Bacterial Membrane Vesicles as Mediators of Microbe - Microbe and Microbe - Host Community Interactions.

Julie C Caruana,Scott A Walper

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00432

Abstract

Bacterial membrane vesicles are proteoliposomal nanoparticles produced by both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. As they originate from the outer surface of the bacteria, their composition and content is generally similar to the parent bacterium’s membrane and cytoplasm. However, there is ample evidence that preferential packaging of proteins, metabolites, and toxins into vesicles does occur. Incorporation into vesicles imparts a number of benefits to the cargo, including protection from degradation by other bacteria, the host organism, or environmental factors, maintenance of a favorable microenvironment for enzymatic activity, and increased potential for long-distance movement. This enables vesicles to serve specialized functions tailored to changing or challenging environments, particularly in regard to microbial community interactions including quorum sensing, biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, antimicrobial peptide expression and deployment, and nutrient acquisition. Additionally, based on their contents, vesicles play crucial roles in host-microbe interactions as carriers of virulence factors and other modulators of host cell function. Here, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of how vesicles function as signals both within microbial communities and between pathogenic or commensal microbes and their mammalian hosts. We also highlight a few areas that are currently ripe for additional research, including the mechanisms of selective cargo packaging into membrane vesicles and of cargo processing once it enters mammalian host cells, the function of vesicles in transfer of nucleic acids among bacteria, and the possibility of engineering commensal bacteria to deliver cargo of interest to mammalian hosts in a controlled manner.

Highlights

At both the macro and micro level, life on this planet revolves around complex interactions between individuals, their neighbors, and their environment
Doctors and scientists examine biological systems, organs, tissues, and individual cells of species to examine how these complex units cooperatively function within a single creature
At an even smaller scale, Microbial and Host outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) Interactions we can see how these cells and microbes interact both within species and between species to survive in environments that are based on fluctuating models of competition and cooperation

Summary

INTRODUCTION

At both the macro and micro level, life on this planet revolves around complex interactions between individuals, their neighbors, and their environment. At an even smaller scale, Microbial and Host OMV Interactions we can see how these cells and microbes interact both within species and between species to survive in environments that are based on fluctuating models of competition and cooperation To maintain these balances, cells transmit and receive chemical signals that modulate gene expression and cellular function, transfer biomolecules and metabolites that improve community persistence and viability, and activate defense strategies that serve to control species competing for the same valuable resources. Cells transmit and receive chemical signals that modulate gene expression and cellular function, transfer biomolecules and metabolites that improve community persistence and viability, and activate defense strategies that serve to control species competing for the same valuable resources Many of these biological signaling pathways occur through the cellular synthesis and release of biomolecules into the environment, this simplicity is not applicable to all biological systems.

SECTION 1: MVs AS MEDIATORS OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS

SECTION 2: INTERACTION OF MVs WITH MAMMALIAN HOST CELLS

Findings

SECTION 3: FUTURE DIRECTIONS OF BACTERIAL MVs