scholarly journals Pore Formation Triggered by Legionella spp. Is an Nlrc4 Inflammasome-Dependent Host Cell Response That Precedes Pyroptosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 1403-1413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana N. Silveira ◽  
Dario S. Zamboni

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila, the etiological agent of Legionnaires disease, is known to trigger pore formation in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs) by mechanisms dependent on the type IVB secretion system known as Dot/Icm. Here, we used several mutants of L. pneumophila in combination with knockout mice to assess the host and bacterial factors involved in pore formation in BMMs. We found that regardless of Dot/Icm activity, pore formation does not occur in BMMs deficient in caspase-1 and Nlrc4/Ipaf. Pore formation was temporally associated with interleukin-1β secretion and preceded host cell lysis and pyroptosis. Pore-forming ability was dependent on bacterial Dot/Icm but independent of several effector proteins, multiplication, and de novo protein synthesis. Flagellin, which is known to trigger the Nlrc4 inflammasome, was required for pore formation as flaA mutant bacteria failed to induce cell permeabilization. Accordingly, transfection of purified flagellin was sufficient to trigger pore formation independent of infection. By using 11 different Legionella species, we found robust pore formation in response to L. micdadei, L. bozemanii, L. gratiana, L. jordanis, and L. rubrilucens, and this trait correlated with flagellin expression by these species. Together, the results suggest that pore formation is neither L. pneumophila specific nor the result of membrane damage induced by Dot/Icm activity; instead, it is a highly coordinated host cell response dependent on host Nlrc4 and caspase-1 and on bacterial flagellin and type IV secretion system.

2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maelle Molmeret ◽  
O. A. Terry Alli ◽  
Steven Zink ◽  
Antje Flieger ◽  
Nicholas P. Cianciotto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The final step of the intracellular life cycle of Legionella pneumophila and other intracellular pathogens is their egress from the host cell after termination of intracellular replication. We have previously isolated five spontaneous mutants of L. pneumophila that replicate intracellularly similar to the wild-type strain but are defective in pore formation-mediated cytolysis and egress from mammalian and protozoan cells, and the mutants have been designated rib (release of intracellular bacteria). Here, we show that the rib mutants are not defective in the activity of enzymes secreted through the type II secretion system, including phospholipase A, lysophospholipase A, and monoacylglycerol lipase, although they are potential candidates for factors that lyse host cell membranes. In addition, the pilD and lspG mutants, which are defective in the type II secretion system, are not defective in the pore-forming toxin. We show that all five rib mutants have an identical point mutation (deletion) following a stretch of poly(T) in the icmT gene. Spontaneous revertants of the rib mutants, due to an insertion of a nucleotide following the poly(T) stretch in icmT, have been isolated and shown to have regained the wild-type phenotype. We constructed an icmT insertion mutant (AA100kmT) in the chromosome of the wild-type strain by allelic exchange. The AA100kmT mutant was as defective as the rib mutant in pore formation-mediated cytolysis and egress from mammalian and protozoan cells. Both the rib mutant and the AA100kmT mutant were complemented by the icmT gene for their phenotypic defect. rtxA, a gene that is thought to have a minor role in pore formation, was not involved in pore formation-mediated cytolysis and egress from mammalian and protozoan cells. We conclude that the icmT gene is essential for pore formation-mediated lysis of mammalian and protozoan cells and the subsequent bacterial egress.


1980 ◽  
pp. 137-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Holland ◽  
S. Ian T. Kennedy ◽  
Bert L. Semler ◽  
Charlotte L. Jones ◽  
Laurent Roux ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (9) ◽  
pp. 617-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernest C. So ◽  
Corinna Mattheis ◽  
Edward W. Tate ◽  
Gad Frankel ◽  
Gunnar N. Schroeder

The Gram-negative facultative intracellular pathogen Legionella pneumophila infects a wide range of different protozoa in the environment and also human alveolar macrophages upon inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Inside its hosts, it creates a defined and unique compartment, termed the Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV), for survival and replication. To establish the LCV, L. pneumophila uses its Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS) to translocate more than 300 effector proteins into the host cell. Although it has become apparent in the past years that these effectors subvert a multitude of cellular processes and allow Legionella to take control of host cell vesicle trafficking, transcription, and translation, the exact function of the vast majority of effectors still remains unknown. This is partly due to high functional redundancy among the effectors, which renders conventional genetic approaches to elucidate their role ineffective. Here, we review the current knowledge about Legionella T4SS effectors, highlight open questions, and discuss new methods that promise to facilitate the characterization of T4SS effector functions in the future.


2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 3471-3471 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricio A. Manque ◽  
Christian M. Probst ◽  
Mirian C. S. Pereira ◽  
Rita C. P. Rampazzo ◽  
Luiz Shozo Ozaki ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Slanina ◽  
A. König ◽  
H. Claus ◽  
M. Frosch ◽  
A. Schubert-Unkmeir

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Céline Michard ◽  
Daniel Sperandio ◽  
Nathalie Baïlo ◽  
Javier Pizarro-Cerdá ◽  
Lawrence LeClaire ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTLegionella pneumophila, the etiological agent of legionellosis, replicates within phagocytic cells. Crucial to biogenesis of the replicative vacuole is the Dot/Icm type 4 secretion system, which translocates a large number of effectors into the host cell cytosol. Among them is LegK2, a protein kinase that plays a key role inLegionellainfection. Here, we identified the actin nucleator ARP2/3 complex as a target of LegK2. LegK2 phosphorylates the ARPC1B and ARP3 subunits of the ARP2/3 complex. LegK2-dependent ARP2/3 phosphorylation triggers global actin cytoskeleton remodeling in cells, and it impairs actin tail formation byListeria monocytogenes, a well-known ARP2/3-dependent process. During infection, LegK2 is addressed to theLegionella-containing vacuole surface and inhibits actin polymerization on the phagosome, as revealed by legK2 gene inactivation. Consequently, LegK2 prevents late endosome/lysosome association with the phagosome and finally contributes to remodeling of the bacterium-containing phagosome into a replicative niche. The inhibition of actin polymerization by LegK2 and its effect on endosome trafficking are ARP2/3 dependent since it can be phenocopied by a specific chemical inhibitor of the ARP2/3 complex. Thus, LegK2-ARP2/3 interplay highlights an original mechanism of bacterial virulence with an unexpected role in local actin remodeling that allows bacteria to control vesicle trafficking in order to escape host defenses.IMPORTANCEDeciphering the individual contribution of each Dot/Icm type 4 secretion system substrate to the intracellular life-style ofL. pneumophilaremains the principal challenge in understanding the molecular basis ofLegionellavirulence. Our finding that LegK2 is a Dot/Icm effector that inhibits actin polymerization on theLegionella-containing vacuole importantly contributes to the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms evolved byLegionellato counteract the endocytic pathway. Indeed, our results highlight the essential role of LegK2 in preventing late endosomes from fusing with the phagosome. More generally, this work is the first demonstration of local actin remodeling as a mechanism used by bacteria to control organelle trafficking. Further, by characterizing the role of the bacterial protein kinase LegK2, we reinforce the concept that posttranslational modifications are key strategies used by pathogens to evade host cell defenses.


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