Defects in normal autophagic pathways are implicated in numerous human diseases-such as neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and cardiomyopathy-highlighting the importance of autophagy and its proper regulation. Herein we show that Vibrio parahaemolyticus uses the type III effector VopQ (Vibrio outer protein Q) to alter autophagic flux by manipulating the partitioning of small molecules and ions in the lysosome. This effector binds to the conserved V o domain of the vacuolar-type H + -ATPase and causes deacidification of the lysosomes within minutes of entering the host cell. VopQ forms a gated channel ∼18 Å in diameter that facilitates outward flux of ions across lipid bilayers. The electrostatic interactions of this type 3 secretion system effector with target membranes dictate its preference for host vacuolar-type H + -ATPase-containing membranes, indicating that its pore-forming activity is specific and not promiscuous. As seen with other effectors, VopQ is exploiting a eukaryotic mechanism, in this case manipulating lysosomal homeostasis and autophagic flux through transmembrane permeation.utophagy is a cellular process by which cells degrade and recycle cytoplasmic contents by encapsulating them within a distinctive double bilayer membrane vesicle for delivery to the degradative lysosome (1). Disruption of normal autophagic pathways is implicated in numerous human diseases, stressing the importance of autophagy and its proper regulation (2). Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a Gram-negative marine bacterium and a major cause of gastroenteritis due to the consumption of contaminated raw or undercooked seafood, induces autophagy during infection (3). V. parahaemolyticus harbors two type 3 secretion systems (T3SSs), molecular syringes that enable the translocation of bacterial proteins, known as effectors, into the eukaryotic host (3). The first T3SS (T3SS1) orchestrates a temporally regulated cell death mediated by the induction of autophagy, followed by cell rounding and resulting in lysis of the host cell (4). T3SS1 effector VopQ, also known as VepA (vp1680), is both necessary and sufficient for the rapid induction of autophagy, even in the presence of known chemical inhibitors of autophagy (5).VopQ is a 53-kDa protein with no apparent homology to any proteins outside of the Vibrio species. Vibrio homologs of VopQ have no known function or conserved structural domain. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that VopQ is a cytotoxic effector that accelerates host cell death and is essential in protecting V. parahaemolyticus from phagocytic uptake during infection (5). Based on microbial genetic studies, VopQ was shown to be necessary for the formation of an extensive network of autophagic vesicles in host cells within an hour of V. parahaemolyticus infection (5). Strikingly, recombinant VopQ alone is sufficient to induce this massive accumulation of autophagic vesicles, observed within minutes of microinjection of recombinant VopQ (picomolar concentrations) into eukaryotic cells (5). A recent report shows that Vo...

Rhodococcus equi is a multihost, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that primarily causes pneumonia in foals less than six months in age and immunocompromised people. Previous studies determined that the major virulence determinant of R. equi is the surface bound virulence associated protein A (VapA). The presence of VapA inhibits the maturation of R. equi-containing phagosomes and promotes intracellular bacterial survival, as determined by the inability of vapA deletion mutants to replicate in host macrophages. While the mechanism of action of VapA remains elusive, we show that soluble recombinant VapA both rescues the intramacrophage replication defect of a wild type R. equi strain lacking the vapA gene and enhances the persistence of nonpathogenic Escherichia coli in macrophages. During macrophage infection, VapA was observed at both the bacterial surface and at the membrane of the host-derived R. equi containing vacuole, thus providing an opportunity for VapA to interact with host constituents and promote alterations in phagolysosomal function. In support of the observed host membrane binding activity of VapA, we also found that rVapA interacted specifically with liposomes containing phosphatidic acid in vitro. Collectively, these data demonstrate a lipid binding property of VapA, which may be required for its function during intracellular infection.

During infection, the intracellular pathogenic bacterium Legionella pneumophila causes an extensive remodeling of host membrane trafficking pathways, both in the construction of a replication-competent vacuole comprised of ER-derived vesicles and plasma membrane components, and in the inhibition of normal phagosome:endosome/lysosome fusion pathways. Here, we identify the LegC3 secreted effector protein from L. pneumophila as able to inhibit a SNARE- and Rab GTPase-dependent membrane fusion pathway in vitro, the homotypic fusion of yeast vacuoles (lysosomes). This vacuole fusion inhibition appeared to be specific, as similar secreted coiled-coiled domain containing proteins from L. pneumophila, LegC7/YlfA and LegC2/YlfB, did not inhibit vacuole fusion. The LegC3-mediated fusion inhibition was reversible by a yeast cytosolic extract, as well as by a purified soluble SNARE, Vam7p. LegC3 blocked the formation of trans-SNARE complexes during vacuole fusion, although we did not detect a direct interaction of LegC3 with the vacuolar SNARE protein complexes required for fusion. Additionally, LegC3 was incapable of inhibiting a defined synthetic model of vacuolar SNARE-driven membrane fusion, further suggesting that LegC3 does not directly inhibit the activity of vacuolar SNAREs, HOPS complex, or Sec17p/18p during membrane fusion. LegC3 is likely utilized by Legionella to modulate eukaryotic membrane fusion events during pathogenesis.

Vesicle fusion governs many important biological processes, and imbalances in the regulation of membrane fusion can lead to a variety of diseases such as diabetes and neurological disorders. Here we show that the Vibrio parahaemolyticus effector protein VopQ is a potent inhibitor of membrane fusion based on an in vitro yeast vacuole fusion model. Previously, we demonstrated that VopQ binds to the V o domain of the conserved V-type H + -ATPase (V-ATPase) found on acidic compartments such as the yeast vacuole. VopQ forms a nonspecific, voltage-gated membrane channel of 18 Å resulting in neutralization of these compartments. We now present data showing that VopQ inhibits yeast vacuole fusion. Furthermore, we identified a unique mutation in VopQ that delineates its two functions, deacidification and inhibition of membrane fusion. The use of VopQ as a membrane fusion inhibitor in this manner now provides convincing evidence that vacuole fusion occurs independently of luminal acidification in vitro.V esicle fusion governs many important physiological processes including neurotransmitter release and exocytosis. As such, many studies have focused on understanding this process and the proteins involved in fusion using various models such as yeast vacuoles and Drosophila synaptic vesicles (1, 2). Yeast vacuoles are an established and elegant model to study eukaryotic membrane fusion because of the ease of their isolation and the conserved nature of the fusion machinery required for their homotypic fusion (3). Although the core SNARE and Rab GTPase fusion machinery alone can drive the physiologically relevant fusion of liposomes in vitro (2), genetic and biochemical experiments have identified a number of additional regulators of vacuole fusion, including the membrane sector of the highly conserved V-type H + -ATPase (V-ATPase) (4, 5). The eukaryotic V-ATPase is the main electrogenic proton pump involved in the acidification of many intracellular organelles such as endosomes, lysosomes, and the yeast vacuole (6). The V-ATPase consists of two conserved, multisubunit domains: the cytoplasmic V 1 domain and the membrane bound V o domain. The V 1 domain hydrolyzes ATP, providing the energy for proton translocation through the membrane-bound V o proteolipid proton channel, thus acidifying the lumen of the vesicle. The loss of V-ATPase subunits is lethal in higher eukaryotes, highlighting the importance of this vital protein complex for normal eukaryotic physiology. However, yeast that lack subunits of the V-ATPase exhibit conditional lethality that is rescued by growth on acidic media, thus providing a unique and powerful system for the study of V-ATPase functions in vivo. In addition to its acidification function, the V-ATPase has been implicated in a broad range of biological processes, including the proper trafficking of secreted and endocytosed cargos (7), viral fusion (8), exocytosis (1, 9, 10), and the SNARE-dependent membrane fusion of yeast vacuoles (4,5,11,12). Even though the role of V-ATPase in fusion has been demons...

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a Gram‐negative bacterium, is the leading cause of seafood‐borne illness in the United States. This pathogen is able to infect and survive in humans by manipulating the host cellular machinery via bacterial Type III effector proteins that are translocated into the host cell, where they disrupt cellular signaling. One of the principal effector proteins, VopQ, has been demonstrated to be necessary and sufficient to induce autophagosome accumulation. I propose to elucidate the precise cellular and molecular mechanism by which VopQ induces autophagosome accumulation. Since autophagosomes are transient vesicles, the accumulation could be due to an increase in formation of autophagosomes or a decrease in lysosomal fusion. Using biochemical assays and yeast genetics we have uncovered a novel target that reveals the role of VopQ in vesicle fusion during autophagy.With the discovery of several bacterial effectors that function to manipulate host membranes, many eukaryotic vesicle trafficking pathways have been unveiled, and many new questions have surfaced about the mechanisms of novel bacterial effectors. Understanding the mechanism by which VopQ induces autophagosome accumulation could be essential in understanding V. para infection and could give new insights into the mechanisms of eukaryotic vesicle trafficking.