PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Boland

Publications and source records attributed to A Boland.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

TyeA, a protein involved in control of Yop release and in translocation of Yersinia Yop effectors.

Extracellular Yersinia spp. disarm the immune system by injecting the effector Yersinia outer proteins (Yops) into the target cell. Yop secretion is triggered by contact with eukaryotic cells or by Ca2+ chelation. Two proteins, YopN and LcrG, are known to be involved in Yop-secretion control. Here we describe TyeA, a third protein involved in the control of Yop release. Like YopN, TyeA is localized at the bacterial surface. A tyeA knock-out mutant secreted Yops in the presence of Ca2+ and in the absence of eukaryotic cells. Unlike a yopN null mutant, the tyeA mutant was defective for translocation of YopE and YopH, but not YopM, YopO and YopP, into eukaryotic cells. This is the first observation suggesting that Yop effectors can be divided into two sets for delivery into eukaryotic cells. TyeA was found to interact with the translocator YopD and with residues 242-293 of YopN. In contrast with a yopN null mutant, a yopNDelta248-272 mutant was also unable to translocate YopE and YopH. Our results suggest that TyeA forms part of the translocation-control apparatus together with YopD and YopN, and that the interaction of these proteins is required for selective translocation of Yops inside eukaryotic cells.

Apoptosis↗

Heterogeneity of the Yersinia YopM protein.

Virulent Yersinia species (Y. pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica) possess a 70 kb virulence plasmid that encodes the Yop virulon. This virulence system allows extracellular bacteria adhering at the surface of eukaryotic cells to secrete and inject bacterial effector proteins, called Yops, into the cytosol of these cells in order to disarm them. These secreted Yop proteins are remarkably conserved among the different species. A Y. enterocolitica O:8 strain was found to secrete a protein antigenically related to YopM but significantly larger. Sequencing of the corresponding gene showed that the protein was a YopM variant with three repeats of one domain. Comparison of the yopM gene of various Yersinia strains by PCR amplification, as well as analysis of the secreted Yop proteins by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting revealed that, unlike the other Yops, the YopM protein shows some heterogeneity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Role of YopP in suppression of tumor necrosis factor alpha release by macrophages during Yersinia infection.

The Yersinia plasmid-encoded Yop virulon enables extracellular adhering bacteria to deliver toxic effector proteins inside their target cells. It includes a type III secretion system (Ysc), at least two translocator proteins (YopB, YopD), and a set of intracellular Yop effectors (YopE, YopH, YopO, YopM, and YopP). Infection of macrophages with a wild-type strain leads to low levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) release compared to infection with plasmid-cured strains, suggesting that the virulence plasmid encodes a factor impairing the normal TNF-alpha response of infected macrophages. This effect is correlated with the inhibition of the macrophage mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activities. To identify the Yop protein responsible for the suppression of TNF-alpha release, we infected J774A.1 and PU5-1.8 macrophages with a battery of knockout Yersinia enterocolitica mutants and we quantified the TNF-alpha released. Mutants affected in secretion (yscN), in translocation (yopB and yopD), or in synthesis of all the known Yop effectors (yopH, yopO, yopP, yopE, and yopM polymutants) were unable to block the TNF-alpha response of the macrophages. In contrast, single yopE, yopH, yopO, and yopM mutants behaved like the wild-type strain. A yopP mutant elicited elevated TNF-alpha release, and complementation of the yopP mutant or the yop effector polymutant strain with yopP alone led to a drop in TNF-alpha release. In addition, YopP was also responsible for the inhibition of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase2 (ERK2) and p38 MAPK activities. These results show that YopP is the Yop effector responsible for the Yersinia-induced suppression of TNF-alpha release by infected macrophages.

Animals↗

The virulence plasmid of Yersinia, an antihost genome.

The 70-kb virulence plasmid enables Yersinia spp. (Yersinia pestis, Y. pseudotuberculosis, and Y. enterocolitica) to survive and multiply in the lymphoid tissues of their host. It encodes the Yop virulon, an integrated system allowing extracellular bacteria to disarm the cells involved in the immune response, to disrupt their communications, or even to induce their apoptosis by the injection of bacterial effector proteins. This system consists of the Yop proteins and their dedicated type III secretion apparatus, called Ysc. The Ysc apparatus is composed of some 25 proteins including a secretin. Most of the Yops fall into two groups. Some of them are the intracellular effectors (YopE, YopH, YpkA/YopO, YopP/YopJ, YopM, and YopT), while the others (YopB, YopD, and LcrV) form the translocation apparatus that is deployed at the bacterial surface to deliver the effectors into the eukaryotic cells, across their plasma membrane. Yop secretion is triggered by contact with eukaryotic cells and controlled by proteins of the virulon including YopN, TyeA, and LcrG, which are thought to form a plug complex closing the bacterial secretion channel. The proper operation of the system also requires small individual chaperones, called the Syc proteins, in the bacterial cytosol. Transcription of the genes is controlled both by temperature and by the activity of the secretion apparatus. The virulence plasmid of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis also encodes the adhesin YadA. The virulence plasmid contains some evolutionary remnants including, in Y. enterocolitica, an operon encoding resistance to arsenic compounds.

Animals↗

Yersinia enterocolitica induces apoptosis in macrophages by a process requiring functional type III secretion and translocation mechanisms and involving YopP, presumably acting as an effector protein.

Yersiniae, causative agents of plague and gastrointestinal diseases, secrete and translocate Yop effector proteins into the cytosol of macrophages, leading to disruption of host defense mechanisms. It is shown in this report that Yersinia enterocolitica induces apoptosis in macrophages and that this effect depends on YopP. Functional secretion and translocation mechanisms are required for YopP to act, strongly suggesting that this protein exerts its effect intracellularly, after translocation into the macrophages. YopP shows a high level of sequence similarity with AvrRxv, an avirulence protein from Xanthomonas campestris, a plant pathogen that induces programmed cell death in plant cells. This indicates possible similarities between the strategies used by pathogenic bacteria to elicit programmed cell death in both plant and animal hosts.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Status of YopM and YopN in the Yersinia Yop virulon: YopM of Y.enterocolitica is internalized inside the cytosol of PU5-1.8 macrophages by the YopB, D, N delivery apparatus.

The Yersinia Yop virulon is an anti-host system made up of four elements: (i) a type III secretion system called Ysc; (ii) a system designed to deliver bacterial proteins into eukaryotic target cells (YopB, YopD); (iii) a control element (YopN); and (iv) a set of intracellularly delivered proteins designed to disarm these cells or disrupt their communications (YopE, YopH and possibly others). YopM, another Yop protein, binds thrombin and is thus presumed to act as an extracellular effector. Here, we analyzed YopM from Y.enterocolitica and we wondered whether it could also be delivered inside eukaryotic cells. To answer this question we applied the Yop-Cya reporter strategy. Hybrids made of 141 or 100 N-terminal residues of YopM fused to Cya were delivered inside PU5-1.8 macrophages by recombinant Y.enterocolitica strains. YopB and YopD were required as translocators. Leakage of the reporters into the macrophage culture supernatant during the bacterial infection increased strongly when YopN was missing, showing that YopN is involved in the control of delivery of YopM inside eukaryotic cells. YopN itself was not delivered into the macrophages. In conclusion, YopM is translocated inside the eukaryotic cells and its physiopathological role should be revised or completed.

Adenylate Cyclase Toxin↗

The cytosolic SycE and SycH chaperones of Yersinia protect the region of YopE and YopH involved in translocation across eukaryotic cell membranes.

Yersinia adhering at the surface of eukaryotic cells secrete a set of proteins called Yops. This secretion which occurs via a type III secretion pathway is immediately followed by the injection of some Yops into the cytosol of eukaryotic cells. Translocation of YopE and YopH across the eukaryotic cell membranes requires the presence of the translocators YopB and YopD. YopE and YopH are modular proteins composed of an N-terminal secretion signal, an internalization domain, and an effector domain. Secretion of YopE and YopH requires the presence of the specific cytosolic chaperones SycE and SycH, respectively. In this work, we have mapped the regions of YopE and YopH that are involved in binding of their cognate chaperone. There is only one Syc-binding domain in YopE (residues 15-50) and YopH (residues 20-70). This domain is localized immediately after the secretion signal and it corresponds to the internalization domain. Removal of this bifunctional domain did not affect secretion of YopE and YopH and even suppressed the need for the chaperone in the secretion process. Thus SycE and SycH are not secretion pilots. Instead, we propose that they prevent intrabacterial interaction of YopE and YopH with proteins involved in translocation of these Yops across eukaryotic cell membranes.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

Identification of the YopE and YopH domains required for secretion and internalization into the cytosol of macrophages, using the cyaA gene fusion approach.

Pathogenic yersiniae secrete a set of antihost proteins, called Yops, by a type III secretion mechanism. Upon infection of cultured epithelial cells, extracellular Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia enterocolitica translocate cytotoxin YopE across the host cell plasma membrane. Several lines of evidence suggest that tyrosine phosphatase YopH follows the same pathway. We analyzed internalization of YopE and YopH into murine PU5-1.8 macrophages by using recombinant Y. enterocolitica producing truncated YopE and YopH proteins fused to a calmodulin-dependent adenylate cyclase. The YopE-cyclase and YopH-cyclase hybrids were readily secreted by Y. enterocolitica. The N-terminal domain required for secretion was not longer than 15 residues of YopE and 17 residues of YopH. Internalization into eukaryotic cells, revealed by cAMP production, only required the N-terminal 50 amino acid residues of YopE and the N-terminal 71 amino acid residues of YopH. YopE and YopH are thus modular proteins composed of a secretion domain, a translocation domain, and an effector domain. Translocation of YopE and YopH across host cell's membranes was also dependent on the secretion of YopB and YopD by the same bacterium. The cyclase fusion approach could be readily extended to study the fate of other proteins secreted by invasive bacterial pathogens.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Ligament and tendon oxygenation measurements using polarographic oxygen sensors.

This pilot study was designed to investigate a new flexible polarographic oxygen sensor for intraarticular oxygen tissue tension monitoring, as a first step in designing a combined simultaneous oxygen and perfusion monitor. The tendoachilles in the sheep provided the initial testing model, which was followed by in vivo testing in the human knee. In the animal model, the tendoachilles was perforated by a single needle through which the new flexible multichannel polarographic oxygen sensor probe was passed. Variations in blood and oxygen delivery to the hindlimb were then produced by tourniquet and fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) changes. The oxygen sensors appropriately recorded current variations proportional to the hypothesized oxygen delivery. In the human model, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in five human knees was exposed during routine total knee replacement surgery and stripped of the fat pad and synovial attachments. The probe was inserted into the substance of the ligament from distal to proximal. Oxygen measurements were taken with the tourniquet elevated and then inflated, in an effort to evaluate the response of the oxygen sensors and to establish the degree of oxygenation that the bone blood supply provides to the ACL. In the sheep, 100% of the time (13 of 13 events), the current changed appropriately to a change in the FiO2. Ninety-four percent of the time (17 of 18 events), the current changed appropriately to a tourniquet change. In the human ACL, the probe was 83% sensitive (5 of 6 events) to a tourniquet change. The FiO2 changes were inconclusive owing to an insufficient amount of time allowed for tissue perfusion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Achilles Tendon↗