Metalloprotease NleC suppresses host NF-?B/inflammatory responses by cleaving p65 and interfering with the p65/RPS3 interaction.

ABSTRACT: Attaching/Effacing (A/E) pathogens including enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and the rodent equivalent Citrobacter rodentium are important causative agents of foodborne diseases. Upon infection, a myriad of virulence proteins (effectors) encoded by A/E pathogens are injected through their conserved type III secretion systems (T3SS) into host cells where they interfere with cell signaling cascades, in particular the nuclear factor kappaB (NF-?B) signaling pathway that orchestrates both innate and adaptive immune responses for host defense. Among the T3SS-secreted non-LEE-encoded (Nle) effectors, NleC, a metalloprotease, has been recently elucidated to modulate host NF-?B signaling by cleaving NF-?B Rel subunits. However, it remains elusive how NleC recognizes NF-?B Rel subunits and how the NleC-mediated cleavage impacts on host immune responses in infected cells and animals. In this study, we show that NleC specifically targets p65/RelA through an interaction with a unique N-terminal sequence in p65. NleC cleaves p65 in intestinal epithelial cells, albeit a small percentage of the molecule, to generate the p65¹?³? fragment during C. rodentium infection in cultured cells. Moreover, the NleC-mediated p65 cleavage substantially affects the expression of a subset of NF-?B target genes encoding proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines, immune cell infiltration in the colon, and tissue injury in C. rodentium-infected mice. Mechanistically, the NleC cleavage-generated p65¹?³? fragment interferes with the interaction between p65 and ribosomal protein S3 (RPS3), a 'specifier' subunit of NF-?B that confers a subset of proinflammatory gene transcription, which amplifies the effect of cleaving only a small percentage of p65 to modulate NF-?B-mediated gene expression. Thus, our results reveal a novel mechanism for A/E pathogens to specifically block NF-?B signaling and inflammatory responses by cleaving a small percentage of p65 and targeting the p65/RPS3 interaction in host cells, thus providing novel insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of foodborne diseases.

SUBMITTER: Hodgson A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4355070 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature