The Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-2 and SPI-1 type III secretion systems allow Salmonella serovar typhimurium to trigger colitis via MyD88-dependent and MyD88-independent mechanisms

Salmonella typhimurium can colonize the gut, invade intestinal tissues, and cause enterocolitis. In vitro studies suggest different mechanisms leading to mucosal inflammation, including 1) direct modulation of proinflammatory signaling by bacterial type III effector proteins and 2) disruption or penetration of the intestinal epithelium so that penetrating bacteria or bacterial products can trigger innate immunity (i.e., TLR signaling). We studied these mechanisms in vivo using streptomycin-pretreated wild-type and knockout mice including MyD88(-/-) animals lacking an adaptor molecule required for signaling via most TLRs. The Salmonella SPI-1 and the SPI-2 type III secretion systems (TTSS) contributed to inflammation. Mutants that retain only a functional SPI-1 (M556; sseD::aphT) or a SPI-2 TTSS (SB161; DeltainvG) caused attenuated colitis, which reflected distinct aspects of the colitis caused by wild-type S. typhimurium: M556 caused diffuse cecal inflammation that did not require MyD88 signaling. In contrast, SB161 induced focal mucosal inflammation requiring MyD88. M556 but not SB161 was found in intestinal epithelial cells. In the lamina propria, M556 and SB161 appeared to reside in different leukocyte cell populations as indicated by differential CD11c staining. Only the SPI-2-dependent inflammatory pathway required aroA-dependent intracellular growth. Thus, S. typhimurium can use two independent mechanisms to elicit colitis in vivo: SPI-1-dependent and MyD88-independent signaling to epithelial cells and SPI-2-dependent intracellular proliferation in the lamina propria triggering MyD88-dependent innate immune responses.     

Assembly of the type III secretion needle complex of Salmonella typhimurium

The type III secretion needle complex (NC) of Salmonella typhimurium is a complex secretory system that functions to translocate virulence proteins into eukaryotic cells. Evolutionarily it is related to bacterial flagella. Assembly of the NC occurs through ordered secretion, polymerization, and assembly, and requires the coordinated expression and association of over 20 different proteins. Recent progress in the understanding of the assembly and architecture of the NC is reviewed.     

减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌三型分泌表达系统的构建及其特性

为开发新型重组减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌口服活疫苗载体,本研究以pYA3493质粒为基础,用鼠伤寒沙门菌sopE_(Nt100)基因及其启动子替代原有的P_(trc)启动子,构建沙门菌三型分泌表达载体pYA-sopE_(Nt100);再将质粒pYA-sopE_(Nt100)电转入沙门菌ΔcrpΔasd SL1344,构建减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌ΔcrpΔasd SL1344(p YA-sop E_(Nt100))三型分泌表达系统,研究其生物学特性,进一步将报告基因egfp克隆入sop E基因下游,构建重组菌株ΔcrpΔasd SL1344(p YA-sop E_(Nt100)-egfp),感染Vero细胞,用Western blotting分析该系统递呈外源抗原的能力。PCR、酶切及测序结果表明,减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌ΔcrpΔasd SL1344(p YA-sop E_(Nt100))三型分泌表达系统构建成功;生物学特性鉴定结果表明,其血清型与亲本株Δcrp SL1344及野生株SL1344保持一致;其生化特性与亲本株基本相近,但与野毒株相比发生明显变化;生长速度也更为缓慢;重组菌株ΔcrpΔasd SL1344(p YA-sop E_(Nt100))的LD50较野生株SL1344降低了7.0×104倍;Western blotting结果发现,重组菌培养上清中能检测到Sop E_(Nt100)-egfp融合蛋白(37 k Da);重组菌株感染Vero细胞后,可以同时检测到Sop E_(Nt100)-egfp融合蛋白(37 k Da)和EGFP蛋白(27 k Da)。以上结果证实,本研究成功构建了新型减毒鼠伤寒沙门菌ΔcrpΔasd(p YA-sop E_(Nt100))三型分泌表达系统,其能够有效递呈外源抗原,该重组菌株有潜力作为安全、稳定、高效表达外源基因的口服重组活疫苗载体。     

pH-dependent secretion of SseB, a product of the SPI-2 type III secretion system of Salmonella typhimurium

The type III secretion system of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) is required for bacterial replication inside macrophages. SseB has been considered a putative target of the secretion system on the basis of its similarity with EspA, a protein secreted by the type III secretion system of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). EspA forms a filamentous structure on the bacterial cell surface and is involved in translocation of proteins into the eukaryotic cytosol. In this paper, we show that SseB is a secreted protein that associates with the surface of the bacterial cell and might, therefore, also be required for delivery of SPI-2 effector proteins to the eukaryotic cell cytosol. SseB begins to accumulate inside the bacterial cell when the culture enters early stationary phase. However, SseB is only secreted if the bacteria are grown at low pH or if the pH is shifted after growth from 7.0 to below pH 5.0. The secretion occurs within minutes of acidification and is totally dependent on a functional SPI-2 type III secretion system. As the pH of the Salmonella-containing vacuole inside host cells has been shown to acidify to between pH 4.0 and 5.0, and as SPI-2 gene expression occurs inside host cells, low pH might be a physiological stimulus for SPI-2-mediated secretion in vivo.     

Analysis of cells targeted by Salmonella type III secretion in vivo

The type III secretion systems (TTSS) encoded in Salmonella pathogenicity island-1 and -2 (SPI-1 and -2) are virulence factors required for specific phases of Salmonella infection in animal hosts. However, the host cell types targeted by the TTSS have not been determined. To investigate this, we have constructed translational fusions between the beta-lactamase reporter and a broad array of TTSS effectors secreted via SPI-1, SPI-2, or both. Secretion of the fusion protein to a host cell was determined by cleavage of a specific fluorescent substrate. In cultured cells, secretion of all six effectors could be observed. However, two to four days following i.p. infection of mice, only effectors secreted by SPI-2 were detected in spleen cells. The cells targeted were identified via staining with nine different cell surface markers followed by FACS analysis as well as by conventional cytological methods. The targeted cells include B and T lymphocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, and dendritic cells, but not mature macrophages. To further investigate replication in these various cell types, Salmonella derivatives were constructed that express a red fluorescent protein. Bacteria could be seen in each of the cell types above; however, most viable bacteria were present in neutrophils. We find that Salmonella is capable of targeting most phagocytic and non-phagocytic cells in the spleen but has a surprisingly high preference for neutrophils. These findings suggest that Salmonella specifically target splenic neutrophils presumably to attenuate their microbicidal functions, thereby promoting intracellular survival and replication in the mouse.     

Salmonella pathogenicity islands encoding type III secretion systems.

Salmonella enterica harbours two Salmonella pathogenicity islands (SPIs) each encoding a type III secretion system for virulence proteins. SPI1 is required for invasion, while systemic infections and intracellular accumulation of Salmonella are dependent on SPI2 function. This review will describe and compare the genetic organisation, evolution, regulation and molecular functions of SPI1 and SPI2.     

SpiC is required for secretion of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 type III secretion system proteins

Replication of Salmonella typhimurium in host cells depends in part on the action of the Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI-2) type III secretion system (TTSS), which translocates bacterial effector proteins across the membrane of the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV). We have shown previously that one activity of the SPI-2 TTSS is the assembly of a coat of F-actin in the vicinity of bacterial microcolonies. To identify proteins involved in SPI-2 dependent actin polymerization, we tested strains carrying mutations in each of several genes whose products are proposed to be secreted through the SPI-2 TTSS, for their ability to assemble F-actin around intracellular bacteria. We found that strains carrying mutations in either sseB, sseC, sseD or spiC were deficient in actin assembly. The phenotypes of the sseB-, sseC- and sseD- mutants can be attributed to their requirement for translocation of SPI-2 effectors. SpiC was investigated further in view of its proposed role as an effector. Transient expression of a myc::SpiC fusion protein in Hela cells did not induce any significant alterations to the host cell cytoskeleton, and failed to restore actin polymerization around intracellular spiC- mutant bacteria. However, the same protein did complement the mutant phenotype when expressed from a plasmid within bacteria. Furthermore, spiC was found to be required for SPI-2 mediated secretion of SseB, SseC and SseD in vitro. An antibody against SpiC detected the protein on immunoblots from total cell lysates of S. typhimurium expressing SpiC from a plasmid, but it was not detected in secreted fractions after exposure of cells to conditions that result in secretion of other SPI-2 effector proteins. Investigation of the trafficking of SCVs containing a spiC- mutant in macrophages revealed only a low level of association with the lysosomal marker cathepsin D, similar to that of wild-type bacteria. Together, these results show that SpiC is involved in the process of SPI-2 secretion and indicate that phenotypes associated with a spiC- mutant are caused by the inability of this strain to translocate effector proteins, thus calling for further investigation into the function(s) of this protein.     

SseBCD proteins are secreted by the type III secretion system of Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 and function as a translocon

The type III secretion system encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2) is required for systemic infections and intracellular accumulation of Salmonella enterica. This system is induced by intracellular Salmonella and subsequently transfers effector proteins into the host cell. Growth conditions either inducing expression of the type III secretion system or the secretion of substrate proteins were defined. Here we report the identification of a set of substrate proteins consisting of SseB, SseC, and SseD that are secreted by the SPI2 system in vitro. Secretion was observed if bacterial cells were exposed to acidic pH after growth in minimal medium with limitation of Mg(2+) or phosphate. SseB, -C, and -D were isolated in a fraction detached from the bacterial cell surface by mechanical shearing, indicating that these proteins are predominantly assembled into complexes on the bacterial cell surface. The three proteins were required for the translocation of SPI2 effector proteins SspH1 and SspH2 into infected host cells. Thus, SseB, SseC, and SseD function as the translocon for effector proteins by intracellular Salmonella.     

Salmonella type III effectors PipB and PipB2 are targeted to detergent-resistant microdomains on internal host cell membranes

The intracellular pathogen, Salmonella enterica, translocates type III effectors across its vacuolar membrane into host cells. Herein we describe a new Salmonella effector, PipB2, which has sequence similarity to another type III effector, PipB. In phagocytic cells, PipB2 localizes to the Salmonella-containing vacuole (SCV) and tubular extensions from the SCV, Salmonella-induced filaments (Sifs). We used the specific targeting of PipB2 in macrophages to characterize Sifs in phagocytic cells for the first time. In epithelial cells, PipB2 has a unique localization pattern, localizing to SCVs and Sifs and additionally to vesicles at the periphery of infected cells. We further show that the N-terminal 225-amino-acid residues of PipB2 are sufficient for type III translocation and association with SCVs and Sifs, but not peripheral vesicles. Subcellular fractionation demonstrated that both PipB and PipB2 associate with host cell membranes and resist extraction by high salt, high pH and to a significant extent, non-ionic detergent. Furthermore, PipB and PipB2 are enriched in detergent-resistant microdomains (DRMs), also known as lipid rafts, present on membranes of SCVs and Sifs. The enrichment of Salmonella effectors in DRMs on these intracellular membranes probably permits specific interactions with host cell molecules that are concentrated in these signalling platforms.     

Synthesis and localization of the Salmonella SPI-1 type III secretion needle complex proteins PrgI and PrgJ

An essential component of type III secretion systems (TTSS) is a supramolecular structure termed the needle complex. In Salmonella enterica, at least four proteins make up this structure: InvG, PrgH, PrgK, and PrgI. Another protein, PrgJ, is thought to play a role in the assembly of this structure, but its function is poorly understood. We have analyzed the expression and localization of PrgJ and the needle protein PrgI in different S. enterica serovar Typhimurium mutant strains. We found that the levels of PrgI and PrgJ were significantly reduced in a TTSS-deficient invA mutant strain and that the decreased levels were due to protein instability. In addition, we found that PrgJ, although associated with the needle complex in wild-type S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, was absent from needle complexes obtained from an invJ mutant strain, which exhibits very long needle substructures. We suggest that PrgJ is involved in capping the needle substructure of the needle complex.     

Salmonella typhimurium secreted invasion determinants are homologous to Shigella lpa proteins

Salmonella typhimurium secreted proteins (Ssp) were previously implicated in epithelial cell invasion. Here we describe four genes ( sspB , sspC , sspD , and sspA ), located between spaT and prgH , which encode proteins of 63, 42, 36, and 87 kDa, respectively. These Ssp are homologous to Shigella flexneri secreted proteins lpaB, lpaC, lpaD and lpaA. A non-invasive mutant with a transposon insertion in sspC lacks Ssp of 87,42 and 36 kDa. Complementation analyses show that sspC and sspD encode the 42 and the 36 kDa Ssp, while the 87 kDa Ssp is encoded by sspA . sspC and sspD , but not sspA are required for invasion. Amino-terminal sequencing shows that SspC and SspA are secreted without amino-terminal processing. We further demonstrate that Ssp secretion requires proteins encoded by prgHIJK , homologous to the Shigella lpa secretion system, since SspA is abundantly secreted by wild-type bacteria but is completely retained within the cellular fraction of a prgHIJK mutant. A precipitate containing abundant SspC and three other major Ssp of 63,59 and 22 kDa was isolated from culture supernatants of wild-type bacteria. These data indicate that major secreted invasion determinants of S. typhimurium are structurally and functionally homolgous to S. flexneri lpa proteins.     

Salmonella effectors within a single pathogenicity island are differentially expressed and translocated by separate type III secretion systems

Pathogenicity islands (PAIs) are large DNA segments in the genomes of bacterial pathogens that encode virulence factors. Five PAIs have been identified in the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica. Two of these PAIs, Salmonella pathogenicity island (SPI)-1 and SPI-2, encode type III secretion systems (TTSS), which are essential virulence determinants. These 'molecular syringes' inject effectors directly into the host cell, whereupon they manipulate host cell functions. These effectors are either encoded with their respective TTSS or scattered elsewhere on the Salmonella chromosome. Importantly, SPI-1 and SPI-2 are expressed under distinct environmental conditions: SPI-1 is induced upon initial contact with the host cell, whereas SPI-2 is induced intracellularly. Here, we demonstrate that a single PAI, in this case SPI-5, can encode effectors that are induced by distinct regulatory cues and targeted to different TTSS. SPI-5 encodes the SPI-1 TTSS translocated effector, SigD/SopB. In contrast, we report that the adjacently encoded effector PipB is part of the SPI-2 regulon. PipB is translocated by the SPI-2 TTSS to the Salmonella-containing vacuole and Salmonella-induced filaments. We also show that regions of SPI-5 are not conserved in all Salmonella spp. Although sigD/sopB is present in all Salmonella spp., pipB is not found in Salmonella bongori, which also lacks a functional SPI-2 TTSS. Thus, we demonstrate a functional and regulatory cross-talk between three chromosomal PAIs, SPI-1, SPI-2 and SPI-5, which has significant implications for the evolution and role of PAIs in bacterial pathogenesis.     

Flagellar proteins and type III-exported virulence factors are the predominant proteins secreted into the culture media of Salmonella typhimurium

We analysed all major proteins secreted into culture media from Salmonella typhimurium. Proteins in culture supernatants were collected by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, separated in SDS-polyacrylamide gels and analysed by amino acid sequencing. Wild-type strain SJW1103 cells typically gave rise to nine bands in SDS gels: 89, 67, 58, 52, 50, 42, 40, 35 and (sometimes) 28 kDa. A search of the sequences in the available databases revealed that they were either flagellar proteins or virulence factors. Six of them were flagella specific: FlgK or HAP1 (58 kDa), FliC or flagellin (52 kDa), FliD or HAP2 (50 kDa), FlgE or hook protein (42 kDa), FlgL or HAP3 (35 kDa) and FlgD or hook-cap protein (28 kDa). The other four bands were specific for virulence factors: SipA (89 kDa), SipB (67 kDa), SipC (42 kDa) and InvJ (40 kDa). The 42 kDa band was a mixture of FlgE and SipC. We also analysed secreted proteins from more than 30 flagellar mutants, and they were categorized into four groups according to their band patterns: wild type, mot type, polyhook type and master gene type. Virulence factors were constantly secreted at a higher level in all flagellar mutants except a deltamot (motAB deletion) mutant, in which the amounts were greatly reduced. A new morphological pathway of flagellar biogenesis including protein secretion is presented.     

Functions and effectors of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 type III secretion system

Salmonella enterica uses two functionally distinct type III secretion systems encoded on the pathogenicity islands SPI-1 and SPI-2 to transfer effector proteins into host cells. A major function of the SPI-1 secretion system is to enable bacterial invasion of epithelial cells and the principal role of SPI-2 is to facilitate the replication of intracellular bacteria within membrane-bound Salmonella-containing vacuoles (SCVs). Studies of mutant bacteria defective for SPI-2-dependent secretion have revealed a variety of functions that can be attributed to this secretion system. These include an inhibition of various aspects of endocytic trafficking, an avoidance of NADPH oxidase-dependent killing, the induction of a delayed apoptosis-like host cell death, the control of SCV membrane dynamics, the assembly of a meshwork of F-actin around the SCV, an accumulation of cholesterol around the SCV and interference with the localization of inducible nitric oxide synthase to the SCV. Several effector proteins that are translocated across the vacuolar membrane in a SPI-2-dependent manner have now been identified. These are encoded both within and outside SPI-2. The characteristics of these effectors, and their relationship to the physiological functions listed above, are the subject of this review. The emerging picture is of a multifunctional system, whose activities are explained in part by effectors that control interactions between the SCV and intracellular membrane compartments.     

The Pseudomonas syringae type III effector AvrRpm1 induces significant defenses by activating the Arabidopsis nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat protein RPS2

Plant disease resistance (R) proteins recognize potential pathogens expressing corresponding avirulence (Avr) proteins through 'gene-for-gene' interactions. RPM1 is an Arabidopsis R-protein that triggers a robust defense response upon recognizing the Pseudomonas syringae effector AvrRpm1. Avr-proteins of phytopathogenic bacteria include type III effector proteins that are often capable of enhancing virulence when not recognized by an R-protein. In rpm1 plants, AvrRpm1 suppresses basal defenses induced by microbe-associated molecular patterns. Here, we show that expression of AvrRpm1 in rpm1 plants induced PR-1, a classical defense marker, and symptoms including chlorosis and necrosis. PR-1 expression and symptoms were reduced in plants with mutations in defense signaling genes ( pad4 , sid2 , npr1 , rar1 , and ndr1 ) and were strongly reduced in rpm1 rps2 plants, indicating that AvrRpm1 elicits defense signaling through the Arabidopsis R-protein, RPS2. Bacteria expressing AvrRpm1 grew more on rpm1 rps2 than on rpm1 plants. Thus, independent of its classical 'gene-for-gene' activation of RPM1, AvrRpm1 also induces functionally relevant defenses that are dependent on RPS2. Finally, AvrRpm1 suppressed host defenses and promoted the growth of type III secretion mutant bacteria equally well in rps2 and RPS2 plants, indicating that virulence activity of over-expressed AvrRpm1 predominates over defenses induced by weak activation of RPS2.