A model symbiosis reveals a role for sheathed-flagellum rotation in the release of immunogenic lipopolysaccharide

  1. Caitlin A Brennan
  2. Jason R Hunt
  3. Natacha Kremer
  4. Benjamin C Krasity
  5. Michael A Apicella
  6. Margaret J McFall-Ngai
  7. Edward G Ruby  Is a corresponding author
  1. University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
  2. The Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, United States
6 figures

Figures

Figure 1 with 5 supplements
Motility mutants of V. fischeri do not induce early-stage apoptosis.

(A) Morphology of the juvenile light organ, highlighting the external ciliated epithelium (CE; false-colored blue) in a scanning electron micrograph (left), and the internal features with which the …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.003
Figure 1—figure supplement 1
Soft-agar motility of wild-type, flrA and motB1 strains.

Wild-type, motB1 and flrA strains were grown to mid-log phase and inoculated into SWT medium supplemented with 0.3% agar. Plates were visualized after incubating for 11 hr at 28°C.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.004
Figure 1—figure supplement 2
Negative-stain transmission electron micrograph of a representative flagellated motB1 cell.

The motB1 mutant was grown to mid-log phase in SWT broth, and visualized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after negative-staining. Scale bar indicates 1 µm.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.005
Figure 1—figure supplement 3
Negative-stain transmission electron micrograph of a representative aflagellate flrA cell.

The flrA mutant was grown to mid-log phase in SWT broth, and visualized by negative-stain TEM. Scale bar indicates 1 µm.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.006
Figure 1—figure supplement 4
Representative LSCM image of an AO-stained light-organ lobe isolated from a squid treated with exogenous V. fischeri lipid A.

As described in the ‘Materials and methods’, squid were exposed for 10 hr to purified V. fischeri lipid A, then stained with acridine orange. White arrowheads indicate two of the AO-positive nuclei …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.007
Figure 1—figure supplement 5
Induction of early-stage apoptosis in response to exogenous lipid A.

As described in the ‘Materials and methods’, squid were exposed for 10 hr to either no V. fischeri (apo), wild-type V. fischeri, or purified V. fischeri lipid A alone. Early-stage apoptosis was …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.008
Figure 2 with 2 supplements
Motility mutants of V. fischeri release less LPS into culture supernatants.

(A) Negative-stain TEM of a wild-type V. fischeri cell. Dashed box, shown larger within the solid box, highlights the distal tip of two flagella, one of which displays dissociation of the sheath …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.009
Figure 2—figure supplement 1
Growth of V. fischeri wild-type, motB1 and flrA strains.

Indicated strains were inoculated into SWT and grown at 28°C under microaerobic conditions.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.010
Figure 2—figure supplement 2
Quantification of total LPS in cell-free supernatants by SDS-PAGE analysis.

(A) Silver-stained gel image of purified V. fischeri LPS separated by SDS-PAGE used to generate a standard curve by densitometry. (B) Total dry weight following dialysis of 50 ml of cell-free …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.011
Figure 3 with 1 supplement
Genetic complementation restores supernatant LPS levels to the motB1 mutant strain.

Levels of reactogenic LPS in mid-log culture supernatants (OD600 ≈ 0.5) of indicated strains, as measured using the LAL assay. (*), p<0.05, and (**), p<0.01, as analyzed by one-way repeated measures …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.012
Figure 3—figure supplement 1
Soft-agar motility of genetically complemented motB1 strains.

Indicated strains were grown to mid-log phase and inoculated into SWT medium containing 0.3% agar. Plates were visualized after incubation for 11 hr at 28°C.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.013
Figure 4 with 2 supplements
Disruption of motX in V. fischeri reduces supernatant LPS levels.

Levels of reactogenic LPS, as measured using the LAL assay, in cell-free supernatants of mid-log cultures (OD600 ≈ 0.5) of V. fischeri wild-type and motX strains. (**), p<0.01 as determined by …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.014
Figure 4—figure supplement 1
Soft-agar motility of V. fischeri motX mutant.

Wild-type and motX strains were grown to mid-log phase and inoculated into SWT medium containing 0.3% agar. Plates were visualized after incubating for 8 hr at 28°C.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.015
Figure 4—figure supplement 2
Negative-stain transmission electron micrograph of a representative motX cell.

The motX mutant was grown to mid-log phase in SWT broth, and visualized by negative-stain TEM, revealing normal sheathed flagella. Scale bar indicates 1 µm.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.016
Loss of flagellar rotation reduces LPS release by sheathed V. cholerae, but not unsheathed E. coli.

(A) Reactogenic LPS released into mid-log (OD600 ≈ 0.5) culture supernatants by wild-type V. cholerae O395N1 and its motAB (i.e., pomAB) derivative, grown in SWT at 37°C, was measured by the LAL …

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01579.017
Author response image 1

Download links