单增李斯特菌感染致妊娠失败的研究进展

单增李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes, LM)是一种在自然界广泛存在的食源性人兽共患病原菌,妊娠动物和孕妇感染后会导致妊娠失败。研究显示,LM感染后随着血液循环到达胎盘,在其毒力因子(内化素A、李斯特菌溶血素O、肌动蛋白聚合蛋白、InlP蛋白等)的作用下,首先靶定绒毛膜外滋养层细胞,再穿过合体滋养层细胞或绒毛细胞滋养层细胞到绒毛基质,再通过胎儿毛细血管感染胎儿;在此过程中,LM诱导的胎盘细胞凋亡、母胎界面细胞因子表达水平的改变和胎盘细胞炎性体的激活导致了妊娠失败。该文对上述问题就国内外最新研究进展进行综述和探讨。     

单增李斯特菌胎盘感染的体内外模型研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌（Listeria monocytogenes）是重要的食源性致病菌,能引发人类的李斯特菌病,是全球公共卫生问题之一。该菌易感染孕妇,引起胎儿和新生儿的侵袭性李斯特菌病,严重威胁母婴健康。因此,建立有效的单增李斯特菌感染胎盘体内外模型,解析和探究单增李斯特菌经胎盘感染机制,是预防和控制单增李斯特菌感染母婴的关键所在。本文综述了可用于研究单增李斯特菌母婴感染的体内外胎盘模型,总结和讨论了各类模型的优势和局限性;并着重分析了体外三维胎盘屏障模型在单增李斯特菌感染方面的研究进展和未来研究方向。以期为深入解析该菌经胎盘感染的途径、发病机制提供支持,并为预防和控制母婴李斯特菌病提供科学参考。     

单核细胞增生李斯特菌感染所致炎症反应性疾病的研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特菌(单增李斯特菌)是一种广泛存在于自然界的典型剧毒性食源性病原体,它可穿越血脑屏障、肠道屏障及胎盘屏障,导致免疫功能低下的人群,尤其是新生儿、老年人、体质虚弱、或怀孕个体发生一系列严重疾病,包括脑膜炎、脑炎、败血症、自发感染性流产等,病死率高达20%~30%。单增李斯特菌主要通过其毒力因子内化素或溶血素O等侵入并感染宿主细胞。在感染过程中,单增李斯特菌能够引发免疫细胞之间一系列复杂的相互作用,并导致感染部位发生炎症反应。我们对单增李斯特菌感染导致炎症反应性疾病的种类及发病机理方面的研究进展做简要综述。     

单核细胞增生李斯特菌PrfA蛋白转录调控毒力基因表达的分子机制

单核细胞增生李斯特菌 (Listeria monocytogenes LM) 属于典型的细胞内寄生革兰氏阳性菌, 是WHO公布的四大食源性致病菌之一。LM不仅是人畜共患传染病李斯特菌病 (listeriosis) 的主要病原菌, 也是研究胞内感染和细胞介导的免疫应答的模式细菌。绝大多数LM毒力基因的转录表达受到PrfA蛋白的调控。本文简单介绍了LM侵染宿主细胞必需的毒力基因及其产物; 重点对毒力基因调节蛋白PrfA的结构和功能, PrfA调节毒力基因表达的主要方式最新进展进行了综述和讨论。     

单核细胞增生李斯特菌PrfA蛋白转录调控毒力基因表达的分子机制

单核细胞增生李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes LM)属于典型的细胞内寄生革兰氏阳性菌,是WHO公布的四大食源性致病菌之一.LM不仅是人畜共患传染病李斯特菌病(listeriosis)的主要病原菌,也是研究胞内感染和细胞介导的免疫应答的模式细菌.绝大多数LM毒力基因的转录表达受到PrfA蛋白的调控.本文简单介绍了LM侵染宿主细胞必需的毒力基因及其产物;重点对毒力基因调节蛋白PrfA的结构和功能,PrfA调节毒力基因表达的主要方式最新进展进行了综述和讨论.     

单增李斯特菌感染过程中炎性体激活的研究进展

单增李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes,LM)感染可导致人和动物李斯特菌病的发生,当机体受到单增李斯特菌感染后,胞质中的模式识别受体如NOD样受体和DNA/RNA感受器通过识别细菌的病原相关分子模式和毒力因子形成炎性体进行免疫防御。研究证实,细胞内的NLRP3、AIM2、NLRC4、RIG-I、NOD1/NOD2炎性体可分别感知单增李斯特菌的溶血素O、细菌DNA、鞭毛蛋白、菌体RNA及细菌肽聚糖碎片后被激活,促进促炎性因子白细胞介素(Interleukin,IL)-1β和IL-18的表达、成熟和分泌,诱导组织炎症和细胞的免疫应答,同时导致细胞快速死亡。本文对上述问题就国内外最新研究进展进行综述和探讨。     

单核细胞增生性李斯特菌inlA和inlB基因缺失菌株的构建

单核细胞增生性李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes,LM)是人畜共患的食源性致病菌,其对恶劣环境有较强的抵抗力,广泛存在于各种食品加工环境,容易引起严重的食品安全问题。LM是一种胞内寄生菌,其毒力因子内化素A(internalin A,InlA)和内化素B(internalin B,InlB)被认为在LM穿透宿主屏障、入侵宿主细胞以及胞间传播等过程中起到重要作用。本文利用同源重组法将LM野生菌株EGDe的inlA和inlB基因的敲除,对inlA和inlB基因缺失菌株的基本生物学特性进行研究,并运用RealTime-PCR监测LM的毒力基因表达。实验结果表明,基因的缺失对突变菌株的生长以及对环境中的氯化钠(NaCl)和乙醇(EtOH)的耐受能力没有影响,但多个毒力基因的表达量明显下降。该缺失菌株的构建为进一步研究InlA和InlB在LM入侵宿主细胞过程中的具体功能提供了重要材料。     

胎盘屏障建立与维持的机制

胎盘是妊娠期维持胎儿正常生长发育和母亲健康的临时性器官,直接介导了母胎之间的对话。胎盘防御屏障功能的建立与维持是正常妊娠维持的重要基础,一方面,胎盘发挥了抑制母体对胎儿免疫排斥的作用,同时,胎盘需要抵抗致病微生物的感染。本文从胎盘发育的角度出发,从细胞学、免疫学等多重领域探讨了胎盘防御屏障建立及功能维持的细胞和分子机制,重点介绍了胎盘合体滋养层细胞抗感染的作用方式,包括细胞自噬、外泌体途径、细胞连接及细胞骨架等;同时介绍了胎盘屏障功能异常与子宫内感染尤其是TORCH致病微生物感染的致病关联。     

单增李斯特菌溶血素O的功能研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes, Lm,简称单增李斯特菌)是一种普遍存在的革兰阳性食源性病原体,可引起人类和一些动物的李斯特菌病。侵袭性李斯特菌病通常很严重,临床上表现为自然流产、败血症和脑膜脑炎,也可表现为发热性胃肠炎综合症。成孔蛋白单增李斯特菌溶血素O(Listeriolysin O,LLO,由hly基因编码)是一种重要的毒力因子,属于胆固醇依赖性细胞溶解素(cholesterol-dependent cytolysins,CDC)毒素,其通过膜穿孔机制介导Lm从吞噬体逃逸并引起李斯特菌病。最近的研究表明LLO除了主要的膜穿孔作用,还存在其他功能,在Lm感染过程中扮演了重要的角色。从LLO的功能和作用机制等方面综述了近些年对该毒素的研究进展,以便更好地理解单增李斯特菌的感染机制,为防治李斯特病的相关研究提供参考。     

毒力基因调控蛋白PrfA促进单核细胞增生李斯特菌生物被膜的形成

单核细胞增生李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes,LM)是重要的革兰氏阳性食源性致病菌,易在食品以及各种食品加工、运输和保藏设备的接触面形成生物被膜,从而具有更强的抗逆性而难以彻底清除,因此成为食品卫生安全的重要隐患.PrfA是LM毒力基因转录表达的重要调控因子,通过比较研究LM野生株(EGD和EGDe)、PrfA缺失株(EGDAprfA和EGDeAprfA)、无害李斯特菌(Listeria innocua,LI),携带组成性表达PrfA蛋白的重组无害李斯特菌(LI-pERL3-prfA*)以及重组单核细胞增生李斯特菌(EGDeΔprfA-pERL3-prfA*)生物被膜形成能力的差异,探讨LM重要的毒力调控蛋白PrfA对生物被膜形成的影响.实验结果显示:LM野生株具有较强的生物被膜形成能力,而LI形成生物被膜的能力最弱;PrfA的缺失能降低LM生物被膜的形成能力;组成性高量表达PrfA蛋白可以回复EGDeΔprfA的生物被膜形成能力,但对LI没有增强作用.以上实验结果表明:PrfA在LM生物被膜形成中具有重要的促进作用.     

A potential bio‐control agent from baical skullcap root against listeriosis via the inhibition of sortase A and listeriolysin O

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is a classical model intracellular pathogen and the leading cause of listeriosis, which has long been a global public health issue. The successful infection of LM is related to a series of virulence factors, such as the transpeptidase enzyme sortase A (SrtA) and listeriolysin O (LLO), which are crucial for bacterial internalization and escape from phagosomes respectively. It is speculated that targeting multiple virulence factors may be due to a synergistic effect on listeriosis therapy. In this study, an active flavonoids component of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, baicalein, was found to potently block both listerial SrtA catalyzed activity and LLO hemolytic activity within 16 μg/mL. After pretreatment with baicalein, 86.30 (±11.35) % of LM failed to associate with Caco‐2 cells compared to the LM without preincubation (regarded as 100% internalization). Furthermore, baicalein addition may aid in bacterial degradation and clearance in macrophagocytes. During a 5 h observation, LM in cells incubated with baicalein showed significantly decreased vacuole escapes and sluggish endocellular growth. In addition, baicalein directly prevented LM‐induced cells injury and mice fatality (survival rate from 10.00% to 54.55% in 4 days post‐intraperitoneal injection). Taken together, as an antagonist against SrtA and LLO, baicalein can be further developed into a biotherapeutic agent for listeriosis.     

Listeria monocytogenes,a model in infection biology

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, a systemic infection which manifests as bacteremia, often complicated by meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised individuals and the elderly, and fetal‐placental infection in pregnant women. It has emerged over the past decades as a major foodborne pathogen, responsible for numerous outbreaks in Western countries, and more recently in Africa. L. monocytogenes' pathogenic properties have been studied in detail, thanks to concomitant advances in biological sciences, in particular molecular biology, cell biology and immunology. L. monocytogenes has also been instrumental to basic advances in life sciences. L. monocytogenes therefore stands both a tool to understand biology and a model in infection biology. This review briefly summarises the clinical and some of the pathophysiological features of listeriosis. In the context of this special issue, it highlights some of the major discoveries made by Pascale Cossart in the fields of molecular and cellular microbiology since the mid‐eighties regarding the identification and characterisation of multiple bacterial and host factors critical to L. monocytogenes pathogenicity. It also briefly summarises some of the key findings from our laboratory on this topic over the past years.     

Important aspects of placental-specific gene transfer

The placenta is a unique and highly complex organ that develops only during pregnancy and is essential for growth and survival of the developing fetus. The placenta provides the vital exchange of gases and wastes, the necessary nutrients for fetal development, acts as immune barrier that protects against maternal rejection, and produces numerous hormones and growth factors that promote fetal maturity to regulate pregnancy until parturition. Abnormal placental development is a major underlying cause of pregnancy-associated disorders that often result in preterm birth. Defects in placental stem cell propagation, growth, and differentiation are the major factors that affect embryonic and fetal well-being and dramatically increase the risk of pregnancy complications. Understanding the processes that regulate placentation is important in determining the underlying factors behind abnormal placental development. The ability to manipulate genes in a placenta-specific manner provides a unique tool to analyze development and eliminates potentially confounding results that can occur with traditional gene knockouts. Trophoblast stem cells and mouse embryos are not overly amenable to traditional gene transfer techniques. Most viral vectors, however, have a low infection rate and often lead to mosaic transgenesis. Although the traditional method of embryo transfer is intrauterine surgical implantation, the methodology reported here, combining lentiviral blastocyst infection and nonsurgical embryo transfer, leads to highly efficient and placental-specific gene transfer. Numerous advantages of our optimized procedures include increased investigator safety, a reduction in animal stress, rapid and noninvasive embryo transfer, and higher a rate of pregnancy and live birth.     

Detection of Listeria monocytogenes and the toxin listeriolysin O in food

Listeria monocytogenes is an emerging bacterial foodborne pathogen responsible for listeriosis, an illness characterized by meningitis, encephalitis, and septicaemia. Less commonly, infection can result in cutaneous lesions and flu-like symptoms. In pregnant women, the pathogen can cause bacteraemia, and stillbirth or premature birth of the fetus. The mortality rate for those contracting listeriosis is approximately 20%. Currently, the United States has a zero tolerance policy regarding the presence of L. monocytogenes in food, while Canada allows only 100 cfu/g of food. As such, it is essential to be able to detect the pathogen in low numbers in food samples. One of the best ways to detect and confirm the pathogen is through the detection of one of the virulence factors, listeriolysin O (LLO) produced by the microorganism. The LLO-encoding gene (hlyA) is present only in virulent strains of the species and is required for virulence. LLO is a secreted protein toxin that can be detected easily with the use of blood agar or haemolysis assays and it is well characterized and understood. This paper focuses on some of the common methods used to detect the pathogen and the LLO toxin in food products and comments on some of the potential uses and drawbacks for the food industry.     

TNF is important for pathogen control and limits brain damage in murine cerebral listeriosis

Cerebral listeriosis is a life-threatening disease. However, little is known about the bacterial virulence factors responsible for the severe course of disease and the factors of the immune system contributing to the control of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) or even to the damage of the brain. To analyze the importance of the actA gene of LM, which mediates cell-to-cell spread of intracellular LM, the function of TNF in murine cerebral listeriosis was studied. C57BL/6 mice survived an intracerebral (i.c.) infection with actA-deficient LM, but succumbed to infection with wild-type (WT) LM. Upon infection with actA-deficient LM, macrophages and microglial cells rapidly, and later LM-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells, produced TNF. In contrast to WT mice, TNF-deficient animals succumbed to the infection within 4 days due to failure of control of LM. Histology identified a more severe meningoencephalitis, brain edema, and neuronal damage, but a reduced inducible NO synthase expression in TNF-deficient mice. Reciprocal bone marrow chimeras between WT and TNF-deficient mice revealed that hematogenously derived TNF was essential for survival, whereas TNF produced by brain-resident cells was less important. Death of TNF-deficient mice could be prevented by LM-specific T cells induced by an active immunization before i.c. infection. However, brain pathology and inflammation of immunized TNF-deficient mice were still more severe. In conclusion, these findings identify a crucial role of TNF for the i.c. control of LM and survival of cerebral listeriosis, whereas TNF was not responsible for the destruction of brain tissue.     

Antibody-Dependent Transplacental Transfer of Malaria Blood-Stage Antigen Using a Human Ex Vivo Placental Perfusion Model

Prenatal exposure to allergens or antigens released by infections during pregnancy can stimulate an immune response or induce immunoregulatory networks in the fetus affecting susceptibility to infection and disease later in life. How antigen crosses from the maternal to fetal environment is poorly understood. One hypothesis is that transplacental antigen transfer occurs as immune complexes, via receptor-mediated transport across the syncytiotrophoblastic membrane and endothelium of vessels in fetal villi. This hypothesis has never been directly tested. Here we studied Plasmodium falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) that is released upon erythrocyte invasion. We found MSP1 in cord blood from a third of newborns of malaria-infected women and in >90% following treatment with acid dissociation demonstrating MSP1 immune complexes. Using an ex vivo human placental model that dually perfuses a placental cotyledon with independent maternal and fetal circuits, immune-complexed MSP1 transferred from maternal to fetal circulation. MSP1 alone or with non-immune plasma did not transfer; pre-incubation with human plasma containing anti-MSP1 was required. MSP1 bound to IgG was detected in the fetal perfusate. Laser scanning confocal microscopy demonstrated MSP1 in the fetal villous stroma, predominantly in fetal endothelial cells. MSP1 co-localized with IgG in endothelial cells, but not with placental macrophages. Thus we show, for the first time, antibody-dependent transplacental transfer of an antigen in the form of immune complexes. These studies imply frequent exposure of the fetus to certain antigens with implications for management of maternal infections during pregnancy and novel approaches to deliver vaccines or drugs to the fetus.     

Biotechnological applications of Listeria's sophisticated infection strategies

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram‐positive bacterium that is able to survive both in the environment and to invade and multiply within eukaryotic cells. Currently L. monocytogenes represents one of the most well‐studied and characterized microorganisms in bacterial pathogenesis. A hallmark of L. monocytogenes virulence is its ability to breach bodily barriers such as the intestinal epithelium, the blood–brain barrier as well as the placental barrier to cause severe systemic disease. Curiously, this theme is repeated at the level of the interaction between the individual cell and the bacterium where its virulence factors contribute to the ability of the bacteria to breach cellular barriers. L. monocytogenes is a model to study metabolic requirements of bacteria growing in an intracellular environment, modulation of signalling pathways in the infected cell and interactions with cellular defences involving innate and adaptive immunity. Technical advances such as the creation of LISTERIA‐susceptible mouse strains, had added interest in the study of the natural pathogenesis of the disease via oral infection. The use of attenuated strains of L. monocytogenes as vaccines has gained considerable interest because they can be used to express heterologous antigens as well as to somatically deliver recombinant DNA to eukaryotic cells. A novel vaccine concept, the use of non‐viable but metabolically active bacteria to induced immunoprotective responses, has been developed with L. monocytogenes. In this mini‐review, we review the strategies used by L. monocytogenes to subvert the cellular functions at different stages of the infection cycle in the host and examine how these properties are being exploited in biotechnological and clinical applications.