scholarly journals A Capsular Polysaccharide-Specific Antibody Alters Streptococcus pneumoniae Gene Expression during Nasopharyngeal Colonization of Mice

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. Doyle ◽  
Jee-Young Moon ◽  
Johanna P. Daily ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Liise-anne Pirofski

ABSTRACT Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) elicit opsonophagocytic (opsonic) antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides (PPS) and reduce nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization by vaccine-included Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes. However, nonopsonic antibodies may also be important for protection against pneumococcal disease. For example, 1E2, a mouse IgG1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) to the serotype 3 (ST3) PPS (PPS3), reduced ST3 NP colonization in mice and altered ST3 gene expression in vitro . Here, we determined whether 1E2 affects ST3 gene expression in vivo during colonization of mice by performing RNA sequencing on NP lavage fluid from ST3-infected mice treated with 1E2, a control MAb, or phosphate-buffered saline. Compared to the results for the controls, 1E2 significantly altered the expression of over 50 genes. It increased the expression of the piuBCDA operon, which encodes an iron uptake system, and decreased the expression of dpr , which encodes a protein critical for resistance to oxidative stress. 1E2-mediated effects on ST3 in vivo required divalent binding, as Fab fragments did not reduce NP colonization or alter ST3 gene expression. In vitro , 1E2 induced dose-dependent ST3 growth arrest and altered piuB and dpr expression, whereas an opsonic PPS3 MAb, 5F6, did not. 1E2-treated bacteria were more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide and the iron-requiring antibiotic streptonigrin, suggesting that 1E2 may increase iron import and enhance sensitivity to oxidative stress. Finally, 1E2 also induced rapid capsule shedding in vitro , suggesting that this may initiate 1E2-induced changes in sensitivity to oxidative stress and gene expression. Our data reveal a novel mechanism of direct, antibody-mediated antibacterial activity that could inform new directions in antipneumococcal therapy and vaccine development.

mBio ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystle Blanchette-Cain ◽  
Cecilia A. Hinojosa ◽  
Ramya Akula Suresh Babu ◽  
Anel Lizcano ◽  
Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Biofilms are thought to play an important role during colonization of the nasopharynx by Streptococcus pneumoniae, yet how they form in vivo and the determinants responsible remain unknown. Using scanning electron microscopy, we show that biofilm aggregates of increasing complexity form on murine nasal septa following intranasal inoculation. These biofilms were highly distinct from in vitro biofilms, as they were discontiguous and appeared to incorporate nonbacterial components such as intact host cells. Biofilms initially formed on the surface of ciliated epithelial cells and, as cells were sloughed off, were found on the basement membrane. The size and number of biofilm aggregates within nasal lavage fluid were digitally quantitated and revealed strain-specific capabilities that loosely correlated with the ability to form robust in vitro biofilms. We tested the ability of isogenic mutants deficient in CbpA, pneumolysin, hydrogen peroxide, LytA, LuxS, CiaR/H, and PsrP to form biofilms within the nasopharynx. This analysis revealed that CiaR/H was absolutely required for colonization, that PsrP and SpxB strongly impacted aggregate formation, and that other determinants affected aggregate morphology in a modest fashion. We determined that mice colonized with ΔpsrP mutants had greater levels of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and KC in nasal lavage fluid than did mice colonized with wild-type controls. This phenotype correlated with a diminished capacity of biofilm pneumococci to invade host cells in vitro despite enhanced attachment. Our results show that biofilms form during colonization and suggest that they may contribute to persistence through a hyperadhesive, noninvasive state that elicits a dampened cytokine response. IMPORTANCE This work demonstrates the first temporal characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae biofilm formation in vivo. Our results show that the morphology of biofilms formed by both invasive and noninvasive clinical isolates in vivo is distinct from that of formed biofilms in vitro, yet propensity to form biofilms in vivo loosely correlates with the degree of in vitro biofilm formation on a microtiter plate. We show that host components, including intact host cells, influence the formation of in vivo structures. We also found that efficient biofilm formation in vivo requires multiple bacterial determinants. While some factors are essential for in vivo biofilm formation (CiaRH, PsrP, and SpxB), other factors are less critical (CbpA, LytA, LuxS, and pneumolysin). In comparison to their planktonic counterparts, biofilm pneumococci are hyperadhesive but less invasive and elicit a weaker proinflammatory cytokine response. These findings give insight into the requirements for and potential role of biofilms during prolonged asymptomatic colonization.


Author(s):  
Moath Alqaraleh ◽  
Violet Kasabri ◽  
Ibrahim Al-Majali ◽  
Nihad Al-Othman ◽  
Nihad Al-Othman ◽  
...  

Background and aims: Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) can be tightly connected to metabolism syndrome (MetS) which can be counted as a metabolic indicator in the case of insulin resistance (IR). The aim of this study was to assess the potential role of these acids under oxidative stress. Material and Methods: the in vitro antioxidant activity of BCAAs was assessed using free radical 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assays. For further check, a qRT-PCR technique was madefor detection the extent of alterations in gene expression of antioxidative enzymes (catalase and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx)) in lipopolysaccharides (LPS(-induced macrophages RAW 264.7 cell line. Additionally, BCAAs antioxidant activity was evaluated based on plasma H2O2 levels and xanthine oxidase (XO) activity in prooxidative LPS-treated mice. Results: Different concentrations of BCAAs affected on DPPH radical scavenging activity but to lesser extent than the ascorbic acid. Besides, BCAAs obviously upregulated the gene expression levels of catalases and Gpx in LPS-modulated macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. In vivo BCAAs significantly minimized the level of plasma H2O2 as well as the activity of XO activity under oxidative stress. Conclusion: our current findings suggest that BCAAs supplementation may potentially serve as a therapeutic target for treatment of oxidative stress occurs with atherosclerosis, IR-diabetes, MetS and tumorigenesis.


2018 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelli Wuerth ◽  
Amy H. Y. Lee ◽  
Reza Falsafi ◽  
Erin E. Gill ◽  
Robert E. W. Hancock

ABSTRACTPseudomonas aeruginosais an opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial pneumonia and infects patients with cystic fibrosis.P. aeruginosalung infections are difficult to treat due to bacterial resistance to antibiotics, and strains with multidrug resistance are becoming more prevalent. Here, we examined the use of a small host defense peptide, innate defense regulator 1002 (IDR-1002), in an acuteP. aeruginosalung infectionin vivo. IDR-1002 significantly reduced the bacterial burden in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), as well as MCP-1 in BALF and serum, KC in serum, and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in BALF. Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) was conducted on lungs and whole blood, and the effects ofP. aeruginosa, IDR-1002, and the combination ofP. aeruginosaand IDR-1002 were evaluated. Differential gene expression analysis showed thatP. aeruginosaincreased multiple inflammatory and innate immune pathways, as well as affected hemostasis, matrix metalloproteinases, collagen biosynthesis, and various metabolism pathways in the lungs and/or blood. Infected mice treated with IDR-1002 had significant changes in gene expression compared to untreated infected mice, with fewer differentially expressed genes associated with the inflammatory and innate immune responses to microbial infection, and treatment also affected morphogenesis, certain metabolic pathways, and lymphocyte activation. Overall, these results showed that IDR-1002 was effective in treatingP. aeruginosaacute lung infections and associated inflammation.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin A. Sorg ◽  
Clement Gallay ◽  
Jan-Willem Veening

AbstractStreptococcus pneumoniae can cause disease in various human tissues and organs, including the ear, the brain, the blood and the lung, and thus in highly diverse and dynamic environments. It is challenging to study how pneumococci control virulence factor expression, because cues of natural environments and the presence of an immune system are difficult to simulate in vitro. Here, we apply synthetic biology methods to reverse-engineer gene expression control in S. pneumoniae. A selection platform is described that allows for straightforward identification of transcriptional regulatory elements out of combinatorial libraries. We present TetR- and LacI-regulated promoters that show expression ranges of four orders of magnitude. Based on these promoters, regulatory networks of higher complexity are assembled, such as logic AND and IMPLY gates. Finally, we demonstrate single-copy genome-integrated toggle switches that give rise to bimodal population distributions. The tools described here can be used to mimic complex expression patterns, such as the ones found for pneumococcal virulence factors, paving the way for in vivo investigations of the importance of gene expression control on the pathogenicity of S. pneumoniae.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 1235-1246 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelnaser A. Badawy ◽  
Mohammed A. El-Magd ◽  
Sana A. AlSadrah

Background/Objectives: In the Middle East, people consume camel milk regularly as it is believed to improve immunity against diseases and decrease the risk for cancer. Recently, it was noted that most of the beneficial effects of milk come from their nanoparticles, especially exosomes. Herein, we evaluated the anticancer potential of camel milk and its exosomes on MCF7 breast cancer cells (in vitro and in vivo) and investigated the possible underlying molecular mechanism of action. Methods/Results: Administration of camel milk (orally) and its exosomes (orally and by local injection) decreased breast tumor progression as evident by ( a) higher apoptosis (indicated by higher DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activity, Bax gene expression, and lower Bcl2 gene expression), ( b) remarkable inhibition of oxidative stress (decrease in MDA levels and iNOS gene expression); ( c) induction of antioxidant status (increased activities of SOD, CAT, and GPX), ( d) notable reduction in expression of inflammation-( IL1b, NFκB), angiogenesis-( VEGF) and metastasis-( MMP9, ICAM1) related genes; and ( e) higher immune response (high number of CD+4, CD+8, NK1.1 T cells in spleen). Conclusions: Overall, administration of camel milk–derived exosomes showed better anticancer effect, but less immune response, than treatment by camel milk. Moreover, local injection of exosomes led to better improvement than oral administration. These findings suggest that camel milk and its exosomes have anticancer effect possibly through induction of apoptosis and inhibition of oxidative stress, inflammation, angiogenesis and metastasis in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, camel milk and its exosomes could be used as an anticancer agent for cancer treatment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edgar J. Scott ◽  
Nicole R. Luke-Marshall ◽  
Anthony A. Campagnari ◽  
David W. Dyer

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Streptococcus pneumoniae EF3030, a pediatric otitis media isolate active in biofilm assays of epithelial colonization. The final draft assembly included 2,209,198 bp; the annotation predicted 2,120 coding DNA sequences (CDSs), 4 complete rRNA operons, 58 tRNAs, 3 noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), and 199 pseudogenes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 87 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongli Bi ◽  
Qingan Xu ◽  
Lingkai Su ◽  
Jiantao Xu ◽  
Zhongfang Liu ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We previously demonstrated that recombinant protein PAc could be administered as an anticaries vaccine. However, the relatively weak immunogenicity of PAc limits its application. In the present study, we investigated the effect of two adjuvant combinations of chitosan plus Pam3CSK4 (chitosan-Pam3CSK4) and of chitosan plus monophosphoryl lipid A (chitosan-MPL) in the immune responses to the PAc protein in vivo and in vitro. PAc-chitosan-Pam3CSK4 or PAc-chitosan-MPL promoted significantly higher PAc-specific antibody titers in serum and saliva, inhibited Streptococcus mutans colonization onto the tooth surfaces, and endowed better protection effect with significantly less caries activities than PAc alone. Chitosan-Pam3CSK4 and chitosan-MPL showed no statistically significant differences. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the chitosan-Pam3CSK4 and chitosan-MPL combinations are promising for anticaries vaccine development.


2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (12) ◽  
pp. 4333-4343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barak Hajaj ◽  
Hasan Yesilkaya ◽  
Rachel Benisty ◽  
Maayan David ◽  
Peter W. Andrew ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTStreptococcus pneumoniaeis an aerotolerant Gram-positive bacterium that causes an array of diseases, including pneumonia, otitis media, and meningitis. During aerobic growth,S. pneumoniaeproduces high levels of H2O2. SinceS. pneumoniaelacks catalase, the question of how it controls H2O2levels is of critical importance. Thepsalocus encodes an ABC Mn2+-permease complex (psaBCA) and a putative thiol peroxidase,tpxD. This study shows thattpxDencodes a functional thiol peroxidase involved in the adjustment of H2O2homeostasis in the cell. Kinetic experiments showed that recombinant TpxD removed H2O2efficiently. However,in vivoexperiments revealed that TpxD detoxifies only a fraction of the H2O2generated by the pneumococcus. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrated that TpxD Cys58undergoes selective oxidationin vivo, under conditions where H2O2is formed, confirming the thiol peroxidase activity. Levels of TpxD expression and synthesisin vitrowere significantly increased in cells grown under aerobic versus anaerobic conditions. The challenge with D39 and TIGR4 with H2O2resulted intpxDupregulation, whilepsaBCAexpression was oppositely affected. However, the challenge of ΔtpxDmutants with H2O2did not affectpsaBCA, implying that TpxD is involved in the regulation of thepsaoperon, in addition to its scavenging activity. Virulence studies demonstrated a notable difference in the survival time of mice infected intranasally with D39 compared to that of mice infected intranasally with D39ΔtpxD. However, when bacteria were administered directly into the blood, this difference disappeared. The findings of this study suggest that TpxD constitutes a component of the organism's fundamental strategy to fine-tune cellular processes in response to H2O2.


2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 1603-1608 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koushik Roy ◽  
David J. Hamilton ◽  
James M. Fleckenstein

ABSTRACTEnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) is an important cause of diarrheal disease in developing countries, where it is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. Vaccine development for ETEC has been hindered by the heterogeneity of known molecular targets and the lack of broad-based sustained protection afforded by existing vaccine strategies. In an effort to explore the potential role of novel antigens in ETEC vaccines, we examined the ability of antibodies directed against the ETEC heat-labile toxin (LT) and the recently described EtpA adhesin to prevent intestinal colonizationin vivoand toxin delivery to epithelial cellsin vitro. We demonstrate that EtpA is required for the optimal delivery of LT and that antibodies against this adhesin play at least an additive role in preventing delivery of LT to target intestinal cells when combined with antibodies against either the A or B subunits of the toxin. Moreover, vaccination with a combination of LT and EtpA significantly impaired intestinal colonization. Together, these results suggest that the incorporation of recently identified molecules such as EtpA could be used to enhance current approaches to ETEC vaccine development.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Crystal L. Jones ◽  
Shweta S. Singh ◽  
Yonas Alamneh ◽  
Leila G. Casella ◽  
Robert K. Ernst ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The loss of fitness in colistin-resistant (CR) Acinetobacter baumannii was investigated using longitudinal isolates from the same patient. Early CR isolates were outcompeted by late CR isolates for growth in broth and survival in the lungs of mice. Fitness loss was associated with an increased susceptibility to oxidative stress since early CR strains had reduced in vitro survival in the presence of hydrogen peroxide and decreased catalase activity compared to that of late CR and colistin-susceptible (CS) strains.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document