Lysosomal degradation products induce <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> virulence.

Abstract

<i>Coxiella burnetii</i> is an intracellular pathogen that replicates in a lysosome-like vacuole through activation of a Dot/Icm-type IVB secretion system and subsequent translocation of effectors that remodel the host cell. Here a genome-wide small interfering RNA screen and reporter assay were used to identify host proteins required for Dot/Icm effector translocation. Significant, and independently validated, hits demonstrated the importance of multiple protein families required for endocytic trafficking of the <i>C. burnetii</i>-containing vacuole to the lysosome. Further analysis demonstrated that the degradative activity of the lysosome created by proteases, such as TPP1, which are transported to the lysosome by receptors, such as M6PR and LRP1, are critical for <i>C. burnetii</i> virulence. Indeed, the <i>C. burnetii</i> PmrA/B regulon, responsible for transcriptional up-regulation of genes encoding the Dot/Icm apparatus and a subset of effectors, induced expression of a virulence-associated transcriptome in response to degradative products of the lysosome. Luciferase reporter strains, and subsequent RNA-sequencing analysis, demonstrated that particular amino acids activate the <i>C. burnetii</i> PmrA/B two-component system. This study has further enhanced our understanding of <i>C. burnetii</i> pathogenesis, the host-pathogen interactions that contribute to bacterial virulence, and the different environmental triggers pathogens can sense to facilitate virulence.