Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--Köln.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2005--Jena.

<p>Guanylate binding proteins (Gbps) are a family of large GTPases that are highly stimulated by IFNγ and confer resistance to various viral, protozoan, and bacterial pathogens. Following infections of intracellular pathogens, multiple Gbps can localize to pathogen vacuoles and promote the vesiculation and destruction of these structures. While Gbps have also been implicated in pathways independent of vacuolar disruption, their roles in these processes have been less characterized. In this dissertation, I focus on the mechanism of Gbps downstream of vacuolar disruption in order to further elucidate the role of these proteins during immune responses. </p><p> Due to the IFNγ stimulation of caspase-11 pyroptosis, I first addressed the ability of Gbps to promote the non-canonical caspase-11 dependent pathway of pyroptosis. I found that Gbpchr3-/- cells had reduced cell death in response to the vacuolar pathogen, L. pneumophila, and various LPS ligands. Using YFP-Gal3 as a marker for damaged membranes, I showed that there were equivalent levels of damaged pathogen vacuoles between WT and Gbpchr3-/- cells suggesting these proteins promoted pyroptosis independently of vacuolar disruption. Instead, it appears that Gbps modulate the activation of caspase-11 following LPS release into the cytosol. </p><p> The recruitment of Gbps is mediated by multiple host proteins including the Immunity Related GTPases and the autophagy conjugation system. I found in the second study that at least one Gbp, Gbp2, was also recruited to damaged vacuoles through the aid of Galectin-3, a β-galactoside binding protein, as well as the autophagy adaptor protein, p62. As all three proteins were also recruited to sterile damaged vesicles created by hypotonic shock, calcium phosphate precipitates, and lysosomal damage, it suggests Gbps are recruited through a universal mechanism which is independent of PAMP recognition. Interactions between p62, Gbp2, and Gal3 present a model whereby p62 facilitates the recruitment of Gbp2 to damaged membranes through interactions with Galectin-3. Their localization to these sites may subsequently facilitate autophagic degradation of membranes or promote the recruitment of pyroptotic complexes to modulate immune functions although this remains to be elucidated. </p><p> This dissertation examines the less characterized roles of Gbps downstream of vacuolar disruption. By uncovering these alternative pathways, this work provides a foundation to study the variations within the Gbp family and allows for the field to further understand the mechanisms by which they promote cellular immune responses.</p> / Dissertation

Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen and the etiological agent of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe atypical pneumonia. This bacterium is ubiquitous to freshwater ecosystems where it spreads in the planktonic form but is primarily found associated with protozoa. Protozoa serve as a niche for its replication because the extracellular environment often does not offer sufficient nutrients to support the growth of this bacterium. L. pneumophila is an opportunistic pathogen in humans and utilizes an arsenal of virulence factors to colonize hosts and cause Legionnaires’ disease. The transition between extracellular and intracellular milieus triggers a series of metabolic, morphological and genetic changes that define two developmental stages in this bacterium: replicative and transmissive. Relatively high concentration of nutrients triggers the replicative stage of growth, where the bacterium has the appearance of a thin, elongated rod without the presence of flagella. In addition, is characterized by active metabolism and expression of genes required for productive replication. In contrast, once nutrient levels are relatively low, L. pneumophila switches to its transmissive form. In this form, the bacterium activates a genetic program that includes the expression of many traits associated with the transmissive stage, such as coccoid cell shape, motility, pigmentation and important virulence factors. These multifaceted changes in gene expression leading the differentiation from replicative to the transmissive form, are controlled by two-component regulatory systems. Specifically, the LetAS two-component system plays a key role in the regulation of cell morphology and in the production of the pigment pyomelanin. Here we report the identification of a LetAS-regulated protein, Lpg0586 (designated as Larp1), capable of inducing changes in cell morphology and pigment production. We found that Larp1 expression was accompanied by accumulation of the RecA protein, but evaluation of recA deletion mutants indicated that RecA is not involved in cell morphology changes in L. pneumophila. The specific reason as to why RecA accumulates upon Larp1 expression remains to be elucidated. However, we show that upon synthetic HGA treatment, L. pneumophila cultures display cell elongation and increased RecA levels. Lastly, Larp1 expression restored pyomelanin production in an un-pigmented mutant and increased the transcription of important genes involved in the pyomelanin production pathway. Based on these findings, Larp1 is the first LetAS-regulated protein reported to be involved in pyomelanin production.

Diese Arbeit befasst sich mit der Untersuchung des Metabolismus sowie der Reaktivität verschiedener Wirk- und Arzneistoffe mittels flüssigchromatographischer und massen-spektrometrischer Methoden, sie gliedert sich dabei in vier Projekte. Zur Bestimmung des Metabolitenprofils wurde ein passendes In-vitro-Inkubationssystem mit Cytochrom-P-450-Systemen entwickelt. So wurden der Metabolismus und die Pharmakokinetik der Mip-Inhibitoren SF110, SF235 und SF354 gegen Legionellen, sowie neuer antitrypanosomaler Verbindungen MB209, MB343 und MB444 und von Daptomycin bestimmt. Darüber hinaus wurde die antibakterielle Aktivität des Daptomycins gegenüber einem unbekannten Staphylokokkus-Stammes S. sciuri ermittelt. Außerdem wurden Reaktivitätsuntersuchungen neu synthetisierter Inhibitoren gegen Tuberkulose und S. aureus durchgeführt. Die untersuchten Mip-Inhibitoren lieferten ein Metabolitenprofil, welches durch Ester- und Amidhydrolysen sowie Hydroxylierungen geprägt wurde. Die Verbindung SF110 schien dabei bereits eine gewisse Instabilität der Esterbindung aufzuweisen, da auch im Blindwert entsprechende Spaltprodukte identifiziert werden konnten. Die Hauptmetabolite von SF235 und SF354 bildeten sich durch unterschiedliche Hydrolysen, da die Spaltung des Moleküls von den jeweiligen Substituenten abhängig ist. Innerhalb dieser Substanzklasse dominiert die mikrosomale Enzymkatalyse, da der größte metabolische Umsatz sowie die meisten Metabolite mittels mikrosomaler Fraktion des Menschen bzw. der Maus gefunden wurden. Die Klasse der Mip-Inhibitoren wird somit vor allem durch Cytochrom-P-450-Enzyme umgesetzt, wobei die Hydrophilie durch Einführung polarer OH-Gruppen der Moleküle erhöht wird. Die Hydroxylierung scheint dabei positionsspezifisch, bedingt durch sterische Hinderungen oder dirigierende Einflüsse, abzulaufen. Stabilitätsvergleiche zwischen SF110, SF235 und SF354 zeigten, dass die Einführung einer Amidbindung anstelle der korrespondierenden Esterbindung die Substanzklasse maßgeblich metabolisch stabilisiert. Im Rahmen des murinen In-vivo-Metabolismus wurde beobachtet, dass SF235 einem deutlich stärkeren Metabolismus unterlag als SF354 und sich der Metabolismus vor allem innerhalb der ersten 30 min vollzog. Demgegenüber zeigten die In-vitro-Ergebnisse gegenteilige Ergebnisse, bei denen SF354 die am stärksten metabolisierte Substanz war. Diese widersprüchlichen Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass In-vitro-Modelle nur als Anhaltspunkt verwendet werden sollten, um mögliche Trends abzuleiten. Metabolismusstudien der Chinolonamide, die gegen die afrikanische Schlafkrankheit wirken sollen, veranschaulichten, dass die größte enzymatische Umsetzung aller drei getesteten Verbindungen mittels cytosolischer Fraktion erfolgte. Die Enzymreaktionen werden vermutlich durch ALDH bzw. MAO dominiert und nicht durch CYP bzw. FMO. Die gebildeten Metabolite in den verschiedenen Fraktionen unterlagen (ω-1)-Oxidationen, N-Desalkylierungen, Amidhydrolysen und aromatischen Hydroxylierungen. Auffallend war, dass eine Hydroxylierung am aromatischen Benzylring nur erfolgen konnte, sofern der Benzylaromat keinen Fluorsubstitutenten trug, da dieser desaktivierend wirkte. Die aromatische Hydroxylierung am Chinolonamid erfolgte dagegen bei allen drei Substanzen. Es wurde somit lediglich eine Hydroxylierung am Benzylring von MB343 festgestellt. Die enzymatische Aktivität aller Substanzen folgte einer Reaktionskinetik 1. Ordnung. Die unterschiedlichen Stabilitäten der Substanzen zeigten einen deutlichen Trend: MB209 wurde, da es die instabilste Verbindung darstellt, im größten Maße umgesetzt, gefolgt von den stabileren Derivaten MB343 und MB444. Die Untersuchung der enzymatischen Aktivitäten zeigte, dass die drei Substanzen, verglichen mit der Leitstruktur GHQ168, eine um den Faktor zehn geringere Aktivität aufwiesen [19]. Aufgrund der eingeführten Fluoratome weisen die Substanzen somit eine wesentlich höhere Stabilität auf. Diese Ergebnisse wurden durch die Untersuchung der Halbwertszeit bestätigt, bei der MB444 den höchsten Wert besaß. Weiterhin ist die Position des Fluorsubstituenten am Chinolongerüst ausschlaggebend für die metabolische Stabilität, wobei MB444 aufgrund des para-Fluorsubstituenten am Chinolonamid die stabilste Verbindung darstellt. Durch Inkubation von Daptomycin mit unterschiedlichen S. sciuri-Isolaten wurde ein möglicher Inaktivierungsmechanismus beobachtet, bei dem das Antibiotikum durch Spaltung des cyclischen Aminosäureringes, durch Deacylierung des Fettsäureschwanzes, einer Kombination beider Mechanismen oder durch eine Spaltung des heteroaromatischen Ringsystems von Tryptophan inaktiviert wurde. Die Proteasen des Daptomycin-resistenten S. sciuri-Isolats TS92 führten zu einem Daptomycinabbau von 35 %, unabhängig von der eingesetzten Menge des Arzneistoffes. Das Ausmaß des Abbaus scheint darüber hinaus vom eingesetzten Inkubationsmedium abhängig zu sein, da die Proteasen voraussichtlich auf ein bestimmtes Nährmedium angewiesen sind. Der sensitive S. sciuri-Stamm TS93 lieferte die höchste Abbaurate an Daptomycin mit 55 % und widerlegt damit die Vermutung, dass Daptomycin die geringste antibakterielle Aktivität gegenüber diesem S. sciuri-Stamm aufweist. Im In-vitro-Metabolismus zeigte Daptomycin insgesamt eine sehr geringe Umsetzungsmenge mit maximal 5 % nach 4 h und einer geringen Metabolitenbildung. Hier wurde nur ein Metabolit gefunden, welcher auch mittels S. sciuri-Inkubation identifiziert wurde. Dieser Mechanismus könnte somit auf anderem Wege verlaufen. Die Reaktivitätsstudien der kovalenten Inhibitoren der FadA5-Thiolase gegen Tuberkulose zeigten, dass nur die Verbindungen C1 und C4 eine Reaktivität gegenüber der Aminosäure Cystein93 im aktiven Zentrum besaßen, die somit für den gewünschten Einsatzzweck geeignet sein könnten. Weiterhin wurde bei den kovalenten Inhibitoren der Enoyl-ACP-Reduktase mit dem Enzym FabI, welches im aktiven Zentrum ein Tyrosin besitzt, keine Reaktion festgestellt, da keine Addukte identifiziert wurden. Dies ist vermutlich auf die Unlöslichkeit im verwendeten TRIS-Puffer zurückzuführen. / This work deals with the investigation of the metabolism as well as the reactivity of different drug candidates as well as active pharmaceutical substances by means of liquid chromatographic and mass spectrometric methods. It is divided into four projects. In order to determine the metabolite profile, a suitable in-vitro incubation system using cytochrome P-450-systems was developed. Thus, the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of the Mip inhibitors SF110, SF235, and SF354 against Legionella, as well as of new antitrypanosomal compounds MB209, MB343, and MB444 and of daptomycin were determined. In addition, the antibacterial activity of daptomycin against an unknown Staphylococcus strain S. sciuri was determined. In addition, reactivity studies of newly synthesized inhibitors against tuberculosis and S. aureus were performed. The Mip inhibitors investigated showed a metabolite profile being characterized by ester and amide hydrolysis as well as hydroxylation. The ester moiety of compound SF110 seemed to be unstable, as metabolites could be also identified in the negative control. The major metabolites of SF235 and SF354 were formed by different hydrolyses, whereby the cleavage mechanism of the molecule is dependent on the respective substituents. The substance class is dominated by microsomal enzyme catalysis, as the highest metabolic turnover and, eventually, the most metabolites were found using a microsomal fraction of the human and mouse. The class of Mip inhibitors is thus represented mainly by cleavage due to cytochrome P-450 enzymes, wherein the hydrophilicity of the substrate is increased by introducing polar hydroxyl groups. Hydroxylation seems to be site specific due to steric hindrance or directing influences. Comparing the stability of SF110, SF235, and SF354 revealed that introducing an amide bond instead of an ester bond significantly stabilizes the substance class metabolically. In murine in vivo metabolism results, SF235 was found to be metabolized more significantly than SF354 within the first 30 min of incubation. In contrast, the in vitro results showed the opposite. SF354 was the most metabolized substance. The contradictory results suggest that in vitro models should only be used as an indicator to derive possible trends. Metabolism studies of quinolonamides active against African sleeping sickness, demonstrated that the highest enzymatic conversion of all three tested compounds was caused by the cytosol fraction. The enzyme reactions are probably catalyzed by ALDH or MAO and not by CYP or FMO, respectively. The formed metabolites found in various fractions were subject to (ω-1)-oxidations, N-dealkylations, amide hydrolyses, and hydroxylations. It was observed that hydroxylation could only take place on the aromatic benzyl ring if it did not carry any fluorine substituents having a deactivating effect. The aromatic hydroxylation of the quinolonamide, however, was carried out in all three substances. Thus, only hydroxylation on the benzyl ring of MB343 was observed. The enzymatic activity of all substances followed a first-order kinetic. The different stabilities of the substances had a clear trend: MB209 showed the highest enzymatic activity as it represents the most unstable compound, followed by MB343 and MB444. The enzymatic activities of the three substances were ten times lower compared to the enzymatic activity of lead structure GHQ168 [19], which exhibits a much higher stability due to the fluorine atoms. These results were confirmed by a half-life study in which MB444 was the most stable compound. The position of the fluorine substituent on the quinolone determines the metabolic stability, making MB444 the most stable compound because it carries a p-fluorine substituent on the quinolonamide. When incubating Daptomycin with different S. sciuri isolates, a possible inactivation mechanism of the antibiotic agent was observed in which the cyclic amino acid ring was opened, the fatty acid tail deacylated, or a combination of both mechanisms as well as the heteroaromatic ring system of tryptophan was cleaved. The proteases of the daptomycin-resistant S. sciuri isolate TS92 led to a daptomycin degradation of 35%, regardless of the initial concentration used. The degradation also seems to depend on the incubation medium since the proteases probably rely on a specific nutrient medium. The sensitive S. sciuri strain TS93 showed the highest degradation rate of daptomycin with 55 % and thus refutes the assumption that it has the smallest antibacterial sensitivity against daptomycin. Overall, DAP showed a very low in vitro metabolism with a conversion rate of maximum 5% after 4 h and a low metabolic rate. Here, only one metabolite could be found which was also identified by means of S. sciuri incubation. Thus, this mechanism could proceed in a different way. The reactivity studies of the covalent inhibitors of the thiolase of the FadA5 enzyme against tuberculosis showed that only compounds C1 and C4 targeted cysteine93, thus being suitable for the desired purpose. Furthermore, no reaction was observed for in the covalent inhibitors of the enoyl-ACP reductase with the enzyme FabI, which carries a tyrosine in the active site, since no adducts were identified. This is probably due to the insolubility in the TRIS buffer.

Legionella pneumophila is a pathogen that can proliferate in premise (i.e., building) plumbing and, when aerosolized during water use, infect the lungs of exposed individuals and cause a deadly form of pneumonia known as Legionnaires' disease. Given that it is one of the primary sources of tap-water associated disease throughout much of the world, this organism has been the subject of intense research, ranging from aiming to understand key aspects of its physiology that allow it to proliferate in premise plumbing, to the specific virulence factors that make it so infectious to humans. The work presented here starts with a comprehensive review of published studies related to the L. pneumophila proteome, i.e., the set of expressed proteins associated with a given strain under a given set of environmental conditions, showing how the field has progressed in parallel to improvements in mass spectrometry technologies and how proteomics can be used as a tool to understand this unique and important organism. Copper is a natural antimicrobial that can be present in drinking water due to passive release from copper pipes or intentionally dosed (e.g., copper-silver ionization systems) for microbial control. However, some L. pneumophila strains have recently been found to exhibit copper resistance, an adaptive process that is not fully understood at the physiological level. Chapter Two describes the copper survivability of three outbreak-associated strains of L. pneumophila and examines the copper-induced proteome of QC1, a strain found to display high resistance to copper. Pairwise comparisons of the proteomes of copper-resistant and copper sensitive strains indicated that L. pneumophila QC1 adapts to copper exposure via the induction of redox and metal homeostasis proteins, while concomitantly inducing motility and pathogenesis related proteins, suggestive that copper induces a search for a host protozoan strain for protection. In 2014 and 2015, Flint, Michigan experienced the largest per capita community-wide Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in US history. The outbreak was associated with a change in the source of the municipal drinking water supply from Detroit water, which was sourced from the Great Lakes and subject to appropriate corrosion control, to the Flint River, which was not appropriately controlled for corrosivity. The underlying drivers of this outbreak have been debated and include: elevated iron in the water serving as a nutrient for L. pneumophila, diminished chlorine in the water due to reactions with iron, reduced copper in the water due to shifts in pH influencing release from copper pipes, and shifts in potentially key components of the microbial community. In Chapter Three of this dissertation, we employ controlled microcosm studies to establish a fundamental understanding of interactive effects of pipe material and water of varying iron bioavailability (ferric chloride, ferrous chloride and ferric pyrophosphate) on the microbial community and its relationship with L. pneumophila numbers. The combination of copper pipes and Flint River water decreased the diversity of the microbial community to a larger degree than copper pipes with Detroit water, implying greater copper bioavailability in the former condition. Several Order were found to be significantly associated with high or low numbers of culturable L. pneumophila recovered from the microcosms. Most notably, the Order Pseudomonadales was significantly associated to the reactors with low culturable L. pneumophila. This order contains Pseudomonas species known to inhibit the growth of L. pneumophila. The findings reported in this dissertation can be used to develop more informed management practices for drinking water systems to reduce the risk of Legionnaires' Disease outbreaks associated with premise plumbing. Specifically, 1) copper might be inducing a more pathogenic form of copper resistant L. pneumophila, 2) the use of corrosive control in municipal water systems goes beyond the influence on lead and copper pipes, but also on the microbial community, which in part influences L. pneumophila, and 3) there are organisms, such as Pseudomonadales species, associated with environments with low culturable L. pneumophila which might be introduced to the drinking water systems as probiotics. / Doctor of Philosophy / Legionella pneumophila is a microbe found in drinking water plumbing systems. This organism causes Legionnaires' Disease, a severe form of pneumonia that particularly affects immunocompromised individuals. Due to its health and economic impact, there are worldwide efforts to understand the biology of this organism, from the conditions that allows it to grow in the drinking water plumbing, to the specific components that allows it to infect humans. In this dissertation, we first review the published studies related to the L. pneumophila proteome, a powerful tool used to functionally describe biological organisms. This first chapter showed how proteomics can be used to understand this unique and important organism. In the next chapter we studied how copper metals may influence the proteome of L. pneumophila. Copper pipes have been extensively used to control the growth of microorganisms in drinking water systems, however some studies have reported that copper may promote the growth of L. pneumophila. In this chapter, we showed that a copper resistant strain of L. pneumophila adapts to copper exposure by inducing motility and pathogenesis related proteins, suggesting that it might be more infectious. In the last chapter of this dissertation, we investigated the combined effect of pipe material and water chemistry, on the microbial community and its relationship with L. pneumophila. The combination of copper pipes and a more corrosive water decreased the diversity to a larger degree, in comparison to the other evaluated conditions. Several organisms were also identified to be significantly associated with the high or low culturable L. pneumophila. This is of particular interest because they might be used as potential probiotics to control the growth of L. pneumophila. The findings reported in this dissertation can help to better understand the significance of water chemistry and pipe material, particularly copper pipes, for the purpose of reducing risk of Legionnaires' Disease outbreaks associated with drinking water systems.

Consumer exposure to opportunistic pathogens in potable water systems poses a significant challenge to public health as manifested by numerous cases of pneumonia, non-tuberculosis lung disease, and keratitis eye infections. Water utilities have extensive understanding in control of heterotrophic and coliform bacteria re-growth in water distribution systems via disinfection, control of assimilable organic carbon (AOC), and biologically degradable organic carbon (BDOC). However, much little is known about the effect of AOC on the proliferation of heterotrophic bacteria and pathogens within premise plumbing. This thesis is the first systematic examination of opportunistic pathogen persistence and amplification in simulated glass water heaters (SGWH) as a function of influent organic matter concentration. The role of plumbing conditions that may internally generate AOC is critically examined as part of this evaluation. Strong correlations were often observed between influent organic matter and heterotrophic bacteria in effluent of SGWH as indicated by 16S rRNA gene abundance (average R2 value of 0.889 and 0.971 for heterotrophic organisms and 16S rRNA respectively). The correlation was strongest if water turnover was more frequent (every 48-72 hours) and decreased markedly when water changes were less frequent (stagnation up to 7 days). No simple correlations were identified between the concentration of pathogenic bacteria (L. pneumophila, M. avium, A. polyphaga, and H. vermiformis) and AOC, although correlations were observed between M. avium and TOC over a limited range (and only for a subset of experiments). Indeed, there was little evidence that Legionella and Acanthamoeba proliferated under any of the conditions tested in this work. Parallel experiments were conducted to examine the extent to which factors present in premise plumbing (e.g. sacrificial magnesium anode rods, cross-linked polyethylene, nitrifying bacteria, and iron) could influence water chemistry and influence growth of bacteria or specified pathogens. Although these factors could strongly influence pH, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and levels of organic matter (e.g. iron, magnesium, nitrifying), there was no major impact on effluent concentrations of either heterotrophic bacteria or premise plumbing pathogens under the conditions investigated. While additional research is needed to confirm these findings, at present, there is no evidence of correlations between organic matter and pathogen concentrations from SGWH under conditions tested. Substantial effort was also invested in attempting to identify SGWH and oligotrophic nutrient conditions that would consistently support L. pneumophila and A. polyphaga amplification. A review of the literature indicates no prior examples of large scale amplification of these microorganisms at nutrient levels commonly found in synthesized potable water. It is likely that a complex combination of abiotic and biotic factors (i.e. micronutrients, necrotrophic growth, ambient water temperature, disinfectant type and dose, plumbing materials, water usage patterns), which are not yet fully understood, control the amplification and viability of these pathogenic organisms in premise plumbing systems. / Master of Science

La multi-résistance aux drogues des bactéries est un problème majeur en clinique. L’un des mécanismes de résistance consiste à effluer les composés toxiques hors de la cellule grâce à des protéines de la membrane interne nommées pompes d’efflux. Ces protéines appartiennent à cinq familles (MFS, RND, MATE, SMR et ABC) et peuvent fonctionner en association avec deux autres types de protéines (protéine du périplasme et protéine de la membrane externe) pour former un canal. Dans le cadre d’une thématique de recherche basée sur l’étude des mécanismes de résistance auxdrogues de la bactérie pathogène Legionella pneumophila, une approche bioinformatique menée sur lesgénomes de trois souches séquencés (souches Lens, Paris et Philadelphia) a permis d’identifier des protéinespouvant participer à l’efflux. Notre but a été de vérifier l’implication de ces protéines dans la résistance auxdrogues et dans la virulence de Legionella en ciblant un ou plusieurs gènes codant pour des composants desystèmes d’efflux. Pour inactiver les gènes, nous avons choisi une stratégie de recombinaison homologue. Lesrecombinants ont été testés pour leur sensibilité à des composés toxiques afin de voir si les gènes ciblés jouentun rôle dans l’efflux d’E. coli. Un de ces mutants, le mutant MF201, altéré pour le gène codant pour une protéinehomologue à TolC chez E. coli s’est avéré être 2 à 16 fois plus sensible aux drogues testées comparé à lasouche sauvage. De plus, ce mutant présente un défaut important de virulence dans Acanthamoeba castellanii,Dictyostelium discoideum et les macrophages U937. Ce premier résultat implique que la protéine TolC-like deLegionella aurait un rôle clef dans la relation hôte pathogène et sous-tend un lien entre multi-résistance auxdrogues et virulence. Par ailleurs une étude de l’expression des gènes codant pour des pompes à efflux a étéinitiée afin de comprendre leur rôle au cours du cycle infectieux de Legionella. / Bacterial multi-drug resistance is of major concern in the case of clinic. One of the resistance mecanisms used by bacteria is the efflux of noxious compounds out of the cell thanks to inner membran proteins called efflux pumps. This proteins belong to five families (MFS, RND, MATE, SMR and ABC) and can function in close association with two partners (periplasmic protein and outer membrane protein) to form a canal. In our new research axis based on the study of the drug resistance of the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, we conducted a bioinformatical approach to identify efflux pumps proteins coded by the sequenced genome of three strains (strains Lens, Paris and Philadelphia). Our goal was to study the role of this proteins in Legionella drug resistance and in its virulence. The bioinformatic approach data allowed us to choose one or several genes coding for potential efflux pump components for genetic invalidation by an homologousrecombination strategy. The bacterial mutants were exposed to different noxious compounds in order to know ifthe target genes invalidated were implicated in the efflux of drugs. One of this mutants, strain MF201, which isdeleted for the gene encoding a protein homologous to E. coli TolC protein, revealed to be 2 to 16 times moresensitive to the drug tested compared to the wild-type strain. Furthermore, this mutant showed an importantvirulence defect in Acanthamoeba castellanii, Dictyostelium discoideum and U937 macrophages. This first resultsmeans that the TolC-like protein of Legionella could be a key factor in host-pathogen interaction and stronglysuggests a link between multi-drug resistance and virulence. We also initiated a transcriptomic approach to studyefflux pump genes expression in order to understand their role during the infectious cycle of Legionella.

Legionella pneumophila est une bactérie gram/négative de l'environnement qui infecte et se multiplie au sein des protozoaires aquatiques, comme les amibes. Elle peut également infecter les macrophages pulmonaires humains, causant une forme sévère de pneumonie appelée légionellose (ou maladie du légionnaire). L'importance du Système de Sécrétion de Type IV (SST4) Icm/Dot est clairement démontrée, de même que celle du Système de Sécrétion de Type II (SST2) Lsp. Des études bioinformatiques ont suggéré l'existence d'un Système de Sécrétion de Type I (SST1), mais aucune étude n'a à ce jour démontré sa fonctionnalité, ni même un éventuel rôle dans la virulence. Ce travail consiste à étudier la fonctionnalité et le rôle dans la virulence d'un SST1 potentiel de L. pneumophila. La fonctionnalité de pompes d'efflux potentielles, possédant une structure très proche d'un SST1, est également investiguée. Des mutants de L. pneumophila invalidés pour les gènes codant pour ce SST1 potentiel (lssB, lssD et tolC) ont été construits : ils possèdent une virulence fortement atténuée vis-à-vis de plusieurs types de cellules hôtes. L'entrée dans la cellule est affectée chez ces mutants, bien que le reste du cycle intracellulaire ne soit pas altéré. La fonctionnalité de ce SST1 a été démontrée par la sécrétion de protéines hybrides entre un rapporteur et la protéine RtxA, qui fait partie de la famille des protéines RTX (Repeat/in ToXins), classiquement sécrétées par des SST1. Enfin, la fonctionnalité de plusieurs pompes d'efflux potentielles a été démontrée : des composés toxiques expulsés par ces pompes ont été identifiés, ainsi qu'une pompe majeure (HelA/HelB/HelC). D'autres analyses sont en cours pour caractériser plus précisément l'importance de ces pompes d'efflux / Legionella pneumophila is a gram/negative pathogen that infects and survives within protozoans, such as amoebas. It can also infect human lung macrophages, causing a disease called Legionnaire’s disease. The Type IV Secretion System Icm/Dot is known to be involved in the virulence of L. pneumophila, as well as the Type II Secretion System Lsp. Bioinformatics studies suggested the presence of a Type I Secretion System (T1SS), but its functionality and importance have not been demonstrated to date. This work aims to study the functionality and the implication in the virulence of the putative T1SS of L. pneumophila. Investigation efforts also concerned putative efflux pumps, which share high similarity with T1SS. Mutant strains of L. pneumophila were constructed by deletion of genes encoding the T1SS (lssB, lssD and tolC): they are defective for the entry into the host cells. The creation of the Legionella replicative vacuole is not altered though. Then the functionality of the LssB/LssD/TolC T1SS was demonstrated in a heterologous host: the reconstructed T1SS allows the secretion of hybrid proteins created by fusing a reporter with parts of the RTX protein RtxA. Finally, the functionality of several putative efflux pumps was also demonstrated: several substrates were identified for those efflux pumps, as well as a major pump (HelA/HalB/HelC). Investigations are currently made to decipher the importance of such efflux systems

Cheng Yee Wan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-112). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / Table of Contents --- p.vi / List of Figures --- p.xi / List of Plates --- p.xiv / List of Tables --- p.xvi / Abbreviations --- p.xviii / Chapter 1. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Legionella pneumophila --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Bacterial morphology and ultrastructure --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Microbial ecology and natural habitats --- p.4 / Chapter 1.1.2.1 --- Association with amoeba --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.2.2 --- Association with biofilm --- p.5 / Chapter 1.2 --- Legionnaires' disease and clinical significance --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Epidemiology --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.1.1 --- Worldwide distribution --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.1.2 --- Local situation --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Clinical presentation --- p.7 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Route of infection and pathogenesis --- p.8 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Diagnosis --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.4.1 --- Culture of Legionella --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.4.2 --- Direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) staining --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.4.3 --- Serologic tests --- p.13 / Chapter 1.2.4.4 --- Urine antigen testing --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2.4.5 --- Detection of Legionella nucleic acid --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.5 --- Risk factors --- p.15 / Chapter 1.2.6 --- Treatment for Legionella infection --- p.16 / Chapter 1.3 --- Detection of Legionella in environment --- p.16 / Chapter 1.4 --- Disinfection methods --- p.17 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- Physical methods --- p.19 / Chapter 1.4.1.1 --- Filtration --- p.19 / Chapter 1.4.1.2 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.20 / Chapter 1.4.1.3 --- Thermal eradication (superheat-and-flush) --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Chemical methods --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4.2.1 --- Chlorination --- p.21 / Chapter 1.4.2.2 --- Copper-silver ionization --- p.22 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Effect of biofilm and other factors on disinfection --- p.23 / Chapter 1.5 --- Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) --- p.24 / Chapter 1.5.1 --- Generation of strong oxidants --- p.24 / Chapter 1.5.2 --- Disinfection mechanism(s) --- p.27 / Chapter 1.5.3 --- Major factors affecting the process --- p.28 / Chapter 2. --- Objectives --- p.30 / Chapter 3. --- Materials and Methods --- p.31 / Chapter 3.1 --- Chemicals --- p.31 / Chapter 3.2 --- Bacterial strains and culture --- p.31 / Chapter 3.3 --- Photocatalytic reactor --- p.33 / Chapter 3.4 --- PCO efficacy tests --- p.33 / Chapter 3.5 --- PCO sensitivity tests --- p.35 / Chapter 3.6 --- Optimisation of PCO conditions --- p.35 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Optimization of TiO2 concentration --- p.36 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Optimization of UV intensity --- p.36 / Chapter 3.6.3 --- Optimization of depth of reaction mixture --- p.36 / Chapter 3.6.4 --- Optimization of stirring rate --- p.37 / Chapter 3.6.5 --- Optimization of initial pH --- p.37 / Chapter 3.6.6 --- Optimization of treatment time and initial cell concentration --- p.37 / Chapter 3.6.7 --- Combinational optimization --- p.37 / Chapter 3.7 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.38 / Chapter 3.8 --- Fatty acid profile analysis --- p.40 / Chapter 3.9 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.42 / Chapter 3.10 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.44 / Chapter 3.11 --- Hyperchlorination --- p.44 / Chapter 3.12 --- Statistical analysis and replication --- p.45 / Chapter 3.13 --- Safety precautions --- p.45 / Chapter 4. --- Results --- p.46 / Chapter 4.1 --- Efficacy test --- p.46 / Chapter 4.2 --- PCO sensitivity --- p.47 / Chapter 4.3 --- Optimization of PCO conditions --- p.48 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- TiO2 concentration --- p.48 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- UV intensity --- p.48 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Depth of reaction mixture --- p.51 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- Stirring rate --- p.56 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- Effect of initial pH --- p.56 / Chapter 4.3.6 --- Effect of treatment time and initial concentrations --- p.56 / Chapter 4.3.7 --- Combinational effects --- p.63 / Chapter 4.4 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.66 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- Morphological changes induced by PCO --- p.66 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Comparisons with changes caused by UV-C irradiation and chlorination --- p.67 / Chapter 4.5 --- Fatty acid profile analysis --- p.71 / Chapter 4.6 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.73 / Chapter 4.7 --- UV-C irradiation --- p.74 / Chapter 4.8 --- Hyperchlorination --- p.74 / Chapter 5. --- Discussion --- p.76 / Chapter 5.1 --- Efficacy test --- p.76 / Chapter 5.2 --- PCO sensitivity --- p.76 / Chapter 5.3 --- Optimization of PCO conditions --- p.77 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Effect of TiO2 concentration --- p.77 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Effect of UV intensity --- p.78 / Chapter 5.3.3 --- Effect of depth of reaction mixture --- p.79 / Chapter 5.3.4 --- Effect of stirring rate --- p.79 / Chapter 5.3.5 --- Effect of initial pH --- p.80 / Chapter 5.3.6 --- Effect of treatment time and initial concentrations --- p.81 / Chapter 5.3.7 --- Combinational effect --- p.82 / Chapter 5.4 --- Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) --- p.83 / Chapter 5.4.1 --- Morphological changes induced by PCO --- p.83 / Chapter 5.4.2 --- Comparisons with changes caused by UV-C irradiation and chlorination --- p.85 / Chapter 5.5 --- Fatty acid profile analysis --- p.85 / Chapter 5.6 --- Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis --- p.86 / Chapter 5.7 --- Comparisons of the three disinfection methods --- p.88 / Chapter 6. --- Conclusion --- p.91 / Chapter 7. --- References --- p.95 / Chapter 8. --- Appendix --- p.113