Application of proteomics technology for analyzing the interactions between host cells and intracellular infectious agents

Abstract

Host-pathogen interactions involve protein expression changes within both the host and the pathogen. An understanding of the nature of these interactions provides insight into metabolic processes and critical regulatory events of the host cell as well as into the mechanisms of pathogenesis by infectious microorganisms. Pathogen exposure induces changes in host proteins at many functional levels including cell signaling pathways, protein degradation, cytokines and growth factor production, phagocytosis, apoptosis, and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Since proteins are responsible for the cell biological functions, pathogens have evolved to manipulate the host cell proteome to achieve optimal replication. Intracellular pathogens can also change their proteome to adapt to the host cell and escape from immune surveillance, or can incorporate cellular proteins to invade other cells. Given that the interactions of intracellular infectious agents with host cells are mainly at the protein level, proteomics is the most suitable tool for investigating these interactions. Proteomics is the systematic analysis of proteins, particularly their interactions, modifications, localization and functions, that permits the study of the association between pathogens with their host cells as well as complex interactions such as the host-vector-pathogen interplay. A review on the most relevant proteomic applications used in the study of host-pathogen interactions is presented.

Host-Directed Drug Targeting of Factors Hijacked by Pathogens

“…Several key host-pathogen interactions have been identified using high-throughput proteomics analyses (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26) (Table 1). Blocking these interactions with intracellular antibodies (27)(28)(29)(30)(31), synthetic oligonucleotides (aptamers) (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38), or chemical compounds (6,15,22,(39)(40)(41) represents a promising strategy to combat viral and bacterial diseases.…”

Comparative proteomic analysis of silkworm fat body after knocking out fibroin heavy chain gene: a novel insight into cross-talk between tissues

“…The fat body is the center of nutrients synthesis and metabolism, and can function as a nutrient sensor to coordinate the growth of organism (Colombani et al 2003). Proteomics is an important tool for researchers to extensively investigate proteomic differences by various biologic treatments (Chitteti et al 2008;Coiras et al 2008;de la Tour et al 2013;Jaiswal et al 2013). For example, proteomic analysis of the posterior silk gland with the extremely low fibroin production revealed the molecular mechanism in which the silk production is low ).…”

Proteomics and Host—Pathogen Interactions

“…These immune selective pressures have conducted pathogens to develop mechanisms to modulate and alter host responses or to evade phagocytosis. As a result of these host pathogen interactions, protein expression profiles of the host immune system (susceptibility/tolerance factors: antibodies, cell receptors, biochemical pathway, …) and of the pathogen (virulence/pathogenicity factors: antigens, immunomodulators) are mutually modified Coiras et al, 2008;Holzmuller et al, 2008). Depending on the pathogen type (virus, bacteria, fungi, unicellular or multicellular parasites), strategies of interactions will be different and the subversion of the host immune responses will exhibit specificities at the protein level (for reviews, see Walduck et al, 2004;Biron et al, 2005a;Viswanathan and Früh, 2007).…”