A Family of Salmonella Type III Secretion Effector Proteins Selectively Targets the NF-κB Signaling Pathway to Preserve Host Homeostasis

ABSTRACTType III secretion systems (T3SSs) are multiprotein machines employed by many Gram-negative bacteria to inject bacterial effector proteins into eukaryotic host cells to promote bacterial survival and colonization. The core unit of T3SSs is the needle complex, a supramolecular structure that mediates the passage of the secreted proteins through the bacterial envelope. A distinct feature of the T3SS is that protein export occurs in a strictly hierarchical manner in which proteins destined to form the needle complex filament and associated structures are secreted first, followed by the secretion of effectors and the proteins that will facilitate their translocation through the target host cell membrane. The secretion hierarchy is established by complex mechanisms that involve several T3SS-associated components, including the “switch protein,” a highly conserved, inner membrane protease that undergoes autocatalytic cleavage. It has been proposed that the autocleavage of the switch protein is the trigger for substrate switching. We show here that autocleavage of theSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium switch protein SpaS is an unregulated process that occurs after its folding and before its incorporation into the needle complex. Needle complexes assembled with a precleaved form of SpaS function in a manner indistinguishable from that of the wild-type form. Furthermore, an engineered mutant of SpaS that is processed by an external protease also displays wild-type function. These results demonstrate that the cleavage eventper sedoes not provide a signal for substrate switching but support the hypothesis that cleavage allows the proper conformation of SpaS to render it competent for its switching function.IMPORTANCEBacterial interaction with eukaryotic hosts often involves complex molecular machines for targeted delivery of bacterial effector proteins. One such machine, the type III secretion system of some Gram-negative bacteria, serves to inject a multitude of structurally diverse bacterial proteins into the host cell. Critical to the function of these systems is their ability to secrete proteins in a strict hierarchical order, but it is unclear how the mechanism of switching works. Central to the switching mechanism is a highly conserved inner membrane protease that undergoes autocatalytic cleavage. Although it has been suggested previously that the autocleavage event is the trigger for substrate switching, we show here that this is not the case. Rather, our results show that cleavage allows the proper conformation of the protein to render it competent for its switching function. These findings may help develop inhibitors of type III secretion machines that offer novel therapeutic avenues to treat various infectious diseases.

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Pseudomonas syringae Strains Naturally Lacking the Classical P. syringae hrp/hrc Locus Are Common Leaf Colonizers Equipped with an Atypical Type III Secretion System

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions ◽

10.1094/mpmi-23-2-0198 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 198-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 69

Author(s):

Christopher R. Clarke ◽

Rongman Cai ◽

David J. Studholme ◽

David S. Guttman ◽

Boris A. Vinatzer

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Syringae ◽

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Plant Cells ◽

Type Iii Secretion System ◽

Ice Nucleation ◽

Secretion System ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Population Densities ◽

Type Iii ◽

Effector Genes

Pseudomonas syringae is best known as a plant pathogen that causes disease by translocating immune-suppressing effector proteins into plant cells through a type III secretion system (T3SS). However, P. syringae strains belonging to a newly described phylogenetic subgroup (group 2c) are missing the canonical P. syringae hrp/hrc cluster coding for a T3SS, flanking effector loci, and any close orthologue of known P. syringae effectors. Nonetheless, P. syringae group 2c strains are common leaf colonizers and grow on some tested plant species to population densities higher than those obtained by other P. syringae strains on nonhost species. Moreover, group 2c strains have genes necessary for the production of phytotoxins, have an ice nucleation gene, and, most interestingly, contain a novel hrp/hrc cluster, which is only distantly related to the canonical P. syringae hrp/hrc cluster. This hrp/hrc cluster appears to encode a functional T3SS although the genes hrpK and hrpS, present in the classical P. syringae hrp/hrc cluster, are missing. The genome sequence of a representative group 2c strain also revealed distant orthologues of the P. syringae effector genes avrE1 and hopM1 and the P. aeruginosa effector genes exoU and exoY. A putative life cycle for group 2c P. syringae is discussed.

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A Salmonella Virulence Factor Activates the NOD1/NOD2 Signaling Pathway

mBio ◽

10.1128/mbio.00266-11 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (6) ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

A. Marijke Keestra ◽

Maria G. Winter ◽

Daisy Klein-Douwel ◽

Mariana N. Xavier ◽

Sebastian E. Winter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Signaling Pathway ◽

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Salmonella Enterica ◽

Intestinal Inflammation ◽

Inflammatory Responses ◽

Type Iii Secretion System ◽

Secretion System ◽

Content Type ◽

Type Iii

ABSTRACTThe invasion-associated type III secretion system (T3SS-1) ofSalmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) activates the transcription factor NF-κB in tissue culture cells and induces inflammatory responses in animal models through unknown mechanisms. Here we show that bacterial delivery or ectopic expression of SipA, a T3SS-1-translocated protein, led to the activation of the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway and consequent RIP2-mediated induction of NF-κB-dependent inflammatory responses. SipA-mediated activation of NOD1/NOD2 signaling was independent of bacterial invasionin vitrobut required an intact T3SS-1. In the mouse colitis model, SipA triggered mucosal inflammation in wild-type mice but not in NOD1/NOD2-deficient mice. These findings implicate SipA-driven activation of the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway as a mechanism by which the T3SS-1 induces inflammatory responsesin vitroandin vivo.IMPORTANCESalmonella entericaserotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) deploys a type III secretion system (T3SS-1) to induce intestinal inflammation and benefits from the ensuing host response, which enhances growth of the pathogen in the intestinal lumen. However, the mechanisms by which the T3SS-1 triggers inflammatory responses have not been resolved. Here we show that the T3SS-1 effector protein SipA induces NF-κB activation and intestinal inflammation by activating the NOD1/NOD2 signaling pathway. These data suggest that the T3SS-1 escalates innate responses through a SipA-mediated activation of pattern recognition receptors in the host cell cytosol.

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Tandem Translation Generates a Chaperone for the Salmonella Type III Secretion System Protein SsaQ

Journal of Biological Chemistry ◽

10.1074/jbc.m111.278663 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 286 (41) ◽

pp. 36098-36107 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Xiu-Jun Yu ◽

Mei Liu ◽

Steve Matthews ◽

David W. Holden

Keyword(s):

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Eukaryotic Cell ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Secretion Systems ◽

Type Iii ◽

Type Iii Secretion Systems ◽

Function Loss ◽

Bacterial Cytoplasm

Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) of bacterial pathogens involve the assembly of a surface-localized needle complex, through which translocon proteins are secreted to form a pore in the eukaryotic cell membrane. This enables the transfer of effector proteins from the bacterial cytoplasm to the host cell. A structure known as the C-ring is thought to have a crucial role in secretion by acting as a cytoplasmic sorting platform at the base of the T3SS. Here, we studied SsaQ, an FliN-like putative C-ring protein of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2)-encoded T3SS. ssaQ produces two proteins by tandem translation: a long form (SsaQL) composed of 322 amino acids and a shorter protein (SsaQS) comprising the C-terminal 106 residues of SsaQL. SsaQL is essential for SPI-2 T3SS function. Loss of SsaQS impairs the function of the T3SS both ex vivo and in vivo. SsaQS binds to its corresponding region within SsaQL and stabilizes the larger protein. Therefore, SsaQL function is optimized by a novel chaperone-like protein, produced by tandem translation from its own mRNA species.

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Direct delivery of bacterial type III secretion system effector proteins to the eukaryotic cell as a tool to study bacterial pathogenesis

New Biotechnology ◽

10.1016/j.nbt.2009.06.917 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. S372

Author(s):

A. Jalili ◽

J. Atherton ◽

R. Delahay

Keyword(s):

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Type Iii Secretion System ◽

Eukaryotic Cell ◽

Bacterial Pathogenesis ◽

Secretion System ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Type Iii ◽

Direct Delivery ◽

Bacterial Type

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Small-Molecule Type III Secretion System Inhibitors Block Assembly of the Shigella Type III Secreton

Journal of Bacteriology ◽

10.1128/jb.01004-08 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 191 (2) ◽

pp. 563-570 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Andreas K. J. Veenendaal ◽

Charlotta Sundin ◽

Ariel J. Blocker

Keyword(s):

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Bacterial Infections ◽

Shigella Flexneri ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Host Cells ◽

Incomplete Penetrance ◽

Secretion Systems ◽

Bacterial Surface ◽

Type Iii ◽

Type Iii Secretion Systems

ABSTRACT Type III secretion systems (T3SSs) are essential virulence devices for many gram-negative bacteria that are pathogenic for plants, animals, and humans. They serve to translocate virulence effector proteins directly into eukaryotic host cells. T3SSs are composed of a large cytoplasmic bulb and a transmembrane region into which a needle is embedded, protruding above the bacterial surface. The emerging antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens urges the development of novel strategies to fight bacterial infections. Therapeutics that rather than kill bacteria only attenuate their virulence may reduce the frequency or progress of resistance emergence. Recently, a group of salicylidene acylhydrazides were identified as inhibitors of T3SSs in Yersinia, Chlamydia, and Salmonella species. Here we show that these are also effective on the T3SS of Shigella flexneri, where they block all related forms of protein secretion so far known, as well as the epithelial cell invasion and induction of macrophage apoptosis usually demonstrated by this bacterium. Furthermore, we show the first evidence for the detrimental effect of these compounds on T3SS needle assembly, as demonstrated by increased numbers of T3S apparatuses without needles or with shorter needles. Therefore, the compounds generate a phenocopy of T3SS export apparatus mutants but with incomplete penetrance. We discuss why this would be sufficient to almost completely block the later secretion of effector proteins and how this begins to narrow the search for the molecular target of these compounds.

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Use of the Galleria mellonella Caterpillar as a Model Host To Study the Role of the Type III Secretion System in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pathogenesis

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.71.5.2404-2413.2003 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 2404-2413 ◽

Cited By ~ 166

Author(s):

Sachiko Miyata ◽

Monika Casey ◽

Dara W. Frank ◽

Frederick M. Ausubel ◽

Eliana Drenkard

Keyword(s):

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽

Type Iii Secretion ◽

Galleria Mellonella ◽

Type Iii Secretion System ◽

Secretion System ◽

Effector Proteins ◽

Triple Mutant ◽

Type Iii ◽

Wax Moth

ABSTRACT Nonvertebrate model hosts represent valuable tools for the study of host-pathogen interactions because they facilitate the identification of bacterial virulence factors and allow the discovery of novel components involved in host innate immune responses. In this report, we determined that the greater wax moth caterpillar Galleria mellonella is a convenient nonmammalian model host for study of the role of the type III secretion system (TTSS) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenesis. Based on the observation that a mutation in the TTSS pscD gene of P. aeruginosa strain PA14 resulted in a highly attenuated virulence phenotype in G. mellonella, we examined the roles of the four known effector proteins of P. aeruginosa (ExoS, ExoT, ExoU, and ExoY) in wax moth killing. We determined that in P. aeruginosa strain PA14, only ExoT and ExoU play a significant role in G. mellonella killing. Strain PA14 lacks the coding sequence for the ExoS effector protein and does not seem to express ExoY. Moreover, using ΔexoU ΔexoY, ΔexoT ΔexoY, and ΔexoT ΔexoU double mutants, we determined that individual translocation of either ExoT or ExoU is sufficient to obtain nearly wild-type levels of G. mellonella killing. On the other hand, data obtained with a ΔexoT ΔexoU ΔexoY triple mutant and a ΔpscD mutant suggested that additional, as-yet-unidentified P. aeruginosa components of type III secretion are involved in virulence in G. mellonella. A high level of correlation between the results obtained in the G. mellonella model and the results of cytopathology assays performed with a mammalian tissue culture system validated the use of G. mellonella for the study of the P. aeruginosa TTSS.

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