Danika L. Goosney

Enteropathogenic E. coli Tir binds Nck to initiate actin pedestal formation in host cells

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a bacterial pathogen that causes infantile diarrhea worldwide. EPEC injects a bacterial protein, translocated intimin receptor (Tir), into the host-cell plasma membrane where it acts as a receptor for the bacterial outer membrane protein, intimin. The interaction of Tir and intimin triggers a marked rearrangement of the host actin cytoskeleton into pedestals beneath adherent bacteria. On delivery into host cells, EPEC Tir is phosphorylated on tyrosine 474 of the intracellular carboxy-terminal domain, an event that is required for pedestal formation. Despite its essential role, the function of Tir tyrosine phosphorylation has not yet been elucidated. Here we show that tyrosine 474 of Tir directly binds the host-cell adaptor protein Nck, and that Nck is required for the recruitment of both neural Wiskott–Aldrich-syndrome protein (N-WASP) and the actin-related protein (Arp)2/3 complex to the EPEC pedestal, directly linking Tir to the cytoskeleton. Cells with null alleles of both mammalian Nck genes are resistant to the effects of EPEC on the actin cytoskeleton. These results implicate Nck adaptors as host-cell determinants of EPEC virulence.

Enteropathogenic E. coli acts through WASP and Arp2/3 complex to form actin pedestals

Extracellular stimuli can induce localized actin rearrangements at the site of stimulation. To understand how this occurs, we have been studying enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), a bacterial pathogen that induces formation of an actin-rich membrane pseudopod or pedestal beneath itself upon adherence to host intestinal epithelia1. Infection ultimately results in diarrhoea, which can cause death, especially among infants in developing countries1. Here we show that pedestal formation depends on localized recruitment and activation of two host-cell factors involved in actin polymerization: the heptameric Arp2/3 complex (Arp2/3c), which nucleates polymerization2, and members of the Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS) family of proteins (WASP and N-WASP)3, which bind to and activate Arp2/3c (ref. 2). Arp2/3c recruitment depends on WASP, and WASP recruitment depends on its GTPase-binding domain (GBD), suggesting involvement proximally of a Rho family GTPase. This is, to our knowledge, the first demonstration of cellular mediators of EPEC pedestal formation and of localized recruitment of WASP and Arp2/3c as part of a signalling cascade initiated at the cell surface.

Recruitment of Cytoskeletal and Signaling Proteins to Enteropathogenic and Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli Pedestals

ABSTRACT Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a human pathogen that attaches to intestinal epithelial cells and causes chronic watery diarrhea. A close relative, enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), causes severe bloody diarrhea and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Both pathogens insert a protein, Tir, into the host cell plasma membrane where it binds intimin, the outer membrane ligand of EPEC and EHEC. This interaction triggers a cascade of signaling events within the host cell and ultimately leads to the formation of an actin-rich pedestal upon which the pathogen resides. Pedestal formation is critical in mediating EPEC- and EHEC-induced diarrhea, yet very little is known about its composition and organization. In EPEC, pedestal formation requires Tir tyrosine 474 phosphorylation. In EHEC Tir is not tyrosine phosphorylated, yet the pedestals appear similar. The composition of the EPEC and EHEC pedestals was analyzed by examining numerous cytoskeletal, signaling, and adapter proteins. Of the 25 proteins examined, only two, calpactin and CD44, were recruited to the site of bacterial attachment independently of Tir. Several others, including ezrin, talin, gelsolin, and tropomyosin, were recruited to the site of EPEC attachment independently of Tir tyrosine 474 phosphorylation but required Tir in the host membrane. The remaining proteins were recruited to the pedestal in a manner dependent on Tir tyrosine phosphorylation or were not recruited at all. Differences were also found between the EPEC and EHEC pedestals: the adapter proteins Grb2 and CrkII were recruited to the EPEC pedestal but were absent in the EHEC pedestal. These results demonstrate that although EPEC and EHEC recruit similar cytoskeletal proteins, there are also significant differences in pedestal composition.

SifA, a Type III Secreted Effector of Salmonella typhimurium, Directs Salmonella‐Induced Filament (Sif) Formation Along Microtubules

A unique feature of Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium (S. typhimurium) is its ability to enter into (invade) epithelial cells and elongate the vacuole it occupies into tubular structures called Salmonella‐induced filaments (Sifs). This phenotype is dependent on SifA, a Salmonella virulence factor that requires the SPI‐2‐encoded type III secretion system for delivery into host cells. Previous attempts to study SifA and other type III secreted proteins have been limited by a lack of suitable reagents. We examined SifA function by expressing SifA with two internal hemagglutinin epitope tags. By employing subcellular fractionation techniques, we determined that translocated SifA was membrane associated in infected HeLa cells. Confocal microscopy revealed that SifA associated with the Salmonella vacuole and with Sifs. Our analysis also revealed that microtubules serve as a scaffold for Sifs, and that SifA colocalizes with microtubules at sites of interaction between lysosomal glycoprotein‐containing vesicles and Sifs. Treatment with the microtubule inhibitor nocodazole blocked Sif formation but did not prevent SifA translocation into the Salmonella vacuole. While polymerized actin has been observed on Sifs, this phenotype was transient and did not play a role in promoting or maintaining Sif formation. Our findings demonstrate the essential role of microtubule dynamics in the formation of Sifs and the utility of this epitope tagging strategy for the study of bacterial type III secreted proteins.

Enteropathogenic E. coli translocated intimin receptor, Tir, interacts directly with α-actinin

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) triggers a dramatic rearrangement of the host epithelial cell actin cytoskeleton to form an attaching and effacing lesion, or pedestal. The pathogen remains attached extracellularly to the host cell through the pedestal for the duration of the infection. At the tip of the pedestal is a bacterial protein, Tir, which is secreted from the bacterium into the host cell plasma membrane, where it functions as the receptor for an EPEC outer membrane protein, intimin [1]. Delivery of Tir to the host cell results in its tyrosine phosphorylation, followed by Tir-intimin binding. Tir is believed to anchor EPEC firmly to the host cell, although its direct linkage to the cytoskeleton is unknown. Here, we show that Tir directly binds the cytoskeletal protein alpha-actinin. alpha-Actinin is recruited to the pedestal in a Tir-dependent manner and colocalizes with Tir in infected host cells. Binding is mediated through the amino terminus of Tir. Recruitment of alpha-actinin occurs independently of Tir tyrosine phosphorylation. Recruitment of actin, VASP, and N-WASP, however, is abolished in the absence of this tyrosine phosphorylation. These results suggest that Tir plays at least three roles in the host cell during infection: binding intimin on EPEC; mediating a stable anchor with alpha-actinin through its amino terminus in a phosphotyrosine-independent manner; and recruiting additional cytoskeletal proteins at the carboxyl terminus in a phosphotyrosine-dependent manner. These findings demonstrate the first known direct linkage between extracellular EPEC, through the transmembrane protein Tir, to the host cell actin cytoskeleton via alpha-actinin.

Interaction and Cellular Localization of the Human Host Defense Peptide LL-37 with Lung Epithelial Cells

ABSTRACT LL-37 is a human cationic host defense peptide that is an essential component of innate immunity. In addition to its modest antimicrobial activity, LL-37 affects the gene expression and behavior of effector cells involved in the innate immune response, although its mode of interaction with eukaryotic cells remains unclear. The interaction of LL-37 with epithelial cells was characterized in tissue culture by using biotinylated LL-37 and confocal microscopy. It was demonstrated that LL-37 was actively taken up into A549 epithelial cells and eventually localized to the perinuclear region. Specific inhibitors were used to demonstrate that the uptake process was not mediated by actin but required elements normally involved in endocytosis and that trafficking to the perinuclear region was dependent on microtubules. By using nonlinear regression analysis, it was revealed that A549 epithelial cells have two receptors for LL-37B, with high and low affinity for LL-37, respectively. These results indicate the mode of interaction of LL-37 with epithelial cells and further our understanding of its role in modulating the innate immune response.

Enterohaemorrhagic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli use a different Tir-based mechanism for pedestal formation

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) adheres to the host intestinal epithelium, resulting in the formation of actin pedestals beneath adhering bacteria. EHEC and a related pathogen, enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), insert a bacterial receptor, Tir, into the host plasma membrane, which is required for pedestal formation. An important difference between EPEC and EHEC Tir is that EPEC but not EHEC Tir is tyrosine phosphorylated once delivered into the host. In this study, we assessed the role of Tir tyrosine phosphorylation in pedestal formation by EPEC and EHEC. In EPEC, pedestal formation is absolutely dependent on Tir tyrosine phosphorylation and is not complemented by EHEC Tir. The protein sequence surrounding EPEC Tir tyrosine 474 is critical for Tir tyrosine phosphorylation and pedestal formation by EPEC. In contrast, Tir tyrosine phosphorylation is not required for pedestal formation by EHEC. EHEC forms pedestals with both wild‐type EPEC Tir and the non‐tyrosine‐phosphorylatable EPEC Tir Y474F. Pedestal formation by EHEC requires the type III delivery of additional EHEC factors into the host cell. These findings highlight differences in the mechanisms of pedestal formation by these closely related pathogens and indicate that EPEC and EHEC modulate different signalling pathways to affect the host actin cytoskeleton.

Putting E. coli on a pedestal: a unique system to study signal transduction and the actin cytoskeleton

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) subverts host signalling pathways and the cytoskeleton during infection, resulting in disease characterized by diarrhoea. Recent studies have revolutionized our understanding of the infection process by showing that this bacterium inserts its own receptor into the plasma membrane overlying the host actin cytoskeleton. The reorganized actin forms a pedestal-like structure with the bacterium at the tip. This review discusses the mechanism of infection and pedestal formation and how this system might be a powerful tool for studying actin dynamics at the plasma membrane.

The antimicrobial peptide polyphemusin localizes to the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli following treatment

ABSTRACT The horseshoe crab peptide polyphemusin I possesses high antimicrobial activity, but its mechanism of action is as yet not well defined. Using a biotin-labeled polyphemusin I analogue and confocal fluorescence microscopy, we showed that the peptide accumulates in the cytoplasm of wild-type Escherichia coli within 30 min after addition without causing substantial membrane damage.

Microbial Pathogenesis: New Niches for Salmonella

Salmonella occupies a vacuolar compartment inside cells of its host. Recent studies have shown that the fate of this vacuole is different in various cell types, and that the outcome of colonization is determined by both the infecting bacterium and defense mechanisms of the host cell.