Dataset Information

Pseudomonas aeruginosa vesicles associate with and are internalized by human lung epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major pathogen associated with chronic and ultimately fatal lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). To investigate how P. aeruginosa-derived vesicles may contribute to lung disease, we explored their ability to associate with human lung cells.

Results

Purified vesicles associated with lung cells and were internalized in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Vesicles from a CF isolate exhibited a 3- to 4-fold greater association with lung cells than vesicles from the lab strain PAO1. Vesicle internalization was temperature-dependent and was inhibited by hypertonic sucrose and cyclodextrins. Surface-bound vesicles rarely colocalized with clathrin. Internalized vesicles colocalized with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) marker, TRAPalpha, as well as with ER-localized pools of cholera toxin and transferrin. CF isolates of P. aeruginosa abundantly secrete PaAP (PA2939), an aminopeptidase that associates with the surface of vesicles. Vesicles from a PaAP knockout strain exhibited a 40% decrease in cell association. Likewise, vesicles from PAO1 overexpressing PaAP displayed a significant increase in cell association.

Conclusion

These data reveal that PaAP promotes the association of vesicles with lung cells. Taken together, these results suggest that P. aeruginosa vesicles can interact with and be internalized by lung epithelial cells and contribute to the inflammatory response during infection.

SUBMITTER: Bauman SJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2653510 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Pseudomonas aeruginosa vesicles associate with and are internalized by human lung epithelial cells.

Bauman Susanne J SJ Kuehn Meta J MJ

BMC microbiology 20090203

<h4>Background</h4>Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major pathogen associated with chronic and ultimately fatal lung infections in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). To investigate how P. aeruginosa-derived vesicles may contribute to lung disease, we explored their ability to associate with human lung cells.<h4>Results</h4>Purified vesicles associated with lung cells and were internalized in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Vesicles from a CF isolate exhibited a 3- to 4-fold greater association ...[more]

PMID: 19192306

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Project description:BackgroundOtitis media (OM) is an inflammation of the middle ear which can be acute or chronic. Acute OM is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis whereas Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). CSOM is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the middle ear characterized by infection and discharge. The survivors often suffer from hearing loss and neurological sequelae. However, no information is available regarding the interaction of P. aeruginosa with human middle ear epithelial cells (HMEECs).Methodology and findingsIn the present investigation, we demonstrate that P. aeruginosa is able to enter and survive inside HMEECs via an uptake mechanism that is dependent on microtubule and actin microfilaments. The actin microfilament disrupting agent as well as microtubule inhibitors exhibited significant decrease in invasion of HMEECs by P. aeruginosa. Confocal microscopy demonstrated F-actin condensation associated with bacterial entry. This recruitment of F-actin was transient and returned to normal distribution after bacterial internalization. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of bacteria on the surface of HMEECs, and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the internalization of P. aeruginosa located in the plasma membrane-bound vacuoles. We observed a significant decrease in cell invasion of OprF mutant compared to the wild-type strain. P. aeruginosa induced cytotoxicity, as demonstrated by the determination of lactate dehydrogenase levels in culture supernatants of infected HMEECs and by a fluorescent dye-based assay. Interestingly, OprF mutant showed little cell damage compared to wild-type P. aeruginosa.Conclusions and significanceThis study deciphered the key events in the interaction of P. aeruginosa with HMEECs in vitro and highlighted the role of bacterial outer membrane protein, OprF, in this process. Understanding the molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of CSOM will help in identifying novel targets to design effective therapeutic strategies and to prevent hearing loss.

Project description:The Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin ExoS, secreted by the type III secretion system (T3SS), supports intracellular persistence via its ADP-ribosyltransferase (ADPr) activity. For epithelial cells, this involves inhibiting vacuole acidification, promoting vacuolar escape, countering autophagy, and niche construction in the cytoplasm and within plasma membrane blebs. Paradoxically, ExoS and other P. aeruginosa T3SS effectors can also have antiphagocytic and cytotoxic activities. Here, we sought to reconcile these apparently contradictory activities of ExoS by studying the relationships between intracellular persistence and host epithelial cell death. Methods involved quantitative imaging and the use of antibiotics that vary in host cell membrane permeability to selectively kill intracellular and extracellular populations after invasion. Results showed that intracellular P. aeruginosa mutants lacking T3SS effector toxins could kill (permeabilize) cells when extracellular bacteria were eliminated. Surprisingly, wild-type strain PAO1 (encoding ExoS, ExoT and ExoY) caused cell death more slowly, the time extended from 5.2 to 9.5 h for corneal epithelial cells and from 10.2 to 13.0 h for HeLa cells. Use of specific mutants/complementation and controls for initial invasion showed that ExoS ADPr activity delayed cell death. Triggering T3SS expression only after bacteria invaded cells using rhamnose-induction in T3SS mutants rescued the ExoS-dependent intracellular phenotype, showing that injected effectors from extracellular bacteria were not required. The ADPr activity of ExoS was further found to support internalization by countering the antiphagocytic activity of both the ExoS and ExoT RhoGAP domains. Together, these results show two additional roles for ExoS ADPr activity in supporting the intracellular lifestyle of P. aeruginosa; suppression of host cell death to preserve a replicative niche and inhibition of T3SS effector antiphagocytic activities to allow invasion. These findings add to the growing body of evidence that ExoS-encoding (invasive) P. aeruginosa strains can be facultative intracellular pathogens, and that intracellularly secreted T3SS effectors contribute to pathogenesis.

Dataset Information

Pseudomonas aeruginosa vesicles associate with and are internalized by human lung epithelial cells.

Background

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Pseudomonas aeruginosa vesicles associate with and are internalized by human lung epithelial cells.

Similar Datasets

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