Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) is the etiologic agent of gonorrhea. With over 100 million annual cases worldwide, gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. In recent years, an alarming increase in antibiotic resistance among Neisseria gonorrhoeae strains has been a cause for great concern among all national and international health agencies. The current emergence of cephalosporin-resistant strains (so far cephalosporins are our last resort antibiotic treatment for gonorrhea) around the world emphasizes the need for both new treatments for gonorrhea, as well as a better understanding of the basic mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance. As with many other bacteria, Ng bacteria are rarely found as single cells. Instead they are first found in small clusters or microcolonies of a few tens to a few thousands bacteria and then in fully formed biofilms of up to millions of cells. Bacteria within biofilms are more resistant to antibiotic treatment than their free-living counterparts. Biofilms also play a major role in pathogen colonization and disease. While much progress has been made in understanding the architecture of the mature biofilm, the process by which biofilms develop remains less well understood. Understanding the early stages of biofilm development may lead to new therapies and treatments of important human diseases. Similarly to what has been shown between human cells, we postulate that the impact of physical forces is crucial in the formation and architecture of Ng microcolonies, the precursors of Ng biofilms. A key element in the formation of Ng microcolonies is the Type IV pilus (Tfp). Tfp are retractable bacterial fibers involved in many aspects of Ng physiology including motility, adhesion, infection, DNA uptake and biofilm formation. We have shown that the retraction of Tfp from Ng microcolonies can exert forces in the nanoNewton range (approximately 100,000 times the bodyweight of a single bacteria) and that these forces are capable of triggering signaling events in human cells. The objective of this study is to discover how the extreme forces of Tfp retraction shape Ng microcolony formation and the behavior of Ng bacteria within these communities. We will obtain this objective by pursuing three aims: identify how Tfp retraction forces shape microcolonies, determine the role of Tfp retraction forces in the initial steps of biofilm differentiation, and determine the role ofTfp retraction forces in the resistance to antibiotics and the spreading of antibiotic resistance. This work is of particular significance as it addresses a largely unknown and important stage of biofilm development. The findings here will lay the groundwork for future research on an important topic of human health. The proposed project is innovative as it will, for the first time, assess the role of physical forces in the formation and function of Ng microcolonies and achieve this at the single cell level.

Public Health Relevance

The findings of this proposal will elucidate the role of Type IV pili retraction forces in the formation and functions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae microcolonies. We expect that this new view on Neisseria gonorrhoeae physiology and initial steps to biofilm formation will arm us with new weapons to fight and control antibiotic resistant gonorrhea.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Pilot Research Project (SC2)
Project #
5SC2AI116566-03
Application #
9097400
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZGM1)
Program Officer
Hiltke, Thomas J
Project Start
2014-07-15
Project End
2017-06-30
Budget Start
2016-07-01
Budget End
2017-06-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2016
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Brooklyn College
Department
Biology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
620127691
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
11210
Pönisch, Wolfram; Eckenrode, Kelly B; Alzurqa, Khaled et al. (2018) Pili mediated intercellular forces shape heterogeneous bacterial microcolonies prior to multicellular differentiation. Sci Rep 8:16567
Ellison, Courtney K; Dalia, Triana N; Vidal Ceballos, Alfredo et al. (2018) Retraction of DNA-bound type IV competence pili initiates DNA uptake during natural transformation in Vibrio cholerae. Nat Microbiol 3:773-780
Ellison, Courtney K; Kan, Jingbo; Dillard, Rebecca S et al. (2017) Obstruction of pilus retraction stimulates bacterial surface sensing. Science 358:535-538
Gurung, Ishwori; Spielman, Ingrid; Davies, Mark R et al. (2016) Functional analysis of an unusual type IV pilus in the Gram-positive Streptococcus sanguinis. Mol Microbiol 99:380-92
Basu, Roshni; Whitlock, Benjamin M; Husson, Julien et al. (2016) Cytotoxic T Cells Use Mechanical Force to Potentiate Target Cell Killing. Cell 165:100-110
Paluch, Ewa K; Nelson, Celeste M; Biais, Nicolas et al. (2015) Mechanotransduction: use the force(s). BMC Biol 13:47
Weber, Christoph A; Lin, Yen Ting; Biais, Nicolas et al. (2015) Formation and dissolution of bacterial colonies. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 92:032704
Taktikos, Johannes; Lin, Yen Ting; Stark, Holger et al. (2015) Pili-Induced Clustering of N. gonorrhoeae Bacteria. PLoS One 10:e0137661
Munteanu, E Laura; Spielman, Ingrid; Biais, Nicolas (2015) Analyzing bacterial movements on surfaces. Methods Cell Biol 125:453-69
Zaburdaev, Vasily; Biais, Nicolas; Schmiedeberg, Michael et al. (2014) Uncovering the mechanism of trapping and cell orientation during Neisseria gonorrhoeae twitching motility. Biophys J 107:1523-31