The Insect Endosymbiont Sodalis Glossinidius Utilizes a Type III Secretion System for Cell Invasion
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The insect endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius utilizes a type III secretion system for cell invasion Colin Dale†, Simon A. Young, Daniel T. Haydon, and Susan C. Welburn Sir Alexander Robertson Center for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG, Scotland, United Kingdom Edited by Margaret G. Kidwell, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and approved November 16, 2000 (received for review September 20, 2000) Sodalis glossinidius is a maternally transmitted secondary endo- selectively eliminate either Sodalis or Wigglesworthia from tsetse symbiont residing intracellularly in tissues of the tsetse flies, without inducing sterility in the host. Phylogenetic reconstruc- Glossina spp. In this study, we have used Tn5 mutagenesis and a tions based on the 16S rDNA locus reveal that Sodalis is a negative selection procedure to derive a S. glossinidius mutant that member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, which is closely related is incapable of invading insect cells in vitro and is aposymbiotic to other intracellular secondary bacterial endosymbionts found when microinjected into tsetse. This mutant strain harbors Tn5 in other insects such as the flour weevil Sitophilus zeamais and integrated into a chromosomal gene sharing high sequence iden- the aphid Acrythosiphon pisum (11–13). We are particularly tity with a type III secretion system invasion gene (invC) previously interested in Sodalis as a study model because it is known that identified in Salmonella enterica. With the use of degenerate PCR, the association between this bacterium and tsetse has only we have amplified a further six Sodalis inv͞spa genes sharing high recently been established. This association is evident from sequence identity with type III secretion system genes encoded by symbiont–host coevolution studies demonstrating the absence of Salmonella pathogenicity island 1. Phylogenetic reconstructions phylogenetic congruence in the evolution of Sodalis and tsetse based on the inv͞spa genes of Sodalis and other members of the (11). Sodalis provides an excellent model for the study of family Enterobacteriaceae have consistently identified a well- host–symbiont interactions because of the availability of an in supported clade containing Sodalis and the enteric pathogens vitro Sodalis–insect cell coculture system (14). In addition, Shigella and Salmonella. These results suggest that Sodalis may Sodalis is the only maternally transmitted insect endosymbiont to have evolved from an ancestor with a parasitic intracellular life- have been isolated and maintained in pure culture (9). In this style, possibly a latter-day entomopathogen. These observations study, we demonstrate the use of Tn5 transposon mutagenesis as Sodalis lend credence to a hypothesis suggesting that vertically transmit- a tool for generating random mutants. With the use of an in vitro negative selection procedure, we have identified Sodalis ted mutualistic endosymbionts evolve from horizontally transmit- mutants deficient in their ability to attach to and invade insect ted parasites through a parasitism–mutualism continuum. cells both in vitro and in vivo. Characterization of a noninvasive Tn5 Sodalis mutant has revealed that Sodalis relies on compo- lthough parasitism and mutualism may have radically dif- nents of a type III secretion system to facilitate entry into insect Aferent implications for host fitness, endosymbiotic bacteria cells. participating in these relationships are known to share many similarities, including an intracellular habitat (1). The exploita- Materials and Methods tion of an intracellular habitat is thought to have been one of the Bacterial Strains, Cell Lines, and Culture Conditions. Throughout this most important events in bacterial evolution, permitting signif- study, we used S. glossinidius type strain M1, a pure bacterial icant environmental niche expansion and defining the arrival of culture isolated from the hemolymph of laboratory colonized intracellular pathogens and mutualistic endosymbionts (2, 3). tsetse (9). S. glossinidius strain M1 was maintained by coculture Although there is a good understanding of the mechanisms in Aedes albopictus C6͞36 cells (15) at 25°C in liquid Mitsuhashi– contributing to bacterial pathogenesis, very little is known about Maramorosch (MM) medium (15) supplemented with 20% MICROBIOLOGY interactions between bacterial endosymbionts and their host (vol͞vol) heat-inactivated FCS (ICN). Uninfected insect cell cells. Theoretical studies assume that there may be a tradeoff cultures were passaged every 10 days with a 1:10 split into fresh between the effectiveness of horizontal and vertical modes of medium and were examined by Gimenez staining (16) and light transmission (4, 5). It has been predicted that mutualists evolve microscopy. For cloning, S. glossinidius strain M1 was cultivated on MM agar plates composed of MM medium (without FCS) from parasites through an evolutionary continuum in which ͞ parasite virulence is attenuated and transmission strategy solidified by autoclaving after the addition of 1% (wt vol) switches from horizontal to vertical (6). According to this theory, bacto-agar (Difco). MM agar plates were cultivated under microaerophilic conditions in sealed gas jars flushed with 10 vol we might expect to find that pathogens and mutualistic endo- ͞ symbionts harbor similar virulence determinants and utilize the of 5% O2 95% CO2. same machinery to facilitate invasion and survival in host cells. Transposon Mutagenesis. In the present study, we explore these issues by investigating Electrocompetent S. glossinidius was prepared on ice from 100 ml of a 5-day-old log-phase culture of genes that coordinate insect cell invasion in Sodalis glossinidius, an intracellular secondary endosymbiont of the tsetse fly (Glossi- na spp.). This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office. Three distinct endosymbiotic bacteria have been identified Abbreviation: MM, Mitsuhashi–Maramorosch medium. previously in the tissues of tsetse (7). Whereas one of these Data deposition: The sequences reported in this paper have been deposited in the GenBank bacteria is known to be a parasitic Wolbachia, the remaining two database (accession nos. AF306649 and AF306650). are thought to be mutualists and have been classified as the See commentary on page 1338. primary and secondary endosymbionts of tsetse (named Wiggles- †To whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. worthia glossinidia and S. glossinidius, respectively) (8, 9). Sodalis The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge payment. This is a bacterium found exclusively in tsetse flies residing both inter- article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. and intracellularly in a number of different host tissues, including §1734 solely to indicate this fact. midgut, fat body, and hemolymph (9, 10). The symbiotic role of Article published online before print: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073͞pnas.021450998. Sodalis remains unclear, because it has proved difficult to Article and publication date are at www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.021450998 PNAS ͉ February 13, 2001 ͉ vol. 98 ͉ no. 4 ͉ 1883–1888 Downloaded by guest on September 26, 2021 strain M1 (OD 600 nm ϭ 0.3) by successively pelleting (6,000 ϫ Table 1. PCR primers used in this study g, 10 min, 4°C) and resuspending bacteria in 25 ml, 2 ml, and Primer Sequence (5Ј33Ј) finally 0.2 ml of sterile 10% (vol͞vol) glycerol on ice. For electroporation, 50 l of electrocompetent strain M1 was mixed Tn5F ATGAGCCATATTCAACGGGAAAC on ice in a 0.1-cm-path cuvette with 20 ng of pUTkm1 DNA, and Tn5R CCAGTGTTACAACCAATTAAC a single pulse was applied (1.9 kV, 25 F, 200 ⍀). After pKT231F TGGCTACCCATAAGCCT electroporation, bacteria were transferred to a flask containing pKT231R CTCTTGCGCTGCCTCTCC 5 ml of sterile MM medium and allowed to recover by overnight In1 (invC) GGAAGCGCCGGCCAGGAG incubation at 25°C. To select for bacteria with Tn5 transposi- In2 (spaM) GCGGACACAGCCGTTGCC tions, kanamycin was added to the flask containing recovering In3 (invC) ATGMGNGCNWSNYTNYT cells (final concentration: 20 g͞ml). After a further 3-day In4 (invC) TCACGCATCAAACGCATGC incubation at 25°C, kanamycin-resistant S. glossinidius was mixed In5 (invA) GCXGARGTXGCXGCXMGXTT with a suspension of insect cells (A. albopictus clone C6͞36) in In6 (invA) ARXARXGCXGGDATYTG fresh MM at multiplicity of infection of Ϸ10 to allow invasive In7 (spaP) AAYGCXYTXGGXYTXCARCA bacteria to adhere to and invade insect cells. After 24 h at 25°C, In8 (spaP) AYCATCATCATXCCXARXGC the cell suspension was vortexed gently to release attached In9 (spaQ) ARXGTYTGYTCYTGXARYTG bacterial cells. Insect cells (containing invasive S. glossinidius) In10 (spaP) GCXYTXGGXATGATGATG were pelleted by low-speed centrifugation (1,500 ϫ g, 5 min, In11 (invA) TTYATGGGXWSXTTYTAYAT 25°C). Nonadherent or noninvasive bacteria were collected by In12 (invA) GGCATGGCGTCCAGGGAGAACCGCG aspiration of the supernatant, providing enrichment for bacteria In13 (invA) CACGGTATGGAGCTTTCCGAGGCGC unable to invade insect cells. This enrichment procedure was In14 (invA) TTGGTCTCCTGAATGCCG repeated a further three times under identical conditions to In15 (spaQ) GCGACGCTGGTGGGATTGCTGGTGG ensure selection of nonadherent and noninvasive bacteria. Bac- In16 (spaS) GTXGGYTTYTCXGTYTT teria recovered from the supernatant of the final enrichment In17 (invA) TTYGGXATHCARGARACXAA