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Harris-Jones TN, Chan JM, Hackett KT, Weyand NJ, Schaub RE, Dillard JP. Peptidoglycan fragment release and NOD activation by commensal Neisseria species from humans and other animals. Infect Immun 2024; 92:e0000424. [PMID: 38563734 PMCID: PMC11075463 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00004-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a human restricted pathogen, releases inflammatory peptidoglycan (PG) fragments that contribute to the pathophysiology of pelvic inflammatory disease. The genus Neisseria is also home to multiple species of human- or animal-associated Neisseria that form part of the normal microbiota. Here we characterized PG release from the human-associated nonpathogenic species Neisseria lactamica and Neisseria mucosa and animal-associated Neisseria from macaques and wild mice. An N. mucosa strain and an N. lactamica strain were found to release limited amounts of the proinflammatory monomeric PG fragments. However, a single amino acid difference in the PG fragment permease AmpG resulted in increased PG fragment release in a second N. lactamica strain examined. Neisseria isolated from macaques also showed substantial release of PG monomers. The mouse colonizer Neisseria musculi exhibited PG fragment release similar to that seen in N. gonorrhoeae with PG monomers being the predominant fragments released. All the human-associated species were able to stimulate NOD1 and NOD2 responses. N. musculi was a poor inducer of mouse NOD1, but ldcA mutation increased this response. The ability to genetically manipulate N. musculi and examine effects of different PG fragments or differing amounts of PG fragments during mouse colonization will lead to a better understanding of the roles of PG in Neisseria infections. Overall, we found that only some nonpathogenic Neisseria have diminished release of proinflammatory PG fragments, and there are differences even within a species as to types and amounts of PG fragments released.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany N. Harris-Jones
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Jia Mun Chan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kathleen T. Hackett
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nathan J. Weyand
- Department of Biological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, USA
| | - Ryan E. Schaub
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joseph P. Dillard
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Harris-Jones TN, Pérez Medina KM, Hackett KT, Schave MA, Klimowicz AK, Schaub RE, Dillard JP. Mutation of mltG increases peptidoglycan fragment release, cell size, and antibiotic susceptibility in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. J Bacteriol 2023; 205:e0027723. [PMID: 38038461 PMCID: PMC10729727 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00277-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Neisseria gonorrhoeae is unusual in that the bacteria release larger amounts of cell wall material as they grow as compared to related bacteria, and the released cell wall fragments induce inflammation that leads to tissue damage in infected people. The study of MltG revealed the importance of this enzyme for controlling cell wall growth, cell wall fragment production, and bacterial cell size and suggests a role for MltG in a cell wall synthesis and degradation complex. The increased antibiotic sensitivities of mltG mutants suggest that an antimicrobial drug inhibiting MltG would be useful in combination therapy to restore the sensitivity of the bacteria to cell wall targeting antibiotics to which the bacteria are currently resistant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany N. Harris-Jones
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Krizia M. Pérez Medina
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Kathleen T. Hackett
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Melanie A. Schave
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Amy K. Klimowicz
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Ryan E. Schaub
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joseph P. Dillard
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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Savitskaya VY, Monakhova MV, Iakushkina IV, Borovikova II, Kubareva EA. Neisseria gonorrhoeae: DNA Repair Systems and Their Role in Pathogenesis. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2022; 87:965-982. [PMID: 36180987 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922090097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (a Gram-negative diplococcus) is a human pathogen and causative agent of gonorrhea, a sexually transmitted infection. The bacterium uses various approaches for adapting to environmental conditions and multiplying efficiently in the human body, such as regulation of expression of gene expression of surface proteins and lipooligosaccharides (e.g., expression of various forms of pilin). The systems of DNA repair play an important role in the bacterium ability to survive in the host body. This review describes DNA repair systems of N. gonorrhoeae and their role in the pathogenicity of this bacterium. A special attention is paid to the mismatch repair system (MMR) and functioning of the MutS and MutL proteins, as well as to the role of these proteins in regulation of the pilin antigenic variation of the N. gonorrhoeae pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mayya V Monakhova
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Iuliia V Iakushkina
- Faculty of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Irina I Borovikova
- Faculty of Bioengineering and Bioinformatics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
| | - Elena A Kubareva
- Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
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The AmiC/NlpD pathway dominates peptidoglycan breakdown in Neisseria meningitidis and affects cell separation, NOD1 agonist production, and infection. Infect Immun 2022; 90:e0048521. [PMID: 35225652 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00485-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The human-restricted pathogen Neisseria meningitidis, which is best known for causing invasive meningococcal disease, has a nonpathogenic lifestyle as an asymptomatic colonizer of the human naso- and oropharyngeal space. N. meningitidis releases small peptidoglycan (PG) fragments during growth. It was demonstrated previously that N. meningitidis releases low levels of tripeptide PG monomer, which is an inflammatory molecule recognized by the human intracellular innate immune receptor NOD1. In this present study, we demonstrated that N. meningitidis released more PG-derived peptides compared to PG monomers. Using a reporter cell line overexpressing human NOD1, we showed that N. meningitidis activates NOD1 using PG-derived peptides. Generation of such peptides required the presence of the periplasmic N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase AmiC, and the outer membrane lipoprotein, NlpD. AmiC and NlpD were found to function in cell separation, and mutation of either amiC or nlpD resulted in large clumps of unseparated N. meningitidis cells instead of the characteristic diplococci. Using stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy, we demonstrated that FLAG epitope-tagged NlpD localized to the septum, while similarly-tagged AmiC was found at the septum in some diplococci but distributed around the cell in most cases. In a human whole blood infection assay, an nlpD mutant was severely attenuated and showed particular sensitivity to complement. Thus, in N. meningitidis the cell separation proteins AmiC and NlpD are necessary for NOD1 stimulation and for survival during infection of human blood.
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Tran SL, Cormontagne D, Vidic J, André-Leroux G, Ramarao N. Structural Modeling of Cell Wall Peptidase CwpFM (EntFM) Reveals Distinct Intrinsically Disordered Extensions Specific to Pathogenic Bacillus cereus Strains. Toxins (Basel) 2020; 12:toxins12090593. [PMID: 32937845 PMCID: PMC7551459 DOI: 10.3390/toxins12090593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of B. cereus as an opportunistic food-borne pathogen has intensified the need to distinguish strains of public health concern. The heterogeneity of the diseases associated with B. cereus infections emphasizes the versatility of these bacteria strains to colonize their host. Nevertheless, the molecular basis of these differences remains unclear. Several toxins are involved in virulence, particularly in gastrointestinal disorders, but there are currently no biological markers able to differentiate pathogenic from harmless strains. We have previously shown that CwpFM is a cell wall peptidase involved in B. cereus virulence. Here, we report a sequence/structure/function characterization of 39 CwpFM sequences, chosen from a collection of B. cereus with diverse virulence phenotypes, from harmless to highly pathogenic strains. CwpFM is homology-modeled in silico as an exported papain-like endopeptidase, with an N-terminal end composed of three successive bacterial Src Homology 3 domains (SH3b1–3) likely to control protein–protein interactions in signaling pathways, and a C-terminal end that contains a catalytic NLPC_P60 domain primed to form a competent active site. We confirmed in vitro that CwpFM is an endopeptidase with a moderate peptidoglycan hydrolase activity. Remarkably, CwpFMs from pathogenic strains harbor a specific stretch of twenty residues intrinsically disordered, inserted between the SH3b3 and the catalytic NLPC_P60 domain. This strongly suggests this linker as a marker of differentiation between B. cereus strains. We believe that our findings improve our understanding of the pathogenicity of B. cereus while advancing both clinical diagnosis and food safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seav-Ly Tran
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France; (S.-L.T.); (D.C.); (J.V.)
| | - Delphine Cormontagne
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France; (S.-L.T.); (D.C.); (J.V.)
| | - Jasmina Vidic
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France; (S.-L.T.); (D.C.); (J.V.)
| | - Gwenaëlle André-Leroux
- MaIAGE, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France
- Correspondence: (G.A.-L.); (N.R.)
| | - Nalini Ramarao
- Micalis Institute, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France; (S.-L.T.); (D.C.); (J.V.)
- Correspondence: (G.A.-L.); (N.R.)
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Schaub RE, Dillard JP. The Pathogenic Neisseria Use a Streamlined Set of Peptidoglycan Degradation Proteins for Peptidoglycan Remodeling, Recycling, and Toxic Fragment Release. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:73. [PMID: 30766523 PMCID: PMC6365954 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis release peptidoglycan (PG) fragments from the cell as the bacteria grow. For N. gonorrhoeae these PG fragments are known to cause damage to human Fallopian tube tissue in organ culture that mimics the damage seen in patients with pelvic inflammatory disease. N. meningitidis also releases pro-inflammatory PG fragments, but in smaller amounts than those from N. gonorrhoeae. It is not yet known if PG fragment release contributes to the highly inflammatory conditions of meningitis and meningococcemia caused by N. meningitidis. Examination of the mechanisms of PG degradation and recycling identified proteins required for these processes. In comparison to the model organism E. coli, the pathogenic Neisseria have far fewer PG degradation proteins, and some of these proteins show differences in subcellular localization compared to their E. coli homologs. In particular, some N. gonorrhoeae PG degradation proteins were demonstrated to be in the outer membrane while their homologs in E. coli were found free in the periplasm or in the cytoplasm. The localization of two of these proteins was demonstrated to affect PG fragment release. Another major factor for PG fragment release is the allele of ampG. Gonococcal AmpG was found to be slightly defective compared to related PG fragment permeases, thus leading to increased release of PG. A number of additional PG-related factors affect other virulence functions in Neisseria. Endopeptidases and carboxypeptidases were found to be required for type IV pilus production and resistance to hydrogen peroxide. Also, deacetylation of PG was required for virulence of N. meningitidis as well as normal cell size. Overall, we describe the processes involved in PG degradation and recycling and how certain characteristics of these proteins influence the interactions of these pathogens with their host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan E Schaub
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Joseph P Dillard
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Schaub RE, Dillard JP. Peptidoglycan Composition in Neisseria. Methods Mol Biol 2019; 1997:111-120. [PMID: 31119621 PMCID: PMC6753780 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9496-0_8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The composition of Neisseria peptidoglycan has been of scientific interest for over four decades. Initial investigations focused on discovering the mechanisms causing rising rates of antibiotic resistance in N. gonorrhoeae by determining differences in peptidoglycan composition in penicillin susceptible and resistant strains. The discovery that cytotoxic peptidoglycan fragments are also released by Neisseria furthered the interest in peptidoglycan composition. This method describes the purification, enzymatic degradation, and separation of peptidoglycan fragments by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). It also describes the preparation of samples so that they can be positively identified by mass spectrometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan E Schaub
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Joseph P Dillard
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
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