Bacteriology Flashcards
Endotoxins - General Information
Cell-bound - released from bacteria as a result of cell lysis
LPS
LTA
Neisseria Lipooligosaccharide (LOS)
Exotoxins - General Information
Secreted
Soluble
Large Variety
Endotoxins - What does it bind to?
LPS/LTA bind to CD14 and TLR-4 on APC, initiates a very strong pro-inflammatory cytokine response through to increase of NFkB promotor which induces transcription of inflammatory cytokines. Can lead to septic shock
Types of Bacterial Exotoxins
Membrane-damaging toxins
Intracellular toxins
Toxins that act from the cell surface
Toxins that interfere with the immune response
Subset of Membrane-damaging toxins
Pore-forming toxins
Toxins that enzymatically damage the membrane
Toxins with detergent like effect
Subset of Intracellular toxins
AB toxins (large group)
Injected toxins (Type III and IV secretion)
Subset of toxins that act from the cell surface
Superantigens
Subset of toxins that interfere with the immune response
Complement inhibitors, Ig- proteases
Pore-forming Toxins - General info
Secreted by bacteria (mainly Gram-positives) as soluble monomers
Oligmerisation within the host membrane
Central channel (pore)
Classes of PFT
alpha-PFTs - Colicins, P.aeruginosa exotoxin A
beta-PFTs - alpha hemolysin (S.aureus), Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs)
beta-PFTs: General info
Pore is build by beta-stand domains
Transition from water-soluble to amphipathic B-barrel (membrane pore)
Use certain host proteins as receptors
Oligomers from voltage gated channels
Permeation of water, ions and small organic molecules
Can lead to osmotic lysis of the cell and eventual cell death
Hydrophillic on inside, hydrophobic on outside
beta-PFTs - CDCs: General info
Secreted as monomers by certain Gram+
Insert as pre-pore complex
Adding more monomers to pre-pore to make into pore
E.g Pneumolysin
PFTs - Clinical Relevance
Pneumolysin - Cholesterol-depedent PFT
Mutants pneumococci deficient in pneumolysin are cleared from lungs
Neutralising antibodies against pneumolysin protects mice from PC challenge
Pneumolysin destroys ciliated epithelial cells and phagocytes
Cytolytic activity increases neutrophil infiltration into lungs (inflammation)
Pneumolysin is an essential virulence factor for development of pneumonia
Pneumolysin can also induce inflammation in brain, if bacteria breach BBB and colonise CSF
Cytolysins with Enzymatic Activity
Clostridium perfringens alpha toxins - Zn- metallophospholipase C
Low conc - limited hydrolysis of PC, generation of DAG -> leading to apoptosis, signal transduction pathways
High conc - massive degradation of PC, membrane disruption, cell lysis
C.perfringens alpha toxin and disease
Targets erythrocytes, platelets, leukocytes and epithelial cells
Damage of cell membrane results in release of secondary messengers
IP3 initiates Ca2+ influx
Increased vascular permeability, edema
tissue destruction (clostridial myonecrosis, gas gangrene)
Membrane-damaging toxins - functional relevance
Nutrition
Iron is essential for the growth of many pathogens
Free iron is only found at very low concentration in blood (can form damaging free radicals)
Erythrocyte contain plenty of iron
Spreading
Tissue destruction allows bacteria to spread and colonise other tissue
Immune Evasion
Destruction of immune cells
Listeriolysin lyses phagosome (enables Listeria to live in cytosol of host phagocytic cells)
AB toxin (Binary toxins)
B-subunit attaches to target regions on cell membranes (receptor - binding)
A-subunit possesses enzymatic activity that affects internal cellular bio-mechanisms
A and B domains
Clostridial neurotoxins, diphtheria toxin, large clostridial toxins
AB5 toxin
E.g Cholera toxin, pertussis toxin, shiga toxin
Uptake and trafficking of AB toxins
See diagram in lecture slides
How to AB toxins work?
-B subunit attaches to target regions on cell membranes (receptor binding)
-AB complex enters through the membrane by endocytosis
-A possesses enzymatic activity that affects internal cellular bio-mechanisms
Most common intracellular target for A-subunit
Elongation factor 2- stop protein production
G proteins
Rho proteins
Actin
Nucleus
28s rRNA
Enzymatic activity of CT and LT subunit A
-‘A’ subunit is a globular enzyme that ADP ribosylates Ga of stimulating G proteins
- constant activation of cyclase
-increased levels of cAMP
- activation of protein kinase A
-PKA phosphorylates CTFR and causes active Cl- secretion
-massive efflux of electrolytes and fluids
-CT: fluid loss from intestine: 500 - 1000 ml/h (up to 40L per day)
CT (cholera toxin)
-Produced by Vibrio cholerae carrying lysogenic phase
-infection from contaminated food and water
-Vibrio colonises gastrointestinal tract causing infectious gastroenteritis
- extensive diarrhea
-epidemic outbreaks
Heat-labile enterotoxin (LT)
-produced by enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC)
-plasmid encoded
-LT induced diarrhea usually less sever than CT diarrhea
-traveler disease
Injected Toxins - which species?
Read on secretion systems
Salmonella spp
Shigella spp
Yersinia spp
E.coli
Salmonella typhimurium effector proteins
Salmonella invasion proteins (SipA and C)
-act directly and cooperatively on actin, mediate bundling and polymerisation
-SipA acts a molecular staper
-SipC promotes actin nucleation and filament bundling
Salmonella outer protein (SopE)
-mimics the function of G nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)
-activation of small G proteins of the Rho family
-actin nucleation and branching causing membrane ruffling*
Which genera have superantigens?
Staphylococcus
Streptococcus
Yersinia
Mycoplasma
Superantigens: General info
-very powerful T cell mitogens
-SAgs bind to MHCII outside the antigen binding groove and to the TcR VB chain
-overstimulation of T cells (up to 20% of the total population)
-massive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, TNF-a, IFN-y)
-can induce shock like conditions in animals
-relevance disease not fully established
-likely to be involved in staph/strep toxic shock syndrome possibly in combination with endotoxins (synergistic effect)
-bacteria enter blood through wounds,small cuts
-superantigens play important role
-cytokine storm leads to systemic inflammation
Antimicrobial host factor - charge? and what are they?
Positive
-antimicrobial peptides
-lactoferrin
-lysozyme
-myeloperoxidase
Bacterial cell envelope - charge? and what are they?
Negative
-peptidoglycan (PG)
-teichoic acids (TA)
-lipoteichoic acid (LTA)
-lipid A
-LPS
4 CAMP resistance mechanisms
Repulsion of CAMP
Extrusion of CAMP
Neutralisation of CAMP
Cleavage of CAMP
Repulsion of CAMP - mechanism
Modification of TA or lipid A (Staph,Strep)
Extrusion of CAMP - mechanism
MtrCDE efflux pump
(Neisseria)