| 1. |
- Maudsdotter, Lisa, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Lactobacilli reduce cell cytotoxicity caused by Streptococcus pyogenes by producing lactic acid that degrades the toxic component lipoteichoic acid
- 2011
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Ingår i: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. - 0066-4804 .- 1098-6596. ; 55:4, s. 1622-1628
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lactobacilli are known to prevent colonization by many pathogens; nevertheless, the mechanisms of their protective effect are largely unknown. In this work, we investigated the role of lactobacilli during infection of epithelial cells with group A streptococci (GAS). GAS cause a variety of illnesses ranging from noninvasive disease to more severe invasive infections, such as necrotizing fasciitis and toxic shock-like syndrome. Invasion of deeper tissues is facilitated by GAS-induced apoptosis and cell death. We found that lactobacilli inhibit GAS-induced host cell cytotoxicity and shedding of the complement regulator CD46. Further, survival assays demonstrated that lactic acid secreted by lactobacilli is highly bactericidal toward GAS. In addition, lactic acid treatment of GAS, but not heat killing, prior to infection abolishes the cytotoxic effects against human cells. Since lipoteichoic acid (LTA) of GAS is heat resistant and cytotoxic, we explored the effects of lactic acid on LTA. By applying such an approach, we demonstrate that lactic acid reduces epithelial cell damage caused by GAS by degrading both secreted and cell-bound LTA. Taken together, our experiments reveal a mechanism by which lactobacilli prevent pathogen-induced host cell damage.
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| 2. |
- Wassing, Gabriela M., et al.
(författare)
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DNA Blocks the Lethal Effect of Human Beta-Defensin 2 Against Neisseria meningitidis
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Neisseria meningitidis is a gram-negative bacterium that often asymptomatically colonizes the human nasopharyngeal tract. These bacteria cross the epithelial barrier can cause life-threatening sepsis and/or meningitis. Antimicrobial peptides are one of the first lines of defense against invading bacterial pathogens. Human beta-defensin 2 (hBD2) is an antimicrobial peptide with broad antibacterial activity, although its mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effect of hBD2 on N. meningitidis. We showed that hBD2 binds to and kills actively growing meningococcal cells. The lethal effect was evident after 2 h incubation with the peptide, which suggests a slow killing mechanism. Further, the membrane integrity was not changed during hBD2 treatment. Incubation with lethal doses of hBD2 decreased the presence of diplococci; the number and size of bacterial microcolonies/aggregates remained constant, indicating that planktonic bacteria may be more susceptible to the peptide. Meningococcal DNA bound hBD2 in mobility shift assays and inhibited the lethal effect of hBD2 in a dose-dependent manner both in suspension and biofilms, supporting the interaction between hBD2 and DNA. Taken together, the ability of meningococcal DNA to bind hBD2 opens the possibility that extracellular DNA due to bacterial lysis may be a means of N. meningitidis to evade immune defenses.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Asmat, Tauseef M., et al.
(författare)
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Impact of Calcium Signaling during Infection of Neisseria meningitidis to Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:12, s. e114474-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The pili and outer membrane proteins of Neisseria meningitidis (meningococci) facilitate bacterial adhesion and invasion into host cells. In this context expression of meningococcal PilC1 protein has been reported to play a crucial role. Intracellular calcium mobilization has been implicated as an important signaling event during internalization of several bacterial pathogens. Here we employed time lapse calcium-imaging and demonstrated that PilC1 of meningococci triggered a significant increase in cytoplasmic calcium in human brain microvascular endothelial cells, whereas PilC1-deficient meningococci could not initiate this signaling process. The increase in cytosolic calcium in response to PilC1-expressing meningococci was due to efflux of calcium from host intracellular stores as demonstrated by using 2-APB, which inhibits the release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, pre-treatment of host cells with U73122 (phospholipase C inhibitor) abolished the cytosolic calcium increase caused by PilC1-expressing meningococci demonstrating that active phospholipase C (PLC) is required to induce calcium transients in host cells. Furthermore, the role of cytosolic calcium on meningococcal adherence and internalization was documented by gentamicin protection assay and double immunofluorescence (DIF) staining. Results indicated that chelation of intracellular calcium by using BAPTA-AM significantly impaired PilC1-mediated meningococcal adherence to and invasion into host endothelial cells. However, buffering of extracellular calcium by BAPTA or EGTA demonstrated no significant effect on meningococcal adherence to and invasion into host cells. Taken together, these results indicate that meningococci induce calcium release from intracellular stores of host endothelial cells via PilC1 and cytoplasmic calcium concentrations play a critical role during PilC1 mediated meningococcal adherence to and subsequent invasion into host endothelial cells.
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| 5. |
- Basmarke-Wehelie, Rahma, et al.
(författare)
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The complement regulator CD46 is bactericidal to Helicobacter pylori and blocks urease activity
- 2011
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Ingår i: Gastroenterology. - Baltimore : Elsevier BV. - 0016-5085 .- 1528-0012. ; 141:3, s. 918-928
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND & AIMS: CD46 is a C3b/C4b binding complement regulator and a receptor for several human pathogens. We examined the interaction between CD46 and Helicobacter pylori (a bacterium that colonizes the human gastric mucosa and causes gastritis), peptic ulcers, and cancer.METHODS: Using gastric epithelial cells, we analyzed a set of H pylori strains and mutants for their ability to interact with CD46 and/or influence CD46 expression. Bacterial interaction with full-length CD46 and small CD46 peptides was evaluated by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and bacterial survival analyses.RESULTS: H pylori infection caused shedding of CD46 into the extracellular environment. A soluble form of CD46 bound to H pylori and inhibited growth, in a dose- and time-dependent manner, by interacting with urease and alkyl hydroperoxide reductase, which are essential bacterial pathogenicity-associated factors. Binding of CD46 or CD46-derived synthetic peptides blocked the urease activity and ability of bacteria to survive in acidic environments. Oral administration of one CD46 peptide eradicated H pylori from infected mice.CONCLUSIONS: CD46 is an antimicrobial agent that can eradicate H pylori. CD46 peptides might be developed to treat H pylori infection.
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| 6. |
- Bergman, Peter, et al.
(författare)
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Induction of the antimicrobial peptide CRAMP in the blood-brain barrier and meninges after meningococcal infection
- 2006
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Ingår i: Infection and Immunity. - 0019-9567 .- 1098-5522. ; 74:12, s. 6982-6991
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antimicrobial peptides are present in most living species and constitute important effector molecules of innate immunity. Recently, we and others have detected antimicrobial peptides in the brain. This is an organ that is rarely infected, which has mainly been ascribed to the protective functions of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and meninges. Since the bactericidal properties of the BBB and meninges are not known, we hypothesized that antimicrobial peptides could play a role in these barriers. We addressed this hypothesis by infecting mice with the neuropathogenic bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. Brains were analyzed for expression of the antimicrobial peptide CRAMP by immunohistochemistry in combination with confocal microscopy. After infection, we observed induction of CRAMP in endothelial cells of the BBB and in cells of the meninges. To explore the functional role of CRAMP in meningococcal disease, we infected mice deficient of the CRAMP gene. Even though CRAMP did not appear to protect the brain from invasion of meningococci, CRAMP knockout mice were more susceptible to meningococcal infection than wild-type mice and exhibited increased meningococcal growth in blood, liver, and spleen. Moreover, we could demonstrate that carbonate, a compound that accumulates in the circulation during metabolic acidosis, makes meningococci more susceptible to CRAMP.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Blom, Anna M., et al.
(författare)
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A novel interaction between type IV pili of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and the human complement regulator C4B-binding protein
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 166:11, s. 6764-6770
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is an important plasma inhibitor of the classical pathway of complement activation. Several bacterial pathogens bind C4BP, which may contribute to their virulence. In the present report we demonstrate that isolated type IV pili from Neisseria gonorrhoeae bind human C4BP in a dose-dependent and saturable manner. C4BP consists of seven identical alpha-chains and one beta-chain linked together with disulfide bridges. We found that pili bind to the alpha-chain of C4BP, which is composed of eight homologous complement control protein (CCP) domains. From the results of an inhibition assay with C4b and a competition assay in which we tested mutants of C4BP lacking individual CCPs, we concluded that the binding area for pili is localized to CCP1 and CCP2 of the alpha-chain. The binding between pili and C4BP was abolished at 0.25 M NaCl, implying that it is based mostly on ionic interactions, similarly to what have been observed for C4b-C4BP binding. Furthermore, the N-terminal part of PilC, a structural component of pili, appeared to be responsible for binding of C4BP. Membrane cofactor protein, previously shown to be a receptor for pathogenic N. gonorrhoeae on the surface of epithelial cells, competed with C4BP for binding to pili only at high concentrations, suggesting that different parts of pili are involved in these two interactions. Accordingly, high concentrations of C4BP were required to inhibit binding of N. gonorrhoeae to Chang conjunctiva cells, and no inhibition of binding was observed with cervical epithelial cells.
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| 10. |
- Chen, Yunying, et al.
(författare)
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A regulatory role for macrophage class A scavenger receptors in TLR4-mediated LPS responses.
- 2010
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Ingår i: European Journal of Immunology. - : Wiley. - 0014-2980 .- 1521-4141. ; 40:5, s. 1451-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recognition of microbial components by TLR, key sensors of infection, leads to induction of inflammatory responses. We found that, in vivo, TLR4 engagement by LPS induces up-regulation of the class A scavenger receptors (SR) macrophage receptor with a collagenous structure (MARCO) and SR-A, which occurs, at least in the case of MARCO, via both MyD88-dependent and -independent pathways. When challenging mice with a low dose of LPS followed by a high dose, class A SR-deficient mice showed a higher survival rate than WT mice. This was paired with increased production of IL-10 and anti-LPS Ab, as well as increased activation status of marginal zone B cells. However, the receptors were not crucial for survival when challenging mice i.p. with Neisseria meningitidis or Listeria monocytogenes, but they were found to contribute to microbial capture and clearance. This indicates physiological significance for the up-regulation of class A SR during early stages of bacterial infection. Thus, we believe that we have revealed a mechanism where SR regulate the activation status of the immune system and are involved in balancing a proper immune response to infection. This regulation could also be important in maintaining tolerance since these receptors have been shown to be involved in regulation of self-reactivity.
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