Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exolysin promotes bacterial growth in lungs, alveolar damage and bacterial dissemination

Scientific Reports
S BouillotP Huber

Abstract

Exolysin (ExlA) is a recently-identified pore-forming toxin secreted by a subset of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains identified worldwide and devoid of Type III secretion system (T3SS), a major virulence factor. Here, we characterized at the ultrastructural level the lesions caused by an ExlA-secreting strain, CLJ1, in mouse infected lungs. CLJ1 induced necrotic lesions in pneumocytes and endothelial cells, resulting in alveolo-vascular barrier breakdown. Ectopic expression of ExlA in an exlA-negative strain induced similar tissue injuries. In addition, ExlA conferred on bacteria the capacity to proliferate in lungs and to disseminate in secondary organs, similar to bacteria possessing a functional T3SS. CLJ1 did not promote a strong neutrophil infiltration in the alveoli, owing to the weak pro-inflammatory cytokine reaction engendered by the strain. However, CLJ1 was rapidly eliminated from the blood in a bacteremia model, suggesting that it can be promptly phagocytosed by immune cells. Together, our study ascribes to ExlA-secreting bacteria the capacity to proliferate in the lung and to damage pulmonary tissues, thereby promoting metastatic infections, in absence of substantial immune response exacerbation.

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Citations

Apr 5, 2019·Microbial Genomics·Erwin SentausaIna Attrée
Apr 8, 2020·Toxins·Rudolf LucasJürg Hamacher
Jan 31, 2018·Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology·Guillaume GolovkinePhilippe Huber
Aug 12, 2020·Cellular Microbiology·Stéphanie BouillotPhilippe Huber
Mar 12, 2021·Clinical Microbiology Reviews·Caitlyn L HolmesMichael A Bachman
Jun 29, 2021·Virulence·Charles D MorinGee W Lau

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
transmission electron microscopy
electron microscopy
lavages
bronchoalveolar lavages
ELISA

Software Mentioned

LEGENDplex
SigmaPlot

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