The Release of Norepinephrine in C57BL/6J Mice Treated with 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is Associated with Translocations in Enteric Escherichia coli via the QseC Histidine Kinase Receptor

Abstract

Background We aimed to investigate the effects of norepinephrine (NE) released from endogenous stores on bacterial translocation of Escherichia coli in mice by administration of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), which selectively destroys noradrenergic nerve terminals. Material/Methods E. coli strain BW25113 and its derivatives (BW25113Δ qseC and BW25113Δ qseC pQseC) were used in this study. The serum concentrations of endotoxin were analyzed. The strains BW25113, BW25113Δ qseC , and BW25113Δ qseC pQseC were detected respectively in tissue specimens harvested from mice treated with 6-OHDA. Results Mice treated with BW25113Δ qseC showed reduced levels of bacterial translocation following administration of 6-OHDA compared with mice treated with BW25113. The defect of E. coli QseC receptor caused the norepinephrine-QseC signal chain to be interrupted, and the invasiveness and penetrating power of the bacteria on the intestinal mucosa was weakened, eventually leading to a significant decrease in the incidence of bacterial translocation. Conclusions NE modulates the interaction of enteric bacterial pathogens with their hosts via QseC. The blockade of the QseC receptor-mediated effects may be useful to attenuate bacterial translocation.

The impact of acute and chronic stress on gastrointestinal physiology and function: a microbiota–gut–brain axis perspective

“…When activated these receptors alter bacterial motility and chemotaxis, and increase virulence (Hughes et al, 2009), energy production (Weigel & Demuth, 2016) and translocation of effector proteins to the host epithelial cells to form pedestal-like structures to cup the bacterium (Reading et al, 2009). Increased bacterial translocation into the mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen and liver in response to noradrenaline has also been reported in mice in vivo (Meng et al, 2020), demonstrating that this pathway may be relevant in physiological stress. Noradrenaline and adrenaline also promote the formation of biofilms and adhesion in some pathogenic bacterial strains (Cambronel et al, 2020).…”