scholarly journals Pathogenic Puppetry: Manipulation of the Host Actin Cytoskeleton by Chlamydia trachomatis

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Caven ◽  
Rey A. Carabeo
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Surface Receptors ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Membrane Bound ◽  
Experimental Findings ◽  
Chlamydial Inclusion

The actin cytoskeleton is crucially important to maintenance of the cellular structure, cell motility, and endocytosis. Accordingly, bacterial pathogens often co-opt the actin-restructuring machinery of host cells to access or create a favorable environment for their own replication. The obligate intracellular organism Chlamydia trachomatis and related species exemplify this dynamic: by inducing actin polymerization at the site of pathogen-host attachment, Chlamydiae induce their own uptake by the typically non-phagocytic epithelium they infect. The interaction of chlamydial adhesins with host surface receptors has been implicated in this effect, as has the activity of the chlamydial effector TarP (translocated actin recruitment protein). Following invasion, C. trachomatis dynamically assembles and maintains an actin-rich cage around the pathogen’s membrane-bound replicative niche, known as the chlamydial inclusion. Through further induction of actin polymerization and modulation of the actin-crosslinking protein myosin II, C. trachomatis promotes egress from the host via extrusion of the inclusion. In this review, we present the experimental findings that can inform our understanding of actin-dependent chlamydial pathogenesis, discuss lingering questions, and identify potential avenues of future study.

scholarly journals Interaction of Chlamydia trachomatis Serovar L2 with the Host Autophagic Pathway

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 4751-4762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham M. Al-Younes ◽  
Volker Brinkmann ◽  
Thomas F. Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Close Association ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Specific Staining ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Membrane Bound

ABSTRACT Chlamydiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that replicate within a membrane-bound compartment (the inclusion) and are associated with important human diseases, such as trachoma, pneumonia, and atherosclerosis. We have examined the interaction of the host autophagic pathway with Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 by using the specific autophagosomal stain monodansylcadaverine, antibodies to autophagosome-associated markers, and traditionally used autophagic inhibitors, particularly 3-methyladenine and amino acids. Chlamydial inclusions did not sequester monodansylcadaverine, suggesting absence of fusion with autophagosomes. Interestingly, exposure of cultures infected for 19 h to 3-methyladenine or single amino acids until the end of infection (44 h) caused various degrees of abnormalities in the inclusion maturation and in the progeny infectivity. Incubation of host cells with chemicals throughout the entire period of infection modulated the growth of Chlamydia even more dramatically. Remarkably, autophagosomal markers MAP-LC3 and calreticulin were redistributed to the inclusion of Chlamydia, a process that appears to be sensitive to 3-methyladenine and some amino acids. The present data indicate the lack of autophagosomal fusion with the inclusion because it was devoid of monodansylcadaverine and no distinct rim of autophagosomal protein-specific staining around the inclusion could be observed. However, high sensitivity of Chlamydia to conditions that could inhibit host autophagic pathway and the close association of MAP-LC3 and calreticulin with the inclusion membrane still suggest a potential role of host autophagy in the pathogenesis of Chlamydia.

scholarly journals Chlamydial Lytic Exit from Host Cells Is Plasmid Regulated

mBio ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunfu Yang ◽  
Tregei Starr ◽  
Lihua Song ◽  
John H. Carlson ◽  
Gail L. Sturdevant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Iii Secretion ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Type Iii Secretion System ◽  
Secretion System ◽  
Cytoskeletal Proteins ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Genetic Mechanism ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Type Iii

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisis an obligate intracellular bacterium that is a globally important human pathogen. The chlamydial plasmid is an attenuating virulence factor, but the molecular basis for attenuation is not understood. Chlamydiae replicate within a membrane-bound vacuole termed an inclusion, where they undergo a biphasic developmental growth cycle and differentiate from noninfectious into infectious organisms. Late in the developmental cycle, the fragile chlamydia-laden inclusion retains its integrity by surrounding itself with scaffolds of host cytoskeletal proteins. The ability of chlamydiae to developmentally free themselves from this cytoskeleton network is a fundamental virulence trait of the pathogen. Here, we show that plasmidless chlamydiae are incapable of disrupting their cytoskeletal entrapment and remain intracellular as stable mature inclusions that support high numbers of infectious organisms. By using deletion mutants of the eight plasmid-carried genes (Δpgp1to Δpgp8), we show that Pgp4, a transcriptional regulator of multiple chromosomal genes, is required for exit. Exit of chlamydiae is dependent on protein synthesis and is inhibited by the compound C1, an inhibitor of the type III secretion system (T3S). Exit of plasmid-free and Δpgp4organisms, which failed to lyse infected cells, was rescued by latrunculin B, an inhibitor of actin polymerization. Our findings describe a genetic mechanism of chlamydial exit from host cells that is dependent on an unknownpgp4-regulated chromosomal T3S effector gene.IMPORTANCEChlamydia's obligate intracellular life style requires both entry into and exit from host cells. Virulence factors that function in exiting are unknown. The chlamydial inclusion is stabilized late in the infection cycle by F-actin. A prerequisite of chlamydial exit is its ability to disassemble actin from the inclusion. We show that chlamydial plasmid-free organisms, and also a plasmid gene protein 4 (pgp4) null mutant, do not disassociate actin from the inclusion and fail to exit cells. We further provide evidence that Pgp4-regulated exit is dependent on the chlamydial type III secretion system. This study is the first to define a genetic mechanism that functions in chlamydial lytic exit from host cells. The findings also have practical implications for understanding why plasmid-free chlamydiae are highly attenuated and have the ability to elicit robust protective immune responses.

scholarly journals A new form of actin assembly around the Shigella-containing vacuole regulates its intracellular niche

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonja Kühn ◽  
John Bergqvist ◽  
Laura Barrio ◽  
Stephanie Lebreton ◽  
Chiara Zurzolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Host Recognition ◽  
Actin Assembly ◽  
Actin Structure ◽  
New Form ◽  
Structure And Functions

SUMMARYThe enteroinvasive bacterium Shigella flexneri forces its uptake into non-phagocytic host cells through the translocation of T3SS effectors that subvert the actin cytoskeleton. Here, we report de novo actin polymerization after cellular entry around the bacterial containing vacuole (BCV) leading to the formation of a dynamic actin cocoon. This cocoon is thicker than any described cellular actin structure and functions as a gatekeeper for the cytosolic access of the pathogen. Host Cdc42, Toca-1, N-WASP, WIP, the Arp2/3 complex, cortactin, coronin, and cofilin are recruited to the actin cocoon. They are subverted by T3SS effectors, such as IpgD, IpgB1, and IcsB. IcsB immobilizes components of the actin polymerization machinery at the BCV. This represents a novel microbial subversion strategy through localized entrapment of host actin regulators causing massive actin assembly. We propose that the cocoon protects Shigella’s niche from canonical maturation or host recognition.

scholarly journals Chlamydia trachomatis Cellular Exit Alters Interactions with Host Dendritic Cells

2017 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley M. Sherrid ◽  
Kevin Hybiske
Keyword(s):  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Dendritic Cell ◽  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Innate Immune Signaling ◽  
Host Membrane ◽  
Membrane Bound

ABSTRACT The strategies utilized by pathogens to exit host cells are an area of pathogenesis which has received surprisingly little attention, considering the necessity of this step for infections to propagate. Even less is known about how exit through these pathways affects downstream host-pathogen interactions and the generation of an immune response. Chlamydia trachomatis exits host epithelial cells through two equally active mechanisms: lysis and extrusion. Studies have characterized the outcome of interactions between host innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells and macrophages, and free, extracellular Chlamydia bacteria, such as those resulting from lysis. Exit via extrusion generates a distinct, host-membrane-bound compartment of Chlamydia separate from the original infected cell. In this study, we assessed the effect of containment within extrusions upon the interaction between Chlamydia and host dendritic cells. Extrusion dramatically affected the outcome of Chlamydia-dendritic cell interactions for both the bacterium and the host cell. Dendritic cells rapidly underwent apoptosis in response to engulfment of an extrusion, while uptake of an equivalent dose of free Chlamydia had no such effect. Containment within an extrusion also prolonged bacterial survival within dendritic cells and altered the initial innate immune signaling by the dendritic cell.

Immunoperoxidase Labeling Demonstrates an Early Divergence of Chlamydia Trachomatis from the Endosomal-Lysosomal Pathway

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1032-1033
Author(s):  
Elizabeth R. Fischer ◽  
Marci A. Scidmore-Carlson ◽  
Ted Hackstadt
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Transmitted Disease ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Elementary Body ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Immunoperoxidase Labeling ◽  
Preventable Blindness

Chlamydia trachomatis is responsible for several significant human diseases including trachoma, the primary source of preventable blindness in developing countries, and is the most common cause of sexually transmitted disease. C. trachomatis is an obligate intracellular prokaryote (ICP) relying on eukaryotic host cells for growth and replication. Typically, microorganisms engulfed by host cells, are trafficked through maturing endosomes to the lysosomal pathway and ultimately destroyed. Survival in a host cell requires the invading organism to either adapt or modify their host environment to avoid fusion with lysosomal vesicles. Organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis have evolved mechanisms to arrest maturation of the endosomes, such that they avoid lysosomal fusion.3 C trachomatis has developed alternative strategies for successful intracellular survival and growth.C. trachomatis exists in two morphologically and functionally distinct forms which multiply in vacuoles termed inclusions. A small dense form known as the elementary body (EB), is the stable extracellular stage of the life cycle capable of attachment and entry into host cells.

Movement of spotted fever rickettsiae through tick host cells in vitro

1996 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 810-811
Author(s):  
U. G. Munderloh ◽  
S. F. Hayes ◽  
J. Cummings ◽  
T. J. Kurtti
Keyword(s):  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Shigella Flexneri ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Symbiotic Association ◽  
Obligate Intracellular

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae are obligate intracellular prokaryotes that include tick-borne pathogens of animals and man as well as organisms that live in symbiotic association with their tick hosts. A striking feature of the behavior of pathogenic rickettsiae in the vertebrate is their ability to quickly disseminate between cells from the original site of entry shortly after infection, and before severe lesions are detected. Similarly, ticks become systemically infected with SFG rickettsiae, indicating that an efficient mechanism of dispersal also exists in the vector. This is accomplished despite the fact that rickettsiae are not motile.Kadurugamuwa et al. (1991) have used light and electron microscopy to show that Shigella flexneri utilize host cytoskeletal components to travel through cytoplasmic extensions and penetrate into neighboring cells. Using mammalian cells cultured in vitro, Heinzen et al. (1993) have demonstrated that SFG rickettsiae cause host cell actin polymerization at one rickettsial pole causing them to be propelled through the cytoplasm, and to transfer rapidly from cell to cell.

scholarly journals Single-Inclusion Kinetics of Chlamydia trachomatis Development

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Travis J. Chiarelli ◽  
Nicole A. Grieshaber ◽  
Anders Omsland ◽  
Christopher H. Remien ◽  
Scott S. Grieshaber
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Live Cell Imaging ◽  
Cell Imaging ◽  
Live Cell ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Obligate Intracellular

ABSTRACT The obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis is reliant on a developmental cycle consisting of two cell forms, termed the elementary body (EB) and the reticulate body (RB). The EB is infectious and utilizes a type III secretion system and preformed effector proteins during invasion, but it does not replicate. The RB replicates in the host cell but is noninfectious. This developmental cycle is central to chlamydial pathogenesis. In this study, we developed mathematical models of the developmental cycle that account for potential factors influencing RB-to-EB cell type switching during infection. Our models predicted that two categories of regulatory signals for RB-to-EB development could be differentiated experimentally, an “intrinsic” cell-autonomous program inherent to each RB and an “extrinsic” environmental signal to which RBs respond. To experimentally differentiate between mechanisms, we tracked the expression of C. trachomatis development-specific promoters in individual inclusions using fluorescent reporters and live-cell imaging. These experiments indicated that EB production was not influenced by increased multiplicity of infection or by superinfection, suggesting the cycle follows an intrinsic program that is not directly controlled by environmental factors. Additionally, live-cell imaging revealed that EB development is a multistep process linked to RB growth rate and cell division. The formation of EBs followed a progression with expression from the euo and ihtA promoters evident in RBs, while expression from the promoter for hctA was apparent in early EBs/IBs. Finally, expression from the promoters for the true late genes, hctB, scc2, and tarp, was evident in the maturing EB. IMPORTANCE Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular bacterium that can cause trachoma, cervicitis, urethritis, salpingitis, and pelvic inflammatory disease. To establish infection in host cells, Chlamydia must complete a multiple-cell-type developmental cycle. The developmental cycle consists of specialized cells, the EB cell, which mediates infection of new host cells, and the RB cell, which replicates and eventually produces more EB cells to mediate the next round of infection. By developing and testing mathematical models to discriminate between two competing hypotheses for the nature of the signal controlling RB-to-EB cell type switching, we demonstrate that RB-to-EB development follows a cell-autonomous program that does not respond to environmental cues. Additionally, we show that RB-to-EB development is a function of chlamydial growth and division. This study serves to further our understanding of the chlamydial developmental cycle that is central to the bacterium’s pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Chlamydia trachomatis TmeA Directly Activates N-WASP To Promote Actin Polymerization and Functions Synergistically with TarP during Invasion

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle Keb ◽  
Joshua Ferrell ◽  
Kaylyn R. Scanlon ◽  
Travis J. Jewett ◽  
Kenneth A. Fields
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Divergence ◽  
Infection Process ◽  
Intracellular Parasite ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Type Iii ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Parasite

ABSTRACT Chlamydia trachomatis is a medically significant human pathogen and is an epithelial-tropic obligate intracellular parasite. Invasion of nonprofessional phagocytes represents a crucial step in the infection process and has likely promoted the evolution of a redundant mechanism and routes of entry. Like many other viral and invasive bacterial pathogens, manipulation of the host cell cytoskeleton represents a focal point in Chlamydia entry. The advent of genetic techniques in C. trachomatis, such as creation of complete gene deletions via fluorescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM), is providing important tools to unravel the contributions of bacterial factors in these complex pathways. The type III secretion chaperone Slc1 directs delivery of at least four effectors during the invasion process. Two of these, TarP and TmeA, have been associated with manipulation of actin networks and are essential for normal levels of invasion. The functions of TarP are well established, whereas TmeA is less well characterized. We leverage chlamydial genetics and proximity labeling here to provide evidence that TmeA directly targets host N-WASP to promote Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerization. Our work also shows that TmeA and TarP influence separate, yet synergistic pathways to accomplish chlamydial entry. These data further support an appreciation that a pathogen, confined by a reductionist genome, retains the ability to commit considerable resources to accomplish bottle-neck steps during the infection process. IMPORTANCE The increasing genetic tractability of Chlamydia trachomatis is accelerating the ability to characterize the unique infection biology of this obligate intracellular parasite. These efforts are leading to a greater understanding of the molecular events associated with key virulence requirements. Manipulation of the host actin cytoskeleton plays a pivotal role throughout Chlamydia infection, yet a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms initiating and orchestrating actin rearrangements has lagged. Our work highlights the application of genetic manipulation to address open questions regarding chlamydial invasion, a process essential to survival. We provide definitive insight regarding the role of the type III secreted effector TmeA and how that activity relates to another prominent effector, TarP. In addition, our data implicate at least one source that contributes to the functional divergence of entry mechanisms among chlamydial species.

scholarly journals Two Components of Actin-based Retrograde Flow in Sea Urchin Coelomocytes

1999 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4075-4090 ◽  
Author(s):  
John H. Henson ◽  
Tatyana M. Svitkina ◽  
Andrew R. Burns ◽  
Heather E. Hughes ◽  
Kenneth J. MacPartland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Sea Urchin ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Kinase Inhibitor ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Supramolecular Organization ◽  
Cell Periphery ◽  
Retrograde Flow

Sea urchin coelomocytes represent an excellent experimental model system for studying retrograde flow. Their extreme flatness allows for excellent microscopic visualization. Their discoid shape provides a radially symmetric geometry, which simplifies analysis of the flow pattern. Finally, the nonmotile nature of the cells allows for the retrograde flow to be analyzed in the absence of cell translocation. In this study we have begun an analysis of the retrograde flow mechanism by characterizing its kinetic and structural properties. The supramolecular organization of actin and myosin II was investigated using light and electron microscopic methods. Light microscopic immunolocalization was performed with anti-actin and anti-sea urchin egg myosin II antibodies, whereas transmission electron microscopy was performed on platinum replicas of critical point-dried and rotary-shadowed cytoskeletons. Coelomocytes contain a dense cortical actin network, which feeds into an extensive array of radial bundles in the interior. These actin bundles terminate in a perinuclear region, which contains a ring of myosin II bipolar minifilaments. Retrograde flow was arrested either by interfering with actin polymerization or by inhibiting myosin II function, but the pathway by which the flow was blocked was different for the two kinds of inhibitory treatments. Inhibition of actin polymerization with cytochalasin D caused the actin cytoskeleton to separate from the cell margin and undergo a finite retrograde retraction. In contrast, inhibition of myosin II function either with the wide-spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine or the myosin light chain kinase–specific inhibitor KT5926 stopped flow in the cell center, whereas normal retrograde flow continued at the cell periphery. These differential results suggest that the mechanism of retrograde flow has two, spatially segregated components. We propose a “push–pull” mechanism in which actin polymerization drives flow at the cell periphery, whereas myosin II provides the tension on the actin cytoskeleton necessary for flow in the cell interior.

scholarly journals Septins Arrange F-Actin-Containing Fibers on the Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusion and Are Required for Normal Release of the Inclusion by Extrusion

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Volceanov ◽  
Katharina Herbst ◽  
Martin Biniossek ◽  
Oliver Schilling ◽  
Dirk Haller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Developmental Cycle ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gtp Binding Proteins ◽  
Gtp Binding ◽  
Chlamydial Inclusion

ABSTRACTChlamydia trachomatisis an obligate intracellular human pathogen that grows inside a membranous, cytosolic vacuole termed an inclusion. Septins are a group of 13 GTP-binding proteins that assemble into oligomeric complexes and that can form higher-order filaments. We report here that the septins SEPT2, -9, -11, and probably -7 form fibrillar structures around the chlamydial inclusion. Colocalization studies suggest that these septins combine with F actin into fibers that encase the inclusion. Targeting the expression of individual septins by RNA interference (RNAi) prevented the formation of septin fibers as well as the recruitment of actin to the inclusion. At the end of the developmental cycle ofC. trachomatis, newly formed, infectious elementary bodies are released, and this release occurs at least in part through the organized extrusion of intact inclusions. RNAi against SEPT9 or against the combination of SEPT2/7/9 substantially reduced the number of extrusions from a culture of infected HeLa cells. The data suggest that a higher-order structure of four septins is involved in the recruitment or stabilization of the actin coat around the chlamydial inclusion and that this actin recruitment by septins is instrumental for the coordinated egress ofC. trachomatisfrom human cells. The organization of F actin around parasite-containing vacuoles may be a broader response mechanism of mammalian cells to the infection by intracellular, vacuole-dwelling pathogens.IMPORTANCEChlamydia trachomatisis a frequent bacterial pathogen throughout the world, causing mostly eye and genital infections.C. trachomatiscan develop only inside host cells; it multiplies inside a membranous vacuole in the cytosol, termed an inclusion. The inclusion is covered by cytoskeletal “coats” or “cages,” whose organization and function are poorly understood. We here report that a relatively little-characterized group of proteins, septins, is required to organize actin fibers on the inclusion and probably through actin the release of the inclusion. Septins are a group of GTP-binding proteins that can organize into heteromeric complexes and then into large filaments. Septins have previously been found to be involved in the interaction of the cell with bacteria in the cytosol. Our observation that they also organize a reaction to bacteria living in vacuoles suggests that they have a function in the recognition of foreign compartments by a parasitized human cell.

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