Salmonella typhimurium invading a human epithelial cell. Image credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases via Unsplash (CC0)
Salmonella, a type of bacterium, is one of the most common foodborne pathogens and is responsible for illnesses ranging from gastroenteritis to typhoid fever. Each year, it infects over 100 million people globally, leading to 350,000 deaths.
Immune cells called macrophages are important for defending against bacterial infections as they can engulf and destroy harmful bacteria. However, Salmonella is able to survive and multiply within these very immune cells that are meant to eliminate it. To do so, the bacteria require nutrients such as amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. These are either produced by the bacteria or obtained from the infected host. However, the specific nutrients that Salmonella require to survive and multiply, as well as their source, remained unknown.
To investigate, Ma, Yang et al. measured amino acid levels in macrophages that had been infected with Salmonella and compared them to those in uninfected macrophages. This revealed that the levels of an amino acid called β-alanine – which differs from many amino acids because it is not used to make proteins – are lower in infected macrophages. Furthermore, providing infected macrophages with more β-alanine increased bacterial replication. This suggests that the bacteria acquire this amino acid from the macrophages in order to survive and replicate.
To determine whether Salmonella can also make β-alanine themselves, Ma et al. prevented them from producing it, which slowed bacterial growth and led to milder infections in mice. This ability to produce β-alanine required a gene known as PanD. Further experiments also showed that β-alanine assists Salmonella in acquiring the essential micronutrient zinc from macrophages.
Taken together, the findings of Ma et al. reveal the critical role of β-alanine in Salmonella growth within macrophages and its ability to cause disease. The panD gene that enables Salmonella to synthesize β-alanine could serve as a potential target for new treatments or vaccines. By targeting this specific aspect of Salmonella's survival strategy, researchers may be able to develop more effective methods to prevent and treat these dangerous infections.
