Role of QseG membrane protein in beneficial enterobacterial interactions with plants and Mesorhizobia

Membrane protein Quorum sensing G (QseG) positively interferes in the process of colonization and infection of enteric pathogens in animals. Its gene is located between qseE and qseF genes and is co-transcribed with the two-component system. Homologs of qseG gene, along with qseEF, are present in many Enterobacteriaceae; however, its role in nonpathogenic strains is still unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the role of QseG protein of a plant-associated enterobacterium in the interactions with its legume host and in the benefits induced by this enterobacterium in the Mesorhizobium-chickpea symbiosis. Here, we show that Kosakonia sp. MH5 ΔqseG mutant was defective in internal root colonization and inoculation of chickpea seedlings with this mutant increased the expression of the defence-related gene CaRBOH-like in host roots. Furthermore, we show that invasion and a proper establishment within the roots and/or root nodules are essential for MH5 strain to be able to exert beneficial effects on the symbiotic Mesorhizobium-chickpea association under salinity. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the role of QseG is transversal to pathogenic and nonpathogenic enterobacteria and is a step forward to better understanding the molecular bases of plant-bacteria interactions established between legume and beneficial endophytic enterobacteria

Role of QseG membrane protein in beneficial enterobacterial interactions with plants and Mesorhizobia

Homologs of qseG gene (coding for the membrane protein QseG), along with the qseEF genes, are present in many Enterobacteriaceae; however, its role in non-pathogenic strains is still unknown. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the role of QseG protein of a plant-associated enterobacterium in the interactions with its legume host and in the benefits induced by this enterobacterium in the Mesorhizobium–chickpea symbiosis. Here, we showed that QseG of Kosakonia sp. MH5 is involved in the following processes: (i) the evasion of the plant immune system and (ii) the efficient colonization of chickpea root cells. Furthermore, these features are essential for the beneficial effects of this strain on the Mesorhizobium–chickpea symbiosis. This study demonstrates that the role of QseG is transversal to pathogenic and non-pathogenic enterobacteria and is a step forward to better understanding the molecular bases of plant–bacteria interactions established between legume and beneficial endophytic enterobacteria.ME

Improvement in hemodynamic performance, exercise capacity, inflammatory profile, and left ventricular reverse remodeling after intracoronary delivery of mesenchymal stem cells in an experimental model of pressure overload hypertrophy

ObjectivesIn a rat model of pressure overload hypertrophy, we studied the effects of intracoronary delivery of mesenchymal stem cells on hemodynamic performance, exercise capacity, systemic inflammation, and left ventricular reverse remodeling.MethodsSprague–Dawley rats underwent aortic banding and were followed up by echocardiographic scanning. After a decrease in fractional shortening of 25% from baseline, animals were randomized to intracoronary injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC group; n = 28) or phosphate-buffered saline solution (control group; n = 20). Hemodynamic and echocardiographic assessment, swim testing to exhaustion, and measurement of inflammatory markers were performed before the rats were humanely killed on postoperative day 7, 14, 21, or 28.ResultsInjection of mesenchymal stem cells improved systolic function in the MSC group compared with the control group (mean ± standard deviation: maximum dP/dt 3048 ± 230 mm Hg/s vs 2169 ± 97 mm Hg/s at 21 days and 3573 ± 741 mm Hg/s vs 1363 ± 322 mm Hg/s at 28 days: P < .001). Time to exhaustion was similarly increased in the MSC group compared with controls (487 ± 35 seconds vs 306 ± 27 seconds at 28 days; P < .01). Serum levels of interleukins 1 and 6, tumor necrosis factor–alpha, and brain natriuretic peptide-32 were significantly decreased in animals treated with mesenchymal stem cells. Stem cell transplantation improved left ventricular fractional shortening at 21 and 28 days. Left ventricular end-systolic and end-diastolic diameters were also improved at 28 days.ConclusionsIn this model of pressure overload hypertrophy, intracoronary delivery of mesenchymal stem cells during heart failure was associated with an improvement in hemodynamic performance, maximal exercise tolerance, systemic inflammation, and left ventricular reverse remodeling. This study suggests a potential role of this treatment strategy for the management of hypertrophic heart failure resulting from pressure overload

Visualization and Quantification of Post-Stroke Neural Connectivity and Neuroinflammation Using Serial Two-Photon Tomography in the Whole Mouse Brain

Whole-brain volumetric microscopy techniques such as serial two-photon tomography (STPT) can provide detailed information on the roles of neuroinflammation and neuroplasticity throughout the whole brain post-stroke. STPT automatically generates high-resolution images of coronal sections of the entire mouse brain that can be readily visualized in three dimensions. We developed a pipeline for whole brain image analysis that includes supervised machine learning (pixel-wise random forest models via the “ilastik” software package) followed by registration to a standardized 3-D atlas of the adult mouse brain (Common Coordinate Framework v3.0; Allen Institute for Brain Science). These procedures allow the detection of cellular fluorescent signals throughout the brain in an unbiased manner. To illustrate our imaging techniques and automated image quantification, we examined long-term post-stroke motor circuit connectivity in mice that received a motor cortex photothrombotic stroke. Two weeks post-stroke, mice received intramuscular injections of pseudorabies virus (PRV-152), a trans-synaptic retrograde herpes virus driving expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP), into the affected contralesional forelimb to label neurons in descending tracts to the forelimb musculature. Mice were sacrificed 3 weeks post-stroke. We also quantified sub-acute neuroinflammation in the post-stroke brain in a separate cohort of mice following a 60 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo). Naive e450+-labeled splenic CD8+ cytotoxic T cells were intravenously injected at 7, 24, 48, and 72 h post-tMCAo. Mice were sacrificed 4 days after stroke. Detailed quantification of post-stroke neural connectivity and neuroinflammation indicates a role for remote brain regions in stroke pathology and recovery. The workflow described herein, incorporating STPT and automated quantification of fluorescently labeled features of interest, provides a framework by which one can objectively evaluate labeled neuronal or lymphocyte populations in healthy and injured brains. The results provide region-specific quantification of neural connectivity and neuroinflammation, which could be a critical tool for investigating mechanisms of not only stroke recovery, but also a wide variety of brain injuries or diseases

B Cells Migrate into Remote Brain Areas and Support Neurogenesis and Functional Recovery after Focal Stroke in Mice

Lymphocytes infiltrate the stroke core and penumbra and often exacerbate cellular injury. B cells, however, are lymphocytes that do not contribute to acute pathology but can support recovery. B cell adoptive transfer to mice reduced infarct volumes 3 and 7 d after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo), independent of changing immune populations in recipient mice. Testing a direct neurotrophic effect, B cells cocultured with mixed cortical cells protected neurons and maintained dendritic arborization after oxygen-glucose deprivation. Whole-brain volumetric serial two-photon tomography (STPT) and a custom-developed image analysis pipeline visualized and quantified poststroke B cell diapedesis throughout the brain, including remote areas supporting functional recovery. Stroke induced significant bilateral B cell diapedesis into remote brain regions regulating motor and cognitive functions and neurogenesis (e.g., dentate gyrus, hypothalamus, olfactory areas, cerebellum) in the whole-brain datasets. To confirm a mechanistic role for B cells in functional recovery, rituximab was given to human CD20+ (hCD20+) transgenic mice to continuously deplete hCD20+-expressing B cells following tMCAo. These mice experienced delayed motor recovery, impaired spatial memory, and increased anxiety through 8 wk poststroke compared to wild type (WT) littermates also receiving rituximab. B cell depletion reduced stroke-induced hippocampal neurogenesis and cell survival. Thus, B cell diapedesis occurred in areas remote to the infarct that mediated motor and cognitive recovery. Understanding the role of B cells in neuronal health and disease-based plasticity is critical for developing effective immune-based therapies for protection against diseases that involve recruitment of peripheral immune cells into the injured brain

Toward a Surrogate Marker of Malaria Exposure: Modeling Longitudinal Antibody Measurements under Outbreak Conditions

Background: Biomarkers of exposure to Plasmodium falciparum would be a useful tool for the assessment of malaria burden and analysis of intervention and epidemiological studies. Antibodies to pre-erythrocytic antigens represent potential surrogates of exposure. Methods and Findings: In an outbreak cohort of U.S. Marines deployed to Liberia, we modeled pre- and post-deployment IgG against P. falciparum sporozoites by immunofluorescence antibody test, and both IgG and IgM against the P. falciparum circumsporozoite protein by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. Modeling seroconversion thresholds by a fixed ratio, linear regression or nonlinear regression produced sensitivity for identification of exposed U.S. Marines between 58-70% and specificities between 87-97%, compared with malaria-naïve U.S. volunteers. Exposure was predicted in 30-45% of the cohort. Conclusion: Each of the three models tested has merits in different studies, but further development and validation in endemic populations is required. Overall, these models provide support for an antibody-based surrogate marker of exposure to malaria

The effects of vaccination and immunity on bacterial infection dynamics in vivo.

Salmonella enterica infections are a significant global health issue, and development of vaccines against these bacteria requires an improved understanding of how vaccination affects the growth and spread of the bacteria within the host. We have combined in vivo tracking of molecularly tagged bacterial subpopulations with mathematical modelling to gain a novel insight into how different classes of vaccines and branches of the immune response protect against secondary Salmonella enterica infections of the mouse. We have found that a live Salmonella vaccine significantly reduced bacteraemia during a secondary challenge and restrained inter-organ spread of the bacteria in the systemic organs. Further, fitting mechanistic models to the data indicated that live vaccine immunisation enhanced both the bacterial killing in the very early stages of the infection and bacteriostatic control over the first day post-challenge. T-cell immunity induced by this vaccine is not necessary for the enhanced bacteriostasis but is required for subsequent bactericidal clearance of Salmonella in the blood and tissues. Conversely, a non-living vaccine while able to enhance initial blood clearance and killing of virulent secondary challenge bacteria, was unable to alter the subsequent bacterial growth rate in the systemic organs, did not prevent the resurgence of extensive bacteraemia and failed to control the spread of the bacteria in the body.This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council [grant number BB/I002189/1].This is the published manuscript. It was originally published by PLOS One here: http://www.plospathogens.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1004359

Immature Dengue Virus Is Infectious in Human Immature Dendritic Cells via Interaction with the Receptor Molecule DC-SIGN

BACKGROUND: Dengue Virus (DENV) is the most common mosquito-borne viral infection worldwide. Important target cells during DENV infection are macrophages, monocytes, and immature dendritic cells (imDCs). DENV-infected cells are known to secrete a large number of partially immature and fully immature particles alongside mature virions. Fully immature DENV particles are considered non-infectious, but antibodies have been shown to rescue their infectious properties. This suggests that immature DENV particles only contribute to the viral load observed in patients with a heterologous DENV re-infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we re-evaluated the infectious properties of fully immature particles in absence and presence of anti-DENV human serum. We show that immature DENV is infectious in cells expressing DC-SIGN. Furthermore, we demonstrate that immature dendritic cells, in contrast to macrophage-like cells, do not support antibody-dependent enhancement of immature DENV. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data shows that immature DENV can infect imDCs through interaction with DC-SIGN, suggesting that immature and partially immature DENV particles may contribute to dengue pathogenesis during primary infection. Furthermore, since antibodies do not further stimulate DENV infectivity on imDCs we propose that macrophages/monocytes rather than imDCs contribute to the increased viral load observed during severe heterotypic DENV re-infections

Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above 4×10184{\times}10^{18} eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory

A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding $4{\times}10^{18}$ eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers with zenith angles greater than $60^{\circ}$ detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above $5.3{\times}10^{18}$ eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law $E^{-\gamma}$ with index $\gamma=2.70 \pm 0.02 \,\text{(stat)} \pm 0.1\,\text{(sys)}$ followed by a smooth suppression region. For the energy ($E_\text{s}$) at which the spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence of suppression, we find $E_\text{s}=(5.12\pm0.25\,\text{(stat)}^{+1.0}_{-1.2}\,\text{(sys)}){\times}10^{19}$ eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO