Group A Streptococcus adaptation to diverse niches: lessons from transcriptomic studies.

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a major human pathogen, causing diseases ranging from mild superficial infections of the skin and pharyngeal epithelium to severe systemic and invasive diseases. Moreover, post infection auto-immune sequelae arise by a yet not fully understood mechanism. The ability of GAS to cause a wide variety of infections is linked to the expression of a large set of virulence factors and their transcriptional regulation in response to various physiological environments. The use of transcriptomics, among others -omics technologies, in addition to traditional molecular methods, has led to a better understanding of GAS pathogenesis and host adaptation mechanisms. This review focusing on bacterial transcriptomic provides new insight into gene-expression patterns in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo with an emphasis on metabolic shifts, virulence genes expression and transcriptional regulators role.

Functional insights into the Shigella type III needle tip IpaD in secretion control and cell contact.

Type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) are complex nanomachines that insert a translocation pore into the host cell membrane through which effector proteins are injected into the cytosol. In Shigella, the pore is inserted by a needle tip complex that also controls secretion. IpaD is the key protein that rules the composition of the tip complex before and upon cell contact or Congo red (CR) induction. However, how IpaD is involved in secretion control and translocon insertion remains not fully understood. Here, we report the phenotypic analysis of 20 10-amino acids deletion variants all along the coiled-coil and the central domains of IpaD (residues 131-332). Our results highlight three classes of T3S phenotype; (i) wild-type secretion, (ii) constitutive secretion of all classes of effectors, and (iii) constitutive secretion of translocators and early effectors, but not of late effectors. Our data also suggest that the composition of the tip complex defines both the T3SA inducibility state and late effectors secretion. Finally, we shed light on a new aspect regarding the contact of the needle tip with cell membrane by uncoupling the Shigella abilities to escape macrophage vacuole, and to insert the translocation pore or to invade non-phagocytic cells.

Interplay between predicted inner-rod and gatekeeper in controlling substrate specificity of the type III secretion system.

The type III secretion apparatus (T3SA) is a multi-protein complex central to the virulence of many Gram-negative pathogens. Currently, the mechanisms controlling the hierarchical addressing of needle subunits, translocators and effectors to the T3SA are still poorly understood. In Shigella, MxiC is known to sequester effectors within the cytoplasm prior to receiving the activation signal from the needle. However, molecules involved in linking the needle and MxiC are unknown. Here, we demonstrate a molecular interaction between MxiC and the predicted inner-rod component MxiI suggesting that this complex plugs the T3SA entry gate. Our results suggest that MxiI-MxiC complex dissociation facilitates the switch in secretion from translocators to effectors. We identified MxiC(F)(206)(S) variant, unable to interact with MxiI, which exhibits a constitutive secretion phenotype although it remains responsive to induction. Moreover, we identified the mxiI(Q67A) mutant that only secretes translocators, a phenotype that was suppressed by coexpression of the MxiC(F)(206)(S) variant. We demonstrated the interaction between MxiI and MxiC homologues in Yersinia and Salmonella. Lastly, we identified an interaction between MxiC and chaperone IpgC which contributes to understanding how translocators secretion is regulated. In summary, this study suggests the existence of a widely conserved T3S mechanism that regulates effectors secretion.

Efficient and rapid one-step method to generate gene deletions in Streptococcus pyogenes.

Streptococcus pyogenes or Group A Streptococcus (GAS) remains a significant infectious problem around the world, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. Moreover, a recent invasive GAS infection (iGAS) upsurge has been observed in high-income settings. However, to date, no vaccine is available. Finding a good vaccine antigen and understanding the role of virulence factors in GAS infections have been hampered, in part, by technical difficulties to transform the many different strains and generate knockout mutants. Using colE1-type plasmid as a suicide vector, we have set up a method allowing the generation of non-polar mutants of GAS in 3 days. IMPORTANCE: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) is a major human pathogen, causing diseases ranging from mild and superficial infections of the skin and pharyngeal epithelium to severe systemic and invasive diseases. Since June 2022, several European countries, the US, and Australia are facing an upsurge of invasive life-threatening GAS infections. Finding a good vaccine antigen and understanding the role of virulence factors in GAS infections have been hampered, in part, by technical difficulties to transform the many different GAS strains and generate knockout mutants. Moreover, these tools must be adapted to a large range of different strains, since GAS are divided into more than 260 emm-types (M-type). We have set up a method allowing the generation of non-polar mutants of GAS in 3 days and in diverse backgrounds, which contrasts with previously published protocols.

Single amino acid substitutions on the needle tip protein IpaD increased Shigella virulence.

Infection of colonic epithelial cells by Shigella is associated with the type III secretion system, which serves as a molecular syringe to inject effectors into host cells. This system includes an extracellular needle used as a conduit for secreted proteins. Two of these proteins, IpaB and IpaD, dock at the needle tip to control secretion and are also involved in the insertion of a translocation pore into host cell membrane allowing effector delivery. To better understand the function of IpaD, we substituted thirteen residues conserved among homologous proteins in other bacterial species. Generated variants were tested for their ability to surface expose IpaB and IpaD, to control secretion, to insert the translocation pore, and to invade host cells. In addition to a first group of seven ipaD variants that behaved similarly to the wild-type strain, we identified a second group with mutations V314D and I319D that deregulated secretion of all effectors, but remained fully invasive. Moreover, we identified a third group with mutations Y153A, T161D, Q165L and Y276A, that exhibited increased levels of translocators secretion, pore formation, and cell entry. Altogether, our results offer a better understanding of the role of IpaD in the control of Shigella virulence.