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A Coxiella burnetii phospholipase A homolog pldA is required for optimal growth in macrophages and developmental form lipid remodeling.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Many gram-negative bacteria produce an outer membrane phospholipase A (PldA) that plays an important role in outer membrane function and is associated with virulence. RESULTS:In the current study, we characterized a pldA mutant of Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular gram-negative pathogen and the agent of human Q fever. The C. burnetti pldA open reading frame directs synthesis of a protein with conserved PldA active site residues. A C. burnetii ?pldA deletion mutant had a significant growth defect in THP-1 macrophages, but not axenic medium, that was rescued by complementation. Thin layer chromatography was employed to assess whether pldA plays a role in remodeling membrane lipids during C. burnetii morphological differentiation. Extracted lipids were analyzed from replicating, logarithmic phase large cell variants (LCVs), non-replicating, stationary phase small cell variants (SCVs), and a mixture of LCVs and SCVs. Similar to Escherichia coli, all three forms contained cardiolipin (CL), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). However, PE and PG were present in lower quantities in the SCV while three additional lipid species were present in higher quantities. Co-migration with standards tentatively identified two of the three SCV-enriched lipids as lyso-phosphatidylethanolamine, a breakdown product of PE, and free fatty acids, which are generally toxic to bacteria. Developmental form lipid modifications required the activity of PldA. CONCLUSIONS:Collectively, these results indicate developmentally-regulated lipid synthesis by C. burnetii contributes to colonization of macrophages and may contribute to the environmental stability and the distinct biological properties of the SCV.

SUBMITTER: Stead CM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5902883 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A Coxiella burnetii phospholipase A homolog pldA is required for optimal growth in macrophages and developmental form lipid remodeling.

Stead Christopher M CM Cockrell Diane C DC Beare Paul A PA Miller Heather E HE Heinzen Robert A RA

BMC microbiology 20180416 1

<h4>Background</h4>Many gram-negative bacteria produce an outer membrane phospholipase A (PldA) that plays an important role in outer membrane function and is associated with virulence.<h4>Results</h4>In the current study, we characterized a pldA mutant of Coxiella burnetii, an intracellular gram-negative pathogen and the agent of human Q fever. The C. burnetti pldA open reading frame directs synthesis of a protein with conserved PldA active site residues. A C. burnetii ΔpldA deletion mutant had ...[more]

PMID: 29661138

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Project description:Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes human Q fever, an acute flu-like illness that can progress to chronic endocarditis and liver and bone infections. Humans are typically infected by aerosol-mediated transmission, and C. burnetii initially targets alveolar macrophages wherein the pathogen replicates in a phagolysosome-like niche known as the parasitophorous vacuole (PV). C. burnetii manipulates host cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) signaling to promote PV formation, cell survival, and bacterial replication. In this study, we identified the actin regulatory protein vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) as a PKA substrate that is increasingly phosphorylated at S157 and S239 during C. burnetii infection. Avirulent and virulent C. burnetii triggered increased levels of phosphorylated VASP in macrophage-like THP-1 cells and primary human alveolar macrophages, and this event required the C? subunit of PKA. VASP phosphorylation also required bacterial protein synthesis and secretion of effector proteins via a type IV secretion system, indicating the pathogen actively triggers prolonged VASP phosphorylation. Optimal PV formation and intracellular bacterial replication required VASP activity, as siRNA-mediated depletion of VASP reduced PV size and bacterial growth. Interestingly, ectopic expression of a phospho-mimetic VASP (S239E) mutant protein prevented optimal PV formation, whereas VASP (S157E) mutant expression had no effect. VASP (S239E) expression also prevented trafficking of bead-containing phagosomes to the PV, indicating proper VASP activity is critical for heterotypic fusion events that control PV expansion in macrophages. Finally, expression of dominant negative VASP (S157A) in C. burnetii-infected cells impaired PV formation, confirming importance of the protein for proper infection. This study provides the first evidence of VASP manipulation by an intravacuolar bacterial pathogen via activation of PKA in human macrophages.

Project description:The intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiella burnetii is a category B select agent that causes human Q fever. In vivo, C.?burnetii targets alveolar macrophages wherein the pathogen replicates in a lysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV). In vitro, C.?burnetii infects a variety of cultured cell lines that have collectively been used to model the pathogen's infectious cycle. However, differences in the cellular response to infection have been observed, and virulent C.?burnetii isolate infection of host cells has not been well defined. Because alveolar macrophages are routinely implicated in disease, we established primary human alveolar macrophages (hAMs) as an in vitro model of C.?burnetii-host cell interactions. C.?burnetii pathotypes, including acute disease and endocarditis isolates, replicated in hAMs, albeit with unique PV properties. Each isolate replicated in large, typical PV and small, non-fused vacuoles, and lipid droplets were present in avirulent C.?burnetii?PV. Interestingly, a subset of small vacuoles harboured single organisms undergoing degradation. Prototypical PV formation and bacterial growth in hAMs required a functional type IV secretion system, indicating C.?burnetii secretes effector proteins that control macrophage functions. Avirulent C.?burnetii promoted sustained activation of Akt and Erk1/2 pro-survival kinases and short-termphosphorylation of stress-related p38. Avirulent organisms also triggered a robust, early pro-inflammatory response characterized by increased secretion of TNF-? and IL-6, while virulent isolates elicited substantially reduced secretion of these cytokines. A corresponding increase in pro- and mature IL-1? occurred in hAMs infected with avirulent C.?burnetii, while little accumulation was observed following infection with virulent isolates. Finally, treatment of hAMs with IFN-? controlled intracellular replication, supporting a role for this antibacterial insult in the host response to C.?burnetii. Collectively, the current results demonstrate the hAM model is a human disease-relevant platform for defining novel innate immune responses to C.?burnetii.

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A Coxiella burnetii phospholipase A homolog pldA is required for optimal growth in macrophages and developmental form lipid remodeling.

Publications

A Coxiella burnetii phospholipase A homolog pldA is required for optimal growth in macrophages and developmental form lipid remodeling.

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