SummaryRickettsia conorii, an obligate intracellular tickborne pathogen and the causative agent of Mediterranean spotted fever, binds to and invades non-phagocytic mammalian cells. Previous work identified Ku70 as a mammalian receptor involved in the invasion process and identified the rickettsial autotransporter protein, rOmpB, as a ligand; however, little is known about the role of Ku70-rOmpB interactions in the bacterial invasion process. Using an Escherichia coli heterologous expression system, we show here that rOmpB mediates attachment to mammalian cells and entry in a Ku70-dependent process. A purified recombinant peptide corresponding to the rOmpB passenger domain interacts with Ku70 and serves as a competitive inhibitor of adherence. We observe that rOmpB-mediated infection culminates in actin recruitment at the bacterial foci, and that this entry process relies in part on actin polymerization likely imparted through protein tyrosine kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent activities and microtubule stability. Small-interfering RNA studies targeting components of the endocytic pathway reveal that entry by rOmpB is dependent on c-Cbl, clathrin and caveolin-2. Together, these results illustrate that rOmpB is sufficient to mediate Ku70-dependent invasion of mammalian cells and that clathrin-and caveolin-dependent endocytic events likely contribute to the internalization process.

The pathogenesis of spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia species, including R. conorii and R. rickettsii, is acutely dependent on adherence to and invasion of host cells, including cells of the mammalian endothelial system. Bioinformatic analyses of several rickettsia genomes revealed the presence of a cohort of genes designated sca genes that are predicted to encode proteins with homology to autotransporter proteins of Gram-negative bacteria. Previous work demonstrated that three members of this family, rOmpA (Sca0), Sca2, and rOmpB (Sca5) are involved in the interaction with mammalian cells; however, very little was known about the function of other conserved rickettsial Sca proteins. Here we demonstrate that sca1, a gene present in nearly all SFG rickettsia genomes, is actively transcribed and expressed in R. conorii cells. Alignment of Sca1 sequences from geographically diverse SFG Rickettsia species showed that there are high degrees of sequence identity and conservation of these sequences, suggesting that Sca1 may have a conserved function. Using a heterologous expression system, we demonstrated that production of R. conorii Sca1 in the Escherichia coli outer membrane is sufficient to mediate attachment to but not invasion of a panel of cultured mammalian epithelial and endothelial cells. Furthermore, preincubation of a recombinant Sca1 peptide with host cells blocked R. conorii cell association. Together, these results demonstrate that attachment to mammalian cells can be uncoupled from the entry process and that Sca1 is involved in the adherence of R. conorii to host cells.

Yersinia pestis causes plague, a disease with high mortality in humans that can be transmitted by fleabite or aerosol. A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-licensed plague vaccine is currently not available. Vaccine developers have focused on two subunits of Y. pestis: LcrV, a protein at the tip of type III secretion needles, and F1, the fraction 1 pilus antigen. F1-V, a hybrid generated via translational fusion of both antigens, is being developed for licensure as a plague vaccine. The rV10 vaccine is a non-toxigenic variant of LcrV lacking residues 271–300. Here we developed Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) protocols for rV10. Comparison of clinical grade rV10 with F1-V did not reveal significant differences in plague protection in mice, guinea pigs or cynomolgus macaques. We also developed cGMP protocols for rV10-2, a variant of rV10 with an altered affinity tag. Immunization with rV10-2 adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide elicited antibodies against LcrV and conferred pneumonic plague protection in mice, rats, guinea pigs, cynomolgus macaques and African Green monkeys. The data support further development of rV10-2 for FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) authorization review and clinical testing.

Nonpigmented Yersinia pestis (pgm) strains are defective in scavenging host iron and have been used in live-attenuated vaccines to combat plague epidemics. Recently, a Y. pestis pgm strain was isolated from a researcher with hereditary hemochromatosis who died from laboratory-acquired plague. We used hemojuvelin-knockout (Hjv(-/-)) mice to examine whether iron-storage disease restores the virulence defects of nonpigmented Y. pestis. Unlike wild-type mice, Hjv(-/-) mice developed lethal plague when challenged with Y. pestis pgm strains. Immunization of Hjv(-/-) mice with a subunit vaccine that blocks Y. pestis type III secretion generated protection against plague. Thus, individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis may be protected with subunit vaccines but should not be exposed to live-attenuated plague vaccines.