幽门螺杆菌细胞毒素相关基因致病岛及Ⅳ型分泌系统的研究进展

致病岛是指细菌染色体上一段具有典型结构特征的基因簇,主要编码与细菌毒力及代谢等功能相关的产物。Ⅳ型分泌系统指革兰阴性菌中由多种蛋白分子构成的、通过菌毛样结构向宿主细胞注入毒力因子的分泌系统。幽门螺杆菌细胞毒素相关基因致病岛及其编码的Ⅳ型分泌系统是幽门螺杆菌关键性致病因子,有可能成为药物作用的新靶标,是近年相关研究的热点。     

细菌的IV型分泌系统

细菌的分泌系统与细菌的生存及致病性密切相关。细菌的分泌系统包括I-VI型,其中,IV型分泌系统是与细菌接合机制有关的一类分泌系统。IV型分泌系统不但可以转运DNA,还可以转运蛋白质及核糖核蛋白复合物等大分子物质,这点区别于其他几种分泌系统。IV型分泌系统介导基因水平转移,通过细菌间接合作用,传递抗性基因和毒力基因,有利于细菌进化;另一方面,IV型分泌系统转运效应蛋白质分子到宿主细胞,参与细菌致病。本文着重从IV型分泌系统几种主要类型的分泌机制等方面对IV型分泌系统进行概述。     

细菌Ⅵ型分泌系统的研究进展

Ⅵ型分泌系统(Type Ⅵ secretion system,T6SS)是最近发现的一种新的分泌系统,广泛存在于革兰氏阴性菌变形菌门细菌中,主要由构成分泌系统的结构蛋白、形成跨膜管道结构的转位蛋白、分泌蛋白以及一些对分泌系统起辅助功能的蛋白组成。T6SS能够增强细菌对外界环境的适应性,介导细菌对宿主细胞的致病力以及其他功能。     

032肠致病性大肠埃希菌的效应蛋白在肠黏膜刷状缘损伤中的作用

肠致病性大肠埃希菌（EPEC）在肠道细胞的定植可对小肠黏膜细胞产生典型的附着和缺失性（A／E）损伤,其病理改变是局部刷状缘微绒毛的破坏,细菌的紧密黏附及黏附部位细胞骨架的聚集。EPEC通过Ⅲ型分泌系统（TTSS）将效应蛋白运输到宿主细胞内,导致A／E损伤及腹泻。与A／E损伤相关的基因及LEE致病岛编码的效应蛋白包括Tir、     

细菌Ⅵ型分泌系统及其致病机制的研究进展

Ⅵ型分泌系统(Type Ⅵ secretion system,T6SS)是新近发现的一种细菌分泌系统,广泛存在于革兰阴性菌中,与细菌的致病性密切相关。目前,多种致病菌T6SS的致病机制都获得了广泛的研究。总结近年来T6SS的相关文献,对霍乱弧菌、铜绿假单胞菌、沙门菌等致病菌的T6SS及其致病机制作一综述。     

猪链球菌2型89K毒力岛研究进展

高致病性猪链球菌2型的致病机制仍是未解之谜.毒力岛不仅赋予病原菌特殊的致病能力,而且在细菌的适应性进化过程中扮演重要角色.对猪链球菌2型89K毒力岛功能性基因的深入剖析有助于更全面地掌握病原菌的致病特性.综述了猪链球菌2型89K毒力岛的结构与进化过程,以及国内外对毒力岛中二元信号转导系统、Ⅳ型分泌系统、ABC转运蛋白、毒素-抗毒素系统等重要基因的研究进展,力图从基因水平为猪链球菌2型的致病机制寻找突破口.     

副溶血性弧菌分泌系统在致病力中作用的研究进展

致病菌借助分泌系统将特异蛋白直接注入宿主细胞内,破坏宿主细胞内的多种信号通路,是导致细菌定殖和感染的有效途径。作为一种重要的食源性致病菌,副溶血性弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)的Ⅲ型分泌系统(Type Ⅲ secretion system,T3SS)和Ⅵ型分泌系统(Type Ⅵ secretion system,T6SS)是其对宿主细胞产生致病性的重要因素。本文综述了副溶血性弧菌T3SS和T6SS效应物在致病力中的具体作用,以及相关调控机理,为进一步了解由副溶血性弧菌导致的病症,研究其致病机理以及寻找致病性靶标提供参考。     

细菌三型分泌系统效应蛋白转运的研究进展

三型分泌系统(Type 3 secretion system,T3SS)作为存在于革兰氏阴性菌中的分泌系统之一,对革兰氏阴性菌的致病有重要作用。T3SS的致病作用体现在T3SS能直接将效应蛋白转运至宿主细胞,进而通过效应蛋白调控细胞的一系列通路,促进细菌定殖于细胞。而效应蛋白的转运受到两方面因素的调控,一方面是效应蛋白本身的信号序列,另一方面是T3SS相关蛋白的辅助。本文围绕近年来T3SS的构成、效应蛋白转运机制方面的最新进展进行概要综述。     

肠出血性大肠杆菌Ⅲ型分泌系统及其转位效应器蛋白质

肠出血性大肠杆菌(enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli,EHEC)0157:H7是一种重要的肠道病原微生物,感染后可引发多种疾病,严重者可导致死亡.EHEC O157:H7通过Ⅲ型分泌系统(TTSS)将其转位效应器蛋白质转位至宿主细胞,经一系列的信号传导过程介导与宿主细胞的"黏附与擦拭"(attaching and effacing,A/E)损伤.对EHEC0157:H7 Ⅲ型分泌系统及其转位效应器蛋白质进行研究,可使我们进一步认识EHEC以及引起A/E损伤的病原菌的致病机理,丰富有关Ⅲ型分泌系统和致病岛的知识.     

细菌分泌系统的结构及作用机制研究进展

细菌分泌系统（bacterial secretion systems）是一类存在于细菌细胞膜上的大分子复合物，是结构复杂的跨膜分子机器，可为多种细菌的效应物提供分泌途径。目前已经发现了9种细菌分泌系统，即T1SS~T9SS，在细菌的生存及致病力方面发挥着重要作用。随着X射线晶体学（X-ray crystallography）、核磁共振（nuclear magnetic resonance，NMR）及冷冻电镜（cryo-electron microscopy，Cryo-EM）等技术手段的发展与应用，这些大分子复合物的三维结构也得到了一定程度的解析，极大增强了人类对于细菌分泌系统转运底物复杂机制的理解。因此，本文结合近年来关于细菌T1SS~T9SS的研究进展，对各分泌系统的结构信息进行了系统整合，总结了这些分泌系统的分子作用机制，并对其未来的发展方向进行了展望，以期为与细菌蛋白质分泌相关的致病、耐药、环境适应性等机制的研究奠定理论基础，为进一步开发以分泌系统结构为基础的小分子抑菌物质提供精准的三维靶标。     

Pathogenicity islands: the tip of the iceberg.

Pathogenicity islands represent distinct genetic elements encoding virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenicity islands belong to the class of genomic islands, which are common genetic elements sharing a set of unifying features. Genomic islands have been acquired by horizontal gene transfer. In recent years many different genomic islands have been discovered in a variety of pathogenic as well as non-pathogenic bacteria. Because they promote genetic variability, genomic islands play an important role in microbial evolution.     

The molecular basis of infectious diseases: pathogenicity islands and other mobile genetic elements. A review

Bacterial genomes generally consist of stable regions termed core genome, and variable regions that form the so-called flexible gene pool. The flexible part is composed of bacteriophages, plasmids, transposons as well as unstable large regions that have been termed genomic islands. Genomic islands encoding virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria have been designated "pathogenicity islands". Pathogenicity islands were first discovered in uropathogenic Escherichia coli and presently more than 30 bacterial species carrying pathogenicity islands have been described. This review summarises the current knowledge on bacterial genomic islands and their general features, and discusses their putative role in the evolution of microbes in the light of genomics of pathogenic bacteria.     

Pathogenicity islands of virulent bacteria: structure, function and impact on microbial evolution

Virulence genes of pathogenic bacteria, which code for toxins, adhesins, invasins or other virulence factors, may be located on transmissible genetic elements such as transposons, plasmids or bacteriophages. In addition, such genes may be part of particular regions on the bacterial chromosome, termed‘pathogenicity islands’(Pais). Pathogenicity islands are found in Gram-negative as well as in Gram-positive bacteria. They are present in the genome of pathogenic strains of a given species but absent or only rarely present in those of non-pathogenic variants of the same or related species. They comprise large DNA regions (up to 200 kb of DNA) and often carry more than one virulence gene, the G+C contents of which often differ from those of the remaining bacterial genome. In most cases, Pais are flanked by specific DNA sequences, such as direct repeats or insertion sequence (IS) elements. In addition, Pais of certain bacteria (e.g. uropathogenic Escherichia coli, Yersinia spp., Helicobacter pylori) have the tendency to delete with high frequencies or may undergo duplications and amplifications. Pais are often associated with tRNA loci, which may represent target sites for the chromosomal integration of these elements. Bacteriophage attachment sites and cryptic genes on Pais, which are homologous to phage integrase genes, plasmid origins of replication or IS elements, indicate that these particular genetic elements were previously able to spread among bacterial populations by horizontal gene transfer, a process known to contribute to microbial evolution.     

Brucella pathogenesis, genes identified from random large-scale screens

Pathogenicity islands, specialized secretion systems, virulence plasmids, fimbriae, pili, adhesins, and toxins are all classical bacterial virulence factors. However, many of these factors, though widespread among bacterial pathogens, are not necessarily found among bacteria that colonize eukaryotic cells in a pathogenic/symbiotic relationship. Bacteria that form these relationships have developed other strategies to infect and grow in their hosts. This is particularly true for Brucella and other members of the class Proteobacteria. Thus far the identification of virulence factors for Brucella has been largely dependent on large-scale screens and testing in model systems. The genomes of the facultative intracellular pathogens Brucella melitensis and Brucella suis were sequenced recently. This has identified several more potential virulence factors for Brucella that were not found in large screens. Here, we present an overall view of Brucella virulence by compiling virulence data from the study of 184 attenuated mutants.     

Photorhabdus: towards a functional genomic analysis of a symbiont and pathogen

Pathogenicity and symbiosis are central to bacteria-host interactions. Although several human pathogens have been subjected to functional genomic analysis, we still understand little about bacteria-invertebrate interactions despite their ecological prevalence. Advances in our knowledge of this area are often hindered by the difficulty of isolating and working with invertebrate pathogenic bacteria and their hosts. Here we review studies on pathogenicity and symbiosis in an insect pathogenic bacterium Photorhabdus and its entomopathogenic nematode vector and model insect hosts. Whilst switching between these hosts, Photorhabdus changes from a state of symbiosis with its nematode vector to one of pathogenicity towards its new insect host and both the bacteria and the nematode then cooperatively exploit the dying insect. We examine candidate genes involved in symbiosis and pathogenicity, their secretion and expression patterns in culture and in the host, and begin to dissect the extent of their genetic coregulation. We describe the presence of several large genomic islands, putatively involved in pathogenicity or symbiosis, within the otherwise Yersinia-like backbone of the Photorhabdus genome. Finally, we examine the emerging comparative genomics of the Photorhabdus group and begin to describe the interrelationship between anti-invertebrate virulence factors and those used against vertebrates.     

The selC-associated SHI-2 pathogenicity island of Shigella flexneri

Pathogenicity islands are chromosomal gene clusters, often located adjacent to tRNA genes, that encode virulence factors present in pathogenic organisms but absent or sporadically found in related non-pathogenic species. The selC tRNA locus is the site of integration of different pathogenicity islands in uropathogenic Escherichia coli, enterohaemorrhagic E. coli and Salmonella enterica. We show here that the selC locus of Shigella flexneri, the aetiological agent of bacterial dysentery, also contains a pathogenicity island. This pathogenicity island, designated SHI-2 (Shigella island 2), occupies 23.8 kb downstream of selC and contains genes encoding the aerobactin iron acquisition siderophore system, colicin V immunity and several novel proteins. Remnants of multiple mobile genetic elements are present in SHI-2. SHI-2-hybridizing sequences were detected in all S. flexneri strains tested and parts of the island were also found in other Shigella species. SHI-2 may allow Shigella survival in stressful environments, such as those encountered during infection.     

PIPS: pathogenicity island prediction software

The adaptability of pathogenic bacteria to hosts is influenced by the genomic plasticity of the bacteria, which can be increased by such mechanisms as horizontal gene transfer. Pathogenicity islands play a major role in this type of gene transfer because they are large, horizontally acquired regions that harbor clusters of virulence genes that mediate the adhesion, colonization, invasion, immune system evasion, and toxigenic properties of the acceptor organism. Currently, pathogenicity islands are mainly identified in silico based on various characteristic features: (1) deviations in codon usage, G+C content or dinucleotide frequency and (2) insertion sequences and/or tRNA genetic flanking regions together with transposase coding genes. Several computational techniques for identifying pathogenicity islands exist. However, most of these techniques are only directed at the detection of horizontally transferred genes and/or the absence of certain genomic regions of the pathogenic bacterium in closely related non-pathogenic species. Here, we present a novel software suite designed for the prediction of pathogenicity islands (pathogenicity island prediction software, or PIPS). In contrast to other existing tools, our approach is capable of utilizing multiple features for pathogenicity island detection in an integrative manner. We show that PIPS provides better accuracy than other available software packages. As an example, we used PIPS to study the veterinary pathogen Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, in which we identified seven putative pathogenicity islands.     

Genetic virulence markers of opportunistic bacteria

The analysis of opportunistic bacteria phenotypic and genetic virulence markers indicates that pathogenicity formation is based on a structural modification of bacterial DNA which is linked with migration of interbacterial pathogenicity "islands" genetic determinants. Structural organization features of these mobile genetic elements determine high expression probability, and PCR detection of pathogenicity "islands" determinants that control adhesins, invasins, cytotoxic and cytolitic toxines synthesis may indicate etiopathogenetic significance of clinical isolates.