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Updated: May 27, 2025

Investigation of Microbial Cooperation via Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Bacterial Colonies Grown on Agar and in Tissue During Infection
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Investigation of Microbial Cooperation via Imaging Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Bacterial Colonies Grown on Agar and in Tissue During Infection

Published on: November 18, 2022

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Cross-membrane cooperation among bacteria can facilitate intracellular pathogenesis

Daniel Schator1, Naren G Kumar1, Samuel Joseph U Chong1

  • 1Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|February 20, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires extracellular cooperation for intracellular transition. This bacterial collaboration aids in disseminating infections within a host, impacting disease progression.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Bacterial Pathogenesis

Background:

  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative opportunistic pathogen.
  • It can cause severe infections and survive intracellularly.
  • Distinct intracellular subpopulations (vacuolar and cytoplasmic) have been identified.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism of transition for Pseudomonas aeruginosa from host cell vacuoles to the cytoplasm.
  • To explore the role of extracellular bacteria in facilitating intracellular bacterial dissemination.
  • To understand the collaborative mechanisms between bacterial subpopulations during infection.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a mouse infection model.
  • Investigated the role of the type III secretion system (T3SS) translocon pore proteins.
  • Analyzed calcium ion (Ca2+) influx as a key mediator.

Main Results:

  • The transition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from vacuoles to cytoplasm requires collaboration with extracellular bacteria.
  • Extracellular bacteria facilitate this transition via Ca2+ influx mediated by T3SS translocon pore proteins.
  • Bacterial cooperation among subpopulations contributes to the dissemination of intracellular bacteria in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • Extracellular and intracellular Pseudomonas aeruginosa subpopulations collaborate to facilitate bacterial invasion and spread.
  • Type III secretion system (T3SS) plays a crucial role in mediating inter-population communication and host cell invasion.
  • Understanding this cooperation is vital for developing novel therapeutic strategies against persistent P. aeruginosa infections.
Keywords:
CorneaHost-pathogen InteractionIntracellularPseudomonasType 3 SecretionVacuole Escape

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