Department of Immunology, UConn Health School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, 136 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Cell Rep. 2024 Apr 23;43(4):114004. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114004. Epub 2024 Mar 22.
During infections, host cells are exposed to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and virulence factors that stimulate multiple signaling pathways that interact additively, synergistically, or antagonistically. The net effect of such higher-order interactions is a vital determinant of the outcome of host-pathogen interactions. Here, we demonstrate one such complex interplay between bacterial exotoxin- and PAMP-induced innate immune pathways. We show that two caspases activated during enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Shiga toxin (Stx) interact in a functionally antagonistic manner; cytosolic LPS-activated caspase-11 cleaves full-length gasdermin D (GSDMD), generating an active pore-forming N-terminal fragment (NT-GSDMD); subsequently, caspase-3 activated by EHEC Stx cleaves the caspase-11-generated NT-GSDMD to render it nonfunctional, thereby inhibiting pyroptosis and interleukin-1β maturation. Bacteria typically subvert inflammasomes by targeting upstream components such as NLR sensors or full-length GSDMD but not active NT-GSDMD. Thus, our findings uncover a distinct immune evasion strategy where a bacterial toxin disables active NT-GSDMD by co-opting caspase-3.
在感染过程中,宿主细胞会暴露于病原体相关分子模式(PAMPs)和毒力因子中,这些物质会刺激多种信号通路,这些信号通路会以累加、协同或拮抗的方式相互作用。这种更高阶相互作用的净效应是宿主-病原体相互作用结果的重要决定因素。在这里,我们展示了细菌外毒素和 PAMP 诱导的先天免疫途径之间的一种复杂相互作用。我们表明,两种半胱天冬酶在肠出血性大肠杆菌(EHEC)感染时通过脂多糖(LPS)和志贺毒素(Stx)激活,以功能拮抗的方式相互作用;细胞质 LPS 激活的半胱天冬酶-11 切割全长 Gasdermin D(GSDMD),生成具有活性的孔形成 N 端片段(NT-GSDMD);随后,EHEC Stx 激活的半胱天冬酶 3 切割半胱天冬酶 11 生成的 NT-GSDMD,使其失去功能,从而抑制细胞焦亡和白细胞介素-1β成熟。细菌通常通过靶向 NLR 传感器或全长 GSDMD 等上游成分来颠覆炎症小体,但不会靶向活性 NT-GSDMD。因此,我们的发现揭示了一种独特的免疫逃避策略,其中细菌毒素通过利用半胱天冬酶 3 来使活性 NT-GSDMD 失活。