The goal of this application is to elucidate the molecular basis for invasion and intoxication of intestinal cells by cholera toxin (CT), the causative agent of Asiatic cholera, and for induction of innate immunity. Mucosal surfaces represent vast areas where host tissues are separated from the environment only by a delicate but highly effective single layer of columnar epithelial cells, joined by tight junctions that are impermeable to proteins and even small peptides. Here, we study how a bacterial protein breeches this barrier to enter the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and then cytosol, of host intestinal cells. To do this, the toxin co-opts a sphingolipid receptor (ganglioside GM1) and endogenous mechanisms of membrane and lipid trafficking for entry into the ER. Once in the ER, a fragment of CT, the A1-chain, then enters the cytosol by hijacking the machinery essential for protein quality control in the biosynthetic pathway, which senses and eventually degrades (by retro-translocation to the cytosol) all terminally-misfolded proteins in the ER lumen. We recently found that the intestinal cell senses entry of the A1-chain into the ER to induce an innate immune response, even when the toxin is rendered enzymatically inert, suggesting a general mechanism of innate immunity. Signal transduction in this pathway appears to be mediated by canonical sensors of ER stress, which are associated with the pathogenesis of IBD. The biology co-opted by CT to enter host cells is fundamental to intestinal cell structure and function, and clinically relevant for diverse human diseases in addition to the toxigenic diarrheas. This project proposes to continue 22 years of focused research. We will use biochemical, molecular, cell biological, and genetic approaches to: explain how GM1 sphingolipids and CT-GM1 complexes traffic to the ER and other destinations (Aim 1); analyze the processing of the toxin by the ER, and elucidate the mechanisms for transport to the cytosol, and for its induction of an innate immune response (Aim 2); and identify novel molecular components involved in all the toxin pathways using unbiased forward and reverse genetic approaches (Aim 3). We have established novel reagents and approaches to solve these problems, including: synthesis of GM1 structural isoforms for direct structure-function studies on sphingolipid trafficking; and preparation of novel CT mutants designed to isolate the fraction of toxin within the ER lumen or to trap it in intermediate reactions to understand how the ER processes the toxin for transport to the cytosol and for induction of innate immunity. We have also developed the zebrafish for genetic studies and identified 13 families by forward screen as resistant to intoxication. The mutant genes in these families will be identified by positional-mapping and their function studied.

Public Health Relevance

The goal of this application is to understand how a bacterial protein can breech the intestinal barrier to cause diarrheal disease and to induce an innate immune response. The pathway models how some normal gut microbes might interact with the host in both health and disease. The topic is also relevant to mucosal delivery of drugs, vaccines, and immunomodulators for disease treatment.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award (R37)
Project #
5R37DK048106-22
Application #
8824921
Study Section
Gastrointestinal Mucosal Pathobiology Study Section (GMPB)
Program Officer
Hamilton, Frank A
Project Start
1993-09-01
Project End
2016-03-31
Budget Start
2015-04-01
Budget End
2016-03-31
Support Year
22
Fiscal Year
2015
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Children's Hospital Boston
Department
Type
DUNS #
076593722
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
Garcia-Castillo, Maria Daniela; Lencer, Wayne I; Chinnapen, Daniel J-F (2018) Transcytosis Assay for Transport of Glycosphingolipids across MDCK-II Cells. Bio Protoc 8:
Garcia-Castillo, Maria Daniela; Chinnapen, Daniel J-F; Te Welscher, Yvonne M et al. (2018) Mucosal absorption of therapeutic peptides by harnessing the endogenous sorting of glycosphingolipids. Elife 7:
Cho, Jin A; Lee, Ann-Hwee; Platzer, Barbara et al. (2018) Retraction Notice to: The Unfolded Protein Response Element IRE1? Senses Bacterial Proteins Invading the ER to Activate RIG-I and Innate Immune Signaling. Cell Host Microbe 23:571
Luong, Phi; Hedl, Matija; Yan, Jie et al. (2018) INAVA-ARNO complexes bridge mucosal barrier function with inflammatory signaling. Elife 7:
Pyzik, Michal; Rath, Timo; Kuo, Timothy T et al. (2017) Hepatic FcRn regulates albumin homeostasis and susceptibility to liver injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:E2862-E2871
Nelms, Bradlee; Dalomba, Natasha Furtado; Lencer, Wayne (2017) A targeted RNAi screen identifies factors affecting diverse stages of receptor-mediated transcytosis. J Cell Biol 216:511-525
Garcia-Castillo, Maria Daniela; Chinnapen, Daniel J-F; Lencer, Wayne I (2017) Membrane Transport across Polarized Epithelia. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 9:
Thiagarajah, Jay R; Chang, Jeffrey; Goettel, Jeremy A et al. (2017) Aquaporin-3 mediates hydrogen peroxide-dependent responses to environmental stress in colonic epithelia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 114:568-573
Nelms, Bradlee D; Waldron, Levi; Barrera, Luis A et al. (2016) CellMapper: rapid and accurate inference of gene expression in difficult-to-isolate cell types. Genome Biol 17:201
Saslowsky, David E; Thiagarajah, Jay R; McCormick, Beth A et al. (2016) Microbial sphingomyelinase induces RhoA-mediated reorganization of the apical brush border membrane and is protective against invasion. Mol Biol Cell 27:1120-30

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