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
Summary
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.
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