RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) bloodstream infections are associated with high mortality. We studied clinical bloodstream KPC-Kp isolates to investigate mechanisms of resistance to complement, a key host defense against bloodstream infection. METHODS: We tested growth of KPC-Kp isolates in human serum. In serial isolates from a single patient, we performed whole genome sequencing and tested for complement resistance and binding by mixing study, direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy. We utilized an isogenic deletion mutant in phagocytosis assays and an acute lung infection model. RESULTS: We found serum resistance in 16 of 59 (27%) KPC-Kp clinical bloodstream isolates. In 5 genetically related bloodstream isolates from a single patient, we noted a loss-of-function mutation in the capsule biosynthesis gene, wcaJ. Disruption of wcaJ was associated with decreased polysaccharide capsule, resistance to complement-mediated killing, and surprisingly, increased binding of complement proteins. Furthermore, an isogenic wcaJ deletion mutant exhibited increased opsonophagocytosis in vitro and impaired in vivo control in the lung after airspace macrophage depletion in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of function in wcaJ led to increased complement resistance, complement binding, and opsonophagocytosis, which may promote KPC-Kp persistence by enabling coexistence of increased bloodstream fitness and reduced tissue virulence.
Assuntos
Cápsulas Bacterianas , Proteínas do Sistema Complemento , Infecções por Klebsiella , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Fagocitose , Klebsiella pneumoniae/genética , Klebsiella pneumoniae/imunologia , Humanos , Infecções por Klebsiella/imunologia , Infecções por Klebsiella/microbiologia , Animais , Cápsulas Bacterianas/imunologia , Cápsulas Bacterianas/genética , Cápsulas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Camundongos , Proteínas do Sistema Complemento/imunologia , Mutação , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/metabolismo , Sequenciamento Completo do Genoma , Reinfecção/microbiologia , Reinfecção/imunologia , Bacteriemia/microbiologia , Bacteriemia/imunologia , FemininoRESUMO
GDF15 (growth differentiation factor 15) is a stress cytokine with several proposed roles, including support of stress erythropoiesis. Higher circulating GDF15 levels are prognostic of mortality during acute respiratory distress syndrome, but the cellular sources and downstream effects of GDF15 during pathogen-mediated lung injury are unclear. We quantified GDF15 in lower respiratory tract biospecimens and plasma from patients with acute respiratory failure. Publicly available data from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were reanalyzed. We used mouse models of hemorrhagic acute lung injury mediated by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproducts in wild-type mice and mice genetically deficient for Gdf15 or its putative receptor, Gfral. In critically ill humans, plasma levels of GDF15 correlated with lower respiratory tract levels and were higher in nonsurvivors. SARS-CoV-2 infection induced GDF15 expression in human lung epithelium, and lower respiratory tract GDF15 levels were higher in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) nonsurvivors. In mice, intratracheal P. aeruginosa type II secretion system exoproducts were sufficient to induce airspace and plasma release of GDF15, which was attenuated with epithelial-specific deletion of Gdf15. Mice with global Gdf15 deficiency had decreased airspace hemorrhage, an attenuated cytokine profile, and an altered lung transcriptional profile during injury induced by P. aeruginosa type II secretion system exoproducts, which was not recapitulated in mice deficient for Gfral. Airspace GDF15 reconstitution did not significantly modulate key lung cytokine levels but increased circulating erythrocyte counts. Lung epithelium releases GDF15 during pathogen injury, which is associated with plasma levels in humans and mice and can increase erythrocyte counts in mice, suggesting a novel lung-blood communication pathway.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Fator 15 de Diferenciação de Crescimento , Pulmão , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , SARS-CoV-2 , Fator 15 de Diferenciação de Crescimento/genética , Fator 15 de Diferenciação de Crescimento/metabolismo , Animais , COVID-19/metabolismo , COVID-19/virologia , Humanos , Camundongos , Pulmão/metabolismo , Pulmão/patologia , Pulmão/virologia , Masculino , Infecções por Pseudomonas/metabolismo , Lesão Pulmonar Aguda/patologia , Lesão Pulmonar Aguda/metabolismo , Feminino , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Mucosa Respiratória/metabolismo , Mucosa Respiratória/patologia , Modelos Animais de DoençasRESUMO
BACKGROUND: HPS-1 is a genetic type of Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) with highly penetrant pulmonary fibrosis (HPSPF), a restrictive lung disease that is similar to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Hps1ep/ep (pale ear) is a naturally occurring HPS-1 mouse model that exhibits high sensitivity to bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF). Traditional methods of administering bleomycin as an intratracheal (IT) route to induce PF in this model often lead to severe acute lung injury and high mortality rates, complicating studies focusing on pathobiological mechanisms or exploration of therapeutic options for HPSPF. METHODS: To develop a murine model of HPSPF that closely mimics the progression of human pulmonary fibrosis, we investigated the pulmonary effects of systemic delivery of bleomycin in Hps1ep/ep mice using a subcutaneous minipump and compared results to oropharyngeal delivery of bleomycin. RESULTS: Our study revealed that systemic delivery of bleomycin induced limited, acute inflammation that resolved. The distinct inflammatory phase preceded a slow, gradually progressive fibrogenesis that was shown to be both time-dependent and dose-dependent. The fibrosis phase exhibited characteristics that better resembles human disease with focal regions of fibrosis that were predominantly found in peribronchovascular areas and in subpleural regions; central lung areas contained relatively less fibrosis. CONCLUSION: This model provides a preclinical tool that will allow researchers to study the mechanism of pulmonary fibrosis in HPS and provide a platform for the development of therapeutics to treat HPSPF. This method can be applied on studies of IPF or other monogenic disorders that lead to pulmonary fibrosis.
Assuntos
Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak , Fibrose Pulmonar Idiopática , Albinismo , Animais , Bleomicina/toxicidade , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Fibrose , Transtornos Hemorrágicos , Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak/induzido quimicamente , Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak/genética , Fibrose Pulmonar Idiopática/patologia , Pulmão , CamundongosRESUMO
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous conditions due to defects in genes involved in development and function of the nervous system. Individuals with NDD, in addition to their primary neurodevelopmental phenotype, may also have accompanying syndromic features that can be very helpful diagnostically especially those with recognizable facial appearance. In this study, we describe ten similarly affected individuals from six unrelated families of different ethnic origins having bi-allelic truncating variants in TMEM94, which encodes for an uncharacterized transmembrane nuclear protein that is highly conserved across mammals. The affected individuals manifested with global developmental delay/intellectual disability, and dysmorphic facial features including triangular face, deep set eyes, broad nasal root and tip and anteverted nostrils, thick arched eye brows, hypertrichosis, pointed chin, and hypertelorism. Birthweight in the upper normal range was observed in most, and all but one had congenital heart defects (CHD). Gene expression analysis in available cells from affected individuals showed reduced expression of TMEM94. Global transcriptome profiling using microarray and RNA sequencing revealed several dysregulated genes essential for cell growth, proliferation and survival that are predicted to have an impact on cardiotoxicity hematological system and neurodevelopment. Loss of Tmem94 in mouse model generated by CRISPR/Cas9 was embryonic lethal and led to craniofacial and cardiac abnormalities and abnormal neuronal migration pattern, suggesting that this gene is important in craniofacial, cardiovascular, and nervous system development. Our study suggests the genetic etiology of a recognizable dysmorphic syndrome with NDD and CHD and highlights the role of TMEM94 in early development.
Assuntos
Deficiências do Desenvolvimento/genética , Cardiopatias Congênitas/genética , Transtornos do Neurodesenvolvimento/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Anormalidades Múltiplas/genética , Adolescente , Alelos , Animais , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Fácies , Feminino , Humanos , Hipertelorismo/genética , Lactente , Deficiência Intelectual/genética , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Malformações do Sistema Nervoso/genética , Fenótipo , Transcriptoma/genéticaRESUMO
Progressive microcephaly and neurodegeneration are genetically heterogenous conditions, largely associated with genes that are essential for the survival of neurons. In this study, we interrogate the genetic etiology of two siblings from a non-consanguineous family with severe early onset of neurological manifestations. Whole exome sequencing identified novel compound heterozygous mutations in VARS that segregated with the proband: a missense (c.3192G>A; p.Met1064Ile) and a splice site mutation (c.1577-2A>G). The VARS gene encodes cytoplasmic valyl-tRNA synthetase (ValRS), an enzyme that is essential during eukaryotic translation. cDNA analysis on patient derived fibroblasts revealed that the splice site acceptor variant allele led to nonsense mediated decay, thus resulting in a null allele. Three-dimensional modeling of ValRS predicts that the missense mutation lies in a highly conserved region and could alter side chain packing, thus affecting tRNA binding or destabilizing the interface between the catalytic and tRNA binding domains. Further quantitation of the expression of VARS showed remarkably reduced levels of mRNA and protein in skin derived fibroblasts. Aminoacylation experiments on patient derived cells showed markedly reduced enzyme activity of ValRS suggesting the mutations to be loss of function. Bi-allelic mutations in cytoplasmic amino acyl tRNA synthetases are well-known for their role in neurodegenerative disorders, yet human disorders associated with VARS mutations have not yet been clinically well characterized. Our study describes the phenotype associated with recessive VARS mutations and further functional delineation of the pathogenicity of novel variants identified, which widens the clinical and genetic spectrum of patients with progressive microcephaly.
Assuntos
Atrofia/genética , Microcefalia/genética , Convulsões/genética , Valina-tRNA Ligase/genética , Alelos , Aminoacil-tRNA Sintetases/genética , Atrofia/fisiopatologia , Pré-Escolar , Regulação Enzimológica da Expressão Gênica , Humanos , Lactente , Mutação com Perda de Função/genética , Masculino , Microcefalia/fisiopatologia , Linhagem , RNA de Transferência/genética , Proteínas de Ligação a RNA/genética , Convulsões/fisiopatologia , Aminoacilação de RNA de Transferência/genética , Sequenciamento do ExomaRESUMO
PURPOSE: Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a rare inherited disorder with ten reported genetic types; each type has defects in subunits of either Adaptor Protein-3 complex or Biogenesis of Lysosome-related Organelles Complex (BLOC)-1, -2, or -3. Very few patients with BLOC-1 deficiency (HPS-7, -8, and -9 types) have been diagnosed. We report results of comprehensive clinical testing and molecular analyses of primary fibroblasts from a new case of HPS-7. RESULTS: A 6-year old Paraguayan male presented with hypopigmentation, ocular albinism, nystagmus, reduced visual acuity, and easy bruising. He also experienced delayed motor and language development as a very young child; head and chest trauma resulted in intracranial hemorrhage with subsequent right hemiparesis and lung scarring. There was no clinical evidence of immunodeficiency or colitis. Whole mount transmission electron microscopy revealed absent platelet delta granules; platelet aggregation testing was abnormal. Exome sequencing revealed a homozygous nonsense mutation in the Dystrobrevin binding protein 1 (DTNBP1) gene [NM_032122.4: c.307C>T; p.Gln103*], previously reported in a Portuguese adult. The gene encodes the dysbindin subunit of BLOC-1. Dysbindin protein expression was negligible in our patient's dermal fibroblasts, while his DTNBP1 mRNA level was similar to that of a normal control. CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive clinical evaluation of the first pediatric case reported with HPS-7 reveals oculocutaneous albinism and platelet storage pool deficiency; his phenotype is consistent with findings in other patients with BLOC-1 disorders. This patient's markedly reduced Dysbindin protein expression in HPS-7 resulted from a mechanism other than nonsense mediated decay.
Assuntos
Códon sem Sentido , Proteínas Associadas à Distrofina/genética , Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak/patologia , Criança , Disbindina , Proteínas Associadas à Distrofina/metabolismo , Exoma , Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak/genética , Síndrome de Hermanski-Pudlak/metabolismo , Humanos , Masculino , Análise de Sequência de DNARESUMO
Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) bloodstream infections rarely overwhelm the host but are associated with high mortality. The complement system is a key host defense against bloodstream infection. However, there are varying reports of serum resistance among KPC-Kp isolates. We assessed growth of 59 KPC-Kp clinical isolates in human serum and found increased resistance in 16/59 (27%). We identified five genetically-related bloodstream isolates with varying serum resistance profiles collected from a single patient during an extended hospitalization marked by recurrent KPC-Kp bloodstream infections. We noted a loss-of-function mutation in the capsule biosynthesis gene, wcaJ, that emerged during infection was associated with decreased polysaccharide capsule content, and resistance to complement-mediated killing. Surprisingly, disruption of wcaJ increased deposition of complement proteins on the microbial surface compared to the wild-type strain and led to increased complement-mediated opsono-phagocytosis in human whole blood. Disabling opsono-phagocytosis in the airspaces of mice impaired in vivo control of the wcaJ loss-of-function mutant in an acute lung infection model. These findings describe the rise of a capsular mutation that promotes KPC-Kp persistence within the host by enabling co-existence of increased bloodstream fitness and reduced tissue virulence.
RESUMO
A 64-year-old woman presented with 24 hours of lethargy, confusion, headache, nausea and vomiting. Examination revealed expressive aphasia, conjunctival suffusion and a tick embedded in her popliteal fossa. Labs revealed hyponatraemia, transaminitis, leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and an elevated C reactive protein. Peripheral blood smear was unremarkable. MRI/magnetic resonance angiogram revealed bilateral frontoparietal subarachnoid haemorrhage which was further confirmed by lumbar puncture which revealed six nucleated cells, 92% lymphocytes, 1460 red blood cells, normal glucose and protein and negative cryptococcal antigen, herpes simplex PCR and Lyme PCR. Serum Lyme IgG/IgM antibodies and PCR, Erlichia chaffeensis serum IgG/IgM antibodies and PCR and anaplasma serum IgG/IgM antibodies were negative. Anaplasmosis serum PCR was positive. The tick was identified as Ixodes scapularis The patient was diagnosed with anaplasmosis and treated with 21 days of doxycycline resulting in improvement of symptoms, but lingering headaches and word finding difficulties.
Assuntos
Anaplasma phagocytophilum , Anaplasmose , Ixodes , Anaplasmose/diagnóstico , Anaplasmose/tratamento farmacológico , Animais , Sistema Nervoso Central , Doxiciclina/uso terapêutico , Feminino , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
Inhibitors of poly-ADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARPi) are highly effective in killing cells deficient in homologous recombination (HR); thus, PARPi have been clinically utilized to successfully treat BRCA2-mutant tumors. However, positive response to PARPi is not universal, even among patients with HR-deficiency. Here, we present the results of genome-wide CRISPR knockout and activation screens which reveal genetic determinants of PARPi response in wildtype or BRCA2-knockout cells. Strikingly, we report that depletion of the ubiquitin ligase HUWE1, or the histone acetyltransferase KAT5, top hits from our screens, robustly reverses the PARPi sensitivity caused by BRCA2-deficiency. We identify distinct mechanisms of resistance, in which HUWE1 loss increases RAD51 levels to partially restore HR, whereas KAT5 depletion rewires double strand break repair by promoting 53BP1 binding to double-strand breaks. Our work provides a comprehensive set of putative biomarkers that advance understanding of PARPi response, and identifies novel pathways of PARPi resistance in BRCA2-deficient cells.
Assuntos
Repetições Palindrômicas Curtas Agrupadas e Regularmente Espaçadas , Inibidores de Poli(ADP-Ribose) Polimerases/isolamento & purificação , Inibidores de Poli(ADP-Ribose) Polimerases/farmacologia , Poli(ADP-Ribose) Polimerases/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteína BRCA2/genética , Proteína BRCA2/metabolismo , Biomarcadores , Dano ao DNA , Reparo do DNA , Técnicas de Inativação de Genes , Células HeLa , Recombinação Homóloga/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Lisina Acetiltransferase 5/metabolismo , Proteínas Mad2/metabolismo , Rad51 Recombinase/genética , Rad51 Recombinase/metabolismo , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/metabolismo , Proteína 1 de Ligação à Proteína Supressora de Tumor p53 , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/genética , Ubiquitina-Proteína Ligases/metabolismoRESUMO
Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is a heterogeneous group of genetic disorders typically manifesting with tyrosinase-positive oculocutaneous albinism, bleeding diathesis, and pulmonary fibrosis, in some subtypes. Most HPS subtypes are associated with defects in Biogenesis of Lysosome-related Organelle Complexes (BLOCs), which are groups of proteins that function together in the formation and/or trafficking of lysosomal-related endosomal compartments. BLOC-2, for example, consists of the proteins HPS3, HPS5, and HPS6. Here we present an HPS patient with defective BLOC-2 due to a novel intronic mutation in HPS5 that activates a cryptic acceptor splice site. This mutation leads to the insertion of nine nucleotides in-frame and results in a reduced amount of HPS5 at the transcript and protein level. In studies using skin fibroblasts derived from the proband and two other individuals with HPS-5, we found a perinuclear distribution of acidified organelles in patient cells compared to controls. Our results suggest the role of HPS5 in the endo-lysosomal dynamics of skin fibroblasts.