Neisserial Molecular Adaptations to the Nasopharyngeal Niche

Laver, Jay R.; Hughes, Sara E; Read, Robert C.

doi:10.1016/bs.ampbs.2015.05.001

Cited by 24 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 126 publications

(138 reference statements)

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“…It has been shown that Neisseria species are extremely well adapted to survive in the human nasopharynx, being able to replicate in a nutrition-poor environment and to resist immune and competitive pressure within a polymicrobial complex. Moreover, temperature and relative gas concentrations (nitric oxide and oxygen) found in the nasopharyngeal environment act as potent initial signals for Neisseria species adaptation and survival [21,22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharyngeal microbiome alterations during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection

et al. 2020

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Pharyngeal gonorrhoea is a common sexually transmitted infection among 'men having sex with other men' (MSM). Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) pharyngeal infections are usually characterized by the absence of symptoms, acting as an important reservoir for their further spread. To the best of our knowledge, no information about the composition of the pharyngeal microbiome during an ongoing NG infection is currently available. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the pharyngeal bacterial community profiles associated with NG infection in a well-selected cohort of HIV-negative MSM reporting unsafe oral intercourse. A total of 70 pharyngeal swabs were considered, comparing non-infected subjects (n = 45) versus patients with pharyngeal gonorrhoea (n = 25) whose microbiota composition was analyzed from pharyngeal swabs through sequencing of hypervariable V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The pharyngeal microbiome of all subjects was dominated by Prevotellaceae, Veillonellaceae and Streptococcaceae families. Patients with pharyngeal gonorrhoea harboured a pharyngeal microbiome quite similar to negative subjects. Nevertheless, when looking to less-represented bacterial species (relative abundance approximately 1% or less), an imbalance between aerobe and anaerobe microorganisms was observed in NGinfected patients. In particular, the pharyngeal microbiome of NG-positive individuals was richer in several anaerobes (e.g. Treponema, Parvimonas, Peptococcus, Catonella, Filifactor) and poorer in various aerobe genera (i.e. Pseudomonas, Escherichia), compared to non-infected controls. No significant differences were noticed in the distribution of commensal Neisseria species of the oropharynx between NG-positive and negative subjects. Metabolic variations induced by changes in the microbiome abundance were assessed by a functional prediction of the bacterial metabolic pathways: a more abundant involvement of D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, as well as a greater activation of the energy metabolism was observed in patients with pharyngeal gonorrhoea compared to non-infected individuals. Information about the bacterial composition of the pharyngeal microbiome in case of gonorrhoea could shed light on the pathogenesis of the infection and open new perspectives for the prevention and control of this condition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pharyngeal microbiome alterations during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection

et al. 2020

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“…N. meningitidis is highly adapted to nasopharyngeal colonization and is capable of regulating multiple pathways involved in iron acquisition, adhesion, and metabolism ( 2 – 4 ). This adaptation is directly linked to the physical properties of the nasopharyngeal niche, like temperature ( 5 ) and oxygen concentration ( 6 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comprehensive Identification of Meningococcal Genes and Small Noncoding RNAs Required for Host Cell Colonization

Capel

Zomer

Nußbaumer

et al. 2016

mBio

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Neisseria meningitidis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis and septicemia, affecting infants and adults worldwide. N. meningitidis is also a common inhabitant of the human nasopharynx and, as such, is highly adapted to its niche. During bacteremia, N. meningitidis gains access to the blood compartment, where it adheres to endothelial cells of blood vessels and causes dramatic vascular damage. Colonization of the nasopharyngeal niche and communication with the different human cell types is a major issue of the N. meningitidis life cycle that is poorly understood. Here, highly saturated random transposon insertion libraries of N. meningitidis were engineered, and the fitness of mutations during routine growth and that of colonization of endothelial and epithelial cells in a flow device were assessed in a transposon insertion site sequencing (Tn-seq) analysis. This allowed the identification of genes essential for bacterial growth and genes specifically required for host cell colonization. In addition, after having identified the small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) located in intergenic regions, the phenotypes associated with mutations in those sRNAs were defined. A total of 383 genes and 8 intergenic regions containing sRNA candidates were identified to be essential for growth, while 288 genes and 33 intergenic regions containing sRNA candidates were found to be specifically required for host cell colonization.

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“…It is also particularly well equipped to capture iron (see below #3). N. meningitidis expresses IgA protease and is extremely well equipped to survive against the innate immune system through expression of a polysaccharide capsule, the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) (Lo, Tang, & Exley, 2009), and the factor H binding protein (Seib et al, 2009; for an extended review, see Laver, Hughes, & Read, 2015). Meningococci also express the MtrCDE efflux pump that efflux antimicrobial peptides (Handing, Ragland, Bharathan, & Criss, 2018;Rouquette, Harmon, & Shafer, 1999).…”

Section: Colonisation Of the Nasopharynxmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular interactions betweenNeisseria meningitidisand its human host

Coureuil

Jamet

Bille

et al. 2019

Cellular Microbiology

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Neisseria meningitidis is a Gram‐negative bacterium that asymptomatically colonises the nasopharynx of humans. For an unknown reason, N. meningitidis can cross the nasopharyngeal barrier and invade the bloodstream where it becomes one of the most harmful extracellular bacterial pathogen. This infectious cycle involves the colonisation of two different environments. (a) In the nasopharynx, N. meningitidis grow on the top of mucus‐producing epithelial cells surrounded by a complex microbiota. To survive and grow in this challenging environment, the meningococcus expresses specific virulence factors such as polymorphic toxins and MDAΦ. (b) Meningococci have the ability to survive in the extra cellular fluids including blood and cerebrospinal fluid. The interaction of N. meningitidis with human endothelial cells leads to the formation of typical microcolonies that extend overtime and promote vascular injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and acute inflammation. In this review, we will focus on the interplay between N. meningitidis and these two different niches at the cellular and molecular level and discuss the use of inhibitors of piliation as a potent therapeutic approach.

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Neisserial Molecular Adaptations to the Nasopharyngeal Niche

Cited by 24 publications

References 126 publications

Pharyngeal microbiome alterations during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection

Pharyngeal microbiome alterations during Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection

Comprehensive Identification of Meningococcal Genes and Small Noncoding RNAs Required for Host Cell Colonization

Molecular interactions betweenNeisseria meningitidisand its human host

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