Altruistic Cell Death Research Articles

Cocktail Approach with Polyserotonin Nanoparticles and Peptides for Treatment of Streptococcus mutans.

Dental plaque, formed by a Streptococcus mutans biofilm, is a major contributor to cavity formation. While antimicrobial strategies exist, the growing risk of antibiotic resistance necessitates alternative therapeutic solutions. Polyserotonin nanoparticles (PSeNPs), recently recognized for their photothermal property and promising biomedical applications, open up a new avenue for antimicrobial use. Here, we introduced a UV-initiated synthetic route for PSeNPs with improved yield. Using these PSeNPs, a cocktail treatment to reduce the viability of this cavity-causing bacteria was developed. This cocktail comprises an S. mutans-targeting antimicrobial peptide (GH12), an intraspecies competence-stimulating peptide that triggers altruistic cell death in S. mutans, and laser-activated heating of PSeNPs. The "peptide + PSeNP + laser" combination effectively inhibits S. mutans growth in both planktonic and biofilm states. Moreover, the cocktail approach remains effective in reducing the viability of S. mutans in a more virulent dual-species biofilm with Candida albicans. Overall, our results reinforce the utility of a multipronged therapeutic strategy to reduce cariogenic bacteria in the complex model oral biofilm.

Identification of Escherichia coli Host Genes That Influence the Bacteriophage Lambda (λ) T4rII Exclusion (Rex) Phenotype.

The T4rII exclusion (Rex) phenotype is the inability of T4rII mutant bacteriophage to propagate in hosts (Escherichia coli) lysogenized by bacteriophage lambda (λ). The Rex phenotype, triggered by T4rII infection of a rex+ λ lysogen, results in rapid membrane depolarization imposing a harsh cellular environment that resembles stationary phase. Rex "activation" has been proposed as an altruistic cell death system to protect the λ prophage and its host from T4rII superinfection. Although well studied for over 60 years, the mechanism behind Rex still remains unclear. We have identified key nonessential genes involved in this enigmatic exclusion system by examining T4rII infection across a collection of rex+ single-gene knockouts. We further developed a system for rapid, one-step isolation of host mutations that could attenuate/abrogate the Rex phenotype. For the first time, we identified host mutations that influence Rex activity and rex+ host sensitivity to T4rII infection. Among others, notable genes include tolA, ompA, ompF, ompW, ompX, ompT, lpp, mglC, and rpoS They are critical players in cellular osmotic balance and are part of the stationary phase and/or membrane distress regulons. Based on these findings, we propose a new model that connects Rex to the σS, σE regulons and key membrane proteins.

Cathelicidin is a "fire alarm", generating protective NLRP3-dependent airway epithelial cell inflammatory responses during infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pulmonary infections are a major global cause of morbidity, exacerbated by an increasing threat from antibiotic-resistant pathogens. In this context, therapeutic interventions aimed at protectively modulating host responses, to enhance defence against infection, take on ever greater significance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important multidrug-resistant, opportunistic respiratory pathogen, the clearance of which can be enhanced in vivo by the innate immune modulatory properties of antimicrobial host defence peptides from the cathelicidin family, including human LL-37. Initially described primarily as bactericidal agents, cathelicidins are now recognised as multifunctional antimicrobial immunomodulators, modifying host responses to pathogens, but the key mechanisms involved in these protective functions are not yet defined. We demonstrate that P. aeruginosa infection of airway epithelial cells promotes extensive infected cell internalisation of LL-37, in a manner that is dependent upon epithelial cell interaction with live bacteria, but does not require bacterial Type 3 Secretion System (T3SS). Internalised LL-37 acts as a second signal to induce inflammasome activation in airway epithelial cells, which, in contrast to myeloid cells, are relatively unresponsive to P. aeruginosa. We demonstrate that this is mechanistically dependent upon cathepsin B release, and NLRP3-dependent activation of caspase 1. These result in LL-37-mediated release of IL-1β and IL-18 in a manner that is synergistic with P. aeruginosa infection, and can induce caspase 1-dependent death of infected epithelial cells, and promote neutrophil chemotaxis. We propose that cathelicidin can therefore act as a second signal, required by P. aeruginosa infected epithelial cells to promote an inflammasome-mediated altruistic cell death of infection-compromised epithelial cells and act as a “fire alarm” to enhance rapid escalation of protective inflammatory responses to an uncontrolled infection. Understanding this novel modulatory role for cathelicidins, has the potential to inform development of novel therapeutic strategies to antibiotic-resistant pathogens, harnessing innate immunity as a complementation or alternative to current interventions.

Abstract 923: Human embryonic stem cells exhibit altruistic cell death that release death signals having potent anti-cancer activity

Abstract Background: We recently described the altruistic stem cell (ASC) phenotype in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as well as in mesenchymal stem cells (1, 2). The ASC phenotype was characterized by altered state of p53/MDM2 feedback system that permitted the cells to transiently acquire an unstable state of low p53 allowing the cells to survive in extreme microenvironment (1). Interestingly, we noted that ASCs spontaneously returned to its basal state of high p53 after a period of two weeks (1, 2). In this study, we speculate that this return of p53 levels to basal state could be a safety mechanism to prevent malignant transformation of ASCs. We also speculate that ASCs may release soluble factors like high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB-1) that could selectively target the cells exhibiting abnormal p53 e.g. cancer cells. Here, we further characterized ASC phenotype and its fate. Methods: hESC, BG01 cells were exposed to extreme hypoxia followed by reoxygenation and then ABCG2+/SSEA3+ cells were flow cytometry sorted. This specific subpopulation is enriched in ASCs and could be cultured in vitro for two weeks (1). The post- hypoxia treated ABCG2+/SSEA3+ cells were maintained in serum free media, and subjected to apoptosis, and senescence assays. The conditioned media (CM) of these cells and subjected to HMGB-1 measurement by ELISA. To measure bystander apoptosis, teratocarcinoma cells (Tera-2) were treated with the CM followed by measurement of apoptosis. Results: Here we confirmed that p53 and MDM2 in ABCG2+/SSEA3+ cells exhibited return of oscillation between days 19-24. This was associated increase in apoptosis, and senescence of these cells. Apoptosis/senescence was decreased when treated with either Pifithrin α, an inhibitor of p53, or by siRNA silencing of p53, suggesting p53-dependent apoptosis. Additionally, treatment with Nutlin-3, an inhibitor of MDM2 (1) led to a 10-fold increase in apoptosis indicating that high MDM2 was required to prevent the apoptosis of ASCs. Thus, ASCs underwent spontaneous apoptosis (altruistic cell death) due to the return of p53/MDMD2 oscillation. We suggest that this return of p53 and associated apoptosis could be a safety mechanism to prevent malignant transformation of ASCs. Next, we found that the CM of ABCG2+/SSEA3+ cells contained high levels of HMGB-1 compared to the parental BG01 cells. Importantly, CM treatment led to p53 dependent apoptosis of Tera-2 cells. Furthermore, CM treatment also inhibited the growth of Tera-2 xenografts in NOD/SCID mice. Conclusion: Our results indicate that ASCs undergoes altruistic cell death, and releases death signal mediated by HMGB1 that can target neighboring cells exhibiting abnormal p53 including cancer cells. We suggest that this unique property of ASCs could be exploited as a novel cancer therapeutic. 1. Das B et al, Stem Cells, 2012; 30(8):1685-95. 2. Pal B et al, Cancer Research, 2016; Volume 76, Issue 14 Supplement, pp. 251 Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Bidisha Pal, Seema Bhuyan, Jaishree Garhyan, Herman Yeger, Bikul Das. Human embryonic stem cells exhibit altruistic cell death that release death signals having potent anti-cancer activity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 923. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-923

Altruistic cell death and collective drug resistance

Mol Syst Biol. 8: 627 The Greek myth of Castor and Pollux is a tale about altruism between brothers. Castor and Pollux were twins but they had different fathers. As a son of the god Zeus, Pollux was immortal, but Castor whose father was human, eventually died. Pollux could not bear grief and asked Zeus to share his immortality with his brother or even to give it away and join him in death. Moved by Pollux's altruism, Zeus decided to make them both immortals. In their recent work, Tanouchi et al (2012 examined programmed death in bacterial cells. They show it can too be an altruistic trait, whereby some cells trigger the cell death program and release stress‐relieving substances that increase the chances of survival of other cells within the population. Bacterial drug resistance is a major problem for human health (Taubes, 2008) and recent studies suggest that altruism can play an important role in resistant populations. For example, Lee et al observed that most individual bacteria within an antibiotic‐resistant population can be significantly more sensitive to the antibiotic than the global population (Lee et al , 2010). This paradoxical effect has a surprising explanation: a small number of …

ON THE PARADIGM OF ALTRUISTIC SUICIDE IN THE UNICELLULAR WORLD

Altruistic suicide is best known in the context of programmed cell death (PCD) in multicellular individuals, which is understood as an adaptive process that contributes to the development and functionality of the organism. After the realization that PCD-like processes can also be induced in single-celled lineages, the paradigm of altruistic cell death has been extended to include these active cell death processes in unicellular organisms. Here, we critically evaluate the current conceptual framework and the experimental data used to support the notion of altruistic suicide in unicellular lineages, and propose new perspectives. We argue that importing the paradigm of altruistic cell death from multicellular organisms to explain active death in unicellular lineages has the potential to limit the types of questions we ask, thus biasing our understanding of the nature, origin, and maintenance of this trait. We also emphasize the need to distinguish between the benefits and the adaptive role of a trait. Lastly, we provide an alternative framework that allows for the possibility that active death in single-celled organisms is a maladaptive trait maintained as a byproduct of selection on pro-survival functions, but that could-under conditions in which kin/group selection can act-be co-opted into an altruistic trait.

Molecular and Structural Characterization of the PezAT Chromosomal Toxin-Antitoxin System of the Human Pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae

The chromosomal pezT gene of the Gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae encodes a protein that is homologous to the zeta toxin of the Streptococcus pyogenes plasmid pSM19035-encoded epsilon-zeta toxin-antitoxin system. Overexpression of pezT in Escherichia coli led to severe growth inhibition from which the bacteria recovered approximately 3 h after induction of expression. The toxicity of PezT was counteracted by PezA, which is encoded immediately upstream of pezT and shares weak sequence similarities in the C-terminal region with the epsilon antitoxin. The pezAT genes form a bicistronic operon that is co-transcribed from a sigma(70)-like promoter upstream of pezA and is negatively autoregulated with PezA functioning as a transcriptional repressor and PezT as a co-repressor. Both PezA and the non-toxic PezA(2)PezT(2) protein complex bind to a palindrome sequence that overlaps the promoter. This differs from the epsilon-zeta system in which epsilon functions solely as the antitoxin and transcriptional regulation is carried out by another protein designated omega. Results from site-directed mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that the toxicity of PezT is dependent on a highly conserved phosphoryltransferase active site and an ATP/GTP nucleotide binding site. In the PezA(2)PezT(2) complex, PezA neutralizes the toxicity of PezT by blocking the nucleotide binding site through steric hindrance.

Selfish restriction modification genes: resistance of a resident R/M plasmid to displacement by an incompatible plasmid mediated by host killing.

Previous work from this laboratory demonstrated that plasmids carrying a type II restriction-modification gene complex are not easily lost from their bacterial host because plasmid-free segregant cells are killed through chromosome cleavage. Here, we have followed the course of events that takes place when an Escherichia coli rec BC sbcA strain carrying a plasmid coding for the PaeR7I restriction-modification (R/M) gene complex is transformed by a plasmid with an identical origin of replication. The number of transformants that appeared was far fewer than with the restriction-minus (r-) control. Most of the transformants were very small. After prolonged incubation, the number and the size of the colonies increased, but this increase never attained the level of the r- control. Most of the transformed colonies retained the drug-resistance of the resident, r+ m+ plasmid. These results indicate that post-segregational host killing occurs when a plasmid bearing an R/M gene complex is displaced by an incompatible plasmid. Such cell killing eliminates the competitor plasmid along with the host and, thus, would allow persistence of the R/M plasmid in the neighboring, clonal host cells in nature. This phenomenon is reminiscent of mammalian apoptosis and other forms of altruistic cell death strategy against infection. This type of resistance to displacement was also studied in a wild type Escherichia coli strain that was normal for homologous recombination (rec+). A number of differences between the recBC sbcA strain and the rec+ strain were observed and these will be discussed.

The Rex phenotype of altruistic cell death following infection of a λ lysogen by T4 rII mutants is suppressed by plasmids expressing OOP RNA

The coordinate expression from induced λ prophages of p Lit-rexB-t Imm (late immunity transcription, LIT RNA) and p O-oop-t O (OOP RNA) has remained unexplained. The initial assigned sequence for p Lit bore no relationship to p O . We have identified two promoter sites for independent rexB transcription, denoted here p Lit2 and p Lit1 , which are separated by about 330 bp. The upstream p Lit1 site shares with p O a common 9 bp sequence between the −10 and −35 regions, with strong homology to aspects of the SOS box or LexA operator site. This sequence is also found within OOP RNA, suggesting that OOP RNA, or another regulatory factor recognizing the common sequence, was involved in the regulation of rexB expression and hence Rex exclusion. We measured the influence of OOP synthesis from plasmids on the Rex phenotype, finding that plasmids producing OOP can suppress Rex exclusion by a λ prophage. The possibility was suggested that low level constitutive rexB transcription occurs from p Lit2 . Potential binding sites were identified for DnaA, for the LexA, CI and Cro repressors and for λ O protein in the 80 nt DNA interval upstream from and including p Lit1 , suggesting a complex regulatory pattern for rexB expression from this promoter. © 1997 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The Rex system of bacteriophage lambda: tolerance and altruistic cell death.

The rexA and rexB genes of bacteriophage lambda encode a two-component system that aborts lytic growth of bacterial viruses. Rex exclusion is characterized by termination of macromolecular synthesis, loss of active transport, the hydrolysis of ATP, and cell death. By analogy to colicins E1 and K, these results can be explained by depolarization of the cytoplasmic membrane. We have fractionated cells to determine the intracellular location of the RexB protein and made RexB-alkaline phosphatase fusions to analyze its membrane topology. The RexB protein appears to be a polytopic transmembrane protein. We suggest that RexB proteins form ion channels that, in response to lytic growth of bacteriophages, depolarize the cytoplasmic membrane. The Rex system requires a mechanism to prevent lambda itself from being excluded during lytic growth. We have determined that overexpression of RexB in lambda lysogens prevents the exclusion of both T4 rII mutants and lambda ren mutants. We suspect that overexpression of RexB is the basis for preventing self-exclusion following the induction of a lambda lysogen and that RexB overexpression is accomplished through transcriptional regulation.