Global Proteomic Response of Caenorhabditis elegans Against PemKSa Toxin.

Dilawar Ahmad Mir,Krishnaswamy Balamurugan

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2019.00172

Dilawar Ahmad Mir, Krishnaswamy Balamurugan

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2019.00172

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Abstract

Bacterial exotoxins are major causative agents that infect by promoting cell and tissue damages through disabling the invading host immune system. However, the mode of action by which toxins modulate host immune system and lead cell death is still not completely understood. The nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans has been used as an attractive model host for toxicological studies. In this regard, the present study was undertaken to assess the impact of Staphylococcus aureus toxin (PemK) on the host C. elegans through global proteomics approach. Our proteomic data obtained through LC-MS/MS, subsequent bioinformatics and biochemical analyses revealed that in response to PemKSa a total of 601 proteins of C. elegans were differentially regulated in response to PemKSa. The identified proteins were found to mainly participate in ATP generation, protein synthesis, lipid synthesis, cytoskeleton, heat shock proteins, innate immune defense, stress response, neuron degeneration, and muscle assembly. Current findings suggested that involvement of several regulatory proteins that appear to play a role in various molecular functions in combating PemKSa toxin-mediated microbial pathogenicity and/or host C. elegans immunity modulation. The results provided a preliminary view of the physiological and molecular response of a host toward a toxin and provided insight into highly complex host-toxin interactions.

Highlights

Caenorhabditis elegans has a number of features that make it quite powerful model for biological studies and relevant to higher eukaryotes in areas such as genetics, cell death, neuroscience, aging, and development (Brenner, 1974; Horvitz, 2003; Sulston, 2003; Kenyon, 2005)
C. elegans interacts with a diverse range of microorganisms, including bacteria that can serve as food source
The biological significance of this study is to identify system-wide effects of PemKSa intoxication on C. elegans at the protein level, growing the list of immune effectors potentially acting toward the bacterial toxins

Summary

Introduction

Caenorhabditis elegans has a number of features that make it quite powerful model for biological studies and relevant to higher eukaryotes in areas such as genetics, cell death, neuroscience, aging, and development (Brenner, 1974; Horvitz, 2003; Sulston, 2003; Kenyon, 2005). Toxicological studies of C. elegans are likely relevant to higher eukaryotes. The ability to perform both forward and reverse genetic screens in C. elegans make it highly useful to understand host-toxin interactions at molecular levels (Brenner, 1974; Jorgensen and Mango, 2002). C. elegans interacts with a diverse range of microorganisms, including bacteria that can serve as food source.

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