scholarly journals Adhesins of Brucella: Their Roles in the Interaction with the Host

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 942
Author(s):  
Magalí G. Bialer ◽  
Gabriela Sycz ◽  
Florencia Muñoz González ◽  
Mariana C. Ferrero ◽  
Pablo C. Baldi ◽  
...  

A central aspect of Brucella pathogenicity is its ability to invade, survive, and replicate in diverse phagocytic and non-phagocytic cell types, leading to chronic infections and chronic inflammatory phenomena. Adhesion to the target cell is a critical first step in the invasion process. Several Brucella adhesins have been shown to mediate adhesion to cells, extracellular matrix components (ECM), or both. These include the sialic acid-binding proteins SP29 and SP41 (binding to erythrocytes and epithelial cells, respectively), the BigA and BigB proteins that contain an Ig-like domain (binding to cell adhesion molecules in epithelial cells), the monomeric autotransporters BmaA, BmaB, and BmaC (binding to ECM components, epithelial cells, osteoblasts, synoviocytes, and trophoblasts), the trimeric autotransporters BtaE and BtaF (binding to ECM components and epithelial cells) and Bp26 (binding to ECM components). An in vivo role has also been shown for the trimeric autotransporters, as deletion mutants display decreased colonization after oral and/or respiratory infection in mice, and it has also been suggested for BigA and BigB. Several adhesins have shown unipolar localization, suggesting that Brucella would express an adhesive pole. Adhesin-based vaccines may be useful to prevent brucellosis, as intranasal immunization in mice with BtaF conferred high levels of protection against oral challenge with B. suis.

2011 ◽  
Vol 286 (41) ◽  
pp. 35915-35921 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liquan Cai ◽  
Binh L. Phong ◽  
Alfred L. Fisher ◽  
Zhou Wang

EAF2, an androgen-regulated protein, interacts with members of the ELL (eleven-nineteen lysine-rich leukemia) transcription factor family and also acts as a tumor suppressor. Although these proteins control transcriptional elongation and perhaps modulate the effects of other transcription factors, the mechanisms of their actions remain largely unknown. To gain new insights into the biology of the EAF2 and ELL family proteins, we used Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to explore the in vivo roles of their worm orthologs. Through the use of transgenic worms, RNAi, and an eaf-1 mutant, we found that both genes are expressed in multiple cell types throughout the worm life cycle and that they play important roles in fertility, survival, and body size regulation. ELL-1 and EAF-1 likely contribute to these activities in part through modulating cuticle synthesis, given that we observed a disrupted cuticle structure in ell-1 RNAi-treated or eaf-1 mutant worms. Consistent with disruption of cuticle structure, loss of either ELL-1 or EAF-1 suppressed the rol phenotype of specific collagen mutants, possibly through the control of dpy-3, dpy-13, and sqt-3 collagen gene expression. Furthermore, we also noted the regulation of collagen expression by ELL overexpression in PC3 human prostate cancer cells. Together, these results reveal important roles for the eaf-1 and ell-1 genes in the regulation of extracellular matrix components.


Development ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Zhang ◽  
M.P. Sarras

Interstitial cell (I-cell) migration in hydra is essential for establishment of the regional cell differentiation pattern in the organism. All previous in vivo studies have indicated that cell migration in hydra is a result of cell-cell interactions and chemotaxic gradients. Recently, in vitro cell adhesion studies indicated that isolated nematocytes could bind to substrata coated with isolated hydra mesoglea, fibronectin and type IV collagen. Under these conditions, nematocytes could be observed to migrate on some of these extracellular matrix components. By modifying previously described hydra grafting techniques, two procedures were developed to test specifically the role of extracellular matrix components during in vivo I-cell migration in hydra. In one approach, the extracellular matrix structure of the apical half of the hydra graft was perturbed using beta-aminopropionitrile and beta-xyloside. In the second approach, grafts were treated with fibronectin, RGDS synthetic peptide and antibody to fibronectin after grafting was performed. In both cases, I-cell migration from the basal half to the apical half of the grafts was quantitatively analyzed. Statistical analysis indicated that beta-aminopropionitrile, fibronectin, RGDS synthetic peptide and antibody to fibronectin all were inhibitory to I-cell migration as compared to their respective controls. beta-xyloside treatment had no effect on interstitial cell migration. These results indicate the potential importance of cell-extracellular matrix interactions during in vivo I-cell migration in hydra.


Development ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 229-243
Author(s):  
E. Jane Ormerod ◽  
Philip S. Rudland

Rat mammary ducts, free of buds, can alone regenerate complete mammary trees when transplanted into the interscapular fat pads of syngeneic host rats. All the main mammary cell types are identified within such outgrowths. Epithelial cells, which show the presence of milk fat globule membrane antigens and microvilli on their luminal surfaces, line the ducts. Basal cells surrounding the ducts show characteristic features of myoepithelial cells: immunoreactive actin and keratin within the cytoplasm, myofilaments, pinocytotic vesicles and hemidesmosomal attachments to the basement membrane. Cells within the end buds and lateral buds, however, show few if any cytoplasmic myofilaments and are relatively undifferentiated in appearance. Intermediate morphologies between these cells and myoepithelial cells are seen nearer the ducts. In this respect they exactly resemble the cap cells found in terminal end buds (TEBs) of normal mammary glands. Occasional epithelial cells within alveolar buds show the presence of immunoreactive casein, which is a product of secretory alveolar cells in the normal rat mammary gland. Dissected terminal end buds can regenerate similar ductal outgrowths. Thus, ductal tissue alone can generate all the major mammary cell types seen in the normal gland, including the cap cells.


2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (3) ◽  
pp. L390-L399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane K. Mellott ◽  
Harry S. Nick ◽  
Michael F. Waters ◽  
Timothy R. Billiar ◽  
David A. Geller ◽  
...  

Transcription of the human inducible nitric oxide synthase ( iNOS) gene is regulated by inflammatory cytokines in a tissue-specific manner. To determine whether differences in cytokine-induced mRNA levels between pulmonary epithelial cells (A549) and hepatic biliary epithelial cells (AKN-1) result from different protein or DNA regulatory mechanisms, we identified cytokine-induced changes in DNase I-hypersensitive (HS) sites in 13 kb of the iNOS 5′-flanking region. Data showed both constitutive and inducible HS sites in an overlapping yet cell type-specific pattern. Using in vivo footprinting and ligation-mediated PCR to detect potential DNA or protein interactions, we examined one promoter region near −5 kb containing both constitutive and cytokine-induced HS sites. In both cell types, three in vivo footprints were present in both control and cytokine-treated cells, and each mapped within a constitutive HS site. The remaining footprint appeared only in response to cytokine treatment and mapped to an inducible HS site. These studies, performed on chromatin in situ, identify a portion of the molecular mechanisms regulating transcription of the human iNOS gene in both lung- and liver-derived epithelial cells.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (4) ◽  
pp. L797-L806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heimo Mairbäurl ◽  
Ralf Wodopia ◽  
Sigrid Eckes ◽  
Susanne Schulz ◽  
Peter Bärtsch

A reduced cation reabsorption across the alveolar epithelium decreases water reabsorption from the alveoli and could diminish clearing accumulated fluid. To test whether hypoxia restricts cation transport in alveolar epithelial cells, cation uptake was measured in rat lung alveolar type II pneumocytes (AII cells) in primary culture and in A549 cells exposed to normoxia and hypoxia. In AII and A549 cells, hypoxia caused a[Formula: see text]-dependent inhibition of the Na-K pump, of Na-K-2Cl cotransport, and of total and amiloride-sensitive22Na uptake. Nifedipine failed to prevent hypoxia-induced transport inhibition in both cell types. In A549 cells, the inhibition of the Na-K pump and Na-K-2Cl cotransport occurred within ∼30 min of hypoxia, was stable >20 h, and was reversed by 2 h of reoxygenation. There was also a reduction in cell membrane-associated Na-K-ATPase and a decrease in Na-K-2Cl cotransport flux after full activation with calyculin A, indicating a decreased transport capacity. [14C]serine incorporation into cell proteins was reduced in hypoxic A549 cells, but inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide did not reduce ion transport. In AII and A549 cells, ATP levels decreased slightly, and ADP and the ATP-to-ADP ratio were unchanged after 4 h of hypoxia. In A549 cells, lactate, intracellular Na, and intracellular K were unchanged. These results indicate that hypoxia inhibits apical Na entry pathways and the basolateral Na-K pump in A549 cells and rat AII pneumocytes in culture, indicating a hypoxia-induced reduction of transepithelial Na transport and water reabsorption by alveolar epithelium. If similar changes occur in vivo, the impaired cation transport across alveolar epithelial cells might contribute to the formation of hypoxic pulmonary edema.


1985 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 1611-1622 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Quaroni

Maturation and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells was demonstrated in segments of fetal rat small intestine, maintained for more than a month in suspension organ culture, by ultrastructural, biochemical, and immunological criteria. Over a 5-7 d period, fragments of fetal intestine evolved into globular structures covered with a single columnar epithelium ultrastructurally similar to suckling villus cells. Loose mesenchymal cells, cellular debris, and collagen were present inside the structures. After 6 d in culture, goblet cells, not present in the fetal intestine at day 18, were numerous and well developed. Intestinal endocrine cells were also observed. Immunofluorescence studies employing monoclonal antibodies specific for villus and crypt cells in vivo, and various enzyme assays, have demonstrated a level of differentiation and maturation of the cultured epithelial cells similar but not identical to that of suckling intestinal mucosa in vivo. Crypts and crypt cell markers were not observed in the the cultures. Addition of glucocorticoids to the culture medium resulted in the induction of sucrase-isomaltase but failed to promote most of the functional changes characteristic of the intestinal epithelium at weaning in vivo. Epithelial cells were identified in explants derived from the organ cultures by their specific expression of intestinal cytokeratin. Differentiation-specific markers, present in the epithelial cells in primary cultures, were lost upon selection and subculturing of pure epithelial cell populations. These results suggest a requirement for mesenchymal and/or extracellular matrix components in the maintenance of the differentiated state of the epithelial cells. The fetal intestinal organ cultures described here present significant advantages over traditional organ and monolayer culture techniques for the study of the cellular and molecular interactions involved in the development and differentiation of the intestinal epithelium.


1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 1161-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
R M Nitkin ◽  
T C Rothschild

Agrin, an extracellular matrix-associated protein extracted from synapse-rich tissues, induces the accumulation of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) and other synaptic components into discrete patches on cultured myotubes. The appearance of agrin-like molecules at neuromuscular junctions suggests that it may direct synaptic organization in vivo. In the present study we examined the role of extracellular matrix components in agrin-induced differentiation. We used immunohistochemical techniques to visualize the spatial and temporal distribution of laminin, a heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), fibronectin, and type IV collagen on cultured chick myotubes during agrin-induced aggregation of AChRs. Myotubes displayed significant amounts of laminin and HSPG, lesser amounts of type IV collagen, and little, if any, fibronectin. Agrin treatment caused cell surface laminin and HSPG to patch, while collagen and fibronectin distributions were generally unaffected. Many of the agrin-induced laminin and HSPG patches colocalized with AChR patches, raising the possibility of a causal relationship between matrix patching and AChR accumulations. However, patching of AChRs (complete within a few hours) preceded that of laminin or HSPG (not complete until 15-20 h), making it unlikely that matrix accumulations initiate AChR patching at agrin-induced sites. Conversely, when AChR patching was blocked by treatment with anti-AChR antibody mAb 35, agrin was still able to effect patching of laminin and HSPG. Taken together, these findings suggest that agrin-induced accumulations of AChR and laminin/HSPG are not mechanistically linked.


mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Vale-Silva ◽  
Beat Moeckli ◽  
Riccardo Torelli ◽  
Brunella Posteraro ◽  
Maurizio Sanguinetti ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata is an important fungal pathogen in human diseases and is also rapidly acquiring drug resistance. Drug resistance can be mediated by the transcriptional activator PDR1, and this results in the upregulation of multidrug transporters. Intriguingly, this resistance mechanism is associated in C. glabrata with increased virulence in animal models and also with increased adherence to specific host cell types. The C. glabrata adhesin gene EPA1 is a major contributor of virulence and adherence to host cells. Here, we show that EPA1 expression is controlled by PDR1 independently of subtelomeric silencing, a known EPA1 regulation mechanism. Thus, a relationship exists between PDR1, EPA1 expression, and adherence to host cells, which is critical for efficient virulence. Our results demonstrate that acquisition of drug resistance is beneficial for C. glabrata in fungus-host relationships. These findings further highlight the challenges of the therapeutic management of C. glabrata infections in human patients. Candida glabrata is the second most common Candida species causing disseminated infection, after C. albicans. C. glabrata is intrinsically less susceptible to the widely used azole antifungal drugs and quickly develops secondary resistance. Resistance typically relies on drug efflux with transporters regulated by the transcription factor Pdr1. Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in PDR1 lead to a hyperactive state and thus efflux transporter upregulation. Our laboratory has characterized a collection of C. glabrata clinical isolates in which azole resistance was found to correlate with increased virulence in vivo. Contributing phenotypes were the evasion of adhesion and phagocytosis by macrophages and an increased adhesion to epithelial cells. These phenotypes were found to be dependent on PDR1 GOF mutation and/or C. glabrata strain background. In the search for the molecular effectors, we found that PDR1 hyperactivity leads to overexpression of specific cell wall adhesins of C. glabrata. Further study revealed that EPA1 regulation, in particular, explained the increase in adherence to epithelial cells. Deleting EPA1 eliminates the increase in adherence in an in vitro model of interaction with epithelial cells. In a murine model of urinary tract infection, PDR1 hyperactivity conferred increased ability to colonize the bladder and kidneys in an EPA1-dependent way. In conclusion, this study establishes a relationship between PDR1 and the regulation of cell wall adhesins, an important virulence attribute of C. glabrata. Furthermore, our data show that PDR1 hyperactivity mediates increased adherence to host epithelial tissues both in vitro and in vivo through upregulation of the adhesin gene EPA1. IMPORTANCE Candida glabrata is an important fungal pathogen in human diseases and is also rapidly acquiring drug resistance. Drug resistance can be mediated by the transcriptional activator PDR1, and this results in the upregulation of multidrug transporters. Intriguingly, this resistance mechanism is associated in C. glabrata with increased virulence in animal models and also with increased adherence to specific host cell types. The C. glabrata adhesin gene EPA1 is a major contributor of virulence and adherence to host cells. Here, we show that EPA1 expression is controlled by PDR1 independently of subtelomeric silencing, a known EPA1 regulation mechanism. Thus, a relationship exists between PDR1, EPA1 expression, and adherence to host cells, which is critical for efficient virulence. Our results demonstrate that acquisition of drug resistance is beneficial for C. glabrata in fungus-host relationships. These findings further highlight the challenges of the therapeutic management of C. glabrata infections in human patients.


1998 ◽  
Vol 6 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 317-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valéria De Mello-Coelho ◽  
Wilson Savino ◽  
Marie-Catherine Postel-Vinay ◽  
Mireille Dardenne

Intrathymic T-cell differentiation is under the control of the thymic microenvironment, which acts on maturing thymocytes via membrane as well as soluble products. Increasing data show that this process can be modulated by classical hormones, as exemplified herein by prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH), largely secreted by the pituitary gland.Both PRL and GH stimulate the secretion of thymulin, a thymic hormone produced by thymic epithelial cells. Conversely, low levels of circulating thymulin parallel hypopituitary states. Interestingly, the enhancing effects of GH on thymulin seem to be mediated by insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1) since they can be abrogated with anti-IGF-1 or anti-IGF-l-receptor antibodies. The influence of PRL and GH on the thymic epithelium is pleiotropic: PRL enhancesin vivothe expression of high-molecular-weight cytokeratins and stimulatesin vitroTEC proliferation, an effect that is shared by GH and IGF-1.Differentiating T cells are also targets for the intrathymic action of PRL and GH.In vivoinoculation of a rat pituitary cell line into old rats results in restoration of the thymus, including differentiation of CD4-CD8-thymocytes into CD4+CD8+cells. Furthermore, PRL may regulate the maintenance of thymocyte viability during the double-positive stage of thymocyte differentiation.Injections of GH into aging mice increase total thymocyte numbers and the percentage of CD3-bearing cells, as well as the Concanavalin-A mitogenic response and IL-6 production by thymocytes. Interestingly, similar findings are observed in animals treated with IGF-1. Lastly, the thymic hypoplasia observed in dwarf mice can be reversed with GH treatment.In keeping with the data summarized earlier is the detection of receptors for PRL and GH on both thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells. Importantly, recent studies indicate that both cell types can produce PRL and GH intrathymically. Similarly, production of IGF-1 and expression of a corresponding receptor has also been demonstrated.In conclusion, these data strongly indicate that the thymus is physiologically under control of pituitary hormones PRL and GH. In addition to the classical endocrine pathway, paracrine and autocrine circuits are probably implicated in such control.


1985 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 914-923 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Landry ◽  
D Bernier ◽  
C Ouellet ◽  
R Goyette ◽  
N Marceau

Liver cells isolated from newborn rats and seeded on a non-adherent plastic substratum were found to spontaneously re-aggregate and to form, within a few days, spheroidal aggregates that eventually reached a plateaued diameter of 150-175 micron. Analyses on frozen sections from these spheroids by immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to various cytoskeletal elements and extracellular matrix components revealed a sorting out and a histotypic reorganization of three major cell types. A first type consisted of cells that segregated out on the aggregate surface forming a monolayer cell lining; a second type was identified as hepatocytes that regrouped in small islands often defining a central lumen; and a third group of cells reorganized into bile duct-like structures. This intercellular organization in the aggregates was paralleled by the accumulation of extracellular matrix components (laminin, fibronectin, and collagen) and their deposition following a specific pattern around each cell population structure. Determinations of albumin secretion and tyrosine aminotransferase induction by dexamethasone and glucagon at various times after the initiation of the cultures revealed a maintenance of the hepatocyte-differentiated functions for at least up to 2 mo at the levels measured at 3-5 d. It is concluded that cells dispersed as single cells from newborn rat liver conserve in part the necessary information to reconstruct a proper three-dimensional cyto-architecture and that the microenvironment so generated most likely represents a basic requirement for the optimal functioning of these differentiated cells.


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