Project description:Cerebral listeriosis is characterized by neuronal apoptosis and microglial cell activation, but little is known about the bacterial virulence factors involved in this process and how bacterial dissemination is controlled. Here, we show that the cellular target of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in murine hippocampal cultures is microglia rather than neurons or other glial cells, which are rarely infected. This in vitro model served to demonstrate that infected microglial cells release a soluble factor to the medium responsible for neuronal apoptosis. We investigated the production of this factor in a well-established murine microglia cell model BV2 cells, and compared with J-774 macrophage cells after infection with different LM bacterial mutants. Our purpose was to study in both cell types parameters such as the listericidal capacities, pro-inflammatory cytokines released, and bacterial factors involved in the intracellular cycle. Our data reveal that microglia shows unique features to handle a LM infection. Microglia is three times more permissive for LM intracellular growth than murine macrophages; while producing five times higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α than macrophages. Using different LM mutants (i.e., LMWT, LM∆LLO, LM∆ActA or LM∆plcB) we conclude that LLO and ActA are not involved in LM proliferation within microglia cells, while they are required for survival within macrophages. Moreover, ActA controls TNF-α production, a cytokine involved in neural apoptosis. Transcriptional differential response of microglia infected with different LM mutants reflected ActA controls the TNF-a signaling pathway through out molecules and chemokines involved in this pathway such as NFkβ, MAPK-1, Ccl2, Ccl3, Ccl4 and CxCl10. The project implies the analysis of two replicates from three different conditions, in total 6 samples: microglia cells non-infected, microglia cells infected with Listeria monocytogenes (LM) wild type (LLO+), microglia cells infected with LM deficient in listeriolysin O (LLO-) and microglia cells infected with LM deficient in ActA (1942). References samples were microglia cells non-infected (NT). Infection with LM was performed for 1 hour, followed by 24 hours in medium with antibiotics to avoid bacterial extracellular growth. Gene expression analysis was performed using Partek Genomics Suite software (version 6.11.0801; Partek). GeneChip data were filtered to remove those probe sets with an intensity raw value close to background levels. Probe sets for each array are pre-processed using RMA. Also, probe sets whose expression change under all experimental conditions was below a threshold, based on the standard desviation of the normalised intensity values, were filtered.
Project description:Cerebral listeriosis is characterized by neuronal apoptosis and microglial cell activation, but little is known about the bacterial virulence factors involved in this process and how bacterial dissemination is controlled. Here, we show that the cellular target of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in murine hippocampal cultures is microglia rather than neurons or other glial cells, which are rarely infected. This in vitro model served to demonstrate that infected microglial cells release a soluble factor to the medium responsible for neuronal apoptosis. We investigated the production of this factor in a well-established murine microglia cell model BV2 cells, and compared with J-774 macrophage cells after infection with different LM bacterial mutants. Our purpose was to study in both cell types parameters such as the listericidal capacities, pro-inflammatory cytokines released, and bacterial factors involved in the intracellular cycle. Our data reveal that microglia shows unique features to handle a LM infection. Microglia is three times more permissive for LM intracellular growth than murine macrophages; while producing five times higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF-α than macrophages. Using different LM mutants (i.e., LMWT, LM∆LLO, LM∆ActA or LM∆plcB) we conclude that LLO and ActA are not involved in LM proliferation within microglia cells, while they are required for survival within macrophages. Moreover, ActA controls TNF-α production, a cytokine involved in neural apoptosis. Transcriptional differential response of microglia infected with different LM mutants reflected ActA controls the TNF-a signaling pathway through out molecules and chemokines involved in this pathway such as NFkβ, MAPK-1, Ccl2, Ccl3, Ccl4 and CxCl10.
Project description:CadC is the transcriptional regulator of CadA, an efflux pump conferring cadmium resistance. We previously showed that during in vivo infection, Listeria monocytogenes uses CadC to directly repress the expression of the LspB lipoprotein signal peptidase, avoiding the exposure of the lipoprotein LpeA to the host immune system, impairing inflammatory cytokine expression and promoting intramacrophage survival and virulence. Here, to assess if CadC could be a widespread virulence regulator, we searched for other genes regulated by CadC using Listeria monocytogenes tiling arrays.
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes strains classify into at least three distinct phylogenetic lineages. Correlations exist between lineage classification and source of bacterial isolation, e.g., human clinical and food isolates usually classify into either lineage I or II, however, human clinical isolates are over-represented in lineage I while food isolates are over-represented in lineage II. σB, a transcriptional regulator previously demonstrated to contribute to environmental stress response and virulence in L. monocytogenes lineage II strains, was hypothesized to provide differential capabilities for L. monocytogenes survival in various niches (e.g., food vs. human clinical). To determine if σB contributions to stress response and virulence differ across diverse L. monocytogenes strains, ΔsigB mutations were created in strains from lineages I, II, IIIA, and IIIB. Paired parent and ΔsigB mutant strains were tested for acid and oxidative stress survival, Caco-2 cell invasion efficiency, and virulence using the guinea pig listeriosis infection model. Parent and ΔsigB mutant strain transcriptomes were compared using whole-genome expression microarrays. σB contributed to virulence in each strain. However, while σB contributed significantly to acid and oxidative stress survival and Caco-2 cell invasion in lineage I, II, and IIIB strains, σB contributions were not significant for these phenotypes in the lineage IIIA strain. A core set of 63 genes was positively regulated by σB in all four strains; different total numbers of genes were positively regulated by σB in each strain. Our results suggest that σB universally contributes to L. monocytogenes virulence, but specific σB-regulated stress response phenotypes vary among strains.
Project description:Macrophages phagocytose bacteria. Certain pathogenic bacteria access and replicate within the cytosol of infected macrophages and induce changes in macrophage gene expression by triggering of innate immune receptors and/or the effects of bacterial virulence factors. We used microarray analysis to identify changes in macrophage gene expression following infection with Listeria monocytogenes.
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that tightly regulates the activities of various virulence factors during infection. A mutant strain (the plcBΔpro mutant) that has lost the ability to control the activity of a phospholipase C (PC-PLC) is attenuated a hundred fold in mice. This attenuation is not due to a lack of bacterial fitness, but appears to result from a modified host response to infection. The transcriptomic pattern of immunerelated genes in infected macrophages indicated no differential response to wild-type L. monocytogenes vs the plcBΔpro mutant.
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes strains classify into at least three distinct phylogenetic lineages. Correlations exist between lineage classification and source of bacterial isolation, e.g., human clinical and food isolates usually classify into either lineage I or II, however, human clinical isolates are over-represented in lineage I while food isolates are over-represented in lineage II. σB, a transcriptional regulator previously demonstrated to contribute to environmental stress response and virulence in L. monocytogenes lineage II strains, was hypothesized to provide differential capabilities for L. monocytogenes survival in various niches (e.g., food vs. human clinical). To determine if σB contributions to stress response and virulence differ across diverse L. monocytogenes strains, ΔsigB mutations were created in strains from lineages I, II, IIIA, and IIIB. Paired parent and ΔsigB mutant strains were tested for acid and oxidative stress survival, Caco-2 cell invasion efficiency, and virulence using the guinea pig listeriosis infection model. Parent and ΔsigB mutant strain transcriptomes were compared using whole-genome expression microarrays. σB contributed to virulence in each strain. However, while σB contributed significantly to acid and oxidative stress survival and Caco-2 cell invasion in lineage I, II, and IIIB strains, σB contributions were not significant for these phenotypes in the lineage IIIA strain. A core set of 63 genes was positively regulated by σB in all four strains; different total numbers of genes were positively regulated by σB in each strain. Our results suggest that σB universally contributes to L. monocytogenes virulence, but specific σB-regulated stress response phenotypes vary among strains.
Project description:Intracellular pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes subvert cellular functions through the interaction of bacterial effectors with host components. Here we found that a secreted listerial virulence factor, LntA, could target the chromatin repressor BAHD1 in the host cell nucleus to activate IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). IFN-λ expression was induced in response to infection of epithelial cells with bacteria lacking LntA; however, the BAHD1-chromatin associated complex repressed downstream ISGs. In contrast, in cells infected with lntA-expressing bacteria, LntA prevented BAHD1 recruitment to ISGs and stimulated their expression. Murine listeriosis decreased in BAHD1+/- mice or when lntA was constitutively expressed. Thus the LntA-BAHD1 interplay may modulate IFN-λ−mediated immune response to control bacterial colonization of the host. In this dataset, we include the expression data obtained following infection of human Lovo cells infected with Listeria bacteria expressing (LntA-V5+) or not (DlntA) the virulence facteur LntA
Project description:Listeria monocytogenes SigB and PrfA are pleiotropic regulators of stress response and virulence gene expression, which have been shown to co-regulate genes in L. monocytogenes. We performed whole genome transcriptional profiling in the presence of PrfA* and active SigB, to identify the overlaps between the PrfA virulence regulon and the SigB stress response regulon. In L. monocytogenes, the PrfA* allele contributes to the activation of virulence genes to a level comparable to that of intracellular growing L. monocytogenes. Our results showed that the core PrfA regulon consists of 12 genes previously described as PrfA regulated. Furthermore, we found that the role of SigB during virulence gene regulation changes, dependent on the presence or absence of PrfA*. In the absence of PrfA*, SigB activated the transcription of virulence genes such as inlA and inlB. In the presence of PrfA*, SigB negatively influenced the transcription of genes in the PrfA core regulon. The observed effect of SigB on the transcript level of PrfA regulated genes was shown to reduce the cytotoxic effect of the PrfA* allele in HepG-2 cells. Our results indicate that the SigB-PrfA regulatory network is important for the adjustment of virulence gene transcription to ensure L. monocytogenes success as an intracellular pathogen. Keywords: comparison of gene expression of regulatory mutants
Project description:Several Toll-like receptors are activated by Listeria monocytogenes infection, resulting in the activation of MyD88 dependent signaling pathway. However, the negative role of MyD88 in gene expresson is unclear. To address this, we performed microarray analysis of mRNAs from WT or MyD88-/- peritoneal macrophages infected with Listeria monocytogenes.