Project description:The mucosal surfaces of fish serve as the first-line of defense against the myriad of aquatic pathogens present in the aquatic environment. The immune repertoire functioning at these interfaces is still poorly understood. The skin, in particular, must process signals from several fronts, sensing and integrating environmental, nutritional, social, and health cues. Pathogen invasion can disrupt this delicate homeostasis with profound impacts on signaling throughout the organism. Here, we investigated the transcriptional effects of virulent A. hydrophila infection in channel catfish skin, Ictalurus punctatus. We utilized an 8X60K Agilent microarray to examine gene expression profiles at critical early timepoints following challenge—2 h, 8 h, and 12 h. Expression of a total of 2,168 unique genes was significantly perturbed during at least one timepoint. We observed dysregulation of a number of genes involved in antioxidant, cytoskeletal, immune, junctional, and nervous system pathways. In particular, A. hydrophila infection rapidly altered a number potentially critical lectins, chemokines, interleukins, and other mucosal factors in a manner predicted to enhance its ability to adhere and invade the catfish host.
Project description:Gram-negative bacteria release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) into the extracellular environment. OMVs have been studied extensively in bacterial pathogens, however, information related with the composition of Aeromonas hydrophila OMVs is missing. In this study we analyzed the composition of purified OMVs from A. hydrophila ATCC® 7966TM by proteomics. Also we studied the effect of OMVs on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Vesicles were grown in agar plates and then purified through ultracentrifugation steps. Purified vesicles showed an average diameter of 90-170 nm. Moreover, 211 unique proteins were found in OMVs from A. hydrophila; some of them are well-known as virulence factors such as: haemolysin Ahh1, RtxA toxin, extracellular lipase, HcpA protein, among others. OMVs from A. hydrophila ATCC® 7966TM induced lymphocyte activation and apoptosis in monocytes, as well as over-expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This work contributed to the knowledge of the composition of the vesicles of A. hydrophila ATCC® 7966TM and their interaction with the host cell.
Project description:The succinylated modification on bacterial protein lysine residues is currently reported to be crucial for regulating cellular physiology and pathology. In this study, to investigate the effect of the lysine succinylation modification on the biological regulation in a well-known fish pathogen, Aeromonas hydrophila, a highly affinity purification was performed to enrich lysine succinylation peptides in A. hydrophila and then identified a total 2174 lysine succinylation sites on 666 proteins with LC-MS/MS. The further motif analysis showed eight motifs surrounding the central lysine succinylated residue were conservative which share some common preferences with other bacterial species. Gene ontology analysis showed that these succinylated proteins involved in diverse metabolic pathways and biological processes, such as translation, protein export and central metabolic pathways. In general, our study provides a significant insight into the functions of lysine succinylation in the cellular physiology and pathology in A.hydrophila.
Project description:The complete genome of Aeromonas hydrophila ATCC 7966(T) was sequenced. Aeromonas, a ubiquitous waterborne bacterium, has been placed by the Environmental Protection Agency on the Contaminant Candidate List because of its potential to cause human disease. The 4.7-Mb genome of this emerging pathogen shows a physiologically adroit organism with broad metabolic capabilities and considerable virulence potential. A large array of virulence genes, including some identified in clinical isolates of Aeromonas spp. or Vibrio spp., may confer upon this organism the ability to infect a wide range of hosts. However, two recognized virulence markers, a type III secretion system and a lateral flagellum, that are reported in other A. hydrophila strains are not identified in the sequenced isolate, ATCC 7966(T). Given the ubiquity and free-living lifestyle of this organism, there is relatively little evidence of fluidity in terms of mobile elements in the genome of this particular strain. Notable aspects of the metabolic repertoire of A. hydrophila include dissimilatory sulfate reduction and resistance mechanisms (such as thiopurine reductase, arsenate reductase, and phosphonate degradation enzymes) against toxic compounds encountered in polluted waters. These enzymes may have bioremediative as well as industrial potential. Thus, the A. hydrophila genome sequence provides valuable insights into its ability to flourish in both aquatic and host environments.