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Ferenczi S, Solymosi N, Horváth I, Szeőcs N, Grózer Z, Kuti D, Juhász B, Winkler Z, Pankotai T, Sükösd F, Stágel A, Paholcsek M, Dóra D, Nagy N, Kovács KJ, Zanoni I, Szallasi Z. Efficient treatment of a preclinical inflammatory bowel disease model with engineered bacteria. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 20:218-226. [PMID: 33426148 PMCID: PMC7782194 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2020.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [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: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
We developed an orally administered, engineered, bacterium-based, RNA interference-mediated therapeutic method to significantly reduce the symptoms in the most frequently used animal model of inflammatory bowel disease. This bacterium-mediated RNA interference strategy was based on the genomically stable, non-pathogenic E. coli MDS42 strain, which was engineered to constitutively produce invasin and the listeriolysin O cytolysin. These proteins enabled the bacteria first to invade the colon epithelium and then degrade in the phagosome. This allowed the delivery of a plasmid encoding small hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF) into the cytoplasm of the target cells. The expression levels of TNF and other cytokines significantly decreased upon this treatment in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, and the degree of inflammation was significantly reduced. With further safety modifications this method could serve as a safe and side effect-free alternative to biologicals targeting TNF or other inflammatory mediators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Szilamer Ferenczi
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Budapest, Hungary
- Central European Biosystems, Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Norbert Solymosi
- Centre for Bioinformatics, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | | | - Dániel Kuti
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Balázs Juhász
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsanna Winkler
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tibor Pankotai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science and Informatics, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Farkas Sükösd
- Department of Pathology, Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Anikó Stágel
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Melinda Paholcsek
- Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | - Dávid Dóra
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Nándor Nagy
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Krisztina J. Kovács
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Laboratory of Molecular Neuroendocrinology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ivan Zanoni
- Divisions of Immunology and Gastroenterology, Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Zoltan Szallasi
- Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Computational Health Informatics Program, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- 2nd Department of Pathology, MTA-SE NAP, Brain Metastasis Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
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Grózer Z, Tóth A, Tóth R, Kecskeméti A, Vágvölgyi C, Nosanchuk JD, Szekeres A, Gácser A. Candida parapsilosis produces prostaglandins from exogenous arachidonic acid and OLE2 is not required for their synthesis. Virulence 2016; 6:85-92. [PMID: 25654274 DOI: 10.4161/21505594.2014.988097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prostaglandins are C20 fatty acid metabolites with diverse biological functions. In mammalian cells, prostaglandins are produced from arachidonic acid (AA) via cyclooxygenases (COX1 and COX2). Although fungi do not possess cyclooxygenase homologues, several pathogenic species are able to produce prostaglandins from host-derived arachidonic acid. In this study, we characterized the prostaglandin profile of the emerging human pathogen Candida parapsilosis with HPLC-MS and compared it to that of C. albicans. We found that both species synthesized prostaglandins (mainly PGD2 and PGE2) from exogenous AA. Furthermore, as OLE2 has been associated with prostaglandin synthesis in C. albicans, we generated homozygous OLE2 deletion mutants in C. parapsilosis and examined their PGE2 production. However, the PGE2 production of the OLE2 KO strain was similar to that of wild type (WT), indicating that OLE2 is not required for prostaglandin synthesis in C. parapsilosis. Interestingly, analyses of the fatty acid composition of WT and OLE2 KO cells by gas chromatography (GC) highlighted the accumulation of palmitoleic and oleic acid in the OLE2 deletion mutant. The OLE2 KO cells were killed more efficiently by human monocytes-derived macrophages (MDMs) as well as induced higher interleukin-10 (IL-10) secretion, indicating that OLE2 affects the virulence of C. parapsilosis. Taken together, these results contribute to the better understanding of fatty acid biosynthesis pathways in C. parapsilosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zsuzsanna Grózer
- a Department of Microbiology ; University of Szeged ; Szeged , Hungary
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Holland LM, Schröder MS, Turner SA, Taff H, Andes D, Grózer Z, Gácser A, Ames L, Haynes K, Higgins DG, Butler G. Comparative phenotypic analysis of the major fungal pathogens Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans. PLoS Pathog 2014; 10:e1004365. [PMID: 25233198 PMCID: PMC4169492 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [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] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Candida parapsilosis and Candida albicans are human fungal pathogens that belong to the CTG clade in the Saccharomycotina. In contrast to C. albicans, relatively little is known about the virulence properties of C. parapsilosis, a pathogen particularly associated with infections of premature neonates. We describe here the construction of C. parapsilosis strains carrying double allele deletions of 100 transcription factors, protein kinases and species-specific genes. Two independent deletions were constructed for each target gene. Growth in >40 conditions was tested, including carbon source, temperature, and the presence of antifungal drugs. The phenotypes were compared to C. albicans strains with deletions of orthologous transcription factors. We found that many phenotypes are shared between the two species, such as the role of Upc2 as a regulator of azole resistance, and of CAP1 in the oxidative stress response. Others are unique to one species. For example, Cph2 plays a role in the hypoxic response in C. parapsilosis but not in C. albicans. We found extensive divergence between the biofilm regulators of the two species. We identified seven transcription factors and one protein kinase that are required for biofilm development in C. parapsilosis. Only three (Efg1, Bcr1 and Ace2) have similar effects on C. albicans biofilms, whereas Cph2, Czf1, Gzf3 and Ume6 have major roles in C. parapsilosis only. Two transcription factors (Brg1 and Tec1) with well-characterized roles in biofilm formation in C. albicans do not have the same function in C. parapsilosis. We also compared the transcription profile of C. parapsilosis and C. albicans biofilms. Our analysis suggests the processes shared between the two species are predominantly metabolic, and that Cph2 and Bcr1 are major biofilm regulators in C. parapsilosis. Candida species are among the most common causes of fungal infection worldwide. Infections can be both community-based and hospital-acquired, and are particularly associated with immunocompromised individuals. Candida albicans is the most commonly isolated species and is the best studied. However, other species are becoming of increasing concern. Candida parapsilosis causes outbreaks of infection in neonatal wards, and is one of the few Candida species that is transferred from the hands of healthcare workers. C. parapsilosis, like C. albicans, grows as biofilms (cell communities) on the surfaces of indwelling medical devices like feeding tubes. We describe here the construction of a set of tools that allow us to characterize the virulence properties of C. parapsilosis, and in particular its ability to grow as biofilms. We find that some of the regulatory mechanisms are shared with C. albicans, but others are unique to each species. Our tools, based on selectively deleting regulatory genes, will provide a major resource to the fungal research community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M. Holland
- School of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Markus S. Schröder
- School of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Siobhán A. Turner
- School of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Heather Taff
- Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - David Andes
- Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Zsuzsanna Grózer
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Gácser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Lauren Ames
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Ken Haynes
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
| | - Desmond G. Higgins
- School of Medicine and Medical Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Geraldine Butler
- School of Biomedical and Biomolecular Science, Conway Institute, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, Ireland
- * E-mail:
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Németh T, Tóth A, Szenzenstein J, Horváth P, Nosanchuk JD, Grózer Z, Tóth R, Papp C, Hamari Z, Vágvölgyi C, Gácser A. Characterization of virulence properties in the C. parapsilosis sensu lato species. PLoS One 2013; 8:e68704. [PMID: 23874732 PMCID: PMC3706360 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 02/18/2013] [Accepted: 05/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The C. parapsilosis sensu lato group involves three closely related species, C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis. Although their overall clinical importance is dramatically increasing, there are few studies regarding the virulence properties of the species of the psilosis complex. In this study, we tested 63 C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, 12 C. metapsilosis and 18 C. orthopsilosis isolates for the ability to produce extracellular proteases, secrete lipases and form pseudohyphae. Significant differences were noted between species, with the C. metapsilosis strains failing to secrete lipase or to produce pseudohyphae. Nine different clinical isolates each of C. parapsilosis sensu stricto, C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis were co-cultured with immortalized murine or primary human macrophages. C. parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates showed a significantly higher resistance to killing by primary human macrophages compared to C. orthopsilosis and C. metapsilosis isolates. In contrast, the killing of isolates by J774.2 mouse macrophages did not differ significantly between species. However, C. parapsilosis sensu stricto isolates induced the most damage to murine and human macrophages, and C. metapsilosis strains were the least toxic. Furthermore, strains that produced lipase or pseudohyphae were most resistant to macrophage-mediated killing and produced the most cellular damage. Finally, we used 9 isolates of each of the C. parapsilosis sensus lato species to examine their impact on the survival of Galleriamellonella larvae. The mortality rate of G. mellonella larvae infected with C. metapsilosis isolates was significantly lower than those infected with C. parapsilosis sensu stricto or C. orthopsilosis strains. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that C. metapsilosis is indeed the least virulent member of the psilosis group, and also highlight the importance of pseudohyphae and secreted lipases during fungal-host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tibor Németh
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Adél Tóth
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | | | - Péter Horváth
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Joshua D. Nosanchuk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Zsuzsanna Grózer
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Renáta Tóth
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Csaba Papp
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Zsuzsanna Hamari
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Csaba Vágvölgyi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Attila Gácser
- Department of Microbiology, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary
- * E-mail:
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