Microarray Analysis of Brucella melitensis Pathogenesis

Original Objectives 1. To determine the Brucella genes that lead to chronic macrophage infection. 2. To identify Brucella genes that contribute to infection. 3. To confirm the importance of Brucella genes in macrophages and placental cells by mutational analysis. Background Brucella spp. is a Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium that infects ruminants causing abortion or birth of severely debilitated animals. Brucellosis continues in Israel, caused by B. melitensis despite an intensive eradication campaign. Problems with the Rev1 vaccine emphasize the need for a greater understanding of Brucella pathogenesis that could improve vaccine designs. Virulent Brucella has developed a successful strategy for survival in its host and transmission to other hosts. To invade the host, virulent Brucella establishes an intracellular niche within macrophages avoiding macrophage killing, ensuring its long-term survival. Then, to exit the host, Brucella uses placenta where it replicates to high numbers resulting in abortion. Also, Brucella traffics to the mammary gland where it is secreted in milk. Missing from our understanding of brucellosis is the surprisingly lillie basic information detailing the mechanisms that permit bacterial persistence in infected macrophages (chronic infection) and dissemination to other animals from infected placental cells and milk (acute infection). Microarray analysis is a powerful approach to determine global gene expression in bacteria. The close genomic similarities of Brucella species and our recent comparative genomic studies of Brucella species using our B. melitensis microarray, suqqests that the data obtained from studying B. melitensis 16M would enable understanding the pathogenicity of other Brucella organisms, particularly the diverse B. melitensis variants that confound Brucella eradication in Israel. Conclusions Results from our BARD studies have identified previously unknown mechanisms of Brucella melitensis pathogenesis- i.e., response to blue light, quorum sensing, second messenger signaling by cyclic di-GMP, the importance of genomic island 2 for lipopolysaccharide in the outer bacterial membrane, and the role of a TIR domain containing protein that mimics a host intracellular signaling molecule. Each one of these pathogenic mechanisms offers major steps in our understanding of Brucella pathogenesis. Strikingly, our molecular results have correlated well to the pathognomonic profile of the disease. We have shown that infected cattle do not elicit antibodies to the organisms at the onset of infection, in correlation to the stealth pathogenesis shown by a molecular approach. Moreover, our field studies have shown that Brucella exploit this time frame to transmit in nature by synchronizing their life cycle to the gestation cycle of their host succumbing to abortion in the last trimester of pregnancy that spreads massive numbers of organisms in the environment. Knowing the bacterial mechanisms that contribute to the virulence of Brucella in its host has initiated the agricultural opportunities for developing new vaccines and diagnostic assays as well as improving control and eradication campaigns based on herd management and linking diagnosis to the pregnancy status of the animals. Scientific and Agricultural Implications Our BARD funded studies have revealed important Brucella virulence mechanisms of pathogenesis. Our publication in Science has identified a highly novel concept where Brucella utilizes blue light to increase its virulence similar to some plant bacterial pathogens. Further, our studies have revealed bacterial second messengers that regulate virulence, quorum sensing mechanisms permitting bacteria to evaluate their environment, and a genomic island that controls synthesis of its lipopolysaccharide surface. Discussions are ongoing with a vaccine company for application of this genomic island knowledge in a Brucella vaccine by the U.S. lab. Also, our new technology of bioengineering bioluminescent Brucella has resulted in a spin-off application for diagnosis of Brucella infected animals by the Israeli lab by prioritizing bacterial diagnosis over serological diagnosis.