Scholarly Work - Microbiology & Cell Biology
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/3494
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Item IL-1alpha signaling is critical for leukocyte recruitment after pulmonary Aspergillus fumigatus challenge(2015-01) Caffrey, Alayna K.; Lehmann, Margaret M.; Zickovich, Julianne M.; Espinosa, Vanessa; Shepardson, Kelly M.; Watschke, Christopher P.; Hilmer, Kimberly M.; Thammahong, Arsa; Barker, Bridget M.; Rivera, Amariliz; Cramer, Robert A.; Obar, Joshua J.Aspergillus fumigatus is a mold that causes severe pulmonary infections. Our knowledge of how A. fumigatus growth is controlled in the respiratory tract is developing, but still limited. Alveolar macrophages, lung resident macrophages, and airway epithelial cells constitute the first lines of defense against inhaled A. fumigatus conidia. Subsequently, neutrophils and inflammatory CCR2+ monocytes are recruited to the respiratory tract to prevent fungal growth. However, the mechanism of neutrophil and macrophage recruitment to the respiratory tract after A. fumigatus exposure remains an area of ongoing investigation. Here we show that A. fumigatus pulmonary challenge induces expression of the inflammasome-dependent cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 within the first 12 hours, while IL-1α expression continually increases over at least the first 48 hours. Strikingly, Il1r1-deficient mice are highly susceptible to pulmonary A. fumigatus challenge exemplified by robust fungal proliferation in the lung parenchyma. Enhanced susceptibility of Il1r1-deficient mice correlated with defects in leukocyte recruitment and anti-fungal activity. Importantly, IL-1α rather than IL-1β was crucial for optimal leukocyte recruitment. IL-1α signaling enhanced the production of CXCL1. Moreover, CCR2+ monocytes are required for optimal early IL-1α and CXCL1 expression in the lungs, as selective depletion of these cells resulted in their diminished expression, which in turn regulated the early accumulation of neutrophils in the lung after A. fumigatus challenge. Enhancement of pulmonary neutrophil recruitment and anti-fungal activity by CXCL1 treatment could limit fungal growth in the absence of IL-1α signaling. In contrast to the role of IL-1α in neutrophil recruitment, the inflammasome and IL-1β were only essential for optimal activation of anti-fungal activity of macrophages. As such, Pycard-deficient mice are mildly susceptible to A. fumigatus infection. Taken together, our data reveal central, non-redundant roles for IL-1α and IL-1β in controlling A. fumigatus infection in the murine lung.Item B cells modulate systemic responses to Pneumocystis lung infection and protect on-demand hematopoiesis via T cell-independent, innate mechanism when type-I-IFN-signaling is absent(2015-02) Hoyt, T. R.; Kochetkova, I.; Dobrinen, E.; Meissner, NicoleHIV infection results in a complex immunodeficiency due to loss of CD4+ T cells, impaired type I interferon (IFN) responses, and B cell dysfunctions causing susceptibility to opportunistic infections such as Pneumocystis murina pneumonia and unexplained comorbidities, including bone marrow dysfunctions. Type I IFNs and B cells critically contribute to immunity to Pneumocystis lung infection. We recently also identified B cells as supporters of on-demand hematopoiesis following Pneumocystis infection that would otherwise be hampered due to systemic immune effects initiated in the context of a defective type I IFN system. While studying the role of type I IFNs in immunity to Pneumocystis infection, we discovered that mice lacking both lymphocytes and type I IFN receptor (IFrag−/−) developed progressive bone marrow failure following infection, while lymphocyte-competent type I IFN receptor-deficient mice (IFNAR−/−) showed transient bone marrow depression and extramedullary hematopoiesis. Lymphocyte reconstitution of lymphocyte-deficient IFrag−/− mice pointed to B cells as a key player in bone marrow protection. Here we define how B cells protect on-demand hematopoiesis following Pneumocystis lung infection in our model. We demonstrate that adoptive transfer of B cells into IFrag−/− mice protects early hematopoietic progenitor activity during systemic responses to Pneumocystis infection, thus promoting replenishment of depleted bone marrow cells. This activity is independent of CD4+ T cell help and B cell receptor specificity and does not require B cell migration to bone marrow. Furthermore, we show that B cells protect on-demand hematopoiesis in part by induction of interleukin-10 (IL-10)- and IL-27-mediated mechanisms. Thus, our data demonstrate an important immune modulatory role of B cells during Pneumocystis lung infection that complement the modulatory role of type I IFNs to prevent systemic complications.Item [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenase diversity, mechanism, and maturation(2014-11) Peters, John W.; Schut, Gerrit J.; Boyd, Eric S.; Mulder, David W.; Shepard, Eric M.; Broderick, Joan B.; King, Paul W.; Adams, Michael W. W.The [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenases catalyze the formal interconversion between hydrogen and protons and electrons, possess characteristic non-protein ligands at their catalytic sites and thus share common mechanistic features. Despite the similarities between these two types of hydrogenases, they clearly have distinct evolutionary origins and likely emerged from different selective pressures. [FeFe]-hydrogenases are widely distributed in fermentative anaerobic microorganisms and likely evolved under selective pressure to couple hydrogen production to the recycling of electron carriers that accumulate during anaerobic metabolism. In contrast, many [NiFe]-hydrogenases catalyze hydrogen oxidation as part of energy metabolism and were likely key enzymes in early life and arguably represent the predecessors of modern respiratory metabolism. Although the reversible combination of protons and electrons to generate hydrogen gas is the simplest of chemical reactions, the [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenases have distinct mechanisms and differ in the fundamental chemistry associated with proton transfer and control of electron flow that also help to define catalytic bias. A unifying feature of these enzymes is that hydrogen activation itself has been restricted to one solution involving diatomic ligands (carbon monoxide and cyanide) bound to an Fe ion. On the other hand, and quite remarkably, the biosynthetic mechanisms to produce these ligands are exclusive to each type of enzyme. Furthermore, these mechanisms represent two independent solutions to the formation of complex bioinorganic active sites for catalyzing the simplest of chemical reactions, reversible hydrogen oxidation. As such, the [FeFe]- and [NiFe]-hydrogenases are arguably the most profound case of convergent evolution. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Fe/S proteins: Analysis, structure, function, biogenesis and diseases.Item Stable isotopes track biogeochemical processes under seasonal ice cover in a shallow, productive lake(Springer, 2014) Gammons, Christopher H; Henne, William; Poulson, Stephen; Parker, Stephen R.; Johnston, Tyler B.; Dore, John E.; Boyd, Eric S.Biogeochemical dynamics under seasonal ice cover were investigated in the shallow (<10 m) water column of highly productive Georgetown Lake, western Montana, USA. This high altitude (1,800 m) reservoir is well-mixed in summer, but becomes strongly stratified under ice cover (mid-November–mid-May). A rapid drop in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and rise in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentration was observed after the onset of ice, with a corresponding increase in δ18O-DO and decrease in δ13C-DIC, likely caused by respiration (R) of organic carbon. Photosynthesis/respiration ratios (P/R) estimated from simultaneous measurement of DO and δ18O-DO were near unity prior to ice formation but then systematically decreased with time and depth in the lake under ice cover. P/R in the water column was higher at a shallower monitoring site compared to a deeper site near the dam outlet, which may have been important for over-winter survival of salmonids. By March, the bottom 3 m of the water column at both sites was anoxic, with the bottom 1 m being euxinic. Elevated concentrations of dissolved sulfide, ammonium, phosphate, Fe2+, and Mn2+ in deep water suggest coupling of organic carbon degradation with reduction of a number of electron acceptors (e.g., Fe3+,NO3-, SO24-). The concentrations and δ34S values of H2S in the deep water and SO2i in the shallow water were similar, indicating near-complete reduction of sulfate in the euxinic zone. Late in the winter, an influx of isotopically heavy DIC was noted in the deep water coincident with a buildup of dissolved CH4 to concentrations >1 mM. These trends are attributed to acetoclastic methanogenesis in the benthic sediments. This pool of dissolved CH4 was likely released from the lake to the atmosphere during spring ice-off and lake turnover.Item Bile Salts Affect Expression of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Genes for Virulence and IronAcquisition, and Promote Growth under Iron Limiting Conditions(2013-09) Hamner, Steve; McInnerney, Kathleen; Williamson, Kerry S.; Franklin, Michael J.; Ford, Tim E.Bile salts exhibit potent antibacterial properties, acting as detergents to disrupt cell membranes and as DNA-damaging agents. Although bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract are able to resist bile’s antimicrobial effects, relatively little is known about how bile influences virulence of enteric pathogens. Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important pathogen of humans, capable of causing severe diarrhea and more serious sequelae. In this study, the transcriptome response of E. coli O157:H7 to bile was determined. Bile exposure induced significant changes in mRNA levels of genes related to virulence potential, including a reduction of mRNA for the 41 genes making up the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE) pathogenicity island. Bile treatment had an unusual effect on mRNA levels for the entire flagella-chemotaxis regulon, resulting in two- to four-fold increases in mRNA levels for genes associated with the flagella hook-basal body structure, but a two-fold decrease for “late” flagella genes associated with the flagella filament, stator motor, and chemotaxis. Bile salts also caused increased mRNA levels for seventeen genes associated with iron scavenging and metabolism, and counteracted the inhibitory effect of the iron chelating agent 2,2’-dipyridyl on growth of E. coli O157:H7. These findings suggest that E. coli O157:H7 may use bile as an environmental signal to adapt to changing conditions associated with the small intestine, including adaptation to an iron-scarce environment.Item Chemolithotrophic primary production in a subglacial ecosystem(2014-10) Boyd, Eric S.; Hamilton, Trinity L.; Havig, Jeff R.; Skidmore, Mark L.; Shock, Everett L.Glacial comminution of bedrock generates fresh mineral surfaces capable of sustaining chemotrophic microbial communities under the dark conditions that pervade subglacial habitats. Geochemical and isotopic evidence suggests that pyrite oxidation is a dominant weathering process generating protons that drive mineral dissolution in many subglacial systems. Here, we provide evidence correlating pyrite oxidation with chemosynthetic primary productivity and carbonate dissolution in subglacial sediments sampled from Robertson Glacier (RG), Alberta, Canada. Quantification and sequencing of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO) transcripts suggest that populations closely affiliated with Sideroxydans lithotrophicus, an iron sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic bacterium, are abundant constituents of microbial communities at RG. Microcosm experiments indicate sulfate production during biological assimilation of radiolabeled bicarbonate. Geochemical analyses of subglacial meltwater indicate that increases in sulfate levels are associated with increased calcite and dolomite dissolution. Collectively, these data suggest a role for biological pyrite oxidation in driving primary productivity and mineral dissolution in a subglacial environment and provide the first rate estimate for bicarbonate assimilation in these ecosystems. Evidence for lithotrophic primary production in this contemporary subglacial environment provides a plausible mechanism to explain how subglacial communities could be sustained in near-isolation from the atmosphere during glacial-interglacial cycles.