Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
Advanced Medical Research Institute, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong 250012, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Aug 20;121(34):e2400657121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2400657121. Epub 2024 Aug 14.
Microsporidia are intracellular eukaryotic pathogens that pose a substantial threat to immunocompromised hosts. The way these pathogens manipulate host cells during infection remains poorly understood. Using a proximity biotinylation strategy we established that microsporidian EnP1 is a nucleus-targeted effector that modifies the host cell environment. EnP1's translocation to the host nucleus is meditated by nuclear localization signals (NLSs). In the nucleus, EnP1 interacts with host histone H2B. This interaction disrupts H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub), subsequently impacting p53 expression. Crucially, this inhibition of p53 weakens its control over the downstream target gene SLC7A11, enhancing the host cell's resilience against ferroptosis during microsporidian infection. This favorable condition promotes the proliferation of microsporidia within the host cell. These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which microsporidia modify their host cells to facilitate their survival.
微孢子虫是一种细胞内的真核病原体,对免疫功能低下的宿主构成了重大威胁。这些病原体在感染过程中如何操纵宿主细胞,目前仍知之甚少。我们利用邻近生物素化策略确定,微孢子虫 EnP1 是一种靶向细胞核的效应物,可修饰宿主细胞环境。EnP1 向宿主细胞核的易位由核定位信号(NLS)介导。在细胞核中,EnP1 与宿主组蛋白 H2B 相互作用。这种相互作用破坏了 H2B 的单泛素化(H2Bub),进而影响 p53 的表达。至关重要的是,这种对 p53 的抑制作用削弱了其对下游靶基因 SLC7A11 的控制,增强了宿主细胞在微孢子虫感染期间对铁死亡的抵抗力。这种有利的条件促进了微孢子虫在宿主细胞内的增殖。这些发现揭示了微孢子虫修饰宿主细胞以促进其存活的分子机制。