Joshua Hill

Publications

• 3.69

  Impact points

  Isolation from animal tissue and genetic transformation of Coxiella burnetii are facilitated by an improved axenic growth medium.

  Anders Omsland, Paul A Beare, Joshua Hill, Diane C Cockrell, Dale Howe, Bryan Hansen, James E Samuel, Robert A Heinzen

  Applied and environmental microbiology. 06/2011; 77(11):3720-5.

  We recently described acidified citrate cysteine medium (ACCM), which supports host cell-free (axenic) growth of Coxiella burnetii. After 6 days of incubation, greater than 3 logs of growth was achieved with the avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) strain. Here, we describe modified ACCM and culture ... [more] We recently described acidified citrate cysteine medium (ACCM), which supports host cell-free (axenic) growth of Coxiella burnetii. After 6 days of incubation, greater than 3 logs of growth was achieved with the avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) strain. Here, we describe modified ACCM and culture conditions that support improved growth of C. burnetii and their use in genetic transformation and pathogen isolation from tissue samples. ACCM was modified by replacing fetal bovine serum with methyl-β-cyclodextrin to generate ACCM-2. Cultivation of NMII in ACCM-2 with moderate shaking and in 2.5% oxygen yielded 4 to 5 logs of growth over 7 days. Similar growth was achieved with the virulent Nine Mile phase I and G isolates of C. burnetii. Colonies that developed after 6 days of growth in ACCM-2 agarose were approximately 0.5 mm in diameter, roughly 5-fold larger than those formed in ACCM agarose. By electron microscopy, colonies consisted primarily of the C. burnetii small cell variant morphological form. NMII was successfully cultured in ACCM-2 when medium was inoculated with as little as 10 genome equivalents contained in tissue homogenates from infected SCID mice. A completely axenic C. burnetii genetic transformation system was developed using ACCM-2 that allowed isolation of transformants in about 2 1/2 weeks. Transformation experiments demonstrated clonal populations in colonies and a transformation frequency of approximately 5 × 10(-5). Cultivation in ACCM-2 will accelerate development of C. burnetii genetic tools and provide a sensitive means of primary isolation of the pathogen from Q fever patients.

• Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system requirements for Coxiella burnetii growth in human macrophages.

  Paul A Beare, Stacey D Gilk, Charles L Larson, Joshua Hill, Christopher M Stead, Anders Omsland, Diane C Cockrell, Dale Howe, Daniel E Voth, Robert A Heinzen

  mBio. 01/2011; 2(4):e00175-11.

  Central to Q fever pathogenesis is replication of the causative agent, Coxiella burnetii, within a phagolysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in mononuclear phagocytes. C. burnetii modulates PV biogenesis and other host cell functions, such as apoptotic signaling, presumably via the activity of... [more] Central to Q fever pathogenesis is replication of the causative agent, Coxiella burnetii, within a phagolysosome-like parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in mononuclear phagocytes. C. burnetii modulates PV biogenesis and other host cell functions, such as apoptotic signaling, presumably via the activity of proteins delivered to the host cytosol by a Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS). In this study, we utilized a C. burnetii strain carrying IcmD inactivated by the Himar1 transposon to investigate the requirements for Dot/Icm function in C. burnetii parasitism of human THP-1 macrophage-like cells. The icmD::Tn mutant failed to secrete characterized T4BSS substrates, a defect that correlated with deficient replication, PV development, and apoptosis protection. Restoration of type IVB secretion and intracellular growth of the icmD::Tn mutant required complementation with icmD, -J, and -B, indicating a polar effect of the transposon insertion on downstream dot/icm genes. Induction of icmDJB expression at 1 day postinfection resulted in C. burnetii replication and PV generation. Collectively, these data prove that T4BSS function is required for productive infection of human macrophages by C. burnetii. However, illustrating the metabolic flexibility of C. burnetti, the icmD::Tn mutant could replicate intracellularly when sequestered in a PV generated by wild-type bacteria, where Dot/Icm function is provided in trans, and within a phenotypically similar PV generated by the protozoan parasite Leishmania amazonensis, where host cells are devoid of Dot/Icm T4BSS effector proteins.
• 4.21

  Impact points

  Coxiella burnetii acid phosphatase inhibits the release of reactive oxygen intermediates in polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

  J Hill, J E Samuel

  Infection and immunity. 11/2010; 79(1):414-20.

  Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q fever, is a small, Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium. Replication of C. burnetii during infection has been shown to be increased by decreasing oxidative stress using p47(phox -/-) and iNOS(-/-) mice in vivo and by pharmacologic inhibitors i... [more] Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q fever, is a small, Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium. Replication of C. burnetii during infection has been shown to be increased by decreasing oxidative stress using p47(phox -/-) and iNOS(-/-) mice in vivo and by pharmacologic inhibitors in vitro. Building upon this model, we investigated the role polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) play in the control of infection, since NADPH oxidase-mediated release of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) is a primary bactericidal mechanism for these cells that is critical for early innate clearance. Earlier studies suggested that C. burnetii actively inhibited release of ROI from PMN through expression of an unidentified acid phosphatase (ACP). Recent genomic annotations identified one open reading frame (CBU0335) which may encode a Sec- and type II-dependent secreted ACP. To test this model, viable C. burnetii propagated in tissue culture host cells or axenic media, C. burnetii extracts, or purified recombinant ACP (rACP) was combined with human PMN induced with 4-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The release of ROI was inhibited when PMN were challenged with viable C. burnetii, C. burnetii extracts, or rACP but not when PMN were challenged with electron beam-inactivated C. burnetii. C. burnetii extracts and rACP were also able to inhibit PMA-induced formation of NADPH oxidase complex on PMN membranes, suggesting a molecular mechanism responsible for this inhibition. These data support a model in which C. burnetii eludes the primary ROI killing mechanism of activated PMN by secreting at least one acid phosphatase.
• 5.33

  Impact points

  The role of LIP5 and CHMP5 in multivesicular body formation and HIV-1 budding in mammalian cells.

  Diane McVey Ward, Michael B Vaughn, Shelly L Shiflett, Paul L White, Amanda L Pollock, Joshua Hill, Rachel Schnegelberger, Wesley I Sundquist, Jerry Kaplan

  The Journal of biological chemistry. 04/2005; 280(11):10548-55.

  We examined the function of LIP5 in mammalian cells, because the yeast homologue Vta1p was recently identified as a protein required for multivesicular body (MVB) formation. LIP5 is predominantly a cytosolic protein. Depletion of LIP5 by small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) does not affect the distribution ... [more] We examined the function of LIP5 in mammalian cells, because the yeast homologue Vta1p was recently identified as a protein required for multivesicular body (MVB) formation. LIP5 is predominantly a cytosolic protein. Depletion of LIP5 by small inhibitory RNA (siRNA) does not affect the distribution or morphology of early endosomes, lysosomes, or Golgi but does reduce the degradation of internalized epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), with EGFR accumulating in intracellular vesicles. Depletion of LIP5 by siRNA also decreases human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) budding by 70%. We identify CHMP5 as a LIP5-binding protein and show that CHMP5 is primarily cytosolic. Depletion of CHMP5 by siRNA does not affect the distribution or morphology of early endosomes, lysosomes, or Golgi but does result in reduced degradation of the EGFR similar to silencing of LIP5. Surprisingly, CHMP5 depletion results in an increase in the release of infectious HIV-1 particles. Overexpression of CHMP5 with a large carboxyl-terminal epitope affects the distribution of both early and late endocytic compartments, whereas overexpression of LIP5 does not alter the endocytic pathway. Comparison of overexpression and siRNA phenotypes suggests that the roles of these proteins in MVB formation may be more specifically addressed using RNA interference and that both LIP5 and CHMP5 function in MVB sorting, whereas only LIP5 is required for HIV release.