLegionellaexport apparatus is localized to the bacterial poles, as is consistent with many T4SS substrates being retained on the phagosomal membrane adjacent to the poles of the bacterium. More significantly, we were able to demonstrate that polar secretion of substrates is critically required forLegionella’s alteration of the host endocytic pathway, an activity required for this pathogen’s virulence.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debnath Ghosal ◽  
Yi-Wei Chang ◽  
Kwang Cheol Jeong ◽  
Joseph P. Vogel ◽  
Grant J. Jensen

AbstractLegionella pneumophilasurvives and replicates inside host cells by secreting ~300 effectors through the Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS). Understanding this machine’s structure is challenging because of its large number of components (27) and integration into all layers of the cell envelope. Previously we overcame this obstacle by imaging the Dot/Icm T4BSS in its native state within intact cells through electron cryotomography. Here we extend our observations by imaging a stabilized mutant that yielded a higher resolution map. We describe for the first time the presence of a well-ordered central channel that opens up into a windowed large (~32 nm wide) secretion chamber with an unusual 13-fold symmetry. We then dissect the complex by matching proteins to densities for many components, including all those with periplasmic domains. The placement of known and predicted structures of individual proteins into the map reveals the architecture of the T4BSS and provides a roadmap for further investigation of this amazing specialized secretion system.


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