Project description:The features of Mycoplasma in human organ such lung and urinary tract are enigmatic. Here, the role of M. hominis in regard to biofilm formation of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain CFT073 was investigated. Although M. hominis were inferred to not impact on UPEC bacterial fitness including growth and productions of signaling molecules as autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and indole, we found that the presence of M. hominis dramatically decreased biofilm formation of UPEC CFT073 as well as slightly repressed attachment and cytotoxicity of that. Importantly, this activity was observed on UPEC strain specifically, not enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strain that exists on intestine. Whole-transcriptome profiling and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed PhoPQ system and anti-termination protein (encoded by ybcQ) participates on the reduction of biofilm formation by M. hominis (corroborated by qRT-PCR). Furthermore, collaborating with previous report that toxin-antitoxin (TA) system involved in biofilm formation, M. hominis increased on the transcriptions of toxin genes including hha (toxin gene in Hha-TomB TA system) and pasT (toxin part in PasT-PasI TA system). Hence, we propose that one possible role of M. hominis is to influence bacterial biofilm formation in urinary tract. Only fourteen genes were induced (2.5-fold) by the presence of M. hominis in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilm cells. Among upregulated genes, ybcQ (encodes anti-termination protein Q homolog) and phoP/phoQ (encode DNA-binding response regulators in two-component regulatory system), were induced by the presence of M. hominis. Two-condition experiment, UPEC CFT073 alone vs. UPEC CFT073 with Mycoplasma hominis PG21 (10^5 ccu/ml). For preparing the total RNA, UPEC CFT073 cells were grown at 37°C in biofilm cells on glass wool with or without M. hominis for 24 h.
Project description:The features of Mycoplasma in human organ such lung and urinary tract are enigmatic. Here, the role of M. hominis in regard to biofilm formation of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain CFT073 was investigated. Although M. hominis were inferred to not impact on UPEC bacterial fitness including growth and productions of signaling molecules as autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and indole, we found that the presence of M. hominis dramatically decreased biofilm formation of UPEC CFT073 as well as slightly repressed attachment and cytotoxicity of that. Importantly, this activity was observed on UPEC strain specifically, not enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strain that exists on intestine. Whole-transcriptome profiling and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis revealed PhoPQ system and anti-termination protein (encoded by ybcQ) participates on the reduction of biofilm formation by M. hominis (corroborated by qRT-PCR). Furthermore, collaborating with previous report that toxin-antitoxin (TA) system involved in biofilm formation, M. hominis increased on the transcriptions of toxin genes including hha (toxin gene in Hha-TomB TA system) and pasT (toxin part in PasT-PasI TA system). Hence, we propose that one possible role of M. hominis is to influence bacterial biofilm formation in urinary tract. Only fourteen genes were induced (2.5-fold) by the presence of M. hominis in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) biofilm cells. Among upregulated genes, ybcQ (encodes anti-termination protein Q homolog) and phoP/phoQ (encode DNA-binding response regulators in two-component regulatory system), were induced by the presence of M. hominis.
Project description:The sexually transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is often found in symbiosis with the obligate intracellular pathogen Mycoplasma hominis. M. hominis is itself an opportunistic pathogen of the female reproductive tract associated with bacterial vaginosis. The goal of this experiment was to identify the effects of each pathogen individually and in symbiosis on host cell gene expression.
Project description:Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) belongs to the class Mollicutes, characterized by a very small genome size, metabolic pathway reduction, including transcription factors, and the absence of a cell wall. Despite this, they adapt well not only to specific niches within the host organism but can also spread throughout the body, colonizing various organs and tissues. The mechanisms of adaptation in M. hominis, as well as the pathways regulating them, are poorly understood. It is known that when adapting to adverse conditions, mycoplasmas can undergo phenotypic switches that may persist for several generations. To investigate the adaptive properties of M. hominis associated with survival in the host organism, we conducted a comparative proteogenomic analysis of 8 clinical isolates of M. hominis obtained from patients with urogenital infections, along with the laboratory strain H-34.
Project description:For a comprehensive characterisation of the M. hominis-action in infection a customized Mho microarray, which was based on two genome sequences (PG21 and LBD-4), was newly designed and validated for M. hominis strain FBG, to analyze the dynamics of the mycoplasma transcriptome during infection. RNA-preparation was evaluated and adopted for highest recovery of mycoplasmal mRNAs from in vitro HeLa cell infection assays. Following cRNA hybridization, the read out strategy of the hybridization results was optimized and confirmed by RT-PCR. A statistically robust infection assay with M. hominis strain FBG enabled the identification of regulated key effector molecules such as critical cytoadhesins (4 h post infection (pI)), invasins (48h pI) and proteins associated with establishing chronic infection of the host (336h pI). Of the 304 differentially regulated genes 130 (43%) encoded hypothetical proteins, including lipoproteins that seem to play a central role as virulence factors at each stage of infection: P75 as novel cytoadhesin candidate, which is also upregulated in the chronic infection, the MHO_2100-protein as postulated invasin and the MHO_730-protein as novel ecto-nuclease and domain of a novel ABC transporter, whose function in chronic infection has to be elucidated in the future. Implementation of the M. hominis microarray strategy led to a comprehensive identification of to date unknown candidates for virulence-factors at relevant stages of host cell infection.
Project description:M. hominis adherence, colonisation and invasion of HeLa cells were characterised in a time-course study using microarray-based analysis of the HeLa cell transcriptome: 0 h to monitor the baseline of transcription, 4 h to examine host reactions to mycoplasma attachment, 48 h to capture in addition the initiation of invasion, and 2 weeks post infection to examine a chronically infected host cell. At 4 h post infection, cytoadherence of M. hominis to the HeLa cell surface was accompanied by differential regulation of 723 host genes (>2 fold change in expression). Genes associated with immune responses and signal transduction pathways were mainly affected and components involved in cell-cycle regulation, growth and death were highly upregulated. At 48 h post infection, when mycoplasma invasion started, 1588 host genes were differentially expressed and expression of genes for lysosome-specific proteins associated with bacterial lysis was detected. In a chronically infected HeLa cell line (2 weeks), of the 1972 regulated host genes, components of the ECM-receptor interaction pathway and phagosome-related integrins were markedly increased. The immune response was quite different to that at the beginning of infection, with a prominent induction of IL1B gene expression, affecting pathways of MAPK signalling, and genes connected with cytokine-cytokine interactions and apoptosis. These data show for the first time the complex, time-dependent reaction of the host directed at mycoplasmal clearance and the counter measures of this pestering pathogen. To elucidate the host-reactions at the different stages of M. hominis infection, four time points post infection (0h, 4h, 48h, 2 weeks) were chosen for microarray gene expression analyses. Total RNA was prepared from infection assays (MOI 100) in parallel with uninfected HeLa cells and the host cell transcriptomes were determined by comparative microarray analyses.