scholarly journals The Acinetobacter baumannii 19606 OmpA Protein Plays a Role in Biofilm Formation on Abiotic Surfaces and in the Interaction of This Pathogen with Eukaryotic Cells

2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 3150-3160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Gaddy ◽  
Andrew P. Tomaras ◽  
Luis A. Actis
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Bacterial Attachment ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Eukaryotic Cells ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Abiotic Surfaces

ABSTRACT The ability of Acinetobacter baumannii to adhere to and persist on surfaces as biofilms could be central to its pathogenicity. The production of pili and a biofilm-associated protein and the expression of antibiotic resistance are needed for robust biofilm formation on abiotic and biotic surfaces. This multistep process also depends on the expression of transcriptional regulatory functions, some of which could sense nutrients available to cells. This report extends previous observations by showing that although outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of A. baumannii 19606 plays a partial role in the development of robust biofilms on plastic, it is essential for bacterial attachment to Candida albicans filaments and A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. In contrast to abiotic surfaces, the interaction with biotic surfaces is independent of the CsuA/BABCDE-mediated pili. The interaction of A. baumannii 19606 with fungal and epithelial cells also results in their apoptotic death, a response that depends on the direct contact of bacteria with these two types of eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, the bacterial adhesion phenotype correlates with the ability of bacteria to invade A549 epithelial cells. Interestingly, the killing activity of cell-free culture supernatants proved to be protease and temperature sensitive, suggesting that its cytotoxic activity is due to secreted proteins, some of which are different from OmpA.

scholarly journals A Light-Regulated Type I Pilus Contributes toAcinetobacter baumanniiBiofilm, Motility, and Virulence Functions

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecily R. Wood ◽  
Emily J. Ohneck ◽  
Richard E. Edelmann ◽  
Luis A. Actis
Keyword(s):  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Type I ◽  
Pellicle Formation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Abiotic Surfaces ◽  
Cells Cultured

ABSTRACTTranscriptional analyses ofAcinetobacter baumanniiATCC 17978 showed that the expression of A1S_2091 was enhanced in cells cultured in darkness at 24°C through a process that depended on the BlsA photoreceptor. Disruption of A1S_2091, a component of the A1S_2088-A1S_2091 polycistronic operon predicted to code for a type I chaperone/usher pilus assembly system, abolished surface motility and pellicle formation but significantly enhanced biofilm formation on plastic by bacteria cultured in darkness. Based on these observations, the A1S_2088-A1S_2091 operon was named thephotoregulatedpilus ABCD (prpABCD) operon, with A1S_2091 coding for the PrpA pilin subunit. Unexpectedly, comparative analyses of ATCC 17978 andprpAisogenic mutant cells cultured at 37°C showed the expression of light-regulated biofilm biogenesis and motility functions under a temperature condition that drastically affects BlsA production and its light-sensing activity. These assays also suggest that ATCC 17978 cells produce alternative light-regulated adhesins and/or pilus systems that enhance bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation at both 24°C and 37°C on plastic as well as on the surface of polarized A549 alveolar epithelial cells, where the formation of bacterial filaments and cell chains was significantly enhanced. The inactivation ofprpAalso resulted in a significant reduction in virulence when tested by using theGalleria mellonellavirulence model. All these observations provide strong evidence showing the capacity ofA. baumanniito sense light and interact with biotic and abiotic surfaces using undetermined alternative sensing and regulatory systems as well as alternative adherence and motility cellular functions that allow this pathogen to persist in different ecological niches.

scholarly journals Role of Acinetobactin-Mediated Iron Acquisition Functions in the Interaction of Acinetobacter baumannii Strain ATCC 19606Twith Human Lung Epithelial Cells, Galleria mellonella Caterpillars, and Mice

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 1015-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Gaddy ◽  
Brock A. Arivett ◽  
Michael J. McConnell ◽  
Rafael López-Rojas ◽  
Jerónimo Pachón ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Galleria Mellonella ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Iron Acquisition ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Lung Epithelial Cells ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial

Acinetobacter baumannii, which causes serious infections in immunocompromised patients, expresses high-affinity iron acquisition functions needed for growth under iron-limiting laboratory conditions. In this study, we determined that the initial interaction of the ATCC 19606Ttype strain with A549 human alveolar epithelial cells is independent of the production of BasD and BauA, proteins needed for acinetobactin biosynthesis and transport, respectively. In contrast, these proteins are required for this strain to persist within epithelial cells and cause their apoptotic death. Infection assays usingGalleria mellonellalarvae showed that impairment of acinetobactin biosynthesis and transport functions significantly reduces the ability of ATCC 19606Tcells to persist and kill this host, a defect that was corrected by adding inorganic iron to the inocula. The results obtained with theseex vivoandin vivoapproaches were validated using a mouse sepsis model, which showed that expression of the acinetobactin-mediated iron acquisition system is critical for ATCC 19606Tto establish an infection and kill this vertebrate host. These observations demonstrate that the virulence of the ATCC 19606Tstrain depends on the expression of a fully active acinetobactin-mediated system. Interestingly, the three models also showed that impairment of BasD production results in an intermediate virulence phenotype compared to those of the parental strain and the BauA mutant. This observation suggests that acinetobactin intermediates or precursors play a virulence role, although their contribution to iron acquisition is less relevant than that of mature acinetobactin.

scholarly journals The Acinetobacter baumannii Biofilm-Associated Protein Plays a Role in Adherence to Human Epithelial Cells

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 228-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari A. Brossard ◽  
Anthony A. Campagnari
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Cell Surface Hydrophobicity ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Abiotic Surfaces ◽  
Normal Human

ABSTRACTAcinetobacter baumanniiis a significant source of nosocomial infections worldwide. This bacterium has the ability to survive and persist on multiple abiotic surfaces in health care facilities, and once a focus has been established, this opportunistic pathogen is difficult to eradicate. This paper demonstrates that theA. baumanniibiofilm-associated protein (Bap) is necessary for mature biofilm formation on medically relevant surfaces, including polypropylene, polystyrene, and titanium. Scanning electron microscopy analyses of biofilms show that Bap is required for three-dimensional tower structure and water channel formation. In conjunction with persistence on abiotic surfaces, adherence to eukaryotic cells is an important step in bacterial colonization resulting in infection of the host. We have described Bap as the surface structure involved in adherence ofA. baumanniito both normal human bronchial epithelial cells and normal human neonatal keratinocytes. However, Bap is not involved in internalization of the bacterium in these two cell lines. Furthermore, this study shows that the presence of Bap increases the bacterial cell surface hydrophobicity. The results of this study are pertinent, as the data lead to a better understanding of the role of Bap in biofilm formation on medical surfaces and in colonization of the host.

scholarly journals Temperature Dependence of Voltage-gated H+ Currents in Human Neutrophils, Rat Alveolar Epithelial Cells, and Mammalian Phagocytes

1998 ◽  
Vol 112 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. DeCoursey ◽  
Vladimir V. Cherny
Keyword(s):  
Ion Channels ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Temperature Sensitive ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Rate Determining Step ◽  
H Channels

H+ currents in human neutrophils, rat alveolar epithelial cells, and several mammalian phagocyte cell lines were studied using whole-cell and excised-patch tight-seal voltage clamp techniques at temperatures between 6 and 42°C. Effects of temperature on gating kinetics were distinguished from effects on the H+ current amplitude. The activation and deactivation of H+ currents were both highly temperature sensitive, with a Q10 of 6–9 (activation energy, Ea, ≈ 30–38 kcal/mol), greater than for most other ion channels. The similarity of Ea for channel opening and closing suggests that the same step may be rate determining. In addition, when the turn-on of H+ currents with depolarization was fitted by a delay and single exponential, both the delay and the time constant (τact) had similarly high Q10. These results could be explained if H+ channels were composed of several subunits, each of which undergoes a single rate-determining gating transition. H+ current gating in all mammalian cells studied had similarly strong temperature dependences. The H+ conductance increased markedly with temperature, with Q10 ≥ 2 in whole-cell experiments. In excised patches where depletion would affect the measurement less, the Q10 was 2.8 at >20°C and 5.3 at <20°C. This temperature sensitivity is much greater than for most other ion channels and for H+ conduction in aqueous solution, but is in the range reported for H+ transport mechanisms other than channels; e.g., carriers and pumps. Evidently, under the conditions employed, the rate-determining step in H+ permeation occurs not in the diffusional approach but during permeation through the channel itself. The large Ea of permeation intrinsically limits the conductance of this channel, and appears inconsistent with the channel being a water-filled pore. At physiological temperature, H+ channels provide mammalian cells with an enormous capacity for proton extrusion.

scholarly journals Structural basis for Acinetobacter baumannii biofilm formation

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (21) ◽  
pp. 5558-5563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Pakharukova ◽  
Minna Tuittila ◽  
Sari Paavilainen ◽  
Henri Malmi ◽  
Olena Parilova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acinetobacter Baumannii ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Bacterial Attachment ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Binding Mechanism ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Abiotic Surfaces ◽  
Hospital Environments ◽  
Hydrophilic Materials

Acinetobacter baumannii—a leading cause of nosocomial infections—has a remarkable capacity to persist in hospital environments and medical devices due to its ability to form biofilms. Biofilm formation is mediated by Csu pili, assembled via the “archaic” chaperone–usher pathway. The X-ray structure of the CsuC-CsuE chaperone–adhesin preassembly complex reveals the basis for bacterial attachment to abiotic surfaces. CsuE exposes three hydrophobic finger-like loops at the tip of the pilus. Decreasing the hydrophobicity of these abolishes bacterial attachment, suggesting that archaic pili use tip-fingers to detect and bind to hydrophobic cavities in substrates. Antitip antibody completely blocks biofilm formation, presenting a means to prevent the spread of the pathogen. The use of hydrophilic materials instead of hydrophobic plastics in medical devices may represent another simple and cheap solution to reduce pathogen spread. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that the tip-fingers binding mechanism is shared by all archaic pili carrying two-domain adhesins. The use of flexible fingers instead of classical receptor-binding cavities is presumably more advantageous for attachment to structurally variable substrates, such as abiotic surfaces.

Alveolar epithelial cells type II show a high sensitivity to cigarette smoke extract

Pneumologie ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 68 (06) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Seehase ◽  
B Baron-Luehr ◽  
C Kugler ◽  
E Vollmer ◽  
T Goldmann
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Cigarette Smoke ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Cigarette Smoke Extract ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial
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