Project description:Murine lung gene expression responses to primary and secondary infection with Bordetella pertussis. Data were compared to other parameters such as flow cytometry and multiplex immunoassays.
Project description:Copper is both essential and toxic to living beings, which therefore tightly control its intracellular concentration. At the host-pathogen interface, copper is used by phagocytic cells to kill invading microorganisms. We investigated copper homeostasis in the whooping cough agent Bordetella pertussis, which lives in the human respiratory mucosa and has no environmental reservoir. B. pertussis has considerably streamlined copper homeostasis mechanisms relative to other Gram-negative bacteria. Its single remaining defense line against copper intoxication consists in a metallochaperone diverted for copper passivation and two enzymes involved in peroxide detoxification, which together fight two stresses encountered in phagolysosomes. The three proteins are encoded by an original, composite operon assembled in an environmental ancestor and which is under sensitive control by copper. Interestingly, this system appears to play a role in persistent infection in the nasal cavity of B. pertussis-infected mice. Combining responses to co-occurring stresses in a tailored operon reveals a new strategy adopted by a host-restricted pathogen to optimize survival at minimal energy expenditure.
Project description:Murine gene expression responses to Bordetella pertussis were determined in lung and spleen, between 0 and 28 days post infection. Data were compared to other parameters such as microarray, flow cytometry, multiplex immunoassays, and lung clearance.
Project description:Bordetella pertussis is the bacterial causative agent of whooping cough, a serious respiratory illness. An extensive knowledge on its virulence regulation and metabolism is a key factor to ensure pertussis vaccine manufacturing process robustness. The aim of this study was to refine our comprehension of B. pertussis physiology along the fermentation process. A longitudinal multi-omics analysis was carried out over a 26-hour small-scale fermentation of B. pertussis. Fermentations were performed in batch mode and under culture conditions intending to mimic industrial processes. Putative cysteine and proline starvations were respectively observed at the beginning of the exponential phase (from 4h to 8h) and during the exponential phase (18h45). As revealed by multi-omics analyses, the proline starvation induced major molecular changes, including a transient metabolism with internal stock consumption. In the meantime, growth and specific total PT, PRN and Fim2 antigen productions were negatively affected. Interestingly, the master virulence-regulating two-component system of B. pertussis (BvgASR) was not evidenced as the sole virulence regulator in this in vitro growth condition. Indeed, novel intermediate regulators were identified as putatively involved in the expression of some virulence-activated genes (vags). Such longitudinal multi-omics analysis applied to B. pertussis fermentation process emerges as a powerful tool for characterization and incremental optimization of vaccine antigen production.
