Genetic and molecular determinants of polymicrobial interactions in Fusobacterium nucleatum.

A gram-negative colonizer of the oral cavity, Fusobacterium nucleatum not only interacts with many pathogens in the oral microbiome but also has the ability to spread to extraoral sites including placenta and amniotic fluid, promoting preterm birth. To date, however, the molecular mechanism of interspecies interactions-termed coaggregation-by F. nucleatum and how coaggregation affects bacterial virulence remain poorly defined. Here, we employed genome-wide transposon mutagenesis to uncover fusobacterial coaggregation factors, revealing the intertwined function of a two-component signal transduction system (TCS), named CarRS, and a lysine metabolic pathway in regulating the critical coaggregation factor RadD. Transcriptome analysis shows that CarR modulates a large regulon including radD and lysine metabolic genes, such as kamA and kamD, the expression of which are highly up-regulated in the ΔcarR mutant. Significantly, the native culture medium of ΔkamA or ΔkamD mutants builds up abundant amounts of free lysine, which blocks fusobacterial coaggregation with streptococci. Our demonstration that lysine-conjugated beads trap RadD from the membrane lysates suggests that lysine utilizes RadD as its receptor to act as a metabolic inhibitor of coaggregation. Lastly, using a mouse model of preterm birth, we show that fusobacterial virulence is significantly attenuated with the ΔkamA and ΔcarR mutants, in contrast to the enhanced virulence phenotype observed upon diminishing RadD (ΔradD or ΔcarS mutant). Evidently, F. nucleatum employs the TCS CarRS and environmental lysine to modulate RadD-mediated interspecies interaction, virulence, and nutrient acquisition to thrive in the adverse environment of oral biofilms and extraoral sites.

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is dispensable for metastasis but induces chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer.

Diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is associated with a dismal prognosis despite current best therapies; therefore new treatment strategies are urgently required. Numerous studies have suggested that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributes to early-stage dissemination of cancer cells and is pivotal for invasion and metastasis of PDAC. EMT is associated with phenotypic conversion of epithelial cells into mesenchymal-like cells in cell culture conditions, although such defined mesenchymal conversion (with spindle-shaped morphology) of epithelial cells in vivo is rare, with quasi-mesenchymal phenotypes occasionally observed in the tumour (partial EMT). Most studies exploring the functional role of EMT in tumours have depended on cell-culture-induced loss-of-function and gain-of-function experiments involving EMT-inducing transcription factors such as Twist, Snail and Zeb1 (refs 2, 3, 7-10). Therefore, the functional contribution of EMT to invasion and metastasis remains unclear, and genetically engineered mouse models to address a causal connection are lacking. Here we functionally probe the role of EMT in PDAC by generating mouse models of PDAC with deletion of Snail or Twist, two key transcription factors responsible for EMT. EMT suppression in the primary tumour does not alter the emergence of invasive PDAC, systemic dissemination or metastasis. Suppression of EMT leads to an increase in cancer cell proliferation with enhanced expression of nucleoside transporters in tumours, contributing to enhanced sensitivity to gemcitabine treatment and increased overall survival of mice. Collectively, our study suggests that Snail- or Twist-induced EMT is not rate-limiting for invasion and metastasis, but highlights the importance of combining EMT inhibition with chemotherapy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Effective Reduction in High Ethanol Drinking by Semisynthetic Tetracycline Derivatives.

BACKGROUND: New pharmacotherapies to treat alcohol use disorders (AUD) are needed. Given the complex nature of AUD, there likely exist multiple novel drug targets. We, and others, have shown that the tetracycline drugs, minocycline and doxycycline, reduced ethanol (EtOH) drinking in mice. To test the hypothesis that suppression of high EtOH consumption is a general property of tetracyclines, we screened several derivatives for antidrinking activity using the Drinking-In-the-Dark (DID) paradigm. Active drugs were studied further using the dose-response relationship. METHODS: Adult female and male C57BL/6J mice were singly housed and the DID paradigm was performed using 20% EtOH over a 4-day period. Mice were administered a tetracycline or its vehicle 20 hours prior to drinking. Water and EtOH consumption was measured daily. Body weight was measured at the start of drug injections and after the final day of the experiment. Blood was collected for EtOH content measurement immediately following the final bout of drinking. RESULTS: Seven tetracyclines were tested at a 50 mg/kg dose. Only minocycline and tigecycline significantly reduced EtOH drinking, and doxycycline showed a strong effect size trend toward reduced drinking. Subsequent studies with these 3 drugs revealed a dose-dependent decrease in EtOH consumption for both female and male mice, with sex differences in efficacy. Minocycline and doxycycline reduced water intake at higher doses, although to a lesser degree than their effects on EtOH drinking. Tigecycline did not negatively affect water intake. The rank order of potency for reduction in EtOH consumption was minocycline > doxycycline > tigecycline, indicating efficacy was not strictly related to their partition coefficients or distribution constants. CONCLUSIONS: Due to its effectiveness in reducing high EtOH consumption coupled without an effect on water intake, tigecycline was found to be the most promising lead tetracycline compound for further study toward the development of a new pharmacotherapy for the treatment of AUD.

The Fused Methionine Sulfoxide Reductase MsrAB Promotes Oxidative Stress Defense and Bacterial Virulence in Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Fusobacterium nucleatum, an anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium frequently found in the human oral cavity and some extra-oral sites, is implicated in several important diseases: periodontitis, adverse pregnancy outcomes, and colorectal cancer. To date, how this obligate anaerobe copes with oxidative stress and host immunity within multiple human tissues remains unknown. Here, we uncovered a critical role in this process of a multigene locus encoding a single, fused methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrAB), a two-component signal transduction system (ModRS), and thioredoxin (Trx)- and cytochrome c (CcdA)-like proteins, which are induced when fusobacterial cells are exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that the response regulator ModR regulates a large regulon that includes trx, ccdA, and many metabolic genes. Significantly, specific mutants of the msrAB locus, including msrAB, are sensitive to reactive oxygen species and defective in adherence/invasion of colorectal epithelial cells. Strikingly, the msrAB mutant is also defective in survival in macrophages, and it is severely attenuated in virulence in a mouse model of preterm birth, consistent with its failure to spread to the amniotic fluid and colonize the placenta. Clearly, the MsrAB system regulated by the two-component system ModRS represents a major oxidative stress defense pathway that protects fusobacteria against oxidative damage in immune cells and confers virulence by enabling attachment and invasion of multiple target tissues. IMPORTANCE F. nucleatum colonizes various human tissues, including oral cavity, placenta, and colon. How this obligate anaerobe withstands oxidative stress in host immune cells has not been described. We report here that F. nucleatum possesses a five-gene locus encoding a fused methionine sulfoxide reductase (MsrAB), a two-component signal transduction system (ModRS), and thioredoxin- and cytochrome c-like proteins. Regulated by ModRS, MsrAB is essential for resistance to reactive oxygen species, adherence/invasion of colorectal epithelial cells, and survival in macrophage. Unable to colonize placenta and spread to amniotic fluid, the msrAB mutant failed to induce preterm birth in a murine model.

Genetic Manipulation and Virulence Assessment of Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Considered a commensal, the Gram-negative anaerobe Fusobacterium nucleatum is a key member of the oral microbiome due to its wide range of interactions with many oral microbes. While the periodontal pathogenic properties of this organism have widely been examined, its connotation with extra-oral infections, including preterm birth and colorectal cancer, has now become apparent. Nonetheless, little is known about the mechanisms of pathogenicity and the associated virulence factors of F. nucleatum, most likely due to limited genetic tools and facile methodology. Here, we describe molecular techniques for the genetic manipulation of F. nucleatum, including markerless, nonpolar gene deletion, complementation, and Tn5 transposon mutagenesis. Further, we provide methodology to assess virulence potential of F. nucleatum using a mouse model of preterm birth. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Generation of a galK mutant strain Basic Protocol 2: Complementation of a mutant strain Basic Protocol 3: Tn5 transposon mutagenesis of F. nucleatum Basic Protocol 4: Mouse model of preterm birth.

Acute withdrawal but not long-term withdrawal from methamphetamine affects sexual behavior in female rats.

The present study was designed to investigate the long-term effects of repeated methamphetamine (MA) exposure on sexual motivation in female rats tested after a period of drug abstinence. In Experiment 1, female subjects received three injections of MA (1.0mg/kg/day, every other day) or saline and were tested for paced mating behavior (where females could control the receipt of sexual stimulation from one male rat) 21 days after their last injection. In Experiment 2, female subjects received 12 consecutive injections of MA (1.0mg/kg/day) or saline and were tested for mate choice (where females could control the receipt of sexual stimulation from two male rats simultaneously) 6 days after their last injection. Experiment 3 was identical to Experiment 2 except that female subjects received no baseline mating test and were tested for mate choice 24h and 6 days after their last injection. Open field tests were conducted in each experiment to measure locomotor activity after repeated exposure to MA. Although repeated MA exposure increased locomotor activity, mating behavior was not facilitated after either a short (6 days) or long (21 days) period of drug abstinence. Nevertheless, sexual behavior was disrupted during the 24h acute withdrawal period. Therefore, although the present study found no evidence of cross-sensitization between female sexual behavior and MA after either a short or a long period of drug abstinence, sexual behavior in sexually naïve female rats is sensitive to the depressive state associated with acute withdrawal from MA. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that MA acts differently from other psychomotor stimulants, and that the effects of MA withdrawal on sexual behavior differ between male and female rats.