scholarly journals Localization of the Hypothetical Protein Cpn0797 in the Cytoplasm of Chlamydia pneumoniae-Infected Host Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 6479-6486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Dong ◽  
Rhonda Flores ◽  
Ding Chen ◽  
Jianhua Luo ◽  
Youmin Zhong ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Using antibodies raised with chlamydial fusion proteins, we have localized a protein encoded by the hypothetical open reading frame Cpn0797 in the cytoplasm of Chlamydia pneumoniae-infected host cells. The anti-Cpn0797 antibodies specifically recognized Cpn0797 protein without cross-reacting with either CPAFcp or Cpn0796, the only two proteins known to be secreted into the host cell cytosol by C. pneumoniae organisms. Thus, Cpn0797 represents the third C. pneumoniae protein secreted into the host cell cytosol experimentally identified so far.

Microbiology ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 157 (4) ◽  
pp. 1134-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siqi Gong ◽  
Lei Lei ◽  
Xiaotong Chang ◽  
Robert Belland ◽  
Guangming Zhong

Using antibodies raised with C. trachomatis fusion proteins, we localized a hypothetical protein encoded by the ORF ct622 in the cytoplasm of C. trachomatis-infected mammalian cells. The detection was specific since the antibody labelling of CT622 protein was removed by preabsorption with CT622 but not other fusion proteins. We similarly confirmed that CT621, a known secretion protein encoded by a hypothetical ORF downstream of ct622, was secreted into host cell cytosol. Proteins CT622 and CT621 displayed a similar secretion pattern, with both intra-inclusion and host cell cytosol localization, that was distinct from that of CPAF (chlamydial protease/proteasome-like activity factor). However, the expression and secretion kinetics differed significantly between CT622 and CT621: CT622 mRNA was detected at 2 h, protein at 6 h and secretion of protein into host cell cytoplasm at 36 h post-infection, while CT621 mRNA was detected at 8 h, protein at 16 h and secretion at 24 h. The secretion of both CT622 and CT621 was blocked by N′-(3,5-dibromo-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-4-nitrobenzohydrazide (compound 1), an inhibitor known to target the type III secretion system of bacteria. These results suggest that CT621 and CT622 may fulfil different functions during chlamydial intracellular growth. Further characterization of these proteins may generate important information for understanding chlamydial pathogenesis.


mBio ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary K. Truchan ◽  
Harry D. Christman ◽  
Richard C. White ◽  
Nakisha S. Rutledge ◽  
Nicholas P. Cianciotto

ABSTRACTLegionella pneumophilareplicates in macrophages in a host-derived phagosome, termed theLegionella-containing vacuole (LCV). While the translocation of type IV secretion (T4S) effectors into the macrophage cytosol is well established, the location of type II secretion (T2S) substrates in the infected host cell is unknown. Here, we show that the T2S substrate ProA, a metalloprotease, translocates into the cytosol of human macrophages, where it associates with the LCV membrane (LCVM). Translocation is detected as early as 10 h postinoculation (p.i.), which is approximately the midpoint of the intracellular life cycle. However, it is detected as early as 6 h p.i. if ProA is hyperexpressed, indicating that translocation depends on the timing of ProA expression and that any other factors necessary for translocation are in place by that time point. Translocation occurs with allL. pneumophilastrains tested and in amoebae, natural hosts forL. pneumophila. It was absent in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages and murine macrophage cell lines. The ChiA chitinase also associated with the cytoplasmic face of the LCVM at 6 h p.i. and in a T2S-dependent manner. Galectin-3 and galectin-8, eukaryotic proteins whose localization is influenced by damage to host membranes, appeared within the LCV of infected human but not murine macrophages beginning at 6 h p.i. Thus, we hypothesize that ProA and ChiA are first secreted into the vacuolar lumen by the activity of the T2S and subsequently traffic into the macrophage cytosol via a novel mechanism that involves a semipermeable LCVM.IMPORTANCEInfection of macrophages and amoebae plays a central role in the pathogenesis ofL. pneumophila, the agent of Legionnaires’ disease. We have previously demonstrated that the T2S system ofL. pneumophilagreatly contributes to intracellular infection. However, the location of T2S substrates within the infected host cell is unknown. This report presents the first evidence of aL. pneumophilaT2S substrate in the host cell cytosol and, therefore, the first evidence of a non-T4S effector trafficking out of the LCV. We also provide the first indication that the LCV is not completely intact but is instead semipermeable and that this occurs in human but not murine macrophages. Given this permeability, we hypothesize that other T2S substrates and LCV lumenal contents can escape into the host cell cytosol. Thus, these substrates may represent a battery of previously unidentified effectors that can interact with host factors and contribute to intracellular infection byL. pneumophila.


mSystems ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan L. Sontag ◽  
Ernesto S. Nakayasu ◽  
Roslyn N. Brown ◽  
George S. Niemann ◽  
Michael A. Sydor ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT During infection, pathogenic bacteria face an adverse environment of factors driven by both cellular and humoral defense mechanisms. To help evade the immune response and ultimately proliferate inside the host, many bacteria evolved specialized secretion systems to deliver effector proteins directly into host cells. Translocated effector proteins function to subvert host defense mechanisms. Numerous pathogenic bacteria use a specialized secretion system called type III secretion to deliver effectors into the host cell cytosol. Here, we identified 75 new host targets of Salmonella and Citrobacter effectors, which will help elucidate their mechanisms of action. Many pathogenic bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae use type III secretion systems to inject virulence proteins, termed “effectors,” into the host cell cytosol. Although host-cellular activities of several effectors have been demonstrated, the function and host-targeted pathways of most of the effectors identified to date are largely undetermined. To gain insight into host proteins targeted by bacterial effectors, we performed coaffinity purification of host proteins from cell lysates using recombinant effectors from the Enterobacteriaceae intracellular pathogens Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Citrobacter rodentium. We identified 54 high-confidence host interactors for the Salmonella effectors GogA, GtgA, GtgE, SpvC, SrfH, SseL, SspH1, and SssB collectively and 21 interactors for the Citrobacter effectors EspT, NleA, NleG1, and NleK. We biochemically validated the interaction between the SrfH Salmonella protein and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) host protein kinase, which revealed a role for this effector in regulating phosphorylation levels of this enzyme, which plays a central role in signal transduction. IMPORTANCE During infection, pathogenic bacteria face an adverse environment of factors driven by both cellular and humoral defense mechanisms. To help evade the immune response and ultimately proliferate inside the host, many bacteria evolved specialized secretion systems to deliver effector proteins directly into host cells. Translocated effector proteins function to subvert host defense mechanisms. Numerous pathogenic bacteria use a specialized secretion system called type III secretion to deliver effectors into the host cell cytosol. Here, we identified 75 new host targets of Salmonella and Citrobacter effectors, which will help elucidate their mechanisms of action.


2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 2193-2203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manli Qi ◽  
Siqi Gong ◽  
Lei Lei ◽  
Quanzhong Liu ◽  
Guangming Zhong

ABSTRACTTheChlamydia trachomatisouter membrane complex protein B (OmcB) is an antigen with diagnostic and vaccine relevance. To further characterize OmcB, we generated antibodies against OmcB C-terminal (OmcBc) and N-terminal (OmcBn) fragments. Surprisingly, the anti-OmcBc antibody detected dominant signals in the host cell cytosol, while the anti-OmcBn antibody exclusively labeled intrainclusion signals inC. trachomatis-infected cells permeabilized with saponin. Western blot analyses revealed that OmcB was partially processed into OmcBc and OmcBn fragments. The processed OmcBc was released into host cell cytosol, while the OmcBn and remaining full-length OmcB were retained within the chlamydial inclusions. The organism-associated OmcB epitopes became detectable only after theC. trachomatis-infected cells were permeabilized with strong detergents such as SDS. However, the harsh permeabilization conditions also led to the leakage of the already secreted OmcBc and chlamydia-secreted protease (CPAF) out of the host cells. The OmcBc processing and release occurred in all biovars ofC. trachomatis. Moreover, the released OmcBc but not the retained OmcBn was highly immunogenic inC. trachomatis-infected women, which is consistent with the concept that exposure of chlamydial proteins to host cell cytosol is accompanied by increased immunogenicity. These observations have provided important information for further exploring/optimizing OmcB as a target for the development of diagnosis methods and vaccines.


2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 497-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Luo ◽  
Tianjun Jia ◽  
Rhonda Flores ◽  
Ding Chen ◽  
Guangming Zhong

ABSTRACT The hypothetical protein encoded by Chlamydia pneumoniae open reading frame cpn0308 was detected in inclusion membranes of C. pneumoniae-infected cells using antibodies raised with Cpn0308 fusion proteins. The anti-Cpn0308 antibodies did not cross-react with IncA, a known C. pneumoniae inclusion membrane protein, although the anti-Cpn0308 antibody staining overlapped with the anti-IncA antibody labeling. The labeling of the inclusion membrane by the anti-Cpn0308 antibody was specifically blocked by the Cpn0308 but not IncA fusion proteins. The Cpn0308 antigen was detectable 24 h after infection and remained in the inclusion membrane throughout the infection course.


2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4944-4957 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis Alonzo ◽  
Nancy E. Freitag

ABSTRACT In the course of establishing its replication niche within the cytosol of infected host cells, the facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes must efficiently regulate the secretion and activity of multiple virulence factors. L. monocytogenes encodes two predicted posttranslocation secretion chaperones, PrsA1 and PrsA2, and evidence suggests that PrsA2 has been specifically adapted for bacterial pathogenesis. PrsA-like chaperones have been identified in a number of Gram-positive bacteria, where they are reported to function at the bacterial membrane-cell wall interface to assist in the folding of proteins translocated across the membrane; in some cases, these proteins have been found to be essential for bacterial viability. In this study, the contributions of PrsA2 and PrsA1 to L. monocytogenes growth and protein secretion were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Neither PrsA2 nor PrsA1 was found to be essential for L. monocytogenes growth in broth culture; however, optimal bacterial viability was found to be dependent upon PrsA2 for L. monocytogenes located within the cytosol of host cells. Proteomic analyses of prsA2 mutant strains in the presence of a mutationally activated allele of the virulence regulator PrfA revealed a critical requirement for PrsA2 activity under conditions of PrfA activation, an event which normally takes place within the host cell cytosol. Despite a high degree of amino acid similarity, no detectable degree of functional overlap was observed between PrsA2 and PrsA1. Our results indicate a critical requirement for PrsA2 under conditions relevant to host cell infection.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 6668-6673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Whitworth ◽  
Vsevolod L. Popov ◽  
Xue-Jie Yu ◽  
David H. Walker ◽  
Donald H. Bouyer

ABSTRACT Members of the genus Rickettsia possess the ability to invade host cells and promptly escape from phagosomal vacuoles into the host cell cytosol, thereby avoiding destruction within the endosomal pathway. The mechanism underlying rickettsial phagosomal escape remains unknown, although the genomic sequences of several rickettsial species have allowed for the identification of four genes with potential membranolytic activities (tlyA, tlyC, pat1, and pld). This study was undertaken to determine which of the selected genes of Rickettsia prowazekii mediate the escape process. Quantitative ultrastructural analyses indicated that the period of active phagosomal escape was between 30 and 50 min postinfection. Reverse transcriptase PCR analyses determined that tlyC and pld were transcribed during the period of active phagosomal escape but that tlyA and pat1 were not. The functionality of both tlyC and pld was determined by complementation studies of Salmonella, which replicates within endosomes. Complementation of Salmonella organisms with either tlyC or pld resulted in the escape of transformants from endosomal vacuoles into the host cell cytosol demonstrated by quantitative ultrastructural analyses. These data suggest a role for tlyC and pld in the process of phagosomal escape by R. prowazekii.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 4826-4840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoqun Chen ◽  
Ding Chen ◽  
Jyotika Sharma ◽  
Wen Cheng ◽  
Youmin Zhong ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Using antibodies raised with chlamydial fusion proteins, we have localized a protein encoded by hypothetical open reading frame CT813 in the inclusion membrane of Chlamydia trachomatis. The detection of the C. trachomatis inclusion membrane by an anti-CT813 antibody was blocked by the CT813 protein but not unrelated fusion proteins. The CT813 protein was detected as early as 12 h after chlamydial infection and was present in the inclusion membrane during the entire growth cycle. All tested serovars from C. trachomatis but not other chlamydial species expressed the CT813 protein. Exogenously expressed CT813 protein in HeLa cells displayed a cytoskeleton-like structure similar to but not overlapping with host cell intermediate filaments, suggesting that the CT813 protein is able to either polymerize or associate with host cell cytoskeletal structures. Finally, women with C. trachomatis urogenital infection developed high titers of antibodies to the CT813 protein, demonstrating that the CT813 protein is not only expressed but also immunogenic during chlamydial infection in humans. In all, the CT813 protein is an inclusion membrane protein unique to C. trachomatis species and has the potential to interact with host cells and induce host immune responses during natural infection. Thus, the CT813 protein may represent an important candidate for understanding C. trachomatis pathogenesis and developing intervention and prevention strategies for controlling C. trachomatis infection.


2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (10) ◽  
pp. 3993-4001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Miguel De Pablos ◽  
Gloria González González ◽  
Jennifer Solano Parada ◽  
Víctor Seco Hidalgo ◽  
Isabel María Díaz Lozano ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTWe describe the characterization, purification, expression, and location of a 52-kDa protein secreted during interaction between the metacyclic form ofTrypanosoma cruziand its target host cell. The protein, which we have named MASP52, belongs to the family of mucin-associated surface proteins (MASPs). The highest levels of expression of both the protein and mRNA occur during the metacyclic and bloodstream trypomastigote stages, the forms that infect the vertebrate host cells. The protein is located in the plasma membrane and in the flagellar pockets of the epimastigote, metacyclic, and trypomastigote forms and is secreted into the medium at the point of contact between the parasite and the cell membrane, as well as into the host-cell cytosol during the amastigote stage. IgG antibodies specific against a synthetic peptide corresponding to the catalytic zone of MASP52 significantly reduce the parasite's capacity to infect the host cells. Furthermore, when the protein is adsorbed onto inert particles of bentonite and incubated with a nonphagocytic cell culture, the particles are able to induce endocytosis in the cells, which seems to demonstrate that MASP52 plays a role in a process whereby the trypomastigote forms of the parasite invade the host cell.


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