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Karger Publishers, Journal of Innate Immunity, 1(3), p. 83-98, 2010

DOI: 10.1159/000320644

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Citrobacter rodentium Infection Induces MyD88-Dependent Formation of Ubiquitinated Protein Aggregates in the Intestinal Epithelium

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

<i>Citrobacter rodentium</i> utilizes a type 3 secretion system (T3SS) to inject effector proteins into host intestinal epithelial cells, causing structural and functional changes in these cells during infection. Here, we examined the effects of <i>C. rodentium </i>infection on host cell protein ubiquitination in vivo. We observed the appearance of ubiquitinated protein (Ub<sup>+</sup>) aggregates in intestinal epithelial cells near the site of bacterial attachment. Formation of aggregates was dependent on T3SS activity and the effector translocated intimin receptor (Tir). Aggregates formed at 6 days after infection, when bacterial loads were maximal, but were absent at 12 days. Aggregates were not observed in MyD88<sup>–/–</sup> mice. Aggregate formation correlated with MyD88-dependent induction of NADPH oxidase 1, implicating reactive oxygen species in their formation. Aggregates were also observed in gastric tissues of mice infected with <i>Helicobacter pylori.</i> This is the first report describing the formation of Ub<sup>+</sup> aggregates in vivo during enteric infection, and reveals that this phenotype is dependent on both bacterial and host factors. Our experiments extend previous in vitro studies suggesting that Ub<sup>+</sup> aggregates play an important role in the initiation of immune responses to infection. Ub<sup>+</sup> aggregates are a novel marker of the cellular response to enteric pathogens and will be useful for studies of host-pathogen interactions in vivo.