Letter
Immunology
Aurelie Hennebique, Yvan Caspar, Max Maurin, Sandrine Boisset, Isabelle Pelloux, Maria Pilar Gallego-Hernanz, Christophe Burucoa, France Cazenave-Roblot, Chloe Plouzeau, Blandine Rammaert
Summary: We report a case of human cutaneous infection with bacteremia caused by a Francisella species recently identified from seawater and fishes in an immunocompromised patient in France.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Brady A. Travis, Kathryn M. Ramsey, Samantha M. Prezioso, Thomas Tallo, Jamie M. Wandzilak, Allen Hsu, Mario Borgnia, Alberto Bartesaghi, Simon L. Dove, Richard G. Brennan, Maria A. Schumacher
Summary: This study reveals a unique mechanism for Ft pathogenesis involving a virulence-specialized RNAP that employs two (MglA-SspA)-based strategies to activate virulence genes.
Article
Cell Biology
Chui-Yoke Chin, Jinshi Zhao, Anna C. Llewellyn, Igor Golovliov, Anders Sjostedt, Pei Zhou, David S. Weiss
Summary: The study reveals the important role of an uncharacterized protein FlmX in the intracellular pathogen Francisella, affecting bacterial virulence and resistance to antibiotics by regulating LPS modification process. FlmX may represent a potential novel drug target for reducing bacterial virulence and increasing sensitivity to innate antimicrobials and antibiotics, with its conservation in other intracellular pathogens also noted.
Review
Microbiology
Klara Kubelkova, Ales Macela
Summary: This article summarizes the current knowledge on the innate and acquired humoral immune responses initiated by Francisella infection and their relationships with the immune defense systems.
Letter
Immunology
Carl Boodman, Quinlan Richert, Sylvain Lother, Ken Kasper, Sergio Fanella, Philippe Lagace-Wiens, Yoav Keynan
Summary: Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis, a gram-negative coccobacillus, which is a Biosafety Level 3 pathogen and potential bioterrorism agent. In Manitoba, Canada, there were two cases of perigenital ulcer disease caused by Francisella tularensis subspecies holarctica, leading to inadvertent exposure among laboratory personnel.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Mengsu Zhao, Yanfang Zhai, Xiaodong Zai, Yunyun Mao, Enbo Hu, Zhaodong Wei, Yan Li, Kai Li, Yanhong Liu, Junjie Xu, Rui Yu, Wei Chen
Summary: No FDA-approved vaccines are available for tularemia, a highly contagious disease caused by Francisella tularensis. This study identified potential protective antigens for vaccine development, including Tul4, OmpA, FopA, and DnaK, and found that using an adenovirus vector encoding these proteins can induce protective immunity against Ft infection. Intramuscular vaccination with Ad5-Tul4 effectively eliminated Ft colonization in multiple organs and provided high levels of protection, while intranasal vaccination only protected against intranasal challenge.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Lauren C. Kinkead, Samantha J. Krysa, Lee-Ann H. Allen
Summary: This study investigated the contributions of ERK and p38 MAP kinase, PI3K, AKT, and NF-kappa B to neutrophil survival. The results showed that p38 alpha, PI3K alpha, and NF-kappa B play important roles in the delayed apoptosis of infected cells.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Maha Alqahtani, Zhuo Ma, Jacob Miller, Jen Yu, Meenakshi Malik, Chandra Shekhar Bakshi
Summary: This study investigated the mechanisms of Aim2 inflammasome activation in macrophages infected with Francisella novicida and the Francisella tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS). The results showed that LVS-infected macrophages exhibited lower levels of Aim2-dependent IL-1 beta compared to novicida-infected macrophages, which was attributed to the suppression of the cGAS-STING DNA-sensing pathway. Additionally, damaged mitochondria-derived DNA might contribute to the robust Aim2-dependent IL-1 beta levels observed in novicida-infected macrophages.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Samantha J. Krysa, Lee-Ann H. Allen
Summary: Infection with Francisella tularensis has been found to extend the lifespan of neutrophils through metabolic reprogramming. Infected neutrophils exhibit a unique metabolic signature, including increased glycolysis and glucose uptake.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Helena Lindgren, Kjell Eneslaett, Igor Golovliov, Carl Gelhaus, Anders Sjostedt
Summary: This study provides a detailed analysis of the human immune response to F. tularensis and highlights the long-term T-cell reactivity induced by F. tularensis vaccination. The findings demonstrate the protective properties of the vaccine and contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms against F. tularensis.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jana Klimentova, Pavel Rehulka, Ivona Pavkova, Klara Kubelkova, Jan Bavlovic, Jiri Stulik
Summary: The study compares the proteomic composition of OMV and membrane fractions from two strains of Francisella tularensis, proposing a novel approach for cross-species proteomic comparison. By consecutively comparing the subproteomes of the two strains, differences in protein amounts caused by global expression changes can be distinguished from those caused by preferential protein packing into OMV or membranes.
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Aurelie Hennebique, Julien Peyroux, Camille Brunet, Amandine Martin, Thomas Henry, Masa Knezevic, Marina Santic, Sandrine Boisset, Max Maurin
Summary: The study explored the interactions between Francisella bacteria and amoebae in aquatic environments, revealing that amoebae likely enhance the survival of these bacteria in water. The complex interactions between bacteria and amoebae depend on the specific species of Francisella considered.
EMERGING MICROBES & INFECTIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Yinshi Yue, Bhanwar Lal Puniya, Tomas Helikar, Benjamin Girardo, Steven H. Hinrichs, Marilynn A. Larson
Summary: Francisella tularensis, a highly infectious zoonotic pathogen causing a deadly disease, exhibits major disparities in arginine catabolism and subsequent polyamine biosynthesis among its subpopulations, leading to differences in pathogenicity.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Heloise Rytter, Anne Jamet, Jason Ziveri, Elodie Ramond, Mathieu Coureuil, Pauline Lagouge-Roussey, Daniel Euphrasie, Fabiola Tros, Nicolas Goudin, Cerina Chhuon, Ivan Nemazanyy, Fabricio Edgar de Moraes, Carlos Labate, Ida Chiara Guerrera, Alain Charbit
Summary: Metabolic pathways are crucial to the virulence of pathogenic bacteria and potential targets for antibacterial interventions. The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) plays a key role in the intracellular survival of Francisella novicida, connecting with multiple other metabolic networks. Proteomics and metabolomics analyses show that PPP is a major hub linking glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, fatty acid degradation, and sulfur metabolism, highlighting its importance in Francisella's pathogenesis and growth.
Article
Microbiology
P. Todd Benziger, Erik J. Kopping, Patrick A. McLaughlin, David G. Thanassi
Summary: This study investigates the host apoptotic responses to F. tularensis and identifies the signaling pathways that are modulated by the bacteria to delay apoptosis and promote virulence. The findings reveal the mechanisms by which intracellular pathogens subvert host responses and enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis of tularemia.
