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Kowalczyk B, Petzold M, Kaczyński Z, Szuster-Ciesielska A, Luchowski R, Gruszecki WI, Fuchs B, Galuska CE, Choma A, Tarasiuk J, Palusińska-Szysz M. Lipopolysaccharide of Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Facilitates Interaction with Host Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14602. [PMID: 37834049 PMCID: PMC10572746 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241914602] [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: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is the primary causative agent of Legionnaires' disease. The mutant-type strain interrupted in the ORF7 gene region responsible for the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis of the L. pneumophila strain Heysham-1, lacking the O-acetyl groups attached to the rhamnose of the core part, showed a higher surface polarity compared with the wild-type strain. The measurement of excitation energy transfer between fluorophores located on the surface of bacteria and eukaryotic cells showed that, at an early stage of interaction with host cells, the mutant exhibited weaker interactions with Acanthamoeba castellanii cells and THP-1-derived macrophages. The mutant displayed reduced adherence to macrophages but enhanced adherence to A. castellanii, suggesting that the O-acetyl group of the LPS core region plays a crucial role in facilitating interaction with macrophages. The lack of core rhamnose O-acetyl groups made it easier for the bacteria to multiply in amoebae and macrophages. The mutant induced TNF-α production more strongly compared with the wild-type strain. The mutant synthesized twice as many ceramides Cer(t34:0) and Cer(t38:0) than the wild-type strain. The study showed that the internal sugars of the LPS core region of L. pneumophila sg 1 can interact with eukaryotic cell surface receptors and mediate in contacting and attaching bacteria to host cells as well as modulating the immune response to infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bożena Kowalczyk
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Markus Petzold
- Institute of Medical Microbiology and Virology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, University of Technology Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany;
| | - Zbigniew Kaczyński
- Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, 80-309 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka Szuster-Ciesielska
- Department of Virology and Immunology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Rafał Luchowski
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland; (R.L.); (W.I.G.)
| | - Wiesław I. Gruszecki
- Department of Biophysics, Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin, Poland; (R.L.); (W.I.G.)
| | - Beate Fuchs
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Core Facility Metabolomics, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; (B.F.); (C.E.G.)
| | - Christina E. Galuska
- Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Core Facility Metabolomics, 18196 Dummerstorf, Germany; (B.F.); (C.E.G.)
| | - Adam Choma
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Jacek Tarasiuk
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
| | - Marta Palusińska-Szysz
- Department of Genetics and Microbiology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-033 Lublin, Poland; (B.K.); (A.C.); (J.T.)
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Legionnaires' Disease in China Caused by Legionella pneumophila Corby. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11010204. [PMID: 36677496 PMCID: PMC9863629 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11010204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen causing pneumonia in humans. In February 2022, Legionnaires' disease caused by L. pneumophila strain Corby in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma was identified for the first time in China. This paper includes the case report and phenotypic and genomic analysis of the Corby (ICDC) strain. Its biological characteristics were evaluated by antibiotic sensitivity testing and cytology experiments, and genomic analysis was performed to understand its genetic evolution. The patient's clinical manifestations included cough, fever, pulmonary infiltration, and significantly decreased activity endurance. After empirical antimicrobial therapy, infection indicators decreased. The Corby (ICDC) strain was susceptible to nine antibiotics and exhibited strong intracellular proliferation ability. A phylogenetic tree showed that the Corby (ICDC) strain was closely related to the Corby strain, but under the pressure of a complex environment, its genome had undergone more rearrangement and inversion. The type IF CRISPR-Cas system was identified in its genome, and spacer analysis indicated that it had been invaded by several foreign plasmids, bacteria, and viruses during evolution. Legionnaires' disease caused by L. pneumophila strain Corby may be ignored in China, and it is urgent to improve long-term monitoring and investigation of aquatic environments and patients with respiratory infections to prevent a large-scale outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
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Scheithauer L, Karagöz MS, Mayer BE, Steinert M. Protein sociology of ProA, Mip and other secreted virulence factors at the Legionella pneumophila surface. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1140688. [PMID: 36936764 PMCID: PMC10017501 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1140688] [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: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The pathogenicity of L. pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, depends on an arsenal of interacting proteins. Here we describe how surface-associated and secreted virulence factors of this pathogen interact with each other or target extra- and intracellular host proteins resulting in host cell manipulation and tissue colonization. Since progress of computational methods like AlphaFold, molecular dynamics simulation, and docking allows to predict, analyze and evaluate experimental proteomic and interactomic data, we describe how the combination of these approaches generated new insights into the multifaceted "protein sociology" of the zinc metalloprotease ProA and the peptidyl-prolyl cis/trans isomerase Mip (macrophage infectivity potentiator). Both virulence factors of L. pneumophila interact with numerous proteins including bacterial flagellin (FlaA) and host collagen, and play important roles in virulence regulation, host tissue degradation and immune evasion. The recent progress in protein-ligand analyses of virulence factors suggests that machine learning will also have a beneficial impact in early stages of drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Scheithauer
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Mustafa Safa Karagöz
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Benjamin E. Mayer
- Computational Biology & Simulation, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Michael Steinert
- Institut für Mikrobiologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
- *Correspondence: Michael Steinert,
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Tomaskovic I, Gonzalez A, Dikic I. Ubiquitin and Legionella: From bench to bedside. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 132:230-241. [PMID: 35177348 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila, a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium, is one of the major causes of Legionnaires' disease, a specific type of atypical pneumonia. Despite intensive research efforts that elucidated many relevant structural, molecular and medical insights into Legionella's pathogenicity, Legionnaires' disease continues to present an ongoing public health concern. Legionella's virulence is based on its ability to simultaneously hijack multiple molecular pathways of the host cell to ensure its fast replication and dissemination. Legionella usurps the host ubiquitin system through multiple effector proteins, using the advantage of both conventional and unconventional (phosphoribosyl-linked) ubiquitination, thus providing optimal conditions for its replication. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of L. pneumophila from medical, biochemical and molecular perspectives. We describe the clinical disease presentation, its diagnostics and treatment, as well as host-pathogen interactions, with the emphasis on the ability of Legionella to target the host ubiquitin system upon infection. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary use of innovative technologies enables better insights into the pathogenesis of Legionnaires' disease and provides new opportunities for its treatment and prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ines Tomaskovic
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University School of Medicine, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Alexis Gonzalez
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University School of Medicine, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ivan Dikic
- Institute of Biochemistry II, Goethe University School of Medicine, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, 60590 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Riedberg Campus, Max-von-Laue Straße 15, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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Iliadi V, Staykova J, Iliadis S, Konstantinidou I, Sivykh P, Romanidou G, Vardikov DF, Cassimos D, Konstantinidis TG. Legionella pneumophila: The Journey from the Environment to the Blood. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11206126. [PMID: 36294446 PMCID: PMC9605555 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11206126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of a potentially fatal form of pneumonia in 1976 and in the annual convention of the American Legion was the first time that Legionella spp. was identified. Thereafter, the term Legionnaires’ disease (LD) was established. The infection in humans is transmitted by the inhalation of aerosols that contain the microorganisms that belong to the Legionellaceae family and the genus Legionella. The genus Legionella contains genetically heterogeneous species and serogroups. The Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (Lp1) is the most often detected strain in outbreaks of LD. The pathogenesis of LD infection initiates with the attachment of the bacterial cells to the host cells, and subsequent intracellular replication. Following invasion, Legionella spp. activates its virulence mechanisms: generation of specific compartments of Legionella-containing vacuole (LCV), and expression of genes that encode a type IV secretion system (T4SS) for the translocation of proteins. The ability of L. pneumophila to transmigrate across the lung’s epithelium barrier leads to bacteremia, spread, and invasion of many organs with subsequent manifestations, complications, and septic shock. The clinical manifestations of LD depend on the bacterial load in the aerosol, the virulence factors, and the immune status of the patient. The infection has two distinct forms: the non- pneumatic form or Pontiac fever, which is a milder febrile flu-like illness, and LD, a more severe form, which includes pneumonia. In addition, the extrapulmonary involvement of LD can include heart, brain, abdomen, and joints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Iliadi
- Izhevsk State Medical Academy, Kommunarov Street 281, 426034 Izhevsk, Russia
| | - Jeni Staykova
- Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Sofia, Byalo More Str. 8, 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Sergios Iliadis
- Izhevsk State Medical Academy, Kommunarov Street 281, 426034 Izhevsk, Russia
| | | | - Polina Sivykh
- State Budgetary Health City Polyclinic No 2 (GBUZ GB2) of Krasnodar, Seleznev Street 4/10, 350059 Krasnodar, Russia
| | - Gioulia Romanidou
- Nephrology Department, General Hospital “Sismanogleio”, 69100 Komotini, Greece
| | - Daniil F. Vardikov
- Russian Research Center for Radiology and Surgical Technologies of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Tkachey Str. 70-16, 192029 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dimitrios Cassimos
- Pediatric Department, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Theocharis G. Konstantinidis
- Blood Transfusion Center, University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis Dragana Campus, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +30-2551-352005
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Wee BA, Alves J, Lindsay DSJ, Klatt AB, Sargison FA, Cameron RL, Pickering A, Gorzynski J, Corander J, Marttinen P, Opitz B, Smith AJ, Fitzgerald JR. Population analysis of Legionella pneumophila reveals a basis for resistance to complement-mediated killing. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7165. [PMID: 34887398 PMCID: PMC8660822 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27478-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella pneumophila is the most common cause of the severe respiratory infection known as Legionnaires' disease. However, the microorganism is typically a symbiont of free-living amoeba, and our understanding of the bacterial factors that determine human pathogenicity is limited. Here we carried out a population genomic study of 902 L. pneumophila isolates from human clinical and environmental samples to examine their genetic diversity, global distribution and the basis for human pathogenicity. We find that the capacity for human disease is representative of the breadth of species diversity although some clones are more commonly associated with clinical infections. We identified a single gene (lag-1) to be most strongly associated with clinical isolates. lag-1, which encodes an O-acetyltransferase for lipopolysaccharide modification, has been distributed horizontally across all major phylogenetic clades of L. pneumophila by frequent recent recombination events. The gene confers resistance to complement-mediated killing in human serum by inhibiting deposition of classical pathway molecules on the bacterial surface. Furthermore, acquisition of lag-1 inhibits complement-dependent phagocytosis by human neutrophils, and promoted survival in a mouse model of pulmonary legionellosis. Thus, our results reveal L. pneumophila genetic traits linked to disease and provide a molecular basis for resistance to complement-mediated killing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan A. Wee
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Joana Alves
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Diane S. J. Lindsay
- Bacterial Respiratory Infections Service (Ex Mycobacteria), Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | - Ann-Brit Klatt
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Fiona A. Sargison
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Ross L. Cameron
- grid.413893.40000 0001 2232 4338NHS National Services Scotland, Health Protection Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland UK
| | - Amy Pickering
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Jamie Gorzynski
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
| | - Jukka Corander
- grid.7737.40000 0004 0410 2071Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland ,grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921Department of Biostatistics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pekka Marttinen
- grid.500231.50000 0004 0530 9461Helsinki Institute for Information Technology, Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
| | - Bastian Opitz
- grid.6363.00000 0001 2218 4662Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Diseases and Pulmonary Medicine, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew J. Smith
- Bacterial Respiratory Infections Service (Ex Mycobacteria), Scottish Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Glasgow, Scotland UK ,grid.8756.c0000 0001 2193 314XCollege of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, Glasgow Dental Hospital & School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - J. Ross Fitzgerald
- grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988The Roslin Institute, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland UK
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The Role of Lipids in Legionella-Host Interaction. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031487. [PMID: 33540788 PMCID: PMC7867332 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Legionella are Gram-stain-negative rods associated with water environments: either natural or man-made systems. The inhalation of aerosols containing Legionella bacteria leads to the development of a severe pneumonia termed Legionnaires' disease. To establish an infection, these bacteria adapt to growth in the hostile environment of the host through the unusual structures of macromolecules that build the cell surface. The outer membrane of the cell envelope is a lipid bilayer with an asymmetric composition mostly of phospholipids in the inner leaflet and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the outer leaflet. The major membrane-forming phospholipid of Legionella spp. is phosphatidylcholine (PC)-a typical eukaryotic glycerophospholipid. PC synthesis in Legionella cells occurs via two independent pathways: the N-methylation (Pmt) pathway and the Pcs pathway. The utilisation of exogenous choline by Legionella spp. leads to changes in the composition of lipids and proteins, which influences the physicochemical properties of the cell surface. This phenotypic plasticity of the Legionella cell envelope determines the mode of interaction with the macrophages, which results in a decrease in the production of proinflammatory cytokines and modulates the interaction with antimicrobial peptides and proteins. The surface-exposed O-chain of Legionella pneumophila sg1 LPS consisting of a homopolymer of 5-acetamidino-7-acetamido-8-O-acetyl-3,5,7,9-tetradeoxy-l-glycero-d-galacto-non-2-ulosonic acid is probably the first component in contact with the host cell that anchors the bacteria in the host membrane. Unusual in terms of the structure and function of individual LPS regions, it makes an important contribution to the antigenicity and pathogenicity of Legionella bacteria.
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