Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1990 Nov;58(11):3477–3486. doi: 10.1128/iai.58.11.3477-3486.1990

A nonvirulent mutant of Listeria monocytogenes does not move intracellularly but still induces polymerization of actin.

M Kuhn 1, M C Prévost 1, J Mounier 1, P J Sansonetti 1
PMCID: PMC313686  PMID: 2172164

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes has the capacity to penetrate and multiply within professional and nonprofessional phagocytic cells, such as the Caco-2 human enterocytelike cell line. It was shown recently that shortly after listeriae have been phagocytosed, the phagosomal membrane is dissolved, probably by the action of the bacterial cytolysin listeriolysin O. The listeriae, which are then lying obviously free in the cytoplasm, become surrounded by a coat of actin filaments within a few hours. Once formed, this layer of actin filaments is reorganized in an as yet unknown way to form polar tails, which seem to be associated to the generation of listerial movement inside the cytoplasm and in intercellular spread. By using transposon Tn916 mutagenesis, a bank of L. monocytogenes mutants was generated and subsequently screened by the plaque assay system in order to select an intracellular, nonmotile mutant of L. monocytogenes. One such mutant was identified. This mutant, called L. monocytogenes M117 Imt- (for intracellular motility), like the wild type, induced actin polymerization but was not able to rearrange the actin coat to generate movement and as a result remained entrapped within the actin cloud. In a mouse virulence assay, this strain was significantly reduced in virulence. L. monocytogenes M117 is the first example to date of a Listeria mutant which is still hemolytic and invasive but reduced in virulence.

Full text

PDF
3477

Images in this article

3480Image
on p.3480
3481Image
on p.3481
3482Image
on p.3482
3484Image
on p.3484

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bernardini M. L., Mounier J., d'Hauteville H., Coquis-Rondon M., Sansonetti P. J. Identification of icsA, a plasmid locus of Shigella flexneri that governs bacterial intra- and intercellular spread through interaction with F-actin. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 May;86(10):3867–3871. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.10.3867. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Camilli A., Paynton C. R., Portnoy D. A. Intracellular methicillin selection of Listeria monocytogenes mutants unable to replicate in a macrophage cell line. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Jul;86(14):5522–5526. doi: 10.1073/pnas.86.14.5522. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chakraborty T., Goebel W. Recent developments in the study of virulence in Listeria monocytogenes. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1988;138:41–58. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Clerc P., Baudry B., Sansonetti P. J. Molecular mechanisms of entry, intracellular multiplication and killing of host cells by shigellae. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1988;138:3–13. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clewell D. B., Gawron-Burke C. Conjugative transposons and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance in streptococci. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1986;40:635–659. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.40.100186.003223. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Comstock L. E., Thomas D. D. Penetration of endothelial cell monolayers by Borrelia burgdorferi. Infect Immun. 1989 May;57(5):1626–1628. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.5.1626-1628.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Farley M. M., Stephens D. S., Mulks M. H., Cooper M. D., Bricker J. V., Mirra S. S., Wright A. Pathogenesis of IgA1 protease-producing and -nonproducing Haemophilus influenzae in human nasopharyngeal organ cultures. J Infect Dis. 1986 Nov;154(5):752–759. doi: 10.1093/infdis/154.5.752. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Finlay B. B., Falkow S. Common themes in microbial pathogenicity. Microbiol Rev. 1989 Jun;53(2):210–230. doi: 10.1128/mr.53.2.210-230.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Finlay B. B., Falkow S. Salmonella as an intracellular parasite. Mol Microbiol. 1989 Dec;3(12):1833–1841. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1989.tb00170.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Finlay B. B., Gumbiner B., Falkow S. Penetration of Salmonella through a polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cell monolayer. J Cell Biol. 1988 Jul;107(1):221–230. doi: 10.1083/jcb.107.1.221. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gaillard J. L., Berche P., Sansonetti P. Transposon mutagenesis as a tool to study the role of hemolysin in the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes. Infect Immun. 1986 Apr;52(1):50–55. doi: 10.1128/iai.52.1.50-55.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Gawron-Burke C., Clewell D. B. A transposon in Streptococcus faecalis with fertility properties. Nature. 1982 Nov 18;300(5889):281–284. doi: 10.1038/300281a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Geoffroy C., Gaillard J. L., Alouf J. E., Berche P. Purification, characterization, and toxicity of the sulfhydryl-activated hemolysin listeriolysin O from Listeria monocytogenes. Infect Immun. 1987 Jul;55(7):1641–1646. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.7.1641-1646.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kathariou S., Metz P., Hof H., Goebel W. Tn916-induced mutations in the hemolysin determinant affecting virulence of Listeria monocytogenes. J Bacteriol. 1987 Mar;169(3):1291–1297. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.3.1291-1297.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kuhn M., Goebel W. Identification of an extracellular protein of Listeria monocytogenes possibly involved in intracellular uptake by mammalian cells. Infect Immun. 1989 Jan;57(1):55–61. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.1.55-61.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Kuhn M., Kathariou S., Goebel W. Hemolysin supports survival but not entry of the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Infect Immun. 1988 Jan;56(1):79–82. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.1.79-82.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Leimeister-Wächter M., Chakraborty T. Detection of listeriolysin, the thiol-dependent hemolysin in Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria ivanovii, and Listeria seeligeri. Infect Immun. 1989 Aug;57(8):2350–2357. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.8.2350-2357.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Miller V. L., Finlay B. B., Falkow S. Factors essential for the penetration of mammalian cells by Yersinia. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1988;138:15–39. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Moulder J. W. Comparative biology of intracellular parasitism. Microbiol Rev. 1985 Sep;49(3):298–337. doi: 10.1128/mr.49.3.298-337.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mounier J., Ryter A., Coquis-Rondon M., Sansonetti P. J. Intracellular and cell-to-cell spread of Listeria monocytogenes involves interaction with F-actin in the enterocytelike cell line Caco-2. Infect Immun. 1990 Apr;58(4):1048–1058. doi: 10.1128/iai.58.4.1048-1058.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Oaks E. V., Wingfield M. E., Formal S. B. Plaque formation by virulent Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1985 Apr;48(1):124–129. doi: 10.1128/iai.48.1.124-129.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Portnoy D. A., Jacks P. S., Hinrichs D. J. Role of hemolysin for the intracellular growth of Listeria monocytogenes. J Exp Med. 1988 Apr 1;167(4):1459–1471. doi: 10.1084/jem.167.4.1459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Pál T., Newland J. W., Tall B. D., Formal S. B., Hale T. L. Intracellular spread of Shigella flexneri associated with the kcpA locus and a 140-kilodalton protein. Infect Immun. 1989 Feb;57(2):477–486. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.2.477-486.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Thomas D. D., Navab M., Haake D. A., Fogelman A. M., Miller J. N., Lovett M. A. Treponema pallidum invades intercellular junctions of endothelial cell monolayers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 May;85(10):3608–3612. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.10.3608. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Tilney L. G., Portnoy D. A. Actin filaments and the growth, movement, and spread of the intracellular bacterial parasite, Listeria monocytogenes. J Cell Biol. 1989 Oct;109(4 Pt 1):1597–1608. doi: 10.1083/jcb.109.4.1597. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Winkler H. H., Turco J. Rickettsia prowazekii and the host cell: entry, growth and control of the parasite. Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 1988;138:81–107. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES