There remains to this day a great gap in understanding as to the role of B cells and their products-antibodies and cytokines-in mediating the protective response to Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative coccobacillus belonging to the group of facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens. We previously have demonstrated that Francisella interacts directly with peritoneal B-1a cells. Here, we demonstrate that, as early as 12 h postinfection, germ-free mice infected with Francisella tularensis produce infection-induced antibody clones reacting with Francisella tularensis proteins having orthologs or analogs in eukaryotic cells. Production of some individual clones was limited in time and was influenced by virulence of the Francisella strain used. The phylogenetically stabilized defense mechanism can utilize these early infection-induced antibodies both to recognize components of the invading pathogens and to eliminate molecular residues of infection-damaged self cells.

• MeSH
• B-lymfocyty imunologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• cytokiny metabolismus   MeSH
• Francisella tularensis patogenita   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši inbrední BALB C MeSH
• myši MeSH
• tularemie imunologie   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• tvorba protilátek MeSH
• virulence MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• cytokiny MeSH

Regulation of gene transcription is the initial step in the complex process that controls gene expression within bacteria. Transcriptional control involves the joint effort of RNA polymerases and numerous other regulatory factors. Whether global or local, positive or negative, regulators play an essential role in the bacterial cell. For instance, some regulators specifically modify the transcription of virulence genes, thereby being indispensable to pathogenic bacteria. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of important transcription factors and DNA-binding proteins described for the virulent bacterium Francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia. This is an unexplored research area, and the poorly described networks of transcription factors merit additional experimental studies to help elucidate the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in this bacterium, and how they contribute to disease.

• Klíčová slova
• Francisella, gene regulation, pathogenesis, transcription factor, virulence,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

The DsbA homolog of Francisella tularensis was previously demonstrated to be required for intracellular replication and animal death. Disruption of the dsbA gene leads to a pleiotropic phenotype that could indirectly affect a number of different cellular pathways. To reveal the broad effects of DsbA, we compared fractions enriched in membrane proteins of the wild-type FSC200 strain with the dsbA deletion strain using a SILAC-based quantitative proteomic analysis. This analysis enabled identification of 63 proteins with significantly altered amounts in the dsbA mutant strain compared to the wild-type strain. These proteins comprise a quite heterogeneous group including hypothetical proteins, proteins associated with membrane structures, and potential secreted proteins. Many of them are known to be associated with F. tularensis virulence. Several proteins were selected for further studies focused on their potential role in tularemia's pathogenesis. Of them, only the gene encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme of glycolytic pathway, was found to be important for full virulence manifestations both in vivo and in vitro. We next created a viable mutant strain with deleted gapA gene and analyzed its phenotype. The gapA mutant is characterized by reduced virulence in mice, defective replication inside macrophages, and its ability to induce a protective immune response against systemic challenge with parental wild-type strain. We also demonstrate the multiple localization sites of this protein: In addition to within the cytosol, it was found on the cell surface, outside the cells, and in the culture medium. Recombinant GapA was successfully obtained, and it was shown that it binds host extracellular serum proteins like plasminogen, fibrinogen, and fibronectin.

• Klíčová slova
• DsbA, Francisella tularensis, SILAC, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, moonlighting,
• MeSH
• delece genu * MeSH
• faktory virulence analýza   MeSH
• Francisella tularensis enzymologie   imunologie   patogenita   MeSH
• glyceraldehyd-3-fosfátdehydrogenasy nedostatek   metabolismus   MeSH
• krevní proteiny metabolismus   MeSH
• mikrobiální viabilita MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši MeSH
• proteindisulfidisomerasy nedostatek   MeSH
• proteom analýza   MeSH
• salmonelová infekce u zvířat mikrobiologie   patologie   MeSH
• vazba proteinů MeSH
• virulence MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• faktory virulence MeSH
• glyceraldehyd-3-fosfátdehydrogenasy MeSH
• krevní proteiny MeSH
• proteindisulfidisomerasy MeSH
• proteom MeSH

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious bacterium that causes the potentially lethal disease tularemia. This extremely virulent bacterium is able to replicate in the cytosolic compartments of infected macrophages. To invade macrophages and to cope with their intracellular environment, Francisella requires multiple virulence factors, which are still being identified. Proteins containing tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR)-like domains seem to be promising targets to investigate, since these proteins have been reported to be directly involved in virulence-associated functions of bacterial pathogens. Here, we studied the role of the FTS_0201, FTS_0778, and FTS_1680 genes, which encode putative TPR-like proteins in Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica FSC200. Mutants defective in protein expression were prepared by TargeTron insertion mutagenesis. We found that the locus FTS_1680 and its ortholog FTT_0166c in the highly virulent Francisella tularensis type A strain SchuS4 are required for proper intracellular replication, full virulence in mice, and heat stress tolerance. Additionally, the FTS_1680-encoded protein was identified as a membrane-associated protein required for full cytopathogenicity in macrophages. Our study thus identifies FTS_1680/FTT_0166c as a new virulence factor in Francisella tularensis.

• MeSH
• bakteriální proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• cytosol mikrobiologie   MeSH
• faktory virulence genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• Francisella tularensis genetika   růst a vývoj   fyziologie   MeSH
• genetické lokusy * MeSH
• genový knockout MeSH
• inzerční mutageneze MeSH
• makrofágy mikrobiologie   MeSH
• modely nemocí na zvířatech MeSH
• myši inbrední BALB C MeSH
• tularemie mikrobiologie   patologie   MeSH
• virulence MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• bakteriální proteiny MeSH
• faktory virulence MeSH