title: A Toll/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor domain protein from Yersinia pestis interacts with mammalian IL-1/Toll-like receptor pathways but does not play a central role in the virulence of Y. pestis in a mouse model of bubonic plague.
abstract: The Toll/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (TIR) domain is an essential component of eukaryotic innate immune signalling pathways. Interaction between TIR domains present in Toll-like receptors and associated adaptors initiates and propagates an immune signalling cascade. Proteins containing TIR domains have also been discovered in bacteria. Studies have subsequently shown that these proteins are able to modulate mammalian immune signalling pathways dependent on TIR interactions and that this may represent an evasion strategy for bacterial pathogens. Here, we investigate a TIR domain protein from the highly virulent bacterium Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague. When overexpressed in vitro this protein is able to downregulate IL-1β- and LPS-dependent signalling to NFκB and to interact with the TIR adaptor protein MyD88. This interaction is dependent on a single proline residue. However, a Y. pestis knockout mutant lacking the TIR domain protein was not attenuated in virulence in a mouse model of bubonic plague. Minor alterations in the host cytokine response to the mutant were indicated, suggesting a potential subtle role in pathogenesis. The Y. pestis mutant also showed increased auto-aggregation and reduced survival in high-salinity conditions, phenotypes which may contribute to pathogenesis or survival.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Abigail M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Spear
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Rohini R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Dominic C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Jenner
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Helen C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Flick-Smith
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Petra C F
authors.initials: PCF
authors.lastname: Oyston
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Sciences Department, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Helen S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Atkins
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010930:Plague / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014774:Virulence; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007375:Interleukin-1; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors