Effector Protein Cig2 Decreases Host Tolerance of Infection by Directing Constitutive Fusion of Autophagosomes with the Coxiella-Containing Vacuole.

Unlabelled: Coxiella burnetii replicates in an acidified lysosome-derived vacuole. Biogenesis of the Coxiella-containing vacuole (CCV) requires bacterial effector proteins delivered into host cells by the Dot/Icm secretion system. Genetic and cell biological analysis revealed that an effector protein called Cig2 promotes constitutive fusion of autophagosomes with the CCV to maintain this compartment in an autolysosomal stage of maturation.

Expression of an epitope-tagged virulence protein in Rickettsia parkeri using transposon insertion.

Despite recent advances in our ability to genetically manipulate Rickettsia, little has been done to employ genetic tools to study the expression and localization of Rickettsia virulence proteins. Using a mariner-based Himar1 transposition system, we expressed an epitope-tagged variant of the actin polymerizing protein RickA under the control of its native promoter in Rickettsia parkeri, allowing the detection of RickA using commercially-available antibodies. Native RickA and epitope-tagged RickA exhibited similar levels of expression and were specifically localized to bacteria.

Rickettsia parkeri invasion of diverse host cells involves an Arp2/3 complex, WAVE complex and Rho-family GTPase-dependent pathway.

Rickettsiae are obligate intracellular pathogens that are transmitted to humans by arthropod vectors and cause diseases such as spotted fever and typhus. Although rickettsiae require the host cell actin cytoskeleton for invasion, the cytoskeletal proteins that mediate this process have not been completely described. To identify the host factors important during cell invasion by Rickettsia parkeri, a member of the spotted fever group (SFG), we performed an RNAi screen targeting 105 proteins in Drosophila melanogaster S2R+ cells.

Defining a core set of actin cytoskeletal proteins critical for actin-based motility of Rickettsia.

Many Rickettsia species are intracellular bacterial pathogens that use actin-based motility for spread during infection. However, while other bacteria assemble actin tails consisting of branched networks, Rickettsia assemble long parallel actin bundles, suggesting the use of a distinct mechanism for exploiting actin. To identify the underlying mechanisms and host factors involved in Rickettsia parkeri actin-based motility, we performed an RNAi screen targeting 115 actin cytoskeletal genes in Drosophila cells.

Interaction of the betapapillomavirus E2 tethering protein with mitotic chromosomes.

During persistent papillomavirus infection, the viral E2 protein tethers the viral genome to the host cell chromosomes, ensuring maintenance and segregation of the viral genome during cell division. However, E2 proteins from different papillomaviruses interact with distinct chromosomal regions and targets. The tethering mechanism has been best characterized for bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV1), where the E2 protein tethers the viral genome to mitotic chromosomes in complex with the cellular bromodomain protein, Brd4.

The human papillomavirus type 8 E2 tethering protein targets the ribosomal DNA loci of host mitotic chromosomes.

For many papillomaviruses, the viral protein E2 tethers the viral genome to the host mitotic chromosomes to ensure persistent, long-term maintenance of the genome during cell division. Our previous studies of E2 proteins from different genera of papillomaviruses have shown that they bind to different regions of the host chromosomes during mitosis. For example, bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) E2 binds to all chromosomes as small speckles in complex with the cellular protein Brd4.