| 1. |
- Aguilar-Calvo, Patricia, et al.
(author)
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Neuronal Ndst1 depletion accelerates prion protein clearance and slows neurodegeneration in prion infection
- 2023
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 19:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Select prion diseases are characterized by widespread cerebral plaque-like deposits of amyloid fibrils enriched in heparan sulfate (HS), a major extracellular matrix component. HS facilitates fibril formation in vitro, yet how HS impacts fibrillar plaque growth within the brain is unclear. Here we found that prion-bound HS chains are highly sulfated, and that the sulfation is essential for accelerating prion conversion in vitro. Using conditional knockout mice to deplete the HS sulfation enzyme, Ndst1 (N-deacetylase / N-sulfotransferase), from neurons or astrocytes, we then investigated how reducing HS sulfation impacts survival and prion aggregate distribution during a prion infection. Neuronal Ndst1-depleted mice survived longer and showed fewer and smaller parenchymal plaques, shorter fibrils, and increased vascular amyloid, consistent with enhanced aggregate transit toward perivascular drainage channels. The prolonged survival was strain-dependent, only affecting mice infected with extracellular, plaque-forming, but not membrane bound, prions. Live PET imaging revealed rapid clearance of recombinant prion protein monomers into the CSF of mice expressing unsulfated HS, further suggesting that HS sulfate groups hinder transit of extracellular prion protein monomers. Our results directly show how a host cofactor slows the spread of prion protein through the extracellular space and identify an enzyme to target to facilitate aggregate clearance. Prions cause a rapidly progressive neurologic disease and death with no curative treatment available. Prion aggregates accumulate exponentially in the brain of affected individuals triggering neuronal loss and neuroinflammation, yet the molecules that facilitate prion protein aggregation are largely unknown. We have found that prions in the brain preferentially bind to a highly sulfated endogenous polysaccharide, known as heparan sulfate (HS). Here we use genetically modified mice that express poorly sulfated, neuron-derived HS, and infect mice with different prions strains. We find that mice infected with a plaque-forming prion strain show a prolonged survival and fewer plaques compared to controls. We also found that recombinant prion protein was efficiently transported within the interstitial fluid of mice having poorly sulfated HS, suggesting more efficient clearance from the brain. Our study provides insight into how HS retains prion aggregates in the brain to accelerate disease and indicates a specific HS biosynthetic enzyme to target to enhance protein clearance.
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| 2. |
- Alam, Athar, et al.
(author)
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Dissociation between the critical role of ClpB of Francisella tularensis for the heat shock response and the DnaK interaction and its important role for efficient type VI secretion and bacterial virulence
- 2020
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science. - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 16:4, s. 1-27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Author summary Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are essential virulence determinants of many Gram-negative pathogens, including Francisella tularensis. This highly virulent bacterium encodes an atypical T6SS lacking ClpV, the ATPase crucial for prototypic T6SS sheath disassembly. It, however, possesses ClpB, a protein critical for heat shock survival via its interaction with DnaK. Since ClpB possesses ATPase activity, it has been hypothesized to provide a compensatory function for the absence of ClpV, a hypothesis supported by the recent findings from us and others. Here, we investigated how F. tularensis ClpB controls T6S. In silico modelling of the ClpB-DnaK complex identified key interactions that were experimentally verified. For example, mutating one of the DnaK-interacting residues rendered the bacterium exquisitely susceptible to heat shock, but had no effect on T6S and virulence. In contrast, removing the N-terminal of ClpB only had a slight effect on the heat shock response, but strongly compromised both T6S and virulence. Intriguingly, the Escherichia coli ClpB could fully complement the function of F. tularensis ClpB. The data demonstrate that the two critical roles of ClpB, mediating heat shock survival and effective T6S, are dissociated and that the N-terminal is crucial for T6S and virulence. Francisella tularensis, a highly infectious, intracellular bacterium possesses an atypical type VI secretion system (T6SS), which is essential for its virulence. The chaperone ClpB, a member of the Hsp100/Clp family, is involved in Francisella T6SS disassembly and type VI secretion (T6S) is impaired in its absence. We asked if the role of ClpB for T6S was related to its prototypical role for the disaggregation activity. The latter is dependent on its interaction with the DnaK/Hsp70 chaperone system. Key residues of the ClpB-DnaK interaction were identified by molecular dynamic simulation and verified by targeted mutagenesis. Using such targeted mutants, it was found that the F. novicida ClpB-DnaK interaction was dispensable for T6S, intracellular replication, and virulence in a mouse model, although essential for handling of heat shock. Moreover, by mutagenesis of key amino acids of the Walker A, Walker B, and Arginine finger motifs of each of the two Nucleotide-Binding Domains, their critical roles for heat shock, T6S, intracellular replication, and virulence were identified. In contrast, the N-terminus was dispensable for heat shock, but required for T6S, intracellular replication, and virulence. Complementation of the Delta clpB mutant with a chimeric F. novicida ClpB expressing the N-terminal of Escherichia coli, led to reconstitution of the wild-type phenotype. Collectively, the data demonstrate that the ClpB-DnaK interaction does not contribute to T6S, whereas the N-terminal and NBD domains displayed critical roles for T6S and virulence.
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| 3. |
- Ambite, Ines, et al.
(author)
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Fimbriae reprogram host gene expression - Divergent effects of P and type 1 fimbriae
- 2019
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 15:6, s. 1007671-1007671
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Pathogens rely on a complex virulence gene repertoire to successfully attack their hosts. We were therefore surprised to find that a single fimbrial gene reconstitution can return the virulence-attenuated commensal strain Escherichia coli 83972 to virulence, defined by a disease phenotype in human hosts. E. coli 83972pap stably reprogrammed host gene expression, by activating an acute pyelonephritis-associated, IRF7-dependent gene network. The PapG protein was internalized by human kidney cells and served as a transcriptional agonist of IRF-7, IFN-β and MYC, suggesting direct involvement of the fimbrial adhesin in this process. IRF-7 was further identified as a potent upstream regulator (-log (p-value) = 61), consistent with the effects in inoculated patients. In contrast, E. coli 83972fim transiently attenuated overall gene expression in human hosts, enhancing the effects of E. coli 83972. The inhibition of RNA processing and ribosomal assembly indicated a homeostatic rather than a pathogenic end-point. In parallel, the expression of specific ion channels and neuropeptide gene networks was transiently enhanced, in a FimH-dependent manner. The studies were performed to establish protective asymptomatic bacteriuria in human hosts and the reconstituted E. coli 83972 variants were developed to improve bacterial fitness for the human urinary tract. Unexpectedly, P fimbriae were able to drive a disease response, suggesting that like oncogene addiction in cancer, pathogens may be addicted to single super-virulence factors.
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| 4. |
- Ambite, Ines, et al.
(author)
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Molecular Basis of Acute Cystitis Reveals Susceptibility Genes and Immunotherapeutic Targets
- 2016
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 12:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tissue damage is usually regarded as a necessary price to pay for successful elimination of pathogens by the innate immune defense. Yet, it is possible to distinguish protective from destructive effects of innate immune activation and selectively attenuate molecular nodes that create pathology. Here, we identify acute cystitis as an Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)-driven, hyper-inflammatory condition of the infected urinary bladder and IL-1 receptor blockade as a novel therapeutic strategy. Disease severity was controlled by the mechanism of IL-1β processing and mice with intact inflammasome function developed a moderate, self-limiting form of cystitis. The most severe form of acute cystitis was detected in mice lacking the inflammasome constituents ASC or NLRP-3. IL-1β processing was hyperactive in these mice, due to a new, non-canonical mechanism involving the matrix metalloproteinase 7- (MMP-7). ASC and NLRP-3 served as transcriptional repressors of MMP7 and as a result, Mmp7 was markedly overexpressed in the bladder epithelium of Asc-/- and Nlrp3-/- mice. The resulting IL-1β hyper-activation loop included a large number of IL-1β-dependent pro-inflammatory genes and the IL-1 receptor antagonist Anakinra inhibited their expression and rescued susceptible Asc-/- mice from bladder pathology. An MMP inhibitor had a similar therapeutic effect. Finally, elevated levels of IL-1β and MMP-7 were detected in patients with acute cystitis, suggesting a potential role as biomarkers and immunotherapeutic targets. The results reproduce important aspects of human acute cystitis in the murine model and provide a comprehensive molecular framework for the pathogenesis and immunotherapy of acute cystitis, one of the most common infections in man. Trial Registration: The clinical studies were approved by the Human Ethics Committee at Lund University (approval numbers LU106-02, LU236-99 and Clinical Trial Registration RTP-A2003, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, www.clinicaltrials.gov).
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| 5. |
- Anderl, Ines, et al.
(author)
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Transdifferentiation and Proliferation in Two Distinct Hemocyte Lineages in Drosophila melanogaster Larvae after Wasp Infection
- 2016
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public library science. - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 12:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Cellular immune responses require the generation and recruitment of diverse blood cell types that recognize and kill pathogens. In Drosophila melanogaster larvae, immune-inducible lamellocytes participate in recognizing and killing parasitoid wasp eggs. However, the sequence of events required for lamellocyte generation remains controversial. To study the cellular immune system, we developed a flow cytometry approach using in vivo reporters for lamellocytes as well as for plasmatocytes, the main hemocyte type in healthy larvae. We found that two different blood cell lineages, the plasmatocyte and lamellocyte lineages, contribute to the generation of lamellocytes in a demand-adapted hematopoietic process. Plasmatocytes transdifferentiate into lamellocyte-like cells in situ directly on the wasp egg. In parallel, a novel population of infection-induced cells, which we named lamelloblasts, appears in the circulation. Lamelloblasts proliferate vigorously and develop into the major class of circulating lamellocytes. Our data indicate that lamellocyte differentiation upon wasp parasitism is a plastic and dynamic process. Flow cytometry with in vivo hemocyte reporters can be used to study this phenomenon in detail.
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| 6. |
- Arifin, Maria Immaculata, et al.
(author)
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Norwegian moose CWD induces clinical disease and neuroinvasion in gene-targeted mice expressing cervid S138N prion protein
- 2024
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE. - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 20:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease affecting deer, elk and moose in North America and reindeer, moose and red deer in Northern Europe. Pathogenesis is driven by the accumulation of PrPSc, a pathological form of the host's cellular prion protein (PrPC), in the brain. CWD is contagious among North American cervids and Norwegian reindeer, with prions commonly found in lymphatic tissue. In Nordic moose and red deer CWD appears exclusively in older animals, and prions are confined to the CNS and undetectable in lymphatic tissues, indicating a sporadic origin.We aimed to determine transmissibility, neuroinvasion and lymphotropism of Nordic CWD isolates using gene-targeted mice expressing either wild-type (138SS/226QQ) or S138N (138NN/226QQ) deer PrP. When challenged with North American CWD strains, mice expressing S138N PrP did not develop clinical disease but harbored prion seeding activity in brain and spleen. Here, we infected these models intracerebrally or intraperitoneally with Norwegian moose, red deer and reindeer CWD isolates. The moose isolate was the first CWD type to cause full-blown disease in the 138NN/226QQ model in the first passage, with 100% attack rate and shortened survival times upon second passage. Furthermore, we detected prion seeding activity or PrPSc in brains and spinal cords, but not spleens, of 138NN/226QQ mice inoculated intraperitoneally with the moose isolate, providing evidence of prion neuroinvasion. We also demonstrate, for the first time, that transmissibility of the red deer CWD isolate was restricted to transgenic mice overexpressing elk PrPC (138SS/226EE), identical to the PrP primary structure of the inoculum.Our findings highlight that susceptibility to clinical disease is determined by the conformational compatibility between prion inoculum and host PrP primary structure. Our study indicates that neuroinvasion of Norwegian moose prions can occur without, or only very limited, replication in the spleen, an unprecedented finding for CWD. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a prion disease of cervids that is expanding its global footprint. The pathogenesis of prion disease is driven by the accumulation of PrPSc, a misfolded isoform of the cellular prion protein (PrPC). CWD prion strains from North America are lymphotropic, while Norwegian moose and red deer prions are not, and therefore considered non-contagious, sporadic CWD forms.We studied the propagation of Norwegian CWD prions in gene-targeted mice carrying cervid PrPC variants. We reveal that the Norwegian moose isolate induces clinical disease in mice expressing a PrPC variant previously shown to only display subclinical infection upon challenge with North American CWD. We report the first instance of red deer CWD transmission exclusively to mice overexpressing elk PrPC.Notably, our findings suggest a neuroinvasion route for Norwegian moose CWD prions that potentially bypasses spleen replication, underscoring the complexity of prion disease transmission, and the need for continued research into the behavior of prions across different species and protein variants.
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| 7. |
- Aspholm, Marina, et al.
(author)
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SabA is the H. pylori hemagglutinin and is polymorphic in binding to sialylated glycans.
- 2006
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In: PLoS pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7374 .- 1553-7366. ; 2:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Adherence of Helicobacter pylori to inflamed gastric mucosa is dependent on the sialic acid-binding adhesin (SabA) and cognate sialylated/fucosylated glycans on the host cell surface. By in situ hybridization, H. pylori bacteria were observed in close association with erythrocytes in capillaries and post-capillary venules of the lamina propria of gastric mucosa in both infected humans and Rhesus monkeys. In vivo adherence of H. pylori to erythrocytes may require molecular mechanisms similar to the sialic acid-dependent in vitro agglutination of erythrocytes (i.e., sialic acid-dependent hemagglutination). In this context, the SabA adhesin was identified as the sialic acid-dependent hemagglutinin based on sialidase-sensitive hemagglutination, binding assays with sialylated glycoconjugates, and analysis of a series of isogenic sabA deletion mutants. The topographic presentation of binding sites for SabA on the erythrocyte membrane was mapped to gangliosides with extended core chains. However, receptor mapping revealed that the NeuAcalpha2-3Gal-disaccharide constitutes the minimal sialylated binding epitope required for SabA binding. Furthermore, clinical isolates demonstrated polymorphism in sialyl binding and complementation analysis of sabA mutants demonstrated that polymorphism in sialyl binding is an inherent property of the SabA protein itself. Gastric inflammation is associated with periodic changes in the composition of mucosal sialylation patterns. We suggest that dynamic adaptation in sialyl-binding properties during persistent infection specializes H. pylori both for individual variation in mucosal glycosylation and tropism for local areas of inflamed and/or dysplastic tissue.
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| 8. |
- Avican, Kemal, et al.
(author)
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Reprogramming of Yersinia from Virulent to Persistent Mode Revealed by Complex In Vivo RNA-seq Analysis
- 2015
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 11:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We recently found that Yersinia pseudotuberculosis can be used as a model of persistent bacterial infections. We performed in vivo RNA-seq of bacteria in small cecal tissue biopsies at early and persistent stages of infection to determine strategies associated with persistence. Comprehensive analysis of mixed RNA populations from infected tissues revealed that Y. pseudotuberculosis undergoes transcriptional reprogramming with drastic down-regulation of T3SS virulence genes during persistence when the pathogen resides within the cecum. At the persistent stage, the expression pattern in many respects resembles the pattern seen in vitro at 26oC, with for example, up-regulation of flagellar genes and invA. These findings are expected to have impact on future rationales to identify suitable bacterial targets for new antibiotics. Other genes that are up-regulated during persistence are genes involved in anaerobiosis, chemotaxis, and protection against oxidative and acidic stress, which indicates the influence of different environmental cues. We found that the Crp/CsrA/RovA regulatory cascades influence the pattern of bacterial gene expression during persistence. Furthermore, arcA, fnr, frdA, and wrbA play critical roles in persistence. Our findings suggest a model for the life cycle of this enteropathogen with reprogramming from a virulent to an adapted phenotype capable of persisting and spreading by fecal shedding.
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| 9. |
- Ayres Pereira, Marina, et al.
(author)
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Placental Sequestration of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Parasites Is Mediated by the Interaction Between VAR2CSA and Chondroitin Sulfate A on Syndecan-1
- 2016
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 12:8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During placental malaria, Plasmodium falciparum infected erythrocytes sequester in the placenta, causing health problems for both the mother and fetus. The specific adherence is mediated by the VAR2CSA protein, which binds to placental chondroitin sulfate (CS) on chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) in the placental syncytium. However, the identity of the CSPG core protein and the cellular impact of the interaction have remain elusive. In this study we identified the specific CSPG core protein to which the CS is attached, and characterized its exact placental location. VAR2CSA pull-down experiments using placental extracts from whole placenta or syncytiotrophoblast microvillous cell membranes showed three distinct CSPGs available for VAR2CSA adherence. Further examination of these three CSPGs by immunofluorescence and proximity ligation assays showed that syndecan-1 is the main receptor for VAR2CSA mediated placental adherence. We further show that the commonly used placental choriocarcinoma cell line, BeWo, express a different set of proteoglycans than those present on placental syncytiotrophoblast and may not be the most biologically relevant model to study placental malaria. Syncytial fusion of the BeWo cells, triggered by forskolin treatment, caused an increased expression of placental CS-modified syndecan-1. In line with this, we show that rVAR2 binding to placental CS impairs syndecan-1-related Src signaling in forskolin treated BeWo cells, but not in untreated cells.
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| 10. |
- Bachmann, Julie, et al.
(author)
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Affinity Proteomics Reveals Elevated Muscle Proteins in Plasma of Children with Cerebral Malaria
- 2014
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In: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 10:4, s. e1004038-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Systemic inflammation and sequestration of parasitized erythrocytes are central processes in the pathophysiology of severe Plasmodium falciparum childhood malaria. However, it is still not understood why some children are more at risks to develop malaria complications than others. To identify human proteins in plasma related to childhood malaria syndromes, multiplex antibody suspension bead arrays were employed. Out of the 1,015 proteins analyzed in plasma from more than 700 children, 41 differed between malaria infected children and community controls, whereas 13 discriminated uncomplicated malaria from severe malaria syndromes. Markers of oxidative stress were found related to severe malaria anemia while markers of endothelial activation, platelet adhesion and muscular damage were identified in relation to children with cerebral malaria. These findings suggest the presence of generalized vascular inflammation, vascular wall modulations, activation of endothelium and unbalanced glucose metabolism in severe malaria. The increased levels of specific muscle proteins in plasma implicate potential muscle damage and microvasculature lesions during the course of cerebral malaria.
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