Activation of Shigella flexneri type 3 secretion requires a host-induced conformational change to the translocon pore

A translocation-competent pore is required for Shigella flexneri to escape from the double membrane vacuole during intercellular spread

Type 3 secretion systems (T3SSs) enable bacterial virulence by translocating virulence proteins (effectors) into host cells. Shigella flexneri require T3SS to invade and to spread between cells in the colon. In order to spread, S. flexneri forms membrane protrusions that push into the adjacent host cell. These protrusions are resolved into double membrane vacuoles (DMVs) that the bacteria quickly escape. The mechanisms required for escape from the DMV are poorly understood, but the T3SS translocon pore protein IpaC is essential. Here, we show IpaC forms a pore that is competent for translocation of T3SS effectors as bacteria spread between cells. To do so, we used a genetic approach to test mutations of IpaC that disrupt its ability to translocate and to form pores. We show that during spread, IpaC is efficiently inserted into the plasma membrane, the membrane-embedded IpaC forms pore complexes, and the IpaC-dependent pores translocate effectors that are necessary for S. flexneri to escape the DMV. We further show that T3SS activation is regulated through a distinct mechanism at spread compared to at invasion; activation of T3SS secretion does not require pore formation during spread. Thus, we show that a distinct regulation of the T3SS during S. flexneri intercellular spread enables the placement of effectors both around S. flexneri and across membranes of the DMV. Altogether, this study provides new insights into how S. flexneri escapes the DMV.

IMPORTANCE

The type 3 secretion system (T3SS) is required for virulence in many bacterial pathogens that infect humans. The T3SS forms a pore through which virulence proteins are delivered into host cells to enable bacterial infection. Our work investigates the Shigella translocon pore protein IpaC, which is essential not only for bacteria to invade cells, but also for bacteria to spread between cells. An ability to spread between cells is essential for pathogenesis, thus understanding the mechanisms that enable spread is important for understanding how S. flexneri infection causes illness. We show that IpaC delivers virulence factors across the host membrane for S. flexneri to efficiently spread. This study furthers our understanding of the mechanisms involved in T3SS secretion and of translocon pore function during S. flexneri intercellular spread.

Differential expression of the type III secretion system genes in Yersinia ruckeri: Preliminary investigations in different environmental conditions

Type III secretion system (T3SS) is an important virulence system in Gram-negative bacteria. In this investigation, different environmental conditions that regulate the expression of T3SS genes in Yersinia ruckeri were investigated aimed at obtaining a better understanding about its modulation after various environmental challenges. Four isolates of Y. ruckeri CSF007-82, ATCC29473, A7959-11 and YRNC10 were cultivated under the diverse in vitro challenges iron depletion, high salt, low pH and in the presence of fish serum or in the fish cell culture (Chinook Salmon Embryo - CHSE). The transcriptional modulation of the chromosomal genes ysaV, ysaC, ysaJ and prgH of ysa were investigated using quantitative real-time PCR. The expression of prgH, ysaV, ysaC and ysaJ was differentially expressed in all four strains under evaluation. The highest gene expression levels were observed for Y. ruckeri YRNC10 AN after addition of 0.3 M NaCl in Luria Bertani broth. The results obtained from this study provide initial insights into T3SS responses in Y. ruckeri, which pave the way for further studies aimed at expanding our knowledge on the functional roles of the T3SS genes in Y. ruckeri.

Development of the Shigella flexneri 2a, 3a, 6, and S. sonnei artificial Invaplex (InvaplexAR) vaccines

The Shigella artificial invasin complex (InvaplexAR) vaccine is a subunit approach that effectively induces robust immunogenicity directed to serotype-specific lipopolysaccharide and the broadly conserved IpaB and IpaC proteins. One advantage of the vaccine approach is the ability to adjust the constituents to address suboptimal immunogenicity and to change the Shigella serotype targeted by the vaccine. As the vaccine moves through the product development pipeline, substantial modifications have been made to address manufacturing feasibility, acceptability to regulatory authorities, and developing immunogenic and effective products for an expanded list of Shigella serotypes. Modifications of the recombinant clones used to express affinity tag-free proteins using well-established purification methods, changes to detergents utilized in the assembly process, and in vitro and in vivo evaluation of different Invaplex formulations have led to the establishment of a scalable, reproducible manufacturing process and enhanced immunogenicity of Invaplex products designed to protect against four of the most predominant Shigella serotypes responsible for global morbidity and mortality. These adjustments and improvements provide the pathway for the manufacture and clinical testing of a multivalent Invaplex vaccine. IMPORTANCE Shigella species are a major global health concern that cause severe diarrhea and dysentery in children and travelers to endemic areas of the world. Despite significant advancements in access to clean water, the increases in antimicrobial resistance and the risk of post-infection sequelae, including cognitive and physical stunting in children, highlight the urgent need for an efficacious vaccine. One promising vaccine approach, artificial Invaplex, delivers key antigens recognized by the immune system during infection, which results in increased resistance to re-infection. The work presented here describes novel modifications to a previously described vaccine approach resulting in improved methods for manufacturing and regulatory approvals, expansion of the breadth of coverage to all major Shigella serotypes, and an increase in the potency of artificial Invaplex.

Recent insights into type-3 secretion system injectisome structure and mechanism of human enteric pathogens

Type-3 secretion system injectisomes are multiprotein complexes that translocate bacterial effector proteins from the cytoplasm of gram-negative bacteria directly into the cytosol of eukaryotic host cells. These systems are present in more than 30 bacterial species, including numerous human, animal, and plant pathogens. We review recent discoveries of structural and molecular mechanisms of effector protein translocation through the injectisomes and recent advances in the understanding of mechanisms of activation of effector protein secretion.

Manipulation of epithelial cell architecture by the bacterial pathogens Listeria and Shigella

Subversion of the host cell cytoskeleton is a virulence attribute common to many bacterial pathogens. On mucosal surfaces, bacteria have evolved distinct ways of interacting with the polarised epithelium and manipulating host cell structure to propagate infection. For example, Shigella and Listeria induce cytoskeletal changes to induce their own uptake into enterocytes in order to replicate within an intracellular environment and then spread from cell-to-cell by harnessing the host actin cytoskeleton. In this review, we highlight some recent studies that advance our understanding of the role of the host cell cytoskeleton in the mechanical and molecular processes of pathogen invasion, cell-to-cell spread and the impact of infection on epithelial intercellular tension and innate mucosal defence.

PopB-PcrV Interactions Are Essential for Pore Formation in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Type III Secretion System Translocon

The type III secretion system (T3SS) is a syringe-like virulence factor that delivers bacterial proteins directly into the cytoplasm of host cells. An essential component of the system is the translocon, which creates a pore in the host cell membrane through which proteins are injected. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the translocation pore is formed by proteins PopB and PopD and attaches to the T3SS needle via the needle tip protein PcrV. The structure and stoichiometry of the multimeric pore are unknown. We took a genetic approach to map contact points within the system by taking advantage of the fact that the translocator proteins of P. aeruginosa and the related Aeromonas hydrophila T3SS are incompatible and cannot be freely exchanged. We created chimeric versions of P. aeruginosa PopB and A. hydrophila AopB to intentionally disrupt and restore protein-protein interactions. We identified a chimeric B-translocator that specifically disrupts an interaction with the needle tip protein. This disruption did not affect membrane insertion of the B-translocator but did prevent formation of the translocation pore, arguing that the needle tip protein drives the formation of the translocation pore. IMPORTANCE Type III secretion systems are integral to the pathogenesis of many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. A hallmark of these secretion systems is that they deliver effector proteins vectorially into the targeted host cell via a translocation pore. The translocon is crucial for T3SS function, but it has proven difficult to study biochemically and structurally. Here, we used a genetic approach to identify protein-protein contacts among translocator proteins that are important for function. This genetic approach allowed us to specifically break a contact between the translocator PopB and the T3SS needle tip protein PcrV. Breaking this contact allowed us to determine, for the first time, that the needle tip actively participates in the assembly of the translocation pore by the membrane-bound pore-forming translocator proteins. Our study therefore both expands our knowledge of the network of functionally important interactions among translocator proteins and illuminates a new step in the assembly of this critical host cell interface.

Intracellular niche switching as host subversion strategy of bacterial pathogens

Numerous bacterial pathogens "confine" themselves within host cells with an intracellular localization as main or exclusive niche. Many of them switch dynamically between a membrane-bound or cytosolic lifestyle. This requires either membrane damage and/or repair of the bacterial-containing compartment. Niche switching has profound consequences on how the host cell recognizes the pathogens in time and space for elimination. Moreover, niche switching impacts how bacteria communicate with host cells to obtain nutrients, and it affects the accessibility to antibiotics. Understanding the local environments and cellular phenotypes that lead to niche switching is critical for developing new host-targeted antimicrobial strategies, and has the potential to shed light into fundamental cellular processes.

Type III secretion by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis is reliant upon an authentic N-terminal YscX secretor domain

YscX was discovered as an essential part of the Yersinia type III secretion system about 20 years ago. It is required for substrate secretion and is exported itself. Despite this central role, its precise function and mode of action remains unknown. In order to address this knowledge gap, this present study refocused attention on YscX to build on the recent advances in the understanding of YscX function. Our experiments identified a N-terminal secretion domain in YscX promoting its secretion, with the first five codons constituting a minimal signal capable of promoting secretion of the signalless β-lactamase reporter. Replacing the extreme YscX N-terminus with known secretion signals of other Ysc-Yop substrates revealed that the YscX N-terminal segment contains non-redundant information needed for YscX function. Further, both in cis deletion of the YscX N-terminus in the virulence plasmid and ectopic expression of epitope tagged YscX variants again lead to stable YscX production but not type III secretion of Yop effector proteins. Mislocalisation of the needle components, SctI and SctF, accompanied this general defect in Yops secretion. Hence, a coupling exists between YscX secretion permissiveness and the assembly of an operational secretion system.

Topology and Contribution to the Pore Channel Lining of Plasma Membrane-Embedded Shigella flexneri Type 3 Secretion Translocase IpaB

Shigella spp. are human bacterial pathogens that cause bacillary dysentery. Virulence depends on a type 3 secretion system (T3SS), a highly conserved structure present in multiple important human and plant pathogens. Upon host cell contact, the T3SS translocon is delivered to the host membrane, facilitates bacterial docking to the membrane, and enables delivery of effector proteins into the host cytosol. The Shigella translocon is composed of two proteins, IpaB and IpaC, which together form this multimeric structure within host plasma membranes. Upon interaction of IpaC with host intermediate filaments, the translocon undergoes a conformational change that allows for bacterial docking onto the translocon and, together with host actin polymerization, enables subsequent effector translocation through the translocon pore. To generate additional insights into the translocon, we mapped the topology of IpaB in plasma membrane-embedded pores using cysteine substitution mutagenesis coupled with site-directed labeling and proximity-enabled cross-linking by membrane-permeant sulfhydryl reactants. We demonstrate that IpaB function is dependent on posttranslational modification by a plasmid-encoded acyl carrier protein. We show that the first transmembrane domain of IpaB lines the interior of the translocon pore channel such that the IpaB portion of the channel forms a funnel-like shape leading into the host cytosol. In addition, we identify regions of IpaB within its cytosolic domain that protrude into and are closely associated with the pore channel. Taken together, these results provide a framework for how IpaB is arranged within translocons natively delivered by Shigella during infection.

The type 3 secretion system requires actin polymerization to open translocon pores

Many bacterial pathogens require a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) to establish a niche. Host contact activates bacterial T3SS assembly of a translocon pore in the host plasma membrane. Following pore formation, the T3SS docks onto the translocon pore. Docking establishes a continuous passage that enables the translocation of virulence proteins, effectors, into the host cytosol. Here we investigate the contribution of actin polymerization to T3SS-mediated translocation. Using the T3SS model organism Shigella flexneri, we show that actin polymerization is required for assembling the translocon pore in an open conformation, thereby enabling effector translocation. Opening of the pore channel is associated with a conformational change to the pore, which is dependent upon actin polymerization and a coiled-coil domain in the pore protein IpaC. Analysis of an IpaC mutant that is defective in ruffle formation shows that actin polymerization-dependent pore opening is distinct from the previously described actin polymerization-dependent ruffles that are required for bacterial internalization. Moreover, actin polymerization is not required for other pore functions, including docking or pore protein insertion into the plasma membrane. Thus, activation of the T3SS is a multilayered process in which host signals are sensed by the translocon pore leading to the activation of effector translocation.

An elegant nano-injection machinery for sabotaging the host: Role of Type III secretion system in virulence of different human and animal pathogenic bacteria

Various Gram-negative bacteria possess a specialized membrane-bound protein secretion system known as the Type III secretion system (T3SS), which transports the bacterial effector proteins into the host cytosol thereby helping in bacterial pathogenesis. The T3SS has a special needle-like translocon that can sense the contact with the host cell membrane and translocate effectors. The export apparatus of T3SS recognizes these effector proteins bound to chaperones and translocates them into the host cell. Once in the host cell cytoplasm, these effector proteins result in modulation of the host system and promote bacterial localization and infection. Using molecular biology, bioinformatics, genetic techniques, electron microscopic studies, and mathematical modeling, the structure and function of the T3SS and the corresponding effector proteins in various bacteria have been studied. The strategies used by different human pathogenic bacteria to modulate the host system and thereby enhance their virulence mechanism using T3SS have also been well studied. Here we review the history, evolution, and general structure of the T3SS, highlighting the details of its comparison with the flagellar export machinery. Also, this article provides mechanistic details about the common role of T3SS in subversion and manipulation of host cellular processes. Additionally, this review describes specific T3SS apparatus and the role of their specific effectors in bacterial pathogenesis by considering several human and animal pathogenic bacteria.

Breaching the phagosome, the case of the tuberculosis agent

The interactions between microbes and their hosts are among the most complex biological phenomena known today. The interaction may reach from overall beneficial interaction, as observed for most microbiome/microbiota related interactions to interaction with virulent pathogens, against which host cells have evolved sophisticated defence strategies. Among the latter, the confinement of invading pathogens in a phagosome plays a key role, which often results in the destruction of the invader, whereas some pathogens may counteract phagosomal arrest and survive by gaining access to the cytosol of the host cell. In the current review, we will discuss recent insights into this dynamic process of host-pathogen interaction, using Mycobacterium tuberculosis and related pathogenic mycobacteria as main examples.

Structural Insights of Shigella Translocator IpaB and Its Chaperone IpgC in Solution

Bacterial Type III Secretion Systems (T3SSs) are specialized multicomponent nanomachines that mediate the transport of proteins either to extracellular locations or deliver Type III Secretion effectors directly into eukaryotic host cell cytoplasm. Shigella, the causing agent of bacillary dysentery or shigellosis, bears a set of T3SS proteins termed translocators that form a pore in the host cell membrane. IpaB, the major translocator of the system, is a key factor in promoting Shigella pathogenicity. Prior to secretion, IpaB is maintained inside the bacterial cytoplasm in a secretion competent folding state thanks to its cognate chaperone IpgC. IpgC couples T3SS activation to transcription of effector genes through its binding to MxiE, probably after the delivery of IpaB to the secretion export gate. Small Angle X-ray Scattering experiments and modeling reveal that IpgC is found in different oligomeric states in solution, as it forms a stable heterodimer with full-length IpaB in contrast to an aggregation-prone homodimer in the absence of the translocator. These results support a stoichiometry of interaction 1:1 in the IpgC/IpaB complex and the multi-functional nature of IpgC under different T3SS states.

Structural biology of the invasion arsenal of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens

In the last several years, there has been a tremendous progress in the understanding of host-pathogen interactions and the mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens modulate behavior of the host cell. Pathogens use secretion systems to inject a set of proteins, called effectors, into the cytosol of the host cell. These effectors are secreted in a highly regulated, temporal manner and interact with host proteins to modify a multitude of cellular processes. The number of effectors varies between pathogens from ~ 30 to as many as ~ 350. The functional redundancy of effectors encoded by each pathogen makes it difficult to determine the cellular effects or function of individual effectors, since their individual knockouts frequently produce no easily detectable phenotypes. Structural biology of effector proteins and their interactions with host proteins, in conjunction with cell biology approaches, has provided invaluable information about the cellular function of effectors and underlying molecular mechanisms of their modes of action. Many bacterial effectors are functionally equivalent to host proteins while being structurally divergent from them. Other effector proteins display new, previously unobserved functionalities. Here, we summarize the contribution of the structural characterization of effectors and effector-host protein complexes to our understanding of host subversion mechanisms used by the most commonly investigated Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. We describe in some detail the enzymatic activities discovered among effector proteins and how they affect various cellular processes.

The Shigella Type III Secretion System: An Overview from Top to Bottom

Shigella comprises four species of human-restricted pathogens causing bacillary dysentery. While Shigella possesses multiple genetic loci contributing to virulence, a type III secretion system (T3SS) is its primary virulence factor. The Shigella T3SS nanomachine consists of four major assemblies: the cytoplasmic sorting platform; the envelope-spanning core/basal body; an exposed needle; and a needle-associated tip complex with associated translocon that is inserted into host cell membranes. The initial subversion of host cell activities is carried out by the effector functions of the invasion plasmid antigen (Ipa) translocator proteins, with the cell ultimately being controlled by dedicated effector proteins that are injected into the host cytoplasm though the translocon. Much of the information now available on the T3SS injectisome has been accumulated through collective studies on the T3SS from three systems, those of Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhimurium and Yersinia enterocolitica/Yersinia pestis. In this review, we will touch upon the important features of the T3SS injectisome that have come to light because of research in the Shigella and closely related systems. We will also briefly highlight some of the strategies being considered to target the Shigella T3SS for disease prevention.

Tchagang C, Tomaro K, Campbell-Valois FX. The T3SS of Shigella: Expression, Structure, Function, and Role in Vacuole Escape

Shigella spp. are one of the leading causes of infectious diarrheal diseases. They are Escherichia coli pathovars that are characterized by the harboring of a large plasmid that encodes most virulence genes, including a type III secretion system (T3SS). The archetypal element of the T3SS is the injectisome, a syringe-like nanomachine composed of approximately 20 proteins, spanning both bacterial membranes and the cell wall, and topped with a needle. Upon contact of the tip of the needle with the plasma membrane, the injectisome secretes its protein substrates into host cells. Some of these substrates act as translocators or effectors whose functions are key to the invasion of the cytosol and the cell-to-cell spread characterizing the lifestyle of Shigella spp. Here, we review the structure, assembly, function, and methods to measure the activity of the injectisome with a focus on Shigella, but complemented with data from other T3SS if required. We also present the regulatory cascade that controls the expression of T3SS genes in Shigella. Finally, we describe the function of translocators and effectors during cell-to-cell spread, particularly during escape from the vacuole, a key element of Shigella’s pathogenesis that has yet to reveal all of its secrets.

Shigella flexneri Disruption of Cellular Tension Promotes Intercellular Spread

During infection, some bacterial pathogens invade the eukaryotic cytosol and spread between cells of an epithelial monolayer. Intercellular spread occurs when these pathogens push against the plasma membrane, forming protrusions that are engulfed by adjacent cells. Here, we show that IpaC, a Shigella flexneri type 3 secretion system protein, binds the host cell-adhesion protein β-catenin and facilitates efficient protrusion formation. S. flexneri producing a point mutant of IpaC that cannot interact with β-catenin is defective in protrusion formation and spread. Spread is restored by chemical reduction of intercellular tension or genetic depletion of β-catenin, and the magnitude of the protrusion defect correlates with membrane tension, indicating that IpaC reduces membrane tension, which facilitates protrusion formation. IpaC stabilizes adherens junctions and does not alter β-catenin localization at the membrane. Thus, Shigella, like other bacterial pathogens, reduces intercellular tension to efficiently spread between cells.

Cell-type-specific hypertranslocation of effectors by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretion system

Many Gram-negative pathogens use a type III secretion system (T3SS) to promote disease by injecting effector proteins into host cells. Common to many T3SSs is that injection of effector proteins is feedback inhibited. The mechanism of feedback inhibition and its role in pathogenesis are unclear. In the case of P. aeruginosa, the effector protein ExoS is central to limiting effector injection. ExoS is bifunctional, with an amino-terminal RhoGAP and a carboxy-terminal ADP-ribosyltransferase domain. We demonstrate that both domains are required to fully feedback inhibit effector injection. The RhoGAP-, but not the ADP-ribosyltransferase domain of the related effector protein ExoT also participates. Feedback inhibition does not involve translocator insertion nor pore-formation. Instead, feedback inhibition is due, in part, to a loss of the activating trigger for effector injection, and likely also decreased translocon stability. Surprisingly, feedback inhibition is abrogated in phagocytic cells. The lack of feedback inhibition in these cells requires phagocytic uptake of the bacteria, but cannot be explained through acidification of the phagosome or calcium limitation. Given that phagocytes are crucial for controlling P. aeruginosa infections, our data suggest that feedback inhibition allows P. aeruginosa to direct its effector arsenal against the cell types most damaging to its survival.

Staying out or Going in? The Interplay between Type 3 and Type 5 Secretion Systems in Adhesion and Invasion of Enterobacterial Pathogens

Enteric pathogens rely on a variety of toxins, adhesins and other virulence factors to cause infections. Some of the best studied pathogens belong to the Enterobacterales order; these include enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp., and the enteropathogenic Yersiniae. The pathogenesis of these organisms involves two different secretion systems, a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) and type 5 secretion systems (T5SSs). The T3SS forms a syringe-like structure spanning both bacterial membranes and the host cell plasma membrane that translocates toxic effector proteins into the cytoplasm of the host cell. T5SSs are also known as autotransporters, and they export part of their own polypeptide to the bacterial cell surface where it exerts its function, such as adhesion to host cell receptors. During infection with these enteropathogens, the T3SS and T5SS act in concert to bring about rearrangements of the host cell cytoskeleton, either to invade the cell, confer intracellular motility, evade phagocytosis or produce novel structures to shelter the bacteria. Thus, in these bacteria, not only the T3SS effectors but also T5SS proteins could be considered "cytoskeletoxins" that bring about profound alterations in host cell cytoskeletal dynamics and lead to pathogenic outcomes.