Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Salmonella translocate to the gut epithelium via microfold cells lining the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE). How Salmonella localize to the FAE is not well characterized. Here we use live imaging and competitive assays between wild-type and chemotaxis-deficient mutants to show that Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) localize to the FAE independently of chemotaxis in an ex vivo mouse caecum infection model. Electrical recordings revealed polarized FAE with sustained outward current and small transepithelial potential, while the surrounding villus is depolarized with inward current and large transepithelial potential. The distinct electrical potentials attracted S. Typhimurium to the FAE while Escherichia coli (E. coli) localized to the villi, through a process called galvanotaxis. Chloride flux involving the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) generated the ionic currents around the FAE. Pharmacological inhibition of CFTR decreased S. Typhimurium FAE localization but increased E. coli recruitment. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that bioelectric cues contribute to S. Typhimurium targeting of specific gut epithelial locations, with potential implications for other enteric bacterial infections.
Source: Nature Microbiology
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrinology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $12,290
Funders: U.S. Department of Defense, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Advanced Research Projects Agency, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, National Eye Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Awards: G1523888516, G1795544006, G2149984717, G2253746730, G230078430, TAIL REGENERATION IN XENOPUS LAEVIS TADPOLES: A BIOELECTRICAL AND OXIDATIVE APPROACH, G3392305090, G3527955541, G3616359867, G3789706583, G5706424919, G7600791590, G7627751827, G8311617656, G841432625, Bioelectricity in Gut Epithelium Drives Pathogenic Bacterial Targeting, G9000132587, G9000154746, VISION RESEARCH CORE GRANT
OpenAlex ID: W4401728678