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Cabello AL, Wells K, Peng W, Feng HQ, Wang J, Meyer DF, Noroy C, Zhao ES, Zhang H, Li X, Chang H, Gomez G, Mao Y, Patrick KL, Watson RO, Russell WK, Yu A, Zhong J, Guo F, Li M, Zhou M, Qian X, Kobayashi KS, Song J, Panthee S, Mechref Y, Ficht TA, Qin QM, de Figueiredo P. Brucella-driven host N-glycome remodeling controls infection. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:588-605.e9. [PMID: 38531364 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2024.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Many powerful methods have been employed to elucidate the global transcriptomic, proteomic, or metabolic responses to pathogen-infected host cells. However, the host glycome responses to bacterial infection remain largely unexplored, and hence, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial pathogens manipulate the host glycome to favor infection remains incomplete. Here, we address this gap by performing a systematic analysis of the host glycome during infection by the bacterial pathogen Brucella spp. that cause brucellosis. We discover, surprisingly, that a Brucella effector protein (EP) Rhg1 induces global reprogramming of the host cell N-glycome by interacting with components of the oligosaccharide transferase complex that controls N-linked protein glycosylation, and Rhg1 regulates Brucella replication and tissue colonization in a mouse model of brucellosis, demonstrating that Brucella exploits the EP Rhg1 to reprogram the host N-glycome and promote bacterial intracellular parasitism, thereby providing a paradigm for bacterial control of host cell infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana-Lucia Cabello
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Kelsey Wells
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Wenjing Peng
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Hui-Qiang Feng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Junyao Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Damien F Meyer
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, 97170 Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, France; ASTRE, University Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Montpellier, France
| | - Christophe Noroy
- CIRAD, UMR ASTRE, 97170 Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, France; ASTRE, University Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Montpellier, France
| | - En-Shuang Zhao
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Xueqing Li
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Haowu Chang
- College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
| | - Gabriel Gomez
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL), Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Yuxin Mao
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2703, USA
| | - Kristin L Patrick
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Robert O Watson
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - William K Russell
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0635, USA
| | - Aiying Yu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Jieqiang Zhong
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Mingqian Li
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 78843, USA
| | - Mingyuan Zhou
- Department of Information, Risk, and Operations Management, Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Xiaoning Qian
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 78843, USA; TEES-AgriLife Center for Bioinformatics & Genomic Systems Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Koichi S Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA; Department of Immunology, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan; Hokkaido University, Institute for Vaccine Research and Development (HU-IVReD), Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Suresh Panthee
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Yehia Mechref
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
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Benn JS, Nunez CM, Blue-McLendon A, Chaki SP, Ficht TA, Rice-Ficht AC, Cook WE. LETHAL TOXIN NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY RESPONSE INDUCED FOLLOWING ORAL VACCINATION WITH A MICROENCAPSULATED BACILLUS ANTHRACIS STERNE STRAIN 34F2 VACCINE PROOF-OF-CONCEPT STUDY IN WHITE-TAILED DEER ( ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS). J Zoo Wildl Med 2024; 55:212-218. [PMID: 38453505 DOI: 10.1638/2023-0065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Improved methods are needed to prevent wildlife deaths from anthrax. Caused by Bacillus anthracis, naturally occurring outbreaks of anthrax are frequent but unpredictable. The commercially available veterinary vaccine is labeled for subcutaneous injection and is impractical for large-scale wildlife vaccination programs; therefore, oral vaccination is the most realistic method to control and prevent these outbreaks. We reported the induction of an anthrax-specific lethal toxin (LeTx) neutralizing antibody response in mice following oral vaccination with alginate microcapsules containing B. anthracis Sterne strain 34F2 spores, coated with poly-L-lysine (PLL) and vitelline protein B (VpB). We continued evaluating our novel vaccine formulation through this proof-of-concept study in white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus; n = 9). We orally vaccinated WTD via needle-free syringe with three formulations of the encapsulated vaccine: 1) PLL-VpB-coated microcapsules with 107-8 spores/ml (n = 5), 2) PLL-VpB-coated microcapsules with 109-10 spores/ml (n = 2), and 3) PLL-coated microcapsules with 109-10 spores/ml (n = 2). Although the limited sample sizes require continued experimentation, we observed an anthrax-specific antibody response in WTD serum following oral vaccination with PLL-coated microcapsules containing 109 spores/ ml. Furthermore, this antibody response neutralized anthrax LeTx in vitro, suggesting that continued development of this vaccine may allow for realistic wildlife anthrax vaccination programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie S Benn
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA,
| | - Chase M Nunez
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA,
| | - Alice Blue-McLendon
- The Winnie Carter Wildlife Center, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Physiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- The Global Health Research Complex, Division of Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Allison C Rice-Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Walter E Cook
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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3
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Nunez CM, Benn JS, Blue-McLendon A, Chaki SP, Ficht TA, Rice-Ficht AC, Cook WE. In Vitro Protection and Titer Duration of Anthrax-Specific Antibodies Following Subcutaneous Vaccination of White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with Bacillus anthracis Sterne 34F2 Strain Spores. J Wildl Dis 2024; 60:179-183. [PMID: 37921658 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-23-00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Outbreaks of anthrax, caused by the soilborne bacterium Bacillus anthracis, are a continuous threat to free-ranging livestock and wildlife in enzootic regions of the United States, sometimes causing mass mortalities. Injectable anthrax vaccines are commercially available for use in livestock, and although hand injection is not a cost- or time-effective long-term management plan for prevention in wildlife, it may provide a tool for managers to target selectively animals of high conservation or economic value. Vaccine-induced anthrax-specific antibody responses have been reported previously in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), but the protective nature was not determined. In this study, five white-tailed deer were subcutaneously vaccinated with one dose (1 mL) of the Anthrax Spore Vaccine. Eight blood collections by jugular venipuncture were conducted over 146 d to measure the anthrax-specific antibody response in each deer's serum over time. Antibodies were first detected by ELISA and later with toxin neutralization assays to estimate in vitro protection. Average peak absorbance by ELISA occurred at 14 d postvaccination, whereas average peak in vitro protection occurred at 28 d postvaccination. Observed in vitro protection on average for white-tailed deer after this single-dose vaccination protocol lasted 42-56 d postvaccination, although three individuals still maintained lethal toxin-neutralizing serum antibody titers out to 112 d postvaccination. Vaccination responses were variable but effective to some degree in all white-tailed deer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase M Nunez
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- These authors contributed equally to the work
| | - Jamie S Benn
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Current address: Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, 700 University Blvd., MSC 218, Kingsville, Texas 78363, USA
- These authors contributed equally to the work
| | - Alice Blue-McLendon
- Winnie Carter Wildlife Center, Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Physiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Global Health Research Complex, Division of Research, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Ficht Encapsulation Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Allison C Rice-Ficht
- Ficht Encapsulation Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Walter E Cook
- Cook Wildlife Lab, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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4
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Moreno E, Middlebrook EA, Altamirano-Silva P, Al Dahouk S, Araj GF, Arce-Gorvel V, Arenas-Gamboa Á, Ariza J, Barquero-Calvo E, Battelli G, Bertu WJ, Blasco JM, Bosilkovski M, Cadmus S, Caswell CC, Celli J, Chacón-Díaz C, Chaves-Olarte E, Comerci DJ, Conde-Álvarez R, Cook E, Cravero S, Dadar M, De Boelle X, De Massis F, Díaz R, Escobar GI, Fernández-Lago L, Ficht TA, Foster JT, Garin-Bastuji B, Godfroid J, Gorvel JP, Güler L, Erdenliğ-Gürbilek S, Gusi AM, Guzmán-Verri C, Hai J, Hernández-Mora G, Iriarte M, Jacob NR, Keriel A, Khames M, Köhler S, Letesson JJ, Loperena-Barber M, López-Goñi I, McGiven J, Melzer F, Mora-Cartin R, Moran-Gilad J, Muñoz PM, Neubauer H, O'Callaghan D, Ocholi R, Oñate Á, Pandey P, Pappas G, Pembroke JT, Roop M, Ruiz-Villalonos N, Ryan MP, Salcedo SP, Salvador-Bescós M, Sangari FJ, de Lima Santos R, Seimenis A, Splitter G, Suárez-Esquivel M, Tabbaa D, Trangoni MD, Tsolis RM, Vizcaíno N, Wareth G, Welburn SC, Whatmore A, Zúñiga-Ripa A, Moriyón I. If You're Not Confused, You're Not Paying Attention: Ochrobactrum Is Not Brucella. J Clin Microbiol 2023; 61:e0043823. [PMID: 37395662 PMCID: PMC10446859 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00438-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteria of the genus Brucella are facultative intracellular parasites that cause brucellosis, a severe animal and human disease. Recently, a group of taxonomists merged the brucellae with the primarily free-living, phylogenetically related Ochrobactrum spp. in the genus Brucella. This change, founded only on global genomic analysis and the fortuitous isolation of some opportunistic Ochrobactrum spp. from medically compromised patients, has been automatically included in culture collections and databases. We argue that clinical and environmental microbiologists should not accept this nomenclature, and we advise against its use because (i) it was presented without in-depth phylogenetic analyses and did not consider alternative taxonomic solutions; (ii) it was launched without the input of experts in brucellosis or Ochrobactrum; (iii) it applies a non-consensus genus concept that disregards taxonomically relevant differences in structure, physiology, population structure, core-pangenome assemblies, genome structure, genomic traits, clinical features, treatment, prevention, diagnosis, genus description rules, and, above all, pathogenicity; and (iv) placing these two bacterial groups in the same genus creates risks for veterinarians, medical doctors, clinical laboratories, health authorities, and legislators who deal with brucellosis, a disease that is particularly relevant in low- and middle-income countries. Based on all this information, we urge microbiologists, bacterial collections, genomic databases, journals, and public health boards to keep the Brucella and Ochrobactrum genera separate to avoid further bewilderment and harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgardo Moreno
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Earl A. Middlebrook
- Genomics and Bioanalytics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
| | - Pamela Altamirano-Silva
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Sascha Al Dahouk
- Department of Environmental Hygiene, German Environment Agency, Berlin, Germany
| | - George F. Araj
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Vilma Arce-Gorvel
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, Marseille, France
| | - Ángela Arenas-Gamboa
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Javier Ariza
- Infectious Disease Department, Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elías Barquero-Calvo
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Giorgio Battelli
- Department of Medical Veterinary Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Wilson J. Bertu
- Brucellosis Research Laboratory, Bacterial Research Division, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
| | - José María Blasco
- Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Mile Bosilkovski
- University Hospital for Infectious Diseases and Febrile Conditions, Medical Faculty, Saints Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia
| | - Simeon Cadmus
- Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - Clayton C. Caswell
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Jean Celli
- Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Burlington, Vermont, USA
| | - Carlos Chacón-Díaz
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Esteban Chaves-Olarte
- Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Diego J. Comerci
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas Dr. Rodolfo A. Ugalde, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Raquel Conde-Álvarez
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNa), Pamplona, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Elizabeth Cook
- International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Silvio Cravero
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agropecuarias, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, Argentina
| | - Maryam Dadar
- Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran
| | - Xavier De Boelle
- Research Unit in Biology of Microorganisms, Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Fabrizio De Massis
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise, Teramo, Italy
| | - Ramón Díaz
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Gabriela I. Escobar
- Laboratorio de Brucelosis, Laboratorio Nacional de Referencia, INEI-ANLIS Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luis Fernández-Lago
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jeffrey T. Foster
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - Bruno Garin-Bastuji
- French Agency for Food, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Jacques Godfroid
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries, and Economics, University of Tromsø-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jean-Pierre Gorvel
- Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, Marseille, France
| | - Leyla Güler
- MG Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Meram, Konya, Turkey
| | - Sevil Erdenliğ-Gürbilek
- Harran University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Microbiology Department, Şanlıurfa, Şanlıurfa, Turkey
| | - Amayel M. Gusi
- Brucellosis Research Laboratory, Bacterial Research Division, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
| | - Caterina Guzmán-Verri
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Jiang Hai
- State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Gabriela Hernández-Mora
- Servicio Nacional de Salud Animal, Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Maite Iriarte
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNa), Pamplona, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Nestor R. Jacob
- Hospital Argerich, Department of Infectious Diseases, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Anne Keriel
- Centre National de Référence des Brucella, U1047, University of Montpellier/INSERM, CHU de Nîmes, Nimes, France
| | - Maamar Khames
- University of Medea, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Biology, Medea, Algeria
| | - Stephan Köhler
- Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier, CNRS, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Jacques Letesson
- Research Unit in Biology of Microorganisms, Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, University of Namur, Namur, Belgium
| | - Maite Loperena-Barber
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio López-Goñi
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - John McGiven
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom
- FAO Reference Centre for Brucellosis, Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom
| | - Falk Melzer
- Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Ricardo Mora-Cartin
- Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jacob Moran-Gilad
- Microbiology, Advanced Genomics, and Infection Control Applications Laboratory, Department of Health Systems Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Pilar M. Muñoz
- Departamento de Ciencia Animal, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Heinrich Neubauer
- Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - David O'Callaghan
- Centre National de Référence des Brucella, U1047, University of Montpellier/INSERM, CHU de Nîmes, Nimes, France
| | - Reuben Ocholi
- Bacteriology, Parasitology, and Virology Department, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria
| | - Ángel Oñate
- Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Piyush Pandey
- Department of Microbiology, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India
| | - Georgios Pappas
- Institute of Continuing Medical Education of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - J. Tony Pembroke
- School of Natural Sciences and Bernal Institute, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Martin Roop
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nazaret Ruiz-Villalonos
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Michael P. Ryan
- Department of Applied Science, Technological University of the Shanno, Limerick, Ireland
| | - Suzana P. Salcedo
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Miriam Salvador-Bescós
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNa), Pamplona, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Félix J. Sangari
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Renato de Lima Santos
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Aristarchos Seimenis
- Mediterranean Zoonoses Control Centre, World Health Organization, Athens, Greece
| | - Gary Splitter
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Marcela Suárez-Esquivel
- Programa de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Darem Tabbaa
- Department of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hama University, Hama, Syria
| | - Marcos David Trangoni
- Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agropecuarias, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Hurlingham, Argentina
| | - Renee M. Tsolis
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Nieves Vizcaíno
- Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Gamal Wareth
- Friedrich Loeffler Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Susan C. Welburn
- Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, Centre for Infectious Diseases, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Adrian Whatmore
- WOAH Reference Laboratory for Brucellosis, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom
- FAO Reference Centre for Brucellosis, Department of Bacteriology, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Weybridge, United Kingdom
| | - Amaia Zúñiga-Ripa
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNa), Pamplona, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Moriyón
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdisNa), Pamplona, Spain
- Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
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5
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Plocica J, Guo F, Das JK, Kobayashi KS, Ficht TA, Alaniz RC, Song J, de Figueiredo P. Engineering live attenuated vaccines: Old dogs learning new tricks. J Transl Autoimmun 2023; 6:100198. [PMID: 37090898 PMCID: PMC10113845 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtauto.2023.100198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes are increasingly common global problems. Concerns about increases in the prevalence of such diseases and the limited efficacy of conventional treatment regimens necessitates new therapies to address these challenges. Autoimmune disease severity and dysbiosis are interconnected. Although probiotics have been established as a therapy to rebalance the microbiome and suppress autoimmune symptoms, these microbes tend to lack a number of advantageous qualities found in non-commensal bacteria. Through attenuation and genetic manipulation, these non-commensal bacteria have been engineered into recombinant forms that offer malleable platforms capable of addressing the immune imbalances found in RA and T1D. Such bacteria have been engineered to express valuable gene products known to suppress autoimmunity such as anti-inflammatory cytokines, autoantigens, and enzymes synthesizing microbial metabolites. This review will highlight current and emerging trends in the field and discuss how they may be used to prevent and control autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Plocica
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Jugal Kishore Das
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Koichi S. Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan
- Institute of Vaccine Research and Development, Hokkaido University, Kita 15, Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77845, USA
| | - Robert C. Alaniz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77845, USA
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6
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De la Rosa-Ramos MA, Arellano-Reynoso B, Hernández-Badillo E, Guerra-Infante FM, Mancilla-Herrera I, Chaki SP, Ficht TA, Suárez-Güemes F. Evaluation of the goat cellular immune response to rBtuB-Hia-FlgK peptides from Brucella melitensis. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2023; 94:101944. [PMID: 36638645 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2023.101944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2022] [Revised: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by Brucella; B. melitensis is the most prevalent species in goats and humans. Previously, three B. melitensis peptides, rBtuB-Hia-FlgK showed antigen-specific immune responses in rodent models. The goal of this study was to evaluate the goat Th1/Th2 immune response to B. melitensis peptides. Twenty-eight animals were separated into four groups and were immunized with the rBtuB-Hia-FlgK peptides cocktail, adjuvant, PBS and Rev-1 vaccine, respectively. Peripheral blood samples were collected on days 0, 15, and 80 post-inoculation. The CD4+ and CD8+ T cells proliferation, and cytokine production of the Th-1 (IL-2, IL-12, TNF-α, and IFN-γ) and Th-2 profiles (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10) were evaluated. An increase of CD4+/CD8+ at 15 days post-vaccination was observed and continued until the 80th. In addition, the IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 mRNA expression were typically induced by the 15th day, but only IFN-γ levels were observed at day 80 post-immunization. Brucella pathogenesis is distinguished by the presence of a large amount of Th-1 cytokines. Although a reduced amount of IFN-γ in the culture supernatant was accurately detected compared with Rev-1 after 15 days, it could be influenced by the sampling schedule, as a higher cytokine production might be induced as early as the first-week post-vaccination. The results indicate that rBtuB-Hia-FlgK induced an immune response similar to the Rev-1 vaccine. The possible use of inert molecules with the unique ability to typically induce cellular response similar to attenuated vaccine represents an attractive option that should not be ruled out.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel A De la Rosa-Ramos
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - B Arellano-Reynoso
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - E Hernández-Badillo
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico
| | - Fernando M Guerra-Infante
- Departamento de Infectología e Inmunología, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes (INPerIER), Ciudad de México 11000, Mexico
| | - I Mancilla-Herrera
- Departamento de Infectología e Inmunología, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes (INPerIER), Ciudad de México 11000, Mexico
| | - S P Chaki
- Texas A&M University, Veterinary Pathobiology, TAMUs 4467, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - T A Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Veterinary Pathobiology, TAMUs 4467, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - F Suárez-Güemes
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (FMVZ), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico.
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7
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Wells KM, He K, Pandey A, Cabello A, Zhang D, Yang J, Gomez G, Liu Y, Chang H, Li X, Zhang H, Feng X, da Costa LF, Metz R, Johnson CD, Martin CL, Skrobarczyk J, Berghman LR, Patrick KL, Leibowitz J, Ficht A, Sze SH, Song J, Qian X, Qin QM, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. Brucella activates the host RIDD pathway to subvert BLOS1-directed immune defense. eLife 2022; 11:73625. [PMID: 35587649 PMCID: PMC9119680 DOI: 10.7554/elife.73625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The phagocytosis and destruction of pathogens in lysosomes constitute central elements of innate immune defense. Here, we show that Brucella, the causative agent of brucellosis, the most prevalent bacterial zoonosis globally, subverts this immune defense pathway by activating regulated IRE1α-dependent decay (RIDD) of Bloc1s1 mRNA encoding BLOS1, a protein that promotes endosome–lysosome fusion. RIDD-deficient cells and mice harboring a RIDD-incompetent variant of IRE1α were resistant to infection. Inactivation of the Bloc1s1 gene impaired the ability to assemble BLOC-1-related complex (BORC), resulting in differential recruitment of BORC-related lysosome trafficking components, perinuclear trafficking of Brucella-containing vacuoles (BCVs), and enhanced susceptibility to infection. The RIDD-resistant Bloc1s1 variant maintains the integrity of BORC and a higher-level association of BORC-related components that promote centrifugal lysosome trafficking, resulting in enhanced BCV peripheral trafficking and lysosomal destruction, and resistance to infection. These findings demonstrate that host RIDD activity on BLOS1 regulates Brucella intracellular parasitism by disrupting BORC-directed lysosomal trafficking. Notably, coronavirus murine hepatitis virus also subverted the RIDD–BLOS1 axis to promote intracellular replication. Our work establishes BLOS1 as a novel immune defense factor whose activity is hijacked by diverse pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Michelle Wells
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Kai He
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Aseem Pandey
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Ana Cabello
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Gabriel Gomez
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Yue Liu
- College of Plant Sciences, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Haowu Chang
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xueqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Symbolic Computation and Knowledge Engineering, Ministry of Education, College of Computer Science and Technology, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xuehuang Feng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | | | - Richard Metz
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Services, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Charles D Johnson
- Genomics and Bioinformatics Services, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Cameron Lee Martin
- Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Jill Skrobarczyk
- Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Luc R Berghman
- Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Kristin L Patrick
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Julian Leibowitz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Allison Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, United States
| | - Sing-Hoi Sze
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States.,Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States
| | - Xiaoning Qian
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States.,TEES-AgriLife Center for Bioinformatics & Genomic Systems Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States.,College of Plant Sciences, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Jilin, China
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
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8
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Das JK, Guo F, Hunt C, Steinmeyer S, Plocica JA, Kobayashi KS, Ding Y, Jayaraman A, Ficht TA, Alaniz RC, de Figueiredo P, Song J. A metabolically engineered bacterium controls autoimmunity and inflammation by remodeling the pro-inflammatory microenvironment. Gut Microbes 2022; 14:2143222. [PMID: 36404471 PMCID: PMC9683044 DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2022.2143222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has led to impressive advances in the treatment of autoimmune and pro-inflammatory disorders; yet, its clinical outcomes remain limited by a variety of factors including the pro-inflammatory microenvironment (IME). Discovering effective immunomodulatory agents, and the mechanisms by which they control disease, will lead to innovative strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of current immunotherapeutic approaches. We have metabolically engineered an attenuated bacterial strain (i.e., Brucella melitensis 16M ∆vjbR, Bm∆vjbR::tnaA) to produce indole, a tryptophan metabolite that controls the fate and function of regulatory T (Treg) cells. We demonstrated that treatment with Bm∆vjbR::tnaA polarized macrophages (Mφ) which produced anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-10) and promoted Treg function; moreover, when combined with adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of Treg cells, a single treatment with our engineered bacterial strain dramatically reduced the incidence and score of autoimmune arthritis and decreased joint damage. These findings show how a metabolically engineered bacterium can constitute a powerful vehicle for improving the efficacy of immunotherapy, defeating autoimmunity, and reducing inflammation by remodeling the IME and augmenting Treg cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jugal Kishore Das
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Carrie Hunt
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Shelby Steinmeyer
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Julia A Plocica
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Koichi S. Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yufang Ding
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Arul Jayaraman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Robert C. Alaniz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
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9
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Guo F, Das JK, Kobayashi KS, Qin QM, A Ficht T, Alaniz RC, Song J, Figueiredo PD. Live attenuated bacterium limits cancer resistance to CAR-T therapy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:e003760. [PMID: 34987022 PMCID: PMC8734016 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-003760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is characterized by the activation of immune checkpoints, which limit the ability of immune cells to attack the growing cancer. To overcome immune suppression in the clinic, antigen-expressing viruses and bacteria have been developed to induce antitumor immunity. However, the safety and targeting specificity are the main concerns of using bacteria in clinical practice as antitumor agents. In our previous studies, we have developed an attenuated bacterial strain (Brucella melitensis 16M ∆vjbR, henceforth Bm∆vjbR) for clinical use, which is safe in all tested animal models and has been removed from the select agent list by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, we demonstrated that Bm∆vjbR homed to tumor tissue and improved the TME in a murine model of solid cancer. In addition, live Bm∆vjbR promoted proinflammatory M1 polarization of tumor macrophages and increased the number and activity of CD8+ T cells in the tumor. In a murine colon adenocarcinoma model, when combined with adoptive transfer of tumor-specific carcinoembryonic antigen chimeric antigen receptor CD8+ T cells, tumor cell growth and proliferation was almost completely abrogated, and host survival was 100%. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that the live attenuated bacterial treatment can defeat cancer resistance to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy by remodeling the TME to promote macrophage and T cell-mediated antitumor immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fengguang Guo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Jugal K Das
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Koichi S Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
- Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Robert C Alaniz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Jianxun Song
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Paul De Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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10
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Benn JS, Chaki SP, Xu Y, Ficht TA, Rice-Ficht AC, Cook WE. Author Correction: Protective antibody response following oral vaccination with microencapsulated Bacillus Anthracis Sterne strain 34F2 spores. NPJ Vaccines 2021; 6:109. [PMID: 34417464 PMCID: PMC8379169 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-021-00374-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie S Benn
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yi Xu
- Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Allison C Rice-Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.,Texas A&M Health Science Center, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Walter E Cook
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
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11
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Ding S, Yang J, Feng X, Pandey A, Barhoumi R, Zhang D, Bell SL, Liu Y, da Costa LF, Rice-Ficht A, Watson RO, Patrick KL, Qin QM, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. Interactions between fungal hyaluronic acid and host CD44 promote internalization by recruiting host autophagy proteins to forming phagosomes. iScience 2021; 24:102192. [PMID: 33718841 PMCID: PMC7920835 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Phagocytosis and autophagy play critical roles in immune defense. The human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) subverts host autophagy-initiation complex (AIC)-related proteins, to promote its phagocytosis and intracellular parasitism of host cells. The mechanisms by which the pathogen engages host AIC-related proteins remain obscure. Here, we show that the recruitment of host AIC proteins to forming phagosomes is dependent upon the activity of CD44, a host cell surface receptor that engages fungal hyaluronic acid (HA). This interaction elevates intracellular Ca2+ concentrations and activates CaMKKβ and its downstream target AMPKα, which results in activation of ULK1 and the recruitment of AIC components. Moreover, we demonstrate that HA-coated beads efficiently recruit AIC components to phagosomes and CD44 interacts with AIC components. Taken together, these findings show that fungal HA plays a critical role in directing the internalization and productive intracellular membrane trafficking of a fungal pathogen of global importance. Fungal HA drives non-canonical and ligand-induced autophagy in phagocytic cells Cn recruits host CD44 to forming phagocytic cups to initiate fungal internalization Fungal HA-CD44 interactions elevate intracellular Ca2+ levels and activate CaMKKβ A Ca2+-CaMKKβ-AMPK-ULK1 signaling axis is involved in HA-CD44 induced autophagy
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengli Ding
- College of Plant Sciences & Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.,Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450002, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Xuehuan Feng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Aseem Pandey
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Rola Barhoumi
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4458, USA
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Samantha L Bell
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Yue Liu
- College of Plant Sciences & Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China
| | - Luciana Fachini da Costa
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.,Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Robert O Watson
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Kristin L Patrick
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- College of Plant Sciences & Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130062, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77807, USA.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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12
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Costa LF, Cabello AL, Batista DFA, Chaki SP, de Figueiredo P, da Paixão TA, Rice-Ficht AC, Ficht TA, Santos RL. The candidate vaccine strain Brucella ovis ∆abcBA is protective against Brucella melitensis infection in mice. Microbiol Immunol 2020; 64:730-736. [PMID: 32965738 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2020] [Revised: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Brucellosis is a major zoonotic disease, and Brucella melitensis is the species most often associated with human infection. Vaccination is the most efficient tool for controlling animal brucellosis, with a consequent decrease of incidence of human infections. Commercially available live attenuated vaccines provide some degree of protection, but retain residual pathogenicity to human and animals. In this study, Brucella ovis ∆abcBA (Bo∆abcBA), a live attenuated candidate vaccine strain, was tested in two formulations (encapsulated with alginate and alginate plus vitelline protein B [VpB]) to immunize mice against experimental challenge with B. melitensis strain 16M. One week after infection, livers and spleens of immunized mice had reduced numbers of the challenge strain B. melitensis 16M when compared with those of nonimmunized mice, with a reduction of approximately 1-log10 of B. melitensis 16M count in the spleens from immunized mice. Moreover, splenocytes stimulated with B. melitensis antigens in vitro secreted IFN-γ when mice had been immunized with Bo∆abcBA encapsulated with alginate plus VpB, but not with alginate alone. Body and liver weights were similar among groups, although spleens from mice immunized with Bo∆abcBA encapsulated with alginate were larger than those immunized with Bo∆abcBA encapsulated with alginate plus VpB or nonimmunized mice. This study demonstrated that two vaccine formulations containing Bo∆abcBA protected mice against experimental challenge with B. melitensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Fachini Costa
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana L Cabello
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Diego Felipe Alves Batista
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Tatiane Alves da Paixão
- Departamento de Patologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Allison C Rice-Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Renato Lima Santos
- Departamento de Clínica e Cirurgia Veterinárias, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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13
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Benn JS, Chaki SP, Xu Y, Ficht TA, Rice-Ficht AC, Cook WE. Protective antibody response following oral vaccination with microencapsulated Bacillus Anthracis Sterne strain 34F2 spores. NPJ Vaccines 2020; 5:59. [PMID: 32685200 PMCID: PMC7351773 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-020-0208-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
An oral vaccine against anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is urgently needed to prevent annual anthrax outbreaks that are causing catastrophic losses in free-ranging livestock and wildlife worldwide. The Sterne vaccine, the current injectable livestock vaccine, is a suspension of live attenuated B. anthracis Sterne strain 34F2 spores (Sterne spores) in saponin. It is not effective when administered orally and individual subcutaneous injections are not a practical method of vaccination for wildlife. In this study, we report the development of a microencapsulated oral vaccine against anthrax. Evaluating Sterne spore stability at varying pH's in vitro revealed that spore exposure to pH 2 results in spore death, confirming that protection from the gastric environment is of main concern when producing an oral vaccine. Therefore, Sterne spores were encapsulated in alginate and coated with a protein shell containing poly-L-lysine (PLL) and vitelline protein B (VpB), a non-immunogenic, proteolysis resistant protein isolated from Fasciola hepatica. Capsule exposure to pH 2 demonstrated enhanced acid gel character suggesting that alginate microcapsules provided the necessary protection for spores to survive the gastric environment. Post vaccination IgG levels in BALBc/J mouse serum samples indicated that encapsulated spores induced anti-anthrax specific responses in both the subcutaneous and the oral vaccination groups. Furthermore, the antibody responses from both vaccination routes were protective against anthrax lethal toxin in vitro, suggesting that further optimization of this vaccine formulation may result in a reliable oral vaccine that will conveniently and effectively prevent anthrax in wildlife populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie S. Benn
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843 USA
| | - Sankar P. Chaki
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843 USA
| | - Yi Xu
- Center for Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843 USA
| | - Allison C. Rice-Ficht
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843 USA
- Texas A&M Health Science Center, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College Station, TX 77843 USA
| | - Walter E. Cook
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843 USA
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14
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Qin QM, Pei J, Gomez G, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. A Tractable Drosophila Cell System Enables Rapid Identification of Acinetobacter baumannii Host Factors. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2020; 10:240. [PMID: 32528902 PMCID: PMC7264411 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2020.00240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Acinetobacter baumannii is an important causative agent of nosocomial infections worldwide. The pathogen also readily acquires resistance to antibiotics, and pan-resistant strains have been reported. A. baumannii is widely regarded as an extracellular bacterial pathogen. However, accumulating evidence demonstrates that the pathogen can invade, survive or persist in infected mammalian cells. Unfortunately, the molecular mechanisms controlling these processes remain poorly understood. Here, we show that Drosophila S2 cells provide several attractive advantages as a model system for investigating the intracellular lifestyle of the pathogen, including susceptibility to bacterial intracellular replication and limited infection-induced host cell death. We also show that the Drosophila system can be used to rapidly identify host factors, including MAP kinase proteins, which confer susceptibility to intracellular parasitism. Finally, analysis of the Drosophila system suggested that host proteins that regulate organelle biogenesis and membrane trafficking contribute to regulating the intracellular lifestyle of the pathogen. Taken together, these findings establish a novel model system for elucidating interactions between A. baumannii and host cells, define new factors that regulate bacterial invasion or intracellular persistence, and identify subcellular compartments in host cells that interact with the pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Ming Qin
- College of Plant Sciences, Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan TX, United States
| | - Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Gabriel Gomez
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan TX, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.,Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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15
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de Figueiredo P, Wells K, He K, Pandey A, Cabello AL, Gomez G, Rice-FIcht A, Sze SH, Qian X, Ficht TA. - Brucella induction of RIDD activity promotes intracellular parasitism by subverting BLOS1-controlled immune defense. The Journal of Immunology 2020. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.67.38] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The intracellular bacterial pathogen and biothreat agent Brucella is the causative agent of brucellosis, a global zoonotic disease that is associated with acute and chronic symptoms in humans and animals. The mechanisms by which the pathogen colonizes host cells remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that infection activates the regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD) of mRNA encoding BLOS1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles 1 subunit 1), a protein that promotes endosome-lysosome fusion. RIDD-deficient host cells as well as mice harboring a RIDD-incompetent variant of IRE1a displayed resistance to infection. Moreover, host cells carrying a RIDD resistant variant of BLOS1 displayed enhanced trafficking of the pathogen to lysosomes, and increased resistance to intracellular parasitism. Finally, cells harboring mutations in BLOS1 displayed increased susceptibility. Taken together, the data demonstrate that host RIDD activity on BLOS1 transcripts regulate Brucella intracellular parasitism by disrupting BLOS1-directed lysosomal trafficking activity, thereby promoting maintenance of the pathogen’s replicative niche in the endoplasmic reticulum.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelsey Wells
- 2Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center
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16
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Zriba S, Garcia-Gonzalez DG, Khalaf OH, Wheeler L, Chaki SP, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA, Arenas-Gamboa AM. Vaccine safety studies of Brucella abortus S19 and S19Δ vjbR in pregnant swine. Vaccine X 2019; 3:100041. [PMID: 31528851 PMCID: PMC6737346 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2019.100041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2019] [Revised: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucellosis in swine is caused by Brucella suis, a bacterial infection of nearly worldwide distribution. Brucella suis is also transmissible to humans, dogs and cattle and is considered a reemerging disease of public health concern. To date, there is no effective vaccine for swine. This prompted us to investigate the potential use of the commercially available vaccine for cattle or the live attenuated vaccine candidate S19ΔvjbR. As the first step, we sought to study the safety of the vaccine candidates when administered in pregnant sows, since one of the major drawbacks associated with vaccination using Live Attenuated Vaccines (LAV) is the induction of abortions when administered in pregnant animals. Fifteen pregnant gilts at mid-gestation were divided into four groups and subsequently vaccinated subcutaneously using different formulations containing 2.0 ± 0.508 × 109 CFU of either S19 or S19ΔvjbR. Vaccination in pregnant animals with the vaccine candidates did not induce abortion, stillbirths or a reduction in litter size. Multiple tissues in the gilts and piglets were examined at the time of delivery to assess bacterial colonization and histopathological changes. There was no evidence of vaccine persistence in the gilts or bacterial colonization in the fetuses. Altogether, these data suggest that both vaccine candidates are safe for use in pregnant swine. Analysis of the humoral responses, specifically anti-Brucella IgG levels measured in serum, demonstrated a robust response induced by either vaccine, but of shorter duration (4-6 weeks post-inoculation) compared to that observed in cattle or experimentally infected mice. Such a transient humoral response may prove to be beneficial in cases where the vaccine is used in eradication campaigns and in the differentiation of vaccinated from infected animals. This study provides evidence to support future efficacy studies of both vaccine candidates in swine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slim Zriba
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Daniel G. Garcia-Gonzalez
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Omar H. Khalaf
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathology & Poultry Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq
| | - Lance Wheeler
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sankar P. Chaki
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Angela M. Arenas-Gamboa
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical, Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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17
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de Figueiredo P, Pandey A, Ding SL, Qin QM, Gupta R, Gomez G, Lin F, Feng X, de Costa LF, Chaki SP, Katepalli M, Case E, Van Schaik E, Sidiq T, Khalaf O, Arenas A, Kobayashi KS, Samuel JE, Rivera G, Alaniz RC, Sze SH, Qian X, Brown WJ, Rice-Ficht A, Russell W, Ficht TA. Mechanisms controlling Cryptococcus Intracellular Parasitism. The Journal of Immunology 2019. [DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.202.supp.190.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) is a deadly fungal pathogen whose intracellular lifestyle is important for virulence. Host mechanisms controlling fungal phagocytosis and replication remain obscure. Here, we describe insights that have emerged from a global phosphoproteomic analysis of the host response to Cryptococcus infection. Our analysis revealed diverse host proteins that were differentially phosphorylated following fungal infection, indicating global reprogramming of host kinase signaling during this process. Notably, phagocytosis of the pathogen activated the host autophagy initiation complex (AIC) as well as regulatory components that reside upstream of this complex. Cn-containing vacuoles (CnCVs) were found to be decorated with the cell surface marker CD44, which colocalized with components of the AIC complex. Taken together, these findings suggest that associations between CD44 and AIC proteins confer susceptibility to infection, thereby implicating novel host mechanisms in regulating fungal intracellular parasitism.
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18
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Patrick KL, Wojcechowskyj JA, Bell SL, Riba MN, Jing T, Talmage S, Xu P, Cabello AL, Xu J, Shales M, Jimenez-Morales D, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P, Samuel JE, Li P, Krogan NJ, Watson RO. Quantitative Yeast Genetic Interaction Profiling of Bacterial Effector Proteins Uncovers a Role for the Human Retromer in Salmonella Infection. Cell Syst 2018; 7:323-338.e6. [PMID: 30077634 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2018.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Revised: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Intracellular bacterial pathogens secrete a repertoire of effector proteins into host cells that are required to hijack cellular pathways and cause disease. Despite decades of research, the molecular functions of most bacterial effectors remain unclear. To address this gap, we generated quantitative genetic interaction profiles between 36 validated and putative effectors from three evolutionarily divergent human bacterial pathogens and 4,190 yeast deletion strains. Correlating effector-generated profiles with those of yeast mutants, we recapitulated known biology for several effectors with remarkable specificity and predicted previously unknown functions for others. Biochemical and functional validation in human cells revealed a role for an uncharacterized component of the Salmonella SPI-2 translocon, SseC, in regulating maintenance of the Salmonella vacuole through interactions with components of the host retromer complex. These results exhibit the power of genetic interaction profiling to discover and dissect complex biology at the host-pathogen interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin L Patrick
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Jason A Wojcechowskyj
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institute, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Samantha L Bell
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Morgan N Riba
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Tao Jing
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Sara Talmage
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Pengbiao Xu
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Ana L Cabello
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Jiewei Xu
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Michael Shales
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - David Jimenez-Morales
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institute, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - James E Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA
| | - Pingwei Li
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Nevan J Krogan
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Quantitative Biosciences Institute (QBI), University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; J. David Gladstone Institute, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
| | - Robert O Watson
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, Bryan, TX 77802, USA.
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19
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Pandey A, Lin F, Cabello AL, da Costa LF, Feng X, Feng HQ, Zhang MZ, Iwawaki T, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P, Qin QM. Activation of Host IRE1α-Dependent Signaling Axis Contributes the Intracellular Parasitism of Brucella melitensis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2018; 8:103. [PMID: 29732320 PMCID: PMC5919948 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Brucella spp. are intracellular vacuolar pathogens that causes brucellosis, a worldwide zoonosis of profound importance. We previously demonstrated that the activity of host unfolded protein response (UPR) sensor IRE1α (inositol-requiring enzyme 1) and ER-associated autophagy confer susceptibility to Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus intracellular replication. However, the mechanism by which host IRE1α regulates the pathogen intracellular lifestyle remains elusive. In this study, by employing a diverse array of molecular approaches, including biochemical analyses, fluorescence microscopy imaging, and infection assays using primary cells derived from Ern1 (encoding IRE1) conditional knockout mice, we address this gap in our understanding by demonstrating that a novel IRE1α to ULK1, an important component for autophagy initiation, signaling axis confers susceptibility to Brucella intracellular parasitism. Importantly, deletion or inactivation of key signaling components along this axis, including IRE1α, BAK/BAX, ASK1, and JNK as well as components of the host autophagy system ULK1, Atg9a, and Beclin 1, resulted in striking disruption of Brucella intracellular trafficking and replication. Host kinases in the IRE1α-ULK1 axis, including IRE1α, ASK1, JNK1, and/or AMPKα as well as ULK1, were also coordinately phosphorylated in an IRE1α-dependent fashion upon the pathogen infection. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the IRE1α-ULK1 signaling axis is subverted by the bacterium to promote intracellular parasitism, and provide new insight into our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of intracellular lifestyle of Brucella.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aseem Pandey
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Furong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Ana L Cabello
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Luciana F da Costa
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Xuehuan Feng
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China.,Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Hui-Qiang Feng
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Ming-Zhe Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Takao Iwawaki
- Division of Cell Medicine, Department of Life Science, Medical Research Institute, Kanazawa Medical University, Uchinada, Japan
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, TX, United States.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States.,Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun, China
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20
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Pandey A, Ding SL, Qin QM, Gupta R, Gomez G, Lin F, Feng X, Fachini da Costa L, Chaki SP, Katepalli M, Case ED, van Schaik EJ, Sidiq T, Khalaf O, Arenas A, Kobayashi KS, Samuel JE, Rivera GM, Alaniz RC, Sze SH, Qian X, Brown WJ, Rice-Ficht A, Russell WK, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. Global Reprogramming of Host Kinase Signaling in Response to Fungal Infection. Cell Host Microbe 2017; 21:637-649.e6. [PMID: 28494245 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 03/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn) is a deadly fungal pathogen whose intracellular lifestyle is important for virulence. Host mechanisms controlling fungal phagocytosis and replication remain obscure. Here, we perform a global phosphoproteomic analysis of the host response to Cryptococcus infection. Our analysis reveals numerous and diverse host proteins that are differentially phosphorylated following fungal ingestion by macrophages, thereby indicating global reprogramming of host kinase signaling. Notably, phagocytosis of the pathogen activates the host autophagy initiation complex (AIC) and the upstream regulatory components LKB1 and AMPKα, which regulate autophagy induction through their kinase activities. Deletion of Prkaa1, the gene encoding AMPKα1, in monocytes results in resistance to fungal colonization of mice. Finally, the recruitment of AIC components to nascent Cryptococcus-containing vacuoles (CnCVs) regulates the intracellular trafficking and replication of the pathogen. These findings demonstrate that host AIC regulatory networks confer susceptibility to infection and establish a proteomic resource for elucidating host mechanisms that regulate fungal intracellular parasitism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aseem Pandey
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Sheng Li Ding
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Protection, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, Henan, China
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- College of Plant Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, Jilin, China; Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, Jilin University, Changchun 130062, Jilin, China
| | - Rahul Gupta
- Health and Engineering Group, Leidos Inc., 2295 Parklake Drive, Atlanta, GA 30345, USA
| | - Gabriel Gomez
- Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Furong Lin
- Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Xuehuan Feng
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Luciana Fachini da Costa
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Madhu Katepalli
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Case
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Erin J van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Tabasum Sidiq
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Omar Khalaf
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Angela Arenas
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Koichi S Kobayashi
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - James E Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Gonzalo M Rivera
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Robert C Alaniz
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Sing-Hoi Sze
- Center for Bioinformatics & Genomic Systems Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Xiaoning Qian
- Center for Bioinformatics & Genomic Systems Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dwight Look College of Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - William J Brown
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2703, USA
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - William K Russell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA.
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA.
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Russell-Lodrigue KE, Killeen SZ, Ficht TA, Roy CJ. Mucosal bacterial dissemination in a rhesus macaque model of experimental brucellosis. J Med Primatol 2017; 47:75-77. [PMID: 28573738 DOI: 10.1111/jmp.12282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animals were experimentally infected with Brucella melitensis via aerosol. B. melitensis was cultured from the saliva and vaginal vault of infected animals, corresponding to bacterial dissemination in other target tissues. This is the first report of bacterial dissemination to these mucosal surfaces in a non-human primate model of brucellosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Chad J Roy
- Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, LA, USA
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22
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Abstract
Purpose of Review Brucellosis is a neglected, zoonotic disease of nearly worldwide distribution. Despite brucellosis being recognized as a reproductive disease in animals, it has been historically known as a flu-like illness in humans with little or no significant role in maternal or newborn health. This review focuses on what is currently known relative to the epidemiology of brucellosis in human pregnancy as well as new insights of placental immunology. Recent Findings New evidence suggests that maternal infection poses a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes including increased risk for miscarriage during the first and second trimester of gestation, preterm delivery, and vertical transmission to the fetus. Adverse pregnancy outcomes were not associated with any specific clinical sign. However, prompt diagnosis and treatment significantly decreased the risk of miscarriage or any other adverse effect. Summary Brucellosis during pregnancy should be considered a significant risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in humans. The identification of the mechanism behind bacterial tropism should prove powerful for the development of new countermeasures to prevent these detrimental effects. Increased awareness concerning brucellosis in pregnant women, its transmission, and prevention measures should be considered as a pressing need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M Arenas-Gamboa
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Carlos A Rossetti
- Instituto de Patobiología, CICVyA-CNIA, INTA, Nicolas Repetto y de Los Reseros s/n, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sankar P Chaki
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Daniel G Garcia-Gonzalez
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Leslie G Adams
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4467 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USA
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23
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Soler-Lloréns PF, Quance CR, Lawhon SD, Stuber TP, Edwards JF, Ficht TA, Robbe-Austerman S, O'Callaghan D, Keriel A. A Brucella spp. Isolate from a Pac-Man Frog ( Ceratophrys ornata) Reveals Characteristics Departing from Classical Brucellae. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2016; 6:116. [PMID: 27734009 PMCID: PMC5040101 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2016.00116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Brucella are highly infectious bacterial pathogens responsible for brucellosis, a frequent worldwide zoonosis. The Brucella genus has recently expanded from 6 to 11 species, all of which were associated with mammals; The natural host range recently expanded to amphibians after some reports of atypical strains from frogs. Here we describe the first in depth phenotypic and genetic characterization of a Brucella strains isolated from a frog. Strain B13-0095 was isolated from a Pac-Man frog (Ceratophyrus ornate) at a veterinary hospital in Texas and was initially misidentified as Ochrobactrum anthropi. We found that B13-0095 belongs to a group of early-diverging brucellae that includes Brucella inopinata strain BO1 and the B. inopinata-like strain BO2, with traits that depart significantly from those of the "classical" Brucella spp. Analysis of B13-0095 genome sequence revealed several specific features that suggest that this isolate represents an intermediate between a soil associated ancestor and the host adapted "classical" species. Like strain BO2, B13-0095 does not possess the genes required to produce the perosamine based LPS found in classical Brucella, but has a set of genes that could encode a rhamnose based O-antigen. Despite this, B13-0095 has a very fast intracellular replication rate in both epithelial cells and macrophages. Finally, another major finding in this study is the bacterial motility observed for strains B13-0095, BO1, and BO2, which is remarkable for this bacterial genus. This study thus highlights several novel characteristics in strains belonging to an emerging group within the Brucella genus. Accurate identification tools for such atypical Brucella isolates and careful evaluation of their zoonotic potential, are urgently required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro F Soler-Lloréns
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1047, UFR de MédecineNîmes, France; Université de Montpellier, U1047Nîmes, France
| | - Chris R Quance
- Mycobacteria and Brucella Section, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture Ames, IA, USA
| | - Sara D Lawhon
- Clinical Microbiology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
| | - Tod P Stuber
- Mycobacteria and Brucella Section, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture Ames, IA, USA
| | - John F Edwards
- Clinical Microbiology, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
| | - Suelee Robbe-Austerman
- Mycobacteria and Brucella Section, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture Ames, IA, USA
| | - David O'Callaghan
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1047, UFR de MédecineNîmes, France; Université de Montpellier, U1047Nîmes, France
| | - Anne Keriel
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, U1047, UFR de MédecineNîmes, France; Université de Montpellier, U1047Nîmes, France
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24
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Pandey A, Cabello A, Akoolo L, Rice-Ficht A, Arenas-Gamboa A, McMurray D, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. The Case for Live Attenuated Vaccines against the Neglected Zoonotic Diseases Brucellosis and Bovine Tuberculosis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2016; 10:e0004572. [PMID: 27537413 PMCID: PMC4990199 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination of humans and animals with live attenuated organisms has proven to be an effective means of combatting some important infectious diseases. In fact, the 20th century witnessed tremendous improvements in human and animal health worldwide as a consequence of large-scale vaccination programs with live attenuated vaccines (LAVs). Here, we use the neglected zoonotic diseases brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis (BTb) caused by Brucella spp. and Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), respectively, as comparative models to outline the merits of LAV platforms with emphasis on molecular strategies that have been pursued to generate LAVs with enhanced vaccine safety and efficacy profiles. Finally, we discuss the prospects of LAV platforms in the fight against brucellosis and BTb and outline new avenues for future research towards developing effective vaccines using LAV platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aseem Pandey
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AP); (PdF)
| | - Ana Cabello
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Lavoisier Akoolo
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, United States of America
| | - Angela Arenas-Gamboa
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - David McMurray
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, United States of America
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (AP); (PdF)
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25
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Di Russo Case E, Smith JA, Ficht TA, Samuel JE, de Figueiredo P. Space: A Final Frontier for Vacuolar Pathogens. Traffic 2016; 17:461-74. [PMID: 26842840 PMCID: PMC6048968 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 01/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is a fundamental gap in our understanding of how a eukaryotic cell apportions the limited space within its cell membrane. Upon infection, a cell competes with intracellular pathogens for control of this same precious resource. The struggle between pathogen and host provides us with an opportunity to uncover the mechanisms regulating subcellular space by understanding how pathogens modulate vesicular traffic and membrane fusion events to create a specialized compartment for replication. By comparing several important intracellular pathogens, we review the molecular mechanisms and trafficking pathways that drive two space allocation strategies, the formation of tight and spacious pathogen-containing vacuoles. Additionally, we discuss the potential advantages of each pathogenic lifestyle, the broader implications these lifestyles might have for cellular biology and outline exciting opportunities for future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Di Russo Case
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Judith A. Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - James E. Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, TX, USA
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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26
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de Figueiredo P, Ficht TA, Rice-Ficht A, Rossetti CA, Adams LG. Pathogenesis and immunobiology of brucellosis: review of Brucella-host interactions. Am J Pathol 2015; 185:1505-17. [PMID: 25892682 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 266] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Revised: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 03/02/2015] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
This review of Brucella-host interactions and immunobiology discusses recent discoveries as the basis for pathogenesis-informed rationales to prevent or treat brucellosis. Brucella spp., as animal pathogens, cause human brucellosis, a zoonosis that results in worldwide economic losses, human morbidity, and poverty. Although Brucella spp. infect humans as an incidental host, 500,000 new human infections occur annually, and no patient-friendly treatments or approved human vaccines are reported. Brucellae display strong tissue tropism for lymphoreticular and reproductive systems with an intracellular lifestyle that limits exposure to innate and adaptive immune responses, sequesters the organism from the effects of antibiotics, and drives clinical disease manifestations and pathology. Stealthy brucellae exploit strategies to establish infection, including i) evasion of intracellular destruction by restricting fusion of type IV secretion system-dependent Brucella-containing vacuoles with lysosomal compartments, ii) inhibition of apoptosis of infected mononuclear cells, and iii) prevention of dendritic cell maturation, antigen presentation, and activation of naive T cells, pathogenesis lessons that may be informative for other intracellular pathogens. Data sets of next-generation sequences of Brucella and host time-series global expression fused with proteomics and metabolomics data from in vitro and in vivo experiments now inform interactive cellular pathways and gene regulatory networks enabling full-scale systems biology analysis. The newly identified effector proteins of Brucella may represent targets for improved, safer brucellosis vaccines and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research, College Station, Texas; Norman Borlaug Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research, College Station, Texas
| | - Allison Rice-Ficht
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan, Texas
| | - Carlos A Rossetti
- Institute of Pathobiology, CICVyA-CNIA, National Institute of Animal Agriculture Technology (INTA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L Garry Adams
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research, College Station, Texas.
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27
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Pei J, Kahl-McDonagh M, Ficht TA. Brucella dissociation is essential for macrophage egress and bacterial dissemination. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2014; 4:23. [PMID: 24634889 PMCID: PMC3942807 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2014.00023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
It has long been observed that smooth Brucella can dissociate into rough mutants that are cytotoxic to macrophages. However, the in vivo biological significance and/or mechanistic details of Brucella dissociation and cytotoxicity remain incomplete. In the current report, a plaque assay was developed using Brucella strains exhibiting varying degrees of cytotoxicity. Infected monolayers were observed daily using phase contrast microscopy for plaque formation while Brucella uptake and replication were monitored using an immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Visible plaques were detected at 4–5 days post infection (p.i.) with cytotoxic Brucella 16MΔmanBA at an MOI of 0.1. IFA staining demonstrated that the plaques consisted of macrophages with replicating Brucella. Visible plaques were not detected in monolayers infected with non-cytotoxic 16MΔmanBAΔvirB2 at an MOI of 0.1. However, IFA staining did reveal small groups of macrophages (foci) with replicating Brucella in the monolayers infected with 16MΔmanBAΔvirB2. The size of the foci observed in macrophage monolayers infected with rough Brucella correlated directly with cytotoxicity measured in liquid culture, suggesting that cytotoxicity was essential for Brucella egress and dissemination. In monolayers infected with 16M, small and large foci were observed. Double antibody staining revealed spontaneous rough mutants within the large, but not the small foci in 16M infected monolayers. Furthermore, plaque formation was observed in the large foci derived from 16M infections. Finally, the addition of gentamicin to the culture medium inhibited plaque formation, suggesting that cell-to-cell spread occurred only following release of the organisms from the cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Brucella-induced cytotoxicity is critical for Brucella egress and dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station College Station, TX, USA
| | - Melissa Kahl-McDonagh
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station College Station, TX, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station College Station, TX, USA
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28
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Abstract
Drosophila melanogaster offers a powerful model system for interrogating interactions between host cells and human bacterial pathogens. Brucella, a gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium is the causative agent of brucellosis, a zoonotic disease of global consequence. Over the past several decades, pathogen factors that mediate Brucella infection have been identified. However, host factors that mediate infection have remained obscure. We have used the power of the Drosophila S2 cell system to identify and characterize host factors that support infection by Brucella melitensis. Host protein inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1α), a transmembrane kinase and master regulator of the eukaryotic unfolded protein response, was shown to play an important role in regulating Brucella infection, thereby providing the first glimpse of host mechanisms that are subverted by the pathogen to support its intracellular lifestyle. Furthermore, our study also established the Drosophila S2 cell as a powerful system for elucidating Brucella host factors. Here, we describe a protocol for using the Drosophila S2 cell system for studying the Brucella-host interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aseem Pandey
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA,
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29
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Lee KM, Chiu KB, Sansing HA, Didier PJ, Ficht TA, Arenas-Gamboa AM, Roy CJ, Maclean AG. Aerosol-induced brucellosis increases TLR-2 expression and increased complexity in the microanatomy of astroglia in rhesus macaques. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2013; 3:86. [PMID: 24350061 PMCID: PMC3844859 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucella melitensis, a bacterial pathogen and agent of epizootic abortion causes multiple pathologies in humans as well as a number of agriculturally important animal species. Clinical human brucellosis manifests as a non-specific, chronic debilitating disease characterized by undulant fever, arthropathies, cardiomyopathies and neurological sequelae. These symptoms can occur acutely for a few weeks or persist for months to years. Within the brain, endothelial and glial cells can be infected leading to downstream activation events including matrix metalloprotease (MMP) and cytokine secretion and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling. These events are likely to lead to tissue remodeling, including morphologic changes in neuronal and glial cells, which are linked to neurological complications including depressive behavior, immune activation and memory loss. Our hypothesis was that B. melitensis infection and neurobrucellosis would lead to activation of astrocytes through upregulation of TLR2 and stimulate concurrent changes in the microanatomy. All six animals were infected via inhalation route. TLR2 expression was approximately doubled in white matter astrocytes of infected rhesus macaques. There was also a 50% increase in the number of astrocytes per unit area in subcortical white matter tracts suggesting increased innate immune activation. This coincided with dramatic increases in the length and complexity of the cell arbor of hypertrophic astrocytes in both cortical gray and white matter. Thus, aerosol-induced brucellosis results in dramatically increased innate immune activation of astrocytes in the absence of widespread neuroinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim M Lee
- Program in Biomedical Science, Tulane School of Medicine New Orleans, LA, USA ; Divisions of Comparative Pathology and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center Covington, LA, USA
| | - Kevin B Chiu
- Department of Biomedical Science, Tulane University New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Hope A Sansing
- Divisions of Comparative Pathology and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center Covington, LA, USA
| | - Peter J Didier
- Divisions of Comparative Pathology and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center Covington, LA, USA
| | - Thomas A Ficht
- Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
| | | | - Chad J Roy
- Program in Biomedical Science, Tulane School of Medicine New Orleans, LA, USA ; Divisions of Comparative Pathology and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center Covington, LA, USA ; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Tulane School of Medicine New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Andrew G Maclean
- Program in Biomedical Science, Tulane School of Medicine New Orleans, LA, USA ; Divisions of Comparative Pathology and Microbiology, Tulane National Primate Research Center Covington, LA, USA ; Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Tulane School of Medicine New Orleans, LA, USA
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30
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Gomez G, Adams LG, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA. Host-Brucella interactions and the Brucella genome as tools for subunit antigen discovery and immunization against brucellosis. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2013; 3:17. [PMID: 23720712 PMCID: PMC3655278 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2013.00017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2012] [Accepted: 04/26/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is the most important approach to counteract infectious diseases. Thus, the development of new and improved vaccines for existing, emerging, and re-emerging diseases is an area of great interest to the scientific community and general public. Traditional approaches to subunit antigen discovery and vaccine development lack consideration for the critical aspects of public safety and activation of relevant protective host immunity. The availability of genomic sequences for pathogenic Brucella spp. and their hosts have led to development of systems-wide analytical tools that have provided a better understanding of host and pathogen physiology while also beginning to unravel the intricacies at the host-pathogen interface. Advances in pathogen biology, host immunology, and host-agent interactions have the potential to serve as a platform for the design and implementation of better-targeted antigen discovery approaches. With emphasis on Brucella spp., we probe the biological aspects of host and pathogen that merit consideration in the targeted design of subunit antigen discovery and vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Gomez
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843, USA.
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31
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Gomez G, Pei J, Mwangi W, Adams LG, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA. Immunogenic and invasive properties of Brucella melitensis 16M outer membrane protein vaccine candidates identified via a reverse vaccinology approach. PLoS One 2013; 8:e59751. [PMID: 23533646 PMCID: PMC3606113 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0059751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 02/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucella is the etiologic agent of brucellosis, one of the most common and widely distributed zoonotic diseases. Its highly infectious nature, the insidious, systemic, chronic, debilitating aspects of the disease and the lack of an approved vaccine for human use in the United States are features that make Brucella a viable threat to public health. One of the main impediments to vaccine development is identification of suitable antigens. In order to identify antigens that could potentially be used in a vaccine formulation, we describe a multi-step antigen selection approach. We initially used an algorithm (Vaxign) to predict ORF encoding outer membrane proteins with antigenic determinants. Differential gene expression during acute infection and published evidence for a role in virulence were used as criteria for down-selection of the candidate antigens that resulted from in silico prediction. This approach resulted in the identification of nine Brucella melitensis outer membrane proteins, 5 of which were recombinantly expressed and used for validation. Omp22 and Hia had the highest in silico scores for adhesin probability and also conferred invasive capacity to E. coli overexpressing recombinant proteins. With the exception of FlgK in the goat, all proteins reacted to pooled sera from exposed goats, mice, and humans. BtuB, Hia and FlgK stimulated a mixed Th1-Th2 response in splenocytes from immunized mice while BtuB and Hia elicited NO release from splenocytes of S19 immunized mice. The results support the applicability of the current approach to the identification of antigens with immunogenic and invasive properties. Studies to assess immunogenicity and protective efficacy of individual proteins in the mouse are currently underway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Gomez
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
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32
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Pei J, Ding X, Fan Y, Rice-Ficht A, Ficht TA. Toll-like receptors are critical for clearance of Brucella and play different roles in development of adaptive immunity following aerosol challenge in mice. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2012; 2:115. [PMID: 22973560 PMCID: PMC3435510 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 08/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Brucella spp. cause undulant fever in humans and brucellosis in variety of other animals. Both innate and adaptive immunity have been shown to be important in controlling Brucella infection. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) represent a group of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that play critical roles in the host innate immune response, as well as development of adaptive immunity. In the current report, we investigated the role of TLR signaling in the clearance of Brucella and development of adaptive immunity in TLR2(-/-), TLR4(-/-), or MyD88(-/-) mice following aerosol exposure to B. melitensis 16 M. Consistent with previous reports, MyD88 is required for efficient clearance of Brucella from all three organs (lung, spleen, and liver). The results reveal Th2-skewed immune responses in TLR2(-/-) mice late in infection and support a TLR2 requirement for efficient clearance of Brucella from the lungs, but not from the spleen or liver. Similarly, TLR4 is required for efficient clearance of Brucella from the lung, but exhibits a minor contribution to clearance from the spleen and no demonstrable contribution to clearance from the liver. Lymphocyte proliferation assays suggest that the TLRs are not involved in the development of cell-mediated memory response to Brucella antigen. Antibody detection reveals that TLR2 and 4 are required to generate early antigen-specific IgG, but not during the late stages of infection. TLR2 and 4 are only transiently required for IgM production and not at all for IgA production. In contrast, MyD88 is essential for antigen specific IgG production late in infection, but is not required for IgM generation over the course of infection. Surprisingly, despite the prominent role for MyD88 in clearance from all tissues, MyD88-knockout mice express significantly higher levels of serum IgA. These results confirm the important role of MyD88 in controlling infection in the spleen while providing evidence of a prominent contribution to protection in other tissues. In addition, although TLR4 and TLR2 contribute little to control of spleen infection, a significant contribution to clearance of lung infection is described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station TX, USA.
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33
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Abstract
DNA transfer between bacteria has a long and storied history. Starting shortly after the discovery by Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty that DNA was the genetic material, the exchange of DNA between bacteria confirmed that DNA transfer could stably change the phenotypic behavior of organisms. Continued effort along these lines led to the discovery of conjugation systems, bacteriophage transduction, bacterial genome mapping, and to some represents the birth of molecular biology. Recent findings by Dubey and Ben-Yehuda (2011) expand on these early results by suggesting that exchange between bacteria may occur continuously under certain growth conditions via nanotubes. These nanotubes have a structure similar to cell membranes and are sensitive to mild detergent treatment. Transfer of protein and plasmid DNA was demonstrated directly between neighboring and distant bacteria of the same and different genera. Transfer of RNA cannot be ruled out and the transfer of chromosomal DNA was not addressed. This work may reveal an important mechanism behind the spread of antibiotic resistance, however, much work remains to be done in order to confirm or refute the role of this mechanism in the dangerous spread of antibiotic resistance within the prokaryotic biosphere. The work of early molecular biology pioneers can be used as inspiration, if not as a direct template to guide future experimental confirmation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University College Station, TX, USA
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Pei J, Ficht TA. Lipopolysaccharide: a complex role in the pathogenesis of brucellosis. Vet J 2011; 189:5-6. [PMID: 20702124 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2010.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2010] [Revised: 07/07/2010] [Accepted: 07/08/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Qin QM, Luo J, Lin X, Pei J, Li L, Ficht TA, de Figueiredo P. Functional analysis of host factors that mediate the intracellular lifestyle of Cryptococcus neoformans. PLoS Pathog 2011; 7:e1002078. [PMID: 21698225 PMCID: PMC3116820 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2010] [Accepted: 04/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptococcus neoformans (Cn), the major causative agent of human fungal meningoencephalitis, replicates within phagolysosomes of infected host cells. Despite more than a half-century of investigation into host-Cn interactions, host factors that mediate infection by this fungal pathogen remain obscure. Here, we describe the development of a system that employs Drosophila S2 cells and RNA interference (RNAi) to define and characterize Cn host factors. The system recapitulated salient aspects of fungal interactions with mammalian cells, including phagocytosis, intracellular trafficking, replication, cell-to-cell spread and escape of the pathogen from host cells. Fifty-seven evolutionarily conserved host factors were identified using this system, including 29 factors that had not been previously implicated in mediating fungal pathogenesis. Subsequent analysis indicated that Cn exploits host actin cytoskeletal elements, cell surface signaling molecules, and vesicle-mediated transport proteins to establish a replicative niche. Several host molecules known to be associated with autophagy (Atg), including Atg2, Atg5, Atg9 and Pi3K59F (a class III PI3-kinase) were also uncovered in our screen. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated depletion of these autophagy proteins in murine RAW264.7 macrophages demonstrated their requirement during Cn infection, thereby validating findings obtained using the Drosophila S2 cell system. Immunofluorescence confocal microscopy analyses demonstrated that Atg5, LC3, Atg9a were recruited to the vicinity of Cn containing vacuoles (CnCvs) in the early stages of Cn infection. Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy and/or PI3-kinase activity further demonstrated a requirement for autophagy associated host proteins in supporting infection of mammalian cells by Cn. Finally, systematic trafficking studies indicated that CnCVs associated with Atg proteins, including Atg5, Atg9a and LC3, during trafficking to a terminal intracellular compartment that was decorated with the lysosomal markers LAMP-1 and cathepsin D. Our findings validate the utility of the Drosophila S2 cell system as a functional genomic platform for identifying and characterizing host factors that mediate fungal intracellular replication. Our results also support a model in which host Atg proteins mediate Cn intracellular trafficking and replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Borlaug Advanced Research Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (QMQ); (PdF)
| | - Jijing Luo
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Xiaorong Lin
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Lei Li
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Borlaug Advanced Research Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Borlaug Advanced Research Center, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail: (QMQ); (PdF)
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Turse JE, Pei J, Ficht TA. Lipopolysaccharide-Deficient Brucella Variants Arise Spontaneously during Infection. Front Microbiol 2011; 2:54. [PMID: 21833310 PMCID: PMC3153030 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2011] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Lipopolysaccharide-deficient mutants of smooth Brucella species (rough mutants) have been shown to arise spontaneously in culture. However, in situ analysis of Brucella infected macrophages using antibody directed against O-polysaccharide suggested a loss of reactivity of Brucella consistent with the appearance of rough organisms, and a potential contribution to infection. The experiments reported describe the direct recovery of Brucella from macrophages infected in vitro and from the spleens of infected mice at a frequency similar to that described in vitro, suggesting that Brucella dissociation is not simply an in vitro artifact. The frequency of appearance of spontaneous rough organisms deficient in O-polysaccharide expression measured in vitro is approximately 2–3 logs higher than the appearance of mutation to antibiotic resistance, purine auxotrophy, or reversion of erythritol sensitive ΔeryC mutants to tolerance. Genetic trans-complementation using a plasmid-based expression of Brucella manBA successfully restored O-polysaccharide expression in only one-third of O-polysaccharide deficient spontaneous mutants. Suggesting that the appearance of rough mutants is caused by mutation at more than one locus. In addition, Sanger sequencing of the manBA structural genes detected multiple sequence changes that may explain the observed phenotypic differences. The presence of O-polysaccharide resulted in macrophage and neutrophil infiltration into the peritoneal cavity and systemic distribution of the organism. In contrast, rough organisms are controlled by resident macrophages or by extracellular killing mechanisms and rapidly cleared from this compartment consistent with the inability to cause disease. Loss of O-polysaccharide expression appears to be stochastic giving rise to organisms with biological properties distinct from the parental smooth organism during the course of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua E Turse
- Veterinary Pathobiology and Faculty of Genetics, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Research College Station, TX, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C. Jupiter
- Department of Surgery, Scott & White Memorial Clinic and Hospital, Temple, Texas, United States of America
| | - Thomas A. Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - James Samuel
- Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Qing-Ming Qin
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Paul de Figueiredo
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Weeks JN, Galindo CL, Drake KL, Adams GL, Garner HR, Ficht TA. Brucella melitensis VjbR and C12-HSL regulons: contributions of the N-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone signaling molecule and LuxR homologue VjbR to gene expression. BMC Microbiol 2010; 10:167. [PMID: 20529360 PMCID: PMC2898763 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-10-167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2009] [Accepted: 06/08/2010] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Quorum sensing is a communication system that regulates gene expression in response to population density and often regulates virulence determinants. Deletion of the luxR homologue vjbR highly attenuates intracellular survival of Brucella melitensis and has been interpreted to be an indication of a role for QS in Brucella infection. Confirmation for such a role was suggested, but not confirmed, by the demonstrated in vitro synthesis of an auto-inducer (AI) by Brucella cultures. In an effort to further delineate the role of VjbR to virulence and survival, gene expression under the control of VjbR and AI was characterized using microarray analysis. Results Analyses of wildtype B. melitensis and isogenic ΔvjbR transciptomes, grown in the presence and absence of exogenous N-dodecanoyl homoserine lactone (C12-HSL), revealed a temporal pattern of gene regulation with variances detected at exponential and stationary growth phases. Comparison of VjbR and C12-HSL transcriptomes indicated the shared regulation of 127 genes with all but 3 genes inversely regulated, suggesting that C12-HSL functions via VjbR in this case to reverse gene expression at these loci. Additional analysis using a ΔvjbR mutant revealed that AHL also altered gene expression in the absence of VjbR, up-regulating expression of 48 genes and a luxR homologue blxR 93-fold at stationary growth phase. Gene expression alterations include previously un-described adhesins, proteases, antibiotic and toxin resistance genes, stress survival aids, transporters, membrane biogenesis genes, amino acid metabolism and transport, transcriptional regulators, energy production genes, and the previously reported fliF and virB operons. Conclusions VjbR and C12-HSL regulate expression of a large and diverse number of genes. Many genes identified as virulence factors in other bacterial pathogens were found to be differently expressed, suggesting an important contribution to intracellular survival of Brucella. From these data, we conclude that VjbR and C12-HSL contribute to virulence and survival by regulating expression of virulence mechanisms and thus controlling the ability of the bacteria to survive within the host cell. A likely scenario occurs via QS, however, operation of such a mechanism remains to be demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni N Weeks
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A & M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
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Ficht TA, Kahl-McDonagh MM, Arenas-Gamboa AM, Rice-Ficht AC. Brucellosis: the case for live, attenuated vaccines. Vaccine 2009; 27 Suppl 4:D40-3. [PMID: 19837284 PMCID: PMC2780424 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2009.08.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2009] [Accepted: 08/11/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The successful control of animal brucellosis and associated reduction in human exposure has limited the development of human brucellosis vaccines. However, the potential use of Brucella in bioterrorism or biowarfare suggests that direct intervention strategies are warranted. Although the dominant approach has explored the use of live attenuated vaccines, side effects associated with their use has prevented widespread use in humans. Development of live, attenuated Brucella vaccines that are safe for use in humans has focused on the deletion of important genes required for survival. However, the enhanced safety of deletion mutants is most often associated with reduced efficacy. For this reason recent efforts have sought to combine the optimal features of a attenuated live vaccine that is safe, free of side effects and efficacious in humans with enhanced immune stimulation through microencapsulation. The competitive advantages and innovations of this approach are: (1) use of highly attenuated, safe, gene knockout, live Brucella mutants; (2) manufacturing with unique disposable closed system technologies, and (3) oral/intranasal delivery in a novel microencapsulation-mediated controlled release formula to optimally provide the long term mucosal immunostimulation required for protective immunity. Based upon preliminary data, it is postulated that such vaccine delivery systems can be storage stable, administered orally or intranasally, and generally applicable to a number of agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ficht
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and TX AgriLife Research, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
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40
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Pei J, Turse JE, Ficht TA. Evidence of Brucella abortus OPS dictating uptake and restricting NF-kappaB activation in murine macrophages. Microbes Infect 2008; 10:582-90. [PMID: 18457975 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2008.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2007] [Revised: 12/08/2007] [Accepted: 01/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Smooth Brucella abortus S2308 is virulent while rough derivatives are attenuated. Intracellular killing is often blamed for these differences. In the studies described, uptake kinetics and interaction of S2308 and S2308 manBA::Tn5 (CA180) rough mutants with macrophages were investigated. The results revealed that smooth B. abortus was rapidly internalized, achieving a maximum level in less than 5 min without additional uptake over the next 30 min. In contrast, continued uptake of the rough mutant was observed and only achieves a maximum level after 30 min. The results were confirmed by the differences in F-actin polymerization, lipid raft staining, early endosome colocalization and electron microscopic observations after smooth and rough Brucella infection. We also demonstrated for the first time that uptake of S2308, but not rough mutant CA180 was PI3-kinase and toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) dependent. Differences in uptake were associated with differences in macrophage activation with regard to NF-kappaB translocation and cytokine production. These results provide evidence that the presence of B. abortus OPS dictates the interactions between Brucella and specific cell surface receptors minimizing macrophage activation and enhancing Brucella survival and/or persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA
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Kahl-McDonagh MM, Arenas-Gamboa AM, Ficht TA. Aerosol infection of BALB/c mice with Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus and protective efficacy against aerosol challenge. Infect Immun 2007; 75:4923-32. [PMID: 17664263 PMCID: PMC2044518 DOI: 10.1128/iai.00451-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease with a worldwide distribution that can be transmitted via intentional or accidental aerosol exposure. In order to engineer superior vaccine strains against Brucella species for use in animals as well as in humans, the possibility of challenge infection via aerosol needs to be considered to properly evaluate vaccine efficacy. In this study, we assessed the use of an aerosol chamber to infect deep lung tissue of mice to elicit systemic infections with either Brucella abortus or B. melitensis at various doses. The results reveal that B. abortus causes a chronic infection of lung tissue in BALB/c mice and peripheral organs at low doses. In contrast, B. melitensis infection diminishes more rapidly, and higher infectious doses are required to obtain infection rates in animals similar to those of B. abortus. Whether this difference translates to severity of human infection remains to be elucidated. Despite these differences, unmarked deletion mutants BADeltaasp24 and BMDeltaasp24 consistently confer superior protection to mice against homologous and heterologous aerosol challenge infection and should be considered viable candidates as vaccine strains against brucellosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Kahl-McDonagh
- Texas A&M University, Department of Pathobiology, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA
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Kahl-McDonagh MM, Ficht TA. Evaluation of protection afforded by Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis unmarked deletion mutants exhibiting different rates of clearance in BALB/c mice. Infect Immun 2006; 74:4048-57. [PMID: 16790778 PMCID: PMC1489724 DOI: 10.1128/iai.01787-05] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Research for novel Brucella vaccines has focused upon the development of live vaccine strains, which have proven more efficacious than killed or subunit vaccines. In an effort to develop improved vaccines, signature-tagged mutant banks were screened to identify mutants attenuated for survival. Mutants selected from these screens exhibited various degrees of attenuation characterized by the rate of clearance, ranging from a failure to grow in macrophages after 24 h of infection to a failure to persist in the mouse model beyond 8 weeks. Ideal vaccine candidates should be safe to the host, while evoking protective immunity. In the present work, we constructed unmarked deletion mutants of three gene candidates, manBA, virB2, and asp24, in both Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis. The Deltaasp24 mutants, which persist for extended periods in vivo, are superior to current vaccine strains and to other deletion strains tested in the mouse model against homologous challenge infection after 12, 16, and 20 weeks postvaccination. The Deltaasp24 mutants also display superior protection compared to DeltamanBA and DeltavirB2 mutants against heterologous challenge in mice. From this study, a direct association between protection against infection and cytokine response was not apparent between all vaccine groups and, therefore, correlates of protective immunity will need to be considered further. A distinct correlation between persistence of the vaccine strain and protection against infection was corroborated.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Kahl-McDonagh
- Texas A&M University, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, MS 4467, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA
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Kahl-McDonagh MM, Elzer PH, Hagius SD, Walker JV, Perry QL, Seabury CM, den Hartigh AB, Tsolis RM, Adams LG, Davis DS, Ficht TA. Evaluation of novel Brucella melitensis unmarked deletion mutants for safety and efficacy in the goat model of brucellosis. Vaccine 2006; 24:5169-77. [PMID: 16697090 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2006.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2005] [Revised: 03/27/2006] [Accepted: 04/04/2006] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Pregnant goats were employed to assess unmarked deletion mutant vaccine candidates BMDeltaasp24, BMDeltacydBA, and BMDeltavirB2, as the target host species naturally infected with Brucella melitensis. Goats were assessed for the degree of pathology associated with the vaccine strains as well as the protective immunity afforded by each strain against abortion and infection after challenge with wild-type Brucella melitensis 16M. Both BMDeltaasp24 and BMDeltavirB2 were considered safe vaccine candidates in the pregnant goat model because they did not cause abortion or colonize fetal tissues. BMDeltaasp24 was isolated from the maternal tissues only, indicating a slower rate of clearance of the vaccine strain than for BMDeltavirB2, which was not isolated from any maternal or fetal tissues. Both strains were protective against abortion and against infection in the majority of pregnant goats, although BMDeltaasp24 was more efficacious than BMDeltavirB2 against challenge infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa M Kahl-McDonagh
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, TX 77843-4467, United States.
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Pei J, Turse JE, Wu Q, Ficht TA. Brucella abortus rough mutants induce macrophage oncosis that requires bacterial protein synthesis and direct interaction with the macrophage. Infect Immun 2006; 74:2667-75. [PMID: 16622203 PMCID: PMC1459739 DOI: 10.1128/iai.74.5.2667-2675.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that smooth Brucella organisms inhibit macrophage apoptosis. In contrast, necrotic cell death of macrophages infected with rough Brucella organisms in vitro has been reported, which may in part explain the failure of some rough organisms to thrive. To characterize these potential macrophage killing mechanisms, J774.A1 murine macrophages were infected with Brucella abortus S2308-derived rough mutant CA180. Electron microscopic analysis and polyethylene glycol protection assays revealed that the cells were killed as a result of necrosis and oncosis. This killing was shown to be unaffected by treatment with carbenicillin, an inhibitor of bacterial cell wall biosynthesis and, indirectly, replication. In contrast, chloramphenicol treatment of macrophages infected at multiplicities of infection exceeding 10,000 prevented cell death, despite internalization of large numbers of bacteria. Similarly, heat-killed and gentamicin-killed CA180 did not induce cytopathic effects in the macrophage. These results suggested that killing of infected host cells requires active bacterial protein synthesis. Cytochalasin D treatment revealed that internalization of the bacteria was necessary to initiate killing. Transwell experiments demonstrated that cell death is not mediated by a diffusible product, including tumor necrosis factor alpha and nitric oxide, but does require direct contact between host and pathogen. Furthermore, macrophages preinfected with B. abortus S2308 or pretreated with B. abortus O polysaccharide did not prevent rough CA180-induced cell death. In conclusion, Brucella rough mutant infection induces necrotic and oncotic macrophage cell death that requires bacterial protein synthesis and direct interaction of bacteria with the target cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwu Pei
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA
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Abstract
This unit provides protocols for growth of Brucella abortus on solid or in liquid media and for long-term storage of laboratory stocks. Two issues affecting the culture and storage of isolates of this slow-growing bacterium are emphasized: contamination of cultures and outgrowth of attenuated variants lacking a complete lipopolysaccharide. Laboratories planning to work with B. abortus should be aware that Biosafety Level 3 facilities are required. Furthermore, this organism is classified in the U.S. as a Select Agent, which restricts its use to laboratories registered with the U.S. government's Select Agent programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Hui Sun
- University of California at Davis, Davis, California, USA
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O'Shea B, Khare S, Bliss K, Klein P, Ficht TA, Adams LG, Rice-Ficht AC. Amplified fragment length polymorphism reveals genomic variability among Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:3600-6. [PMID: 15297504 PMCID: PMC497631 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.42.8.3600-3606.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Ninety-six primer sets were used for amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to characterize the genomes of 20 Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis field isolates, 1 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolate (ATCC 19698), and 2 M. avium subsp. avium isolates (ATCC 35716 and Mac 104). AFLP analysis revealed a high degree of genomic polymorphism among M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates that may be used to establish diagnostic patterns useful for the epidemiological tracking of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates. Four M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-polymorphic regions revealed by AFLP were cloned and sequenced. Primers were generated internal to these regions for use in PCR analysis and applied to the M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis field isolates. An appropriate PCR product was obtained in 79 of 80 reactions, while the M. avium subsp. avium isolates failed to act as templates for PCR amplification in seven of eight reactions. This work revealed the presence of extensive polymorphisms in the genomes of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and M. avium subsp. avium, many of which are based on deletions. Of the M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific sequences studied, one revealed a 5,145-bp region with no homologue in the M. avium subsp. avium genome. Within this region are genes responsible for integrase-recombinase function. Three additional M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-polymorphic regions were cloned, revealing a number of housekeeping genes; all were evaluated for their diagnostic and epidemiological value.
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Affiliation(s)
- B O'Shea
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-1114, USA
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47
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den Hartigh AB, Sun YH, Sondervan D, Heuvelmans N, Reinders MO, Ficht TA, Tsolis RM. Differential requirements for VirB1 and VirB2 during Brucella abortus infection. Infect Immun 2004; 72:5143-9. [PMID: 15322008 PMCID: PMC517456 DOI: 10.1128/iai.72.9.5143-5149.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2004] [Revised: 05/12/2004] [Accepted: 06/02/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Brucella abortus virB operon, encoding a type IV secretion system (T4SS), is required for intracellular replication and persistent infection in the mouse model. The products of the first two genes of the virB operon, virB1 and virB2, are predicted to be localized at the bacterial surface, where they could potentially interact with host cells. Studies to date have focused on characterization of transposon mutations in these genes, which are expected to exert polar effects on downstream genes in the operon. In order to determine whether VirB1 and VirB2 are required for the function of the T4SS apparatus, we constructed and characterized nonpolar deletion mutations of virB1 and virB2. Both mutants were shown to be nonpolar, as demonstrated by their ability to express the downstream gene virB5 during stationary phase of growth in vitro. Both VirB1 and VirB2 were essential for intracellular replication in J774 macrophages. The nonpolar virB2 mutant was unable to cause persistent infection in the mouse model, demonstrating the essential role of VirB2 in the function of the T4SS apparatus during infection. In contrast, the nonpolar virB1 mutant persisted at wild-type levels, showing that the function of VirB1 is dispensable in the mouse model of persistent infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas B den Hartigh
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station, TX 77843-1114, USA
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48
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Khare S, Ficht TA, Santos RL, Romano J, Ficht AR, Zhang S, Grant IR, Libal M, Hunter D, Adams LG. Rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in bovine milk and feces by a combination of immunomagnetic bead separation-conventional PCR and real-time PCR. J Clin Microbiol 2004; 42:1075-81. [PMID: 15004056 PMCID: PMC356818 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.42.3.1075-1081.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunomagnetic bead separation coupled with bead beating and real-time PCR was found to be a very effective procedure for the isolation, separation, and detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis from milk and/or fecal samples from cattle and American bison. Samples were spiked with M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis organisms, which bound to immunomagnetic beads and were subsequently lysed by bead beating; then protein and cellular contaminants were removed by phenol-chloroform-isopropanol extraction prior to DNA precipitation. DNA purified by this sequence of procedures was then analyzed by conventional and real-time IS900-based PCR in order to detect M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in feces and milk. By use of this simple and rapid technique, 10 or fewer M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis organisms were consistently detected in milk (2-ml) and fecal (200-mg) samples, making this sensitive procedure very useful and cost-effective for the diagnosis of clinical and subclinical Johne's disease (paratuberculosis) compared to bacteriological culture, which is constrained by time, labor, and expense under diagnostic laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangeeta Khare
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843-4467, USA
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Abstract
Rough mutants of Brucella spp. are attenuated for survival in animal models. However, conflicting in vitro evidence has been obtained concerning the intracellular survival of rough mutants. Transposon-derived rough mutants isolated in our laboratory were previously shown to exhibit small but significant reductions in intracellular survival in a 12-h in vitro assay. Several recent publications report that rough mutants exhibited increased macrophage uptake relative to their smooth parental strains, and a reduction in numbers at the end of the assay has been interpreted as intracellular killing. In an effort to explore the role of O antigen in the interaction between Brucella abortus and macrophages, we have monitored the uptake of rough mutants and survival in vitro by using the murine macrophage cell line J774.A1. The results confirm a 10- to 20-fold-increased uptake of rough mutants over that of smooth organisms under standard conditions. Recovery of the rough mutants persisted up to 8 h postinfection, but at the point when intracellular replication of the smooth organisms was observed, the number of rough organisms recovered declined. Fluorescence microscopy revealed the intracellular multiplication of both smooth and rough organisms, and assays performed in the absence of antibiotic confirmed the replication of the rough organisms. Examination by phase-contrast microscopy revealed the lytic death of macrophages infected with the rough mutants, which was confirmed by the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) from the cell cytoplasm. Thus, the decline in the number of rough organisms was the result of the lysis of macrophages and not from intracellular killing. The cytopathic effect is characterized as necrotic rather than apoptotic cell death based on early LDH release, annexin V and propidium iodide staining, morphological changes of infected cells and nuclei, and glycine protection. The cytopathic effect was observed with macrophages at multiplicities of infection (MOIs) of as low as 20 and was not observed with epithelial cells at MOIs of as high as 2000. These findings suggest a role for O antigen during the early stages of host-agent interaction that is essential in establishing an intracellular niche that maintains and supports persistent intracellular infection resulting in disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianwu Pei
- Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University and Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station, Texas 77843-4467, USA
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Abstract
Brucellosis is caused by a facultative intracellular pathogen that invades both professional and non-professional phagocytic cells. Resistance to killing in professional phagocytic cells controls survival and chronic infection. Resistance of the organism to killing appears to derive from altered intracellular trafficking of Brucella containing vacuoles to the endoplasmic reticulum via the autophagic pathway. Acute infection is observed in pregnant ruminants in which invasion of the chorionic trophoblasts results in abortion. Following abortion persistence of the organism is observed in the mammary gland and lymph nodes of ruminants. The risk of multiple abortions and subsequent shedding of the organism in the milk has resulted in the culling of infected animals. Persistence of the organism in the reticuloendothelial system is a primary symptom in human infection and may persist over several decades. We have employed the mouse model of brucellosis to characterize genes responsible for persistent infection in an effort to identify potential drug targets for elimination of infection or to attenuate potential vaccine candidates. The results suggest that Brucella utilizes a battery of metabolic functions to sustain itself in intracellular environments in conjunction with altering the intracellular course of infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Ficht
- Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
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