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  • Paradoxical Pro-inflammatory Responses by Human Macrophages to an Amoebae Host-Adapted Legionella Effector.

Paradoxical Pro-inflammatory Responses by Human Macrophages to an Amoebae Host-Adapted Legionella Effector.

Cell host & microbe (2020-03-30)
Christopher Price, Snake Jones, Mirna Mihelcic, Marina Santic, Yousef Abu Kwaik
ABSTRACT

Legionella pneumophila has co-evolved with amoebae, their natural hosts. Upon transmission to humans, the bacteria proliferate within alveolar macrophages causing pneumonia. Here, we show L. pneumophila injects the effector LamA, an amylase, into the cytosol of human macrophage (hMDMs) and amoebae to rapidly degrade glycogen to generate cytosolic hyper-glucose. In response, hMDMs shift their metabolism to aerobic glycolysis, which directly triggers an M1-like pro-inflammatory differentiation and nutritional innate immunity through enhanced tryptophan degradation. This leads to a modest restriction of bacterial proliferation in hMDMs. In contrast, LamA-mediated glycogenolysis in amoebae deprives the natural host from the main building blocks for synthesis of the cellulose-rich cyst wall, leading to subversion of amoeba encystation. This is non-permissive for bacterial proliferation. Therefore, LamA of L. pneumophila is an amoebae host-adapted effector that subverts encystation of the amoebae natural host, and the paradoxical hMDMs' pro-inflammatory response is likely an evolutionary accident.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Calcofluor White Stain, suitable for microbiology
Sigma-Aldrich
Anti-IDO (Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase) Antibody, clone 10.1, clone 10.1, Upstate®, from mouse