Publications (4)14.78 Total impact
-
Article: Capping of actin filaments by vinculin activated by the Shigella IpaA carboxyl-terminal domain.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Shigella, the causative agent of bacillary dysentery, invades epithelial cells. Upon bacterial-cell contact, the type III bacterial effector IpaA binds to the cytoskeletal protein vinculin to promote actin reorganization required for efficient bacterial uptake. We show that the last 74 C-terminal residues of IpaA (A559) bind to human vinculin (HV) and promotes its association with actin filaments. Polymerisation experiments demonstrated that A559 was sufficient to induce HV-dependent partial capping of the barbed ends of actin filaments. These results suggest that IpaA regulates actin polymerisation/depolymerisation at sites of Shigella invasion by modulating the barbed end capping activity of vinculin.FEBS Letters 04/2007; 581(5):853-7. · 3.54 Impact Factor -
Article: Anti-inflammatory effect of Lactobacillus casei on Shigella-infected human intestinal epithelial cells.
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Shigella invades the human intestinal mucosa, thus causing bacillary dysentery, an acute recto-colitis responsible for lethal complications, mostly in infants and toddlers. Conversely, commensal bacteria live in a mutualistic relationship with the intestinal mucosa that is characterized by homeostatic control of innate responses, thereby contributing to tolerance to the flora. Cross-talk established between commensals and the intestinal epithelium mediate this active process, the mechanisms of which remain largely uncharacterized. Probiotics such as Lactobacillus casei belong to a subclass of these commensals that modulate mucosal innate responses and possibly display anti-inflammatory properties. We analyzed whether L. casei could attenuate the pro-inflammatory signaling induced by Shigella flexneri after invasion of the epithelial lining. Cultured epithelial cells were infected with L. casei, followed by a challenge with S. flexneri. Using macroarray DNA chips, we observed that L. casei down-regulated the transcription of a number of genes encoding pro-inflammatory effectors such as cytokines and chemokines and adherence molecules induced by invasive S. flexneri. This resulted in an anti-inflammatory effect that appeared mediated by the inhibition of the NF-kappaB pathway, particularly through stabilization of I-kappaBalpha. In a time-course experiment using GeneChip hybridization analysis, the expression of many genes involved in ubiquitination and proteasome processes were modulated during L. casei treatment. Thus, L. casei has developed a sophisticated means to maintain intestinal homeostasis through a process that involves manipulation of the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway upstream of I-kappaBalpha.The Journal of Immunology 02/2006; 176(2):1228-37. · 5.79 Impact Factor -
Article: Bacterial signals and cell responses during Shigella entry into epithelial cells
[show abstract] [hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Shigella invades epithelial cells by inducing cytoskeletal reorganization localized at the site of bacterial–host cell interaction. During entry, the Shigella type III secretion apparatus allows the insertion of a pore that contains the IpaB and IpaC proteins into cell membranes. Insertion of this complex is thought to allow translocation of the carboxy-terminus moiety of IpaC, but also of other Shigella effectors, such as IpaA, into the cell cytosol. IpaC triggers actin polymerization and the formation of filopodial and lamellipodial extensions dependent on the Cdc42 and Rac GTPases. IpaA, on the other hand, binds to the focal adhesion protein vinculin and induces depolymerization of actin filaments. IpaA and the GTPase Rho are not required for actin polymerization at the site of bacterial contact with the cell membrane, but allow the transformation of the IpaC-induced extensions into a structure that is productive for bacterial entry. Rho is required for the recruitment at entry foci of ezrin, a cytoskeletal linker required for Shigella entry, and also of the Src tyrosine kinase. The Src tyrosine kinase activity, which is required for Shigella-induced actin polymerization, also appears to be involved in a negative regulatory loop that downregulates Rho at the site of entry.Cellular Microbiology 12/2001; 2(3):187 - 193. · 5.46 Impact Factor -
Article: Binding of the Shigella protein IpaA to vinculin induces F-actin depolymerization