scholarly journals Dispersal of Epithelium-Associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilms

mSphere ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna C. Zemke ◽  
Emily J. D’Amico ◽  
Emily C. Snell ◽  
Angela M. Torres ◽  
Naomi Kasturiarachi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows in highly antibiotic-tolerant biofilms during chronic airway infections. Dispersal of bacteria from biofilms may restore antibiotic susceptibility or improve host clearance. We describe models to study biofilm dispersal in the nutritionally complex environment of the human airway. P. aeruginosa was cocultured in the apical surface of airway epithelial cells (AECs) in a perfusion chamber. Dispersal, triggered by sodium nitrite, a nitric oxide (NO) donor, was tracked by live cell microscopy. Next, a static model was developed in which biofilms were grown on polarized AECs without flow. We observed that NO-triggered biofilm dispersal was an energy-dependent process. From the existing literature, NO-mediated biofilm dispersal is regulated by DipA, NbdA, RbdA, and MucR. Interestingly, altered signaling pathways appear to be used in this model, as deletion of these genes failed to block NO-induced biofilm dispersal. Similar results were observed using biofilms grown in an abiotic model on glass with iron-supplemented cell culture medium. In cystic fibrosis, airway mucus contributes to the growth environment, and a wide range of bacterial phenotypes are observed; therefore, we tested biofilm dispersal in a panel of late cystic fibrosis clinical isolates cocultured in the mucus overlying primary human AECs. Finally, we examined dispersal in combination with the clinically used antibiotics ciprofloxacin, aztreonam and tobramycin. In summary, we have validated models to study biofilm dispersal in environments that recapitulate key features of the airway and identified combinations of currently used antibiotics that may enhance the therapeutic effect of biofilm dispersal. IMPORTANCE During chronic lung infections, Pseudomonas aeruginosa grows in highly antibiotic-tolerant communities called biofilms that are difficult for the host to clear. We have developed models for studying P. aeruginosa biofilm dispersal in environments that replicate key features of the airway. We found that mechanisms of biofilm dispersal in these models may employ alternative or additional signaling mechanisms, highlighting the importance of the growth environment in dispersal events. We have adapted the models to accommodate apical fluid flow, bacterial clinical isolates, antibiotics, and primary human airway epithelial cells, all of which are relevant to understanding bacterial behaviors in the context of human disease. We also examined dispersal agents in combination with commonly used antipseudomonal antibiotics and saw improved clearance when nitrite was combined with the antibiotic aztreonam.

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. C451-C456 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Schwiebert ◽  
D. C. Gruenert ◽  
W. B. Guggino ◽  
B. A. Stanton

Previously we demonstrated that the heterotrimeric G protein, G alpha i-2, inhibits cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride (Cl-) channels in human airway epithelial cells (E. M. Schwiebert, F. Gesek, L. Ercolani, C. Wjasow, D. C. Gruenert, and B. A. Stanton. Am. J. Physiol. 267 (Cell Physiol. 36): C272-C281, 1994, and E. M. Schwiebert, N. L. Kizer, D. C. Gruenert, and B. A. Stanton. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89: 10623-10627, 1992). The goal of the present study was to determine if G proteins also regulate outwardly rectifying Cl- channels (ORCC), a distinct class of Cl- channels regulated defectively by protein kinase A (PKA) in cystic fibrosis (CF). To this end, we used the patch-clamp technique to study ORCC in a normal human airway epithelial cell line (9HTEo-) that expresses CFTR and ORCC. Stimulation of G proteins with GTP and GTP gamma S decreased the single-channel open probability (Po) of ORCC, whereas inhibition of G proteins by GDP beta S increased the Po. Moreover, pertussis toxin (PTX), an uncoupler of Gi and G(o) subclasses of heterotrimeric G proteins, also increased the Po. Purified G alpha i-2 decreased the Po. In contrast, other PTX-sensitive G proteins, G alpha i-1, G alpha i-3, and G alpha o, had no effect on Po. We propose that G alpha i-2 couples to a receptor whose agonist negatively regulates ORCC in human airway epithelial cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Barilli ◽  
Rossana Visigalli ◽  
Francesca Ferrari ◽  
Giuseppe Borsani ◽  
Valeria Dall'Asta ◽  
...  

At present, the central role played by arginine in the modulation of the inflammatory cellular responses is well-recognized, and many pro-inflammatory stimuli are known to modulate the expression and activity of its transmembrane transporters. In this regard, we have addressed the effects of bacterial flagellin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (FLA-PA) on the uptake of the amino acid in human epithelial respiratory cells. Among the arginine transporters, only ATB0,+, y+L, and y+ were operative in bronchial epithelial Calu-3 cells under control conditions; however, only the expression and activity of ATB0,+ were stimulated upon incubation with flagellin, whereas those of systems y+L and y+ were not stimulated. As a result, this induction, in turn, led to an increase in the intracellular content of arginine without making any change to its metabolic pathway. In addition, flagellin upregulated the amount of other amino acids substrates of ATB0,+, in particular, all the essential amino acids, such as valine, isoleucine, and leucine, along with the non-essential glutamine. At the molecular level, these effects were directly referable to the stimulation of a toll-like receptor-5 (TLR5) signaling pathway and to the induction of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factor. An induction of ATB0,+ expression has been observed also in EpiAirway™, a model of primary human normal tracheal-bronchial epithelial cells that mimics the in vitro pseudostratified columnar epithelium of the airways. In this tissue model, the incubation with flagellin is associated with the upregulation of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for the chemokine IL-8 and for the cytokines IL-6 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β); as for the latter, a marked secretion in the extracellular medium was also observed due to the concomitant activation of caspase-1. The overall findings indicate that, in human respiratory epithelium, flagellin promotes cellular responses associating the increase of intracellular amino acids through ATB0,+ with the activation of the inflammasome. Given the role of the ATB0,+ transporter as a delivery system for bronchodilators in human airway epithelial cells, its induction under inflammatory conditions gains particular relevance in the field of respiratory pharmacology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Ruffin ◽  
Jeanne Bigot ◽  
Claire Calmel ◽  
Julia Mercier ◽  
Maëlle Givelet ◽  
...  

In the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) health crisis, one major challenge is to identify the susceptibility factors of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in order to adapt the recommendations for populations, as well as to reduce the risk of COVID-19 development in the most vulnerable people, especially patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). Airway epithelial cells (AECs) play a critical role in the modulation of both immune responses and COVID-19 severity. SARS-CoV-2 infects the airway through the receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and a host protease, transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2), plays a major role in SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. Here, we show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa increases TMPRSS2 expression, notably in primary AECs with deficiency of the ion channel CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR). Further, we show that the main component of P. aeruginosa flagella, the protein flagellin, increases TMPRSS2 expression in primary AECs and Calu-3 cells, through activation of Toll-like receptor-5 and p38 MAPK. This increase is particularly seen in Calu-3 cells deficient for CFTR and is associated with an intracellular increased level of SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, with no effect on the amount of virus particles released. Considering the urgency of the COVID-19 health crisis, this result may be of clinical significance for CF patients, who are frequently infected with and colonized by P. aeruginosa during the course of CF and might develop COVID-19.


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