The influence of curli, a MHC-I-binding bacterial surface structure, on macrophage-T cell interactions

Force spectra of single bacterial amyloid CsgA nanofibers

CsgA is a major protein subunit of Escherichia coli biofilms and plays key roles in bacterial adhesion and invasion. CsgA proteins can self-assemble into amyloid nanofibers, characterized by their hierarchical structures across multiple length scales, outstanding strength and their structural robustness under harsh environments. Here, magnetic tweezers were used to study the force spectra of CsgA protein at fibril levels. The two ends of a single nanofiber were directly connected between a magnetic bead and a glass slide using a previously reported tag-free method. We showed that a wormlike chain model could be applied to fit the typical force–extension curves of CsgA nanofibers and to estimate accordingly the mechanical properties. The bending stiffness of nanofibers increased with increasing diameters. The changes in extension of single CsgA fibers were found to be up to 17 fold that of the original length, indicating exceptional tensile properties. Our results provide new insights into the tensile properties of bacterial amyloid nanofibers and highlight the ultrahigh structural stability of the Escherichia coli biofilms.

Magnetic tweezers were used to study the force spectra of CsgA, a major protein subunit of Escherichia coli biofilms, at fibril level.

The Role of Functional Amyloids in Bacterial Virulence

Amyloid fibrils are best known as a product of human and animal protein misfolding disorders, where amyloid formation is associated with cytotoxicity and disease. It is now evident that for some proteins, the amyloid state constitutes the native structure and serves a functional role. These functional amyloids are proving widespread in bacteria and fungi, fulfilling diverse functions as structural components in biofilms or spore coats, as toxins and surface-active fibers, as epigenetic material, peptide reservoirs or adhesins mediating binding to and internalization into host cells. In this review, we will focus on the role of functional amyloids in bacterial pathogenesis. The role of functional amyloids as virulence factor is diverse but mostly indirect. Nevertheless, functional amyloid pathways deserve consideration for the acute and long-term effects of the infectious disease process and may form valid antimicrobial targets.

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Functional amyloids are widespread in bacteria, pathogenic and non-pathogenic.

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Bacterial biofilms most commonly function as structural support in the extracellular matrix of biofilms or spore coats, and in cell–cell and cell-surface adherence.

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The amyloid state can be the sole structured and functional state, or can be facultative, as a secondary state to folded monomeric subunits.

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Bacterial amyloids can enhance virulence by increasing persistence, cell adherence and invasion, intracellular survival, and pathogen spread by increased environmental survival.

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Bacterial amyloids may indirectly inflict disease by triggering inflammation, contact phase activation and possibly induce or aggravate human pathological aggregation disorders.

Microbial manipulation of the amyloid fold

Microbial biofilms are encased in a protein, DNA, and polysaccharide matrix that protects the community, promotes interactions with the environment, and helps cells adhere together. The protein component of these matrices is often a remarkably stable, β-sheet-rich polymer called amyloid. Amyloids form ordered, self-templating fibers that are highly aggregative, making them a valuable biofilm component. Some eukaryotic proteins inappropriately adopt the amyloid fold, and these misfolded protein aggregates disrupt normal cellular proteostasis, which can cause significant cytotoxicity. Indeed, until recently amyloids were considered solely the result of protein misfolding. However, research over the past decade has revealed how various organisms have capitalized on the amyloid fold by developing sophisticated biogenesis pathways that coordinate gene expression, protein folding, and secretion so that amyloid-related toxicities are minimized. How microbes manipulate amyloids, by augmenting their advantageous properties and by reducing their undesirable properties, will be the subject of this review.

Bacterial amyloids

Many bacteria can assemble functional amyloid fibers on their cell surface. The majority of bacterial amyloids contribute to biofilm or other community behaviors where cells interact with a surface or with another cell. Bacterial amyloids, like all functional amyloids, share structural and biochemical properties with disease-associated eukaryotic amyloids. The general ability of amyloids to bind amyloid-specific dyes, such as Congo red, and their resistance to denaturation have provided useful tools for scoring and quantifying bacterial amyloid formation. Here, we present basic approaches to study bacterial amyloids by focusing on the well-studied curli amyloid fibers expressed by Enterobacteriaceae. These methods exploit the specific tinctorial and biophysical properties of amyloids. The methods described here are straightforward and can be easily applied by any modern molecular biology lab for the study of other bacterial amyloids.

E. coli chaperones DnaK, Hsp33 and Spy inhibit bacterial functional amyloid assembly

Amyloid formation is an ordered aggregation process, where β-sheet rich polymers are assembled from unstructured or partially folded monomers. We examined how two Escherichia coli cytosolic chaperones, DnaK and Hsp33, and a more recently characterized periplasmic chaperone, Spy, modulate the aggregation of a functional amyloid protein, CsgA. We found that DnaK, the Hsp70 homologue in E. coli, and Hsp33, a redox-regulated holdase, potently inhibited CsgA amyloidogenesis. The Hsp33 anti-amyloidogenesis activity was oxidation dependent, as oxidized Hsp33 was significantly more efficient than reduced Hsp33 at preventing CsgA aggregation. When soluble CsgA was seeded with preformed amyloid fibers, neither Hsp33 nor DnaK were able to efficiently prevent soluble CsgA from adopting the amyloid conformation. Moreover, both DnaK and Hsp33 increased the time that CsgA was reactive with the amyloid oligomer conformation-specific A11 antibody. Since CsgA must also pass through the periplasm during secretion, we assessed the ability of the periplasmic chaperone Spy to inhibit CsgA polymerization. Like DnaK and Hsp33, Spy also inhibited CsgA polymerization in vitro. Overexpression of Spy resulted in increased chaperone activity in periplasmic extracts and in reduced curli biogenesis in vivo. We propose that DnaK, Hsp33 and Spy exert their effects during the nucleation stages of CsgA fibrillation. Thus, both housekeeping and stress induced cytosolic and periplasmic chaperones may be involved in discouraging premature CsgA interactions during curli biogenesis.

E. coli chaperones DnaK, Hsp33 and Spy inhibit bacterial functional amyloid assembly

Amyloid formation is an ordered aggregation process, where β-sheet rich polymers are assembled from unstructured or partially folded monomers. We examined how two Escherichia coli cytosolic chaperones, DnaK and Hsp33, and a more recently characterized periplasmic chaperone, Spy, modulate the aggregation of a functional amyloid protein, CsgA. We found that DnaK, the Hsp70 homologue in E. coli, and Hsp33, a redox-regulated holdase, potently inhibited CsgA amyloidogenesis. The Hsp33 anti-amyloidogenesis activity was oxidation dependent, as oxidized Hsp33 was significantly more efficient than reduced Hsp33 at preventing CsgA aggregation. When soluble CsgA was seeded with preformed amyloid fibers, neither Hsp33 nor DnaK were able to efficiently prevent soluble CsgA from adopting the amyloid conformation. Moreover, both DnaK and Hsp33 increased the time that CsgA was reactive with the amyloid oligomer conformation-specific A11 antibody. Since CsgA must also pass through the periplasm during secretion, we assessed the ability of the periplasmic chaperone Spy to inhibit CsgA polymerization. Like DnaK and Hsp33, Spy also inhibited CsgA polymerization in vitro. Overexpression of Spy resulted in increased chaperone activity in periplasmic extracts and in reduced curli biogenesis in vivo. We propose that DnaK, Hsp33 and Spy exert their effects during the nucleation stages of CsgA fibrillation. Thus, both housekeeping and stress induced cytosolic and periplasmic chaperones may be involved in discouraging premature CsgA interactions during curli biogenesis.

Fibrillation of the major curli subunit CsgA under a wide range of conditions implies a robust design of aggregation

The amyloid fold is usually considered a result of protein misfolding. However, a number of studies have recently shown that the amyloid structure is also used in nature for functional purposes. CsgA is the major subunit of Escherichia coli curli, one of the most well-characterized functional amyloids. Here we show, using a highly efficient approach to prepare monomeric CsgA, that in vitro fibrillation of CsgA occurs under a wide variety of environmental conditions and that the resulting fibrils exhibit similar structural features. This highlights how fibrillation is "hardwired" into amyloid that has evolved for structural purposes in a fluctuating extracellular environment and represents a clear contrast to disease-related amyloid formation. Furthermore, we show that CsgA polymerization in vitro is preceded by the formation of thin needlelike protofibrils followed by aggregation of the amyloid fibrils.

Synergistic role of curli and cellulose in cell adherence and biofilm formation of attaching and effacing Escherichia coli and identification of Fis as a negative regulator of curli

Curli are adhesive fimbriae of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. Expression of curli (csgA) and cellulose (bcsA) is co-activated by the transcriptional activator CsgD. In this study, we investigated the contribution of curli and cellulose to the adhesive properties of enterohaemorragic (EHEC) O157:H7 and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) O127:H6. While single mutations in csgA, csgD or bcsA in EPEC and EHEC had no dramatic effect on cell adherence, double csgAbcsA mutants were significantly less adherent than the single mutants or wild-type strains to human colonic HT-29 epithelial cells or to cow colon tissue in vitro. Overexpression of csgD (carried on plasmid pCP994) in a csgD mutant, but not in the single csgA or bscA mutants, led to significant increase in adherence and biofilm formation in EPEC and EHEC, suggesting that synchronized over-production of curli and cellulose enhances bacterial adherence. In line with this finding, csgD transcription was activated significantly in the presence of cultured epithelial cells as compared with growth in tissue culture medium. Analysis of the influence of virulence and global regulators in the production of curli in EPEC identified Fis (factor for inversion stimulation) as a, heretofore unrecognized, negative transcriptional regulator of csgA expression. An EPEC E2348/69Deltafis produced abundant amounts of curli whereas a double fis/csgD mutant yielded no detectable curli production. Our data suggest that curli and cellulose act in concert to favour host colonization, biofilm formation and survival in different environments.

Polymerizing the fibre between bacteria and host cells: the biogenesis of functional amyloid fibres

Amyloid fibres are proteinaceous aggregates associated with several human diseases, including Alzheimer's, Huntington's and Creutzfeldt Jakob's. Disease-associated amyloid formation is the result of proteins that misfold and aggregate into beta sheet-rich fibre polymers. Cellular toxicity is readily associated with amyloidogenesis, although the molecular mechanism of toxicity remains unknown. Recently, a new class of 'functional' amyloid fibres was discovered that demonstrates that amyloids can be utilized as a productive part of cellular biology. These functional amyloids will provide unique insights into how amyloid formation can be controlled and made less cytotoxic. Bacteria produce some of the best-characterized functional amyloids, including a surface amyloid fibre called curli. Assembled by enteric bacteria, curli fibres mediate attachment to surfaces and host tissues. Some bacterial amyloids, like harpins and microcinE492, have exploited amyloid toxicity in a directed and functional manner. Here, we review and discuss the functional amyloids assembled by bacteria. Special emphasis will be paid to the biology of functional amyloid synthesis and the connections between bacterial physiology and pathology.

Curli biogenesis and function

Curli are the major proteinaceous component of a complex extracellular matrix produced by many Enterobacteriaceae. Curli were first discovered in the late 1980s on Escherichia coli strains that caused bovine mastitis, and have since been implicated in many physiological and pathogenic processes of E. coli and Salmonella spp. Curli fibers are involved in adhesion to surfaces, cell aggregation, and biofilm formation. Curli also mediate host cell adhesion and invasion, and they are potent inducers of the host inflammatory response. The structure and biogenesis of curli are unique among bacterial fibers that have been described to date. Structurally and biochemically, curli belong to a growing class of fibers known as amyloids. Amyloid fiber formation is responsible for several human diseases including Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and prion diseases, although the process of in vivo amyloid formation is not well understood. Curli provide a unique system to study macromolecular assembly in bacteria and in vivo amyloid fiber formation. Here, we review curli biogenesis, regulation, role in biofilm formation, and role in pathogenesis.

In vitro polymerization of a functional Escherichia coli amyloid protein

Amyloid formation is characterized by the conversion of soluble proteins into biochemically and structurally distinct fibers. Although amyloid formation is traditionally associated with diseases such as Alzheimer disease, a number of biologically functional amyloids have recently been described. Curli are amyloid fibers produced by Escherichia coli that contribute to biofilm formation and other important physiological processes. We characterized the polymerization properties of the major curli subunit protein CsgA. CsgA polymerizes into an amyloid fiber in a sigmoidal kinetic fashion with a distinct lag, growth, and stationary phase. Adding sonicated preformed CsgA fibers to the polymerization reaction can significantly shorten the duration of the lag phase. We also demonstrate that the conversion of soluble CsgA into an insoluble fiber involves the transient formation of an intermediate similar to that characterized for several disease-associated amyloids. The CsgA core amyloid domain can be divided into five repeating units that share sequence and structural hallmarks. We show that peptides representing three of these repeating units are amyloidogenic in vitro. Although the defining characteristics of CsgA polymerization appear conserved with disease-associated amyloids, these proteins evolved in diverse systems and for different purposes. Therefore, amyloidogenesis appears to be an innate protein folding pathway that can be capitalized on to fulfill normal physiological tasks.

Role of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli virulence factors in bacterial interaction with chicken heterophils and macrophages

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) cause extraintestinal disease in avian species via respiratory tract infection. Virulence factors associated with APEC include type 1 and P fimbriae, curli, aerobactin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), K1 capsular antigen, temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh), and an uncharacterized pathogen-specific chromosomal region (the 0-min region). The role of these virulence factors in bacterial interaction with phagocytes was investigated by using mutants of three APEC strains, each belonging to one of the most predominant serogroups O1, O2, and O78. Bacterial cell interaction with avian phagocytes was tested with primary cultures of chicken heterophils and macrophages. The presence of type 1 fimbriae and, in contrast, the absence of P fimbriae, K1 capsule, O78 antigen, and the 0-min region promoted bacterial association with chicken heterophils and macrophages. The presence of type 1 and P fimbriae, O78 antigen, and the 0-min region seemed to protect bacteria against the bactericidal effect of phagocytes, especially heterophils. The tested virulence factors seemed to have a limited role in intracellular survival for up to 48 h in macrophages. Generally, opsonized and nonopsonized bacteria were eliminated to the same extent, but in some cases, unopsonized bacteria were eliminated to a greater extent than opsonized bacteria. These results confirm the important role of type 1 fimbriae in promotion of initial phagocytosis, but nevertheless indicate a role for type 1 fimbriae in the protection of bacteria from subsequent killing, at least in heterophils. The results also indicate a role for K1 capsule, O78 antigen, P fimbriae, and the 0-min region in initial avoidance of phagocytosis, but demonstrate an additional role for O78 antigen, P fimbriae, and the 0-min region in subsequent protection against the bactericidal effects of phagocytes after bacterial association has occurred.