Name: high-throughput parallel sequencing to measure fitness of leptospira interrogans transposon insertion mutants during golden syrian hamster infection
Uploaded: 2017-12-18T12:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about High-throughput Parallel Sequencing to Measure Fitness of Leptospira interrogans Transposon Insertion Mutants During Golden Syrian Hamster Infection at JoVE.c

This work was supported by a Veterans Affairs Merit Award (to D.A.H.) and a National Institute of Health grant R01 AI 034431 (to D.A.H.).

CAUTION: Pathogenic strains of Leptospira spp. must be handled under Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) containment procedures. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn. A Class II biosafety cabinet must be used for all manipulations of pathogenic Leptospira spp.
1. Creation of the Transposon Mutant Library15
<ol>
	<li>Transfer of the transposon into Leptospira spp. by conjugation (Fi...

<ol>
	<li>Murray, G. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genome-wide+transposon+mutagenesis+in+pathogenic+Leptospira+species.">Genome-wide transposon mutagenesis in pathogenic Leptospira species.</a> Infect Immun. 77 (2), 810-816 (2009).</li><li>Adler, B., Lo, M., Seemann, T., Murray, G. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pathogenesis+of+leptospirosis:+the+influence+of+genomics.">Pathogenesis of leptospirosis: the influence of genomics.</a> Vet Microbiol. 153 (1-2), 73-81 (2011).</li><li>Marcsisin, R. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Use+of+a+high-throughput+screen+to+identify+Leptospira+mutants+unable+to+colonize+the+carrier+host+or+cause+disease+in+the+acute+model+of+infection.">Use of a high-throughput screen to identify Leptospira mutants unable to colonize the carrier host or cause disease in the acute model of infection.</a> J Med Microbiol. 62, 1601-1608 (2013).</li><li>van Opijnen, T., Bodi, K. L., Camilli, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tn-seq:+high-throughput+parallel+sequencing+for+fitness+and+genetic+interaction+studies+in+microorganisms.">Tn-seq: high-throughput parallel sequencing for fitness and genetic interaction studies in microorganisms.</a> Nat Methods. 6 (10), 767-772 (2009).</li><li>van Opijnen, T., Lazinski, D. W., Camilli, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genome-wide+fitness+and+genetic+interactions+determined+by+Tn-seq,+a+high-throughput+massively+parallel+sequencing+method+for+microorganisms.">Genome-wide fitness and genetic interactions determined by Tn-seq, a high-throughput massively parallel sequencing method for microorganisms.</a> Curr Protoc Microbiol. 36, 1E.3.1-1E.3.24 (2015).</li><li>Troy, E. B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+barriers+to+Borrelia+burgdorferi+dissemination+during+infection+using+massively+parallel+sequencing.">Understanding barriers to Borrelia burgdorferi dissemination during infection using massively parallel sequencing.</a> Infect Immun. 81 (7), 2347-2357 (2013).</li><li>Wunder, E. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Real-time+PCR+reveals+rapid+dissemination+of+Leptospira+interrogans+after+intraperitoneal+and+conjunctival+inoculation+of+hamsters.">Real-time PCR reveals rapid dissemination of Leptospira interrogans after intraperitoneal and conjunctival inoculation of hamsters.</a> Infect Immun. 84 (7), 2105-2115 (2016).</li><li>Lourdault, K., Aviat, F., Picardeau, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Use+of+quantitative+real-time+PCR+for+studying+the+dissemination+of+Leptospira+interrogans+in+the+guinea+pig+infection+model+of+leptospirosis.">Use of quantitative real-time PCR for studying the dissemination of Leptospira interrogans in the guinea pig infection model of leptospirosis.</a> J Med Microbiol. 58, 648-655 (2009).</li><li>Coutinho, M. L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Kinetics+of+Leptospira+interrogans+infection+in+hamsters+after+intradermal+and+subcutaneous+challenge.">Kinetics of Leptospira interrogans infection in hamsters after intradermal and subcutaneous challenge.</a> PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 8 (11), e3307 (2014).</li><li>Athanazio, D. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Rattus+norvegicus+as+a+model+for+persistent+renal+colonization+by+pathogenic+Leptospira+interrogans.">Rattus norvegicus as a model for persistent renal colonization by pathogenic Leptospira interrogans.</a> Acta Trop. 105 (2), 176-180 (2008).</li><li>Ratet, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Live+imaging+of+bioluminescent+Leptospira+interrogans+in+mice+reveals+renal+colonization+as+a+stealth+escape+from+the+blood+defenses+and+antibiotics.">Live imaging of bioluminescent Leptospira interrogans in mice reveals renal colonization as a stealth escape from the blood defenses and antibiotics.</a> PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 8 (12), e3359 (2014).</li><li>Gutierrez, M. G., Yoder-Himes, D. R., Warawa, J. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Comprehensive+identification+of+virulence+factors+required+for+respiratory+melioidosis+using+Tn-seq+mutagenesis.">Comprehensive identification of virulence factors required for respiratory melioidosis using Tn-seq mutagenesis.</a> Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 5 (78), (2015).</li><li>Gawronski, J. D., Wong, S. M., Giannoukos, G., Ward, D. V., Akerley, B. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tracking+insertion+mutants+within+libraries+by+deep+sequencing+and+a+genome-wide+screen+for+Haemophilus+genes+required+in+the+lung.">Tracking insertion mutants within libraries by deep sequencing and a genome-wide screen for Haemophilus genes required in the lung.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 106 (38), 16422-16427 (2009).</li><li>Gallagher, L. A., Shendure, J., Manoil, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genome-scale+identification+of+resistance+functions+in+Pseudomonas+aeruginosa+using+Tn-seq.">Genome-scale identification of resistance functions in Pseudomonas aeruginosa using Tn-seq.</a> MBio. 2 (1), (2011).</li><li>Slamti, L., Picardeau, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Construction+of+a+library+of+random+mutants+in+the+spirochete+Leptospira+biflexa+using+a+mariner+transposon.">Construction of a library of random mutants in the spirochete Leptospira biflexa using a mariner transposon.</a> Methods Mol Biol. 859, (2012).</li><li>Picardeau, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conjugative+transfer+between+Escherichia+coli+and+Leptospira+spp.+as+a+new+genetic+tool.">Conjugative transfer between Escherichia coli and Leptospira spp. as a new genetic tool.</a> Appl Environ Microbiol. 74 (1), 319-322 (2008).</li><li>Lourdault, K., Matsunaga, J., Haake, D. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-throughput+parallel+sequencing+to+measure+fitness+of+Leptospira+interrogans+transposon+insertion+mutants+during+acute+infection.">High-throughput parallel sequencing to measure fitness of Leptospira interrogans transposon insertion mutants during acute infection.</a> PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 10 (11), e0005117 (2016).</li><li>Ellinghausen, H. C., McCullough, W. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Nutrition+of+Leptospirapomona+and+growth+of+13+other+serotypes:+Fractionation+of+oleic+albumin+complex+and+a+medium+of+bovine+albumin+and+polysorbate+80.">Nutrition of Leptospirapomona and growth of 13 other serotypes: Fractionation of oleic albumin complex and a medium of bovine albumin and polysorbate 80.</a> Am J Vet Res. 26, 45-51 (1965).</li><li>Johnson, R. C., Harris, V. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Differentiation+of+pathogenic+and+saprophytic+letospires.+I.+Growth+at+low+temperatures.">Differentiation of pathogenic and saprophytic letospires. I. Growth at low temperatures.</a> J Bacteriol. 94 (1), 27-31 (1967).</li><li>Demarre, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+new+family+of+mobilizable+suicide+plasmids+based+on+broad+host+range+R388+plasmid+(IncW)+and+RP4+plasmid+(IncPa)+conjugative+machineries+and+their+cognate+Escherichia+coli+host+strains.">A new family of mobilizable suicide plasmids based on broad host range R388 plasmid (IncW) and RP4 plasmid (IncPa) conjugative machineries and their cognate Escherichia coli host strains.</a> Res Microbiol. 156 (2), 245-255 (2005).</li><li>Vallenet, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=MicroScope:+a+platform+for+microbial+genome+annotation+and+comparative+genomics.">MicroScope: a platform for microbial genome annotation and comparative genomics.</a> Database (Oxford). , bap021 (2009).</li><li>Goodman, A. L., Wu, M., Gordon, J. I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identifying+microbial+fitness+determinants+by+insertion+sequencing+using+genome-wide+transposon+mutant+libraries.">Identifying microbial fitness determinants by insertion sequencing using genome-wide transposon mutant libraries.</a> Nat. Protocols. 6 (12), 1969-1980 (2011).</li><li>Miller, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Spirochetes in body fluids and tissues manual of investigative methods. , 22-23 (1971).</li><li>Ristow, P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+OmpA-like+protein+Loa22+is+essential+for+leptospiral+virulence.">The OmpA-like protein Loa22 is essential for leptospiral virulence.</a> PLoS Pathog. 3 (7), (2007).</li><li>Croda, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Targeted+mutagenesis+in+pathogenic+Leptospira+species:+disruption+of+the+LigB+gene+does+not+affect+virulence+in+animal+models+of+leptospirosis.">Targeted mutagenesis in pathogenic Leptospira species: disruption of the LigB gene does not affect virulence in animal models of leptospirosis.</a> Infect Immun. 76 (12), 5826-5833 (2008).</li><li>Haake, D. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hamster+model+of+leptospirosis.">Hamster model of leptospirosis.</a> Curr Protoc Microbiol. 12, 2 (2006).</li><li>Giardine, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Galaxy:+a+platform+for+interactive+large-scale+genome+analysis.">Galaxy: a platform for interactive large-scale genome analysis.</a> Genome Res. 15 (10), 1451-1455 (2005).</li><li>Goecks, J., Nekrutenko, A., Taylor, J., Galaxy, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Galaxy:+a+comprehensive+approach+for+supporting+accessible,+reproducible,+and+transparent+computational+research+in+the+life+sciences.">Galaxy: a comprehensive approach for supporting accessible, reproducible, and transparent computational research in the life sciences.</a> Genome Biol. 11 (8), R86 (2010).</li><li>Blankenberg, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Galaxy:+a+web-based+genome+analysis+tool+for+experimentalists.">Galaxy: a web-based genome analysis tool for experimentalists.</a> Curr Protoc Mol Biol. (Chapter 19), 11-21 (2010).</li><li>Afgan, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Galaxy+platform+for+accessible,+reproducible+and+collaborative+biomedical+analyses:+2016+update.">The Galaxy platform for accessible, reproducible and collaborative biomedical analyses: 2016 update.</a> Nucleic Acids Res. 8 (44), (2016).</li><li>McCoy, K. M., Antonio, M. L., van Opijnen, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=MAGenTA;+a+Galaxy+implemented+tool+for+complete+Tn-Seq+analysis+and+data+visualization.">MAGenTA; a Galaxy implemented tool for complete Tn-Seq analysis and data visualization.</a> Bioinformatics. , 1367 (2017).</li><li>Langmead, B., Trapnell, C., Pop, M., Salzberg, S. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ultrafast+and+memory-efficient+alignment+of+short+DNA+sequences+to+the+human+genome.">Ultrafast and memory-efficient alignment of short DNA sequences to the human genome.</a> Genome Biol. 10 (3), R25 (2009).</li><li>Kamp, H. D., Patimalla-Dipali, B., Lazinski, D. W., Wallace-Gadsden, F., Camilli, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Gene+fitness+landscapes+of+Vibrio+cholerae+at+important+stages+of+its+life+cycle.">Gene fitness landscapes of Vibrio cholerae at important stages of its life cycle.</a> PLoS Pathog. 9 (12), e1003800 (2013).</li><li>Poggi, D., Oliveira de Giuseppe, P., Picardeau, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antibiotic+resistance+markers+for+genetic+manipulations+of+Leptospira+spp.">Antibiotic resistance markers for genetic manipulations of Leptospira spp.</a> Appl Environ Microbiol. 76 (14), 4882-4885 (2010).</li><li>van Opijnen, T., Camilli, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transposon+insertion+sequencing:+a+new+tool+for+systems-level+analysis+of+microorganisms.">Transposon insertion sequencing: a new tool for systems-level analysis of microorganisms.</a> Nat Rev Microbiol. 11 (7), 435-442 (2013).</li><li>Pappas, C. J., Picardeau, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Control+of+gene+expression+in+Leptospira+spp.+by+Transcription+activator-like+effectors+demonstrates+a+potential+role+for+LigA+and+LigB+in+Leptospira+interrogans+virulence.">Control of gene expression in Leptospira spp. by Transcription activator-like effectors demonstrates a potential role for LigA and LigB in Leptospira interrogans virulence.</a> Appl Environ Microbiol. 81 (22), 7888-7892 (2015).</li><li>Koskiniemi, S., Sun, S., Berg, O. G., Andersson, D. I. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Selection-driven+gene+loss+in+bacteria.">Selection-driven gene loss in bacteria.</a> PLoS Genet. 8 (6), e1002787 (2012).</li><li>Troy, E. B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Global+Tn-seq+analysis+of+carbohydrate+utilization+and+vertebrate+infectivity+of+Borrelia+burgdorferi.">Global Tn-seq analysis of carbohydrate utilization and vertebrate infectivity of Borrelia burgdorferi.</a> Mol Microbiol. 101 (6), 1003-1023 (2016).</li><li>Ramsey, M. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+high-throughput+genetic+screen+identifies+previously+uncharacterized+Borrelia+burgdorferi+genes+important+for+resistance+against+reactive+oxygen+and+nitrogen+species.">A high-throughput genetic screen identifies previously uncharacterized Borrelia burgdorferi genes important for resistance against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.</a> PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 13 (2), e1006225 (2017).</li></ol>

Although results from our pilot experiment for hamster challenged intraperitoneally with 42 L. interrogans mutants are presented17, we expect that larger pools of mutants can be screened by Tn-Seq. Because the frequency of transconjugants is low (100-200 transconjugants/mating), several matings are necessary to generate a sufficient number of mutants for large Tn-Seq experiments. Maintaining a large number of mutants in liquid cultures presents logistical challenges that must be addressed...

Identification of virulence genes for some bacteria, such as Leptospira spp., is difficult because of the limited number of genetic tools available. One commonly used approach is the creation of a collection of mutants by random transposon mutagenesis followed by the identification of the insertion site in each mutant and virulence testing of individual transposon mutants in an animal model. This approach is time-consuming, expensive, and requires a large number of animals.
When random mutagenesis was first developed for the pathogen Leptospira interrogans, genes involved in virulence were identified by testing individual mutants in an animal model1. Mutants were selected based on criteria such as their potential roles in signaling or motility or their predicted outer membrane or surface location. As the majority of leptospiral genes encode hypothetical proteins of unknown function2, selecting mutants based on these criteria limits the ability to discover novel leptospiral virulence genes.
More recently, pools of L. interrogans transposon mutants were screened for infectivity in the hamster and mouse models3. Each animal was challenged with a pool of up to 10 mutants. Infectivity of a mutant was scored as positive if it was detected by PCR of cultures obtained from blood and kidney. PCR testing was laborious because it required an individual PCR reaction for each mutant in the pool. Because the frequency of each mutant in the cultures was not quantified, the approach was biased towards identification of highly attenuated mutants.
We describe a transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) technique, as a strategy to more efficiently screen for virulence genes. Tn-seq consists of the creation of a library of mutants by transposon mutagenesis followed by massive parallel sequencing4,5,6. Briefly, transposon mutants are pooled, inoculated into animals, and later recovered from different organs (output pools). The DNA from the output pools is extracted and digested with restriction enzymes or sheared by sonication. Two rounds of PCR targeting the junctions of the transposon insertion sites are performed. This step enables the addition of the adaptors necessary for the sequencing. The resulting PCR products are analyzed by high-throughput sequencing to identify the transposon insertion site of each mutant of the pool along with their relative abundance, which is compared to the initial composition of the pool of mutant.
The primary advantage of this approach is the ability to simultaneously screen a large number of mutants with a small number of animals. Tn-Seq does not require the prior knowledge of the transposon insertion sites which increases the chances of discovering new Leptospira-specific genes involved in virulence with less time and greater efficiency. Because leptospiral burden in tissues is relatively high in rodent models susceptible to lethal infection (typically 104 to 108 bacteria/g of tissue)7,8,9 as well as in reservoir hosts10,11, tissues can be directly analyzed without the need to culture, reducing biases due to in vitro growth.
In Tn-Seq studies with most bacterial pathogens described to date, the high frequency of insertional mutagenesis allowed infection with large pools containing mutants collectively having multiple closely-spaced transposon insertions within every gene4,12,13,14. Tn-Seq has also been developed for a bacterium for which the mutagenesis frequency is much lower6. With Leptospira, a library of transposon mutants can be generated by introducing the transposon on a mobilizable plasmid by conjugation as described by Slamti et al15. However, the frequency of transposon mutagenesis of L. interrogans is low. When the Himar1 transposon was introduced on a conjugative plasmid, the transconjugant frequency was reported to be only 8.5 x 10-8 per recipient cell with the Lai strain of L. interrogans16 and is likely to be similarly poor with most other strains of L. interrogans. The protocol described here is in part based on that developed for Borrelia burgdorferi, in which the frequency of transposon insertional mutagenesis is also low6.
For our pilot experiment with the protocol17, we conducted transposon mutagenesis with L. interrogans serovar Manilae strain L495 because of the success of other groups in isolating transposon insertion mutants in the strain along with its low LD50 (lethal dose) for virulence1. We screened 42 mutants by Tn-Seq and identified several mutant candidates defective in virulence, including two with insertions in a candidate adenylate cyclase gene. Individual testing of the two mutants in hamsters confirmed that they were deficient in virulence17.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Kanamycin sulfate from Streptomyces kanamyceticus</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>K4000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2,6-diaminopimelic acid</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>D1377</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Spectinomycin dihydrochloride pentahydrate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>S4014</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Axio Lab A1 microscope with a darkfieldcondenser</td>
			<td>Zeiss</td>
			<td>490950-001-000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DNeasy blood and tissue kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>69504/69506</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MinElute PCR Purification</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28004/28006</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>QIAquick PCR purification kit</td>
			<td>Qiagen</td>
			<td>28104/28106</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Model 505 Sonic Dismembrator</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB-505</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>2.5&#34; Cup horn</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB-4625</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bead Ruptor 24</td>
			<td>Omni International</td>
			<td>19-010</td>
			<td>Step 3.1.2.4</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>M828C</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Master mix Phusion</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>F531</td>
			<td>Preparation of genomic libraries, step 3.4.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DreamTaq Master Mix</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>K9011/K9012</td>
			<td>Identification of the transposon insertion site, step 1.2.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>dCTP</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>R0151</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ddCTP</td>
			<td>Affymetrix/ USBProducts</td>
			<td>77112</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>T100 Thermal cycler</td>
			<td>BioRad</td>
			<td>1861096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Qubit 2.0 fluorometer</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>Q32866</td>
			<td>step 3.6.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Qubit dsDNA HS assay kit</td>
			<td>Invitrogen</td>
			<td>Q32851/Q32854</td>
			<td>step 3.6.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Qubit assay tubes</td>
			<td>life technologies</td>
			<td>Q32856</td>
			<td>step 3.6.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PBS pH 7.2 (1X)</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>20012-027 20012-050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Disposable scalpel No10</td>
			<td>Feather</td>
			<td>2975#10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Plastic K2 EDTA 2 ml tubes</td>
			<td>BD vacutainer</td>
			<td>367841</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>syringe U-100 with 26G x &#189;&#8221; needle</td>
			<td>BD vacutainer</td>
			<td>329652</td>
			<td>IP challenge, step 2.2.1.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>3 mL Luer-Lok tip syringe</td>
			<td>BD vacutainer</td>
			<td>309657</td>
			<td>Cardiac puncture, step 2.4.2.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25G X 5/8&#8221; needle</td>
			<td>BD vacutainer</td>
			<td>305901</td>
			<td>Cardiac puncture, step 2.4.2.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25 mm fritted glass base with stopper</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore</td>
			<td>XX1002502</td>
			<td>Filtration unit system, step 1.1.7.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25 mm aluminum spring clamp</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore</td>
			<td>XX1002503</td>
			<td>Filtration unit system, step 1.1.7.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15 ml borosilcate glass funnel</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore</td>
			<td>XX1002514</td>
			<td>Filtration unit system, step 1.1.7.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>125 ml side-arm Erlenmeyer flask</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore</td>
			<td>XX1002505</td>
			<td>Filtration unit system, step 1.1.7.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acetate-cellulose filter VVPP (pore size 0.1 mm; diameter 25 mm)</td>
			<td>EMD Millipore</td>
			<td>VVLP02500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

high-throughput parallel sequencing to measure fitness of leptospira interrogans transposon insertion mutants during golden syrian hamster infection

In this manuscript, we describe a transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) technique to identify and quantify Leptospira interrogans mutants altered in fitness during infection of Golden Syrian hamsters. Tn-Seq combines random transposon mutagenesis with the power of high-throughput sequencing technology. Animals are challenged with a pool of transposon mutants (input pool), followed by harvesting of blood and tissues a few days later to identify and quantify the number of mutants in each organ (output pools). The output pools are compared to the input pool to evaluate the in vivo fitness of each mutant. This approach enables screening of a large pool of mutants in a limited number of animals. With minor modifications, this protocol can be performed with any animal model of leptospirosis, reservoir host models such as rats and acute infection models such as hamsters, as well as in vitro studies. Tn-Seq provides a powerful tool to screen for mutants with in vivo and in vitro fitness defects.

Creation of a library of transposon mutants in L. interrogans by conjugation requires a filtration unit, as shown in Figure 1. We recovered 100-200 transconjugants from each mating.
The transposon insertion site is identified in each mutant by sequencing the PCR product generated by semi-random PCR that targets the end of the transposon and adjacent host sequences15 ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about High-throughput Parallel Sequencing to Measure Fitness of Leptospira interrogans Transposon Insertion Mutants During Golden Syrian Hamster Infection at JoVE.c

High-throughput Parallel Sequencing to Measure Fitness of Leptospira interrogans Transposon Insertion Mutants During Golden Syrian Hamster Infection

We describe here a technique that combines transposon mutagenesis with high-throughput sequencing to identify and quantify transposon leptospiral mutants in tissues after a challenge of hamsters. This protocol can be used to screen mutants for survival and dissemination in animals and can also be applied to in vitro studies.

High-throughput Parallel Sequencing to Measure Fitness of Leptospira interrogans Transposon Insertion Mutants During Golden Syrian Hamster Infection

In this manuscript, we describe a transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) technique to identify and quantify Leptospira interrogans mutants altered in fitness ...

The overall goal of this high-throughput transposon sequencing technique is to identify and quantify transposon mutants with in vivo and in vitro fitness defects, and thereby, identify Leptospira genes involved in virulence. This method can help answer key questions in the Leptospira field, such as identifying genes involved in colonization, dissemination, and survival of the bacteria in the host. The main advantage of this technique is that a large number of mutants can be screened with a limited number of animals.Though this method was designed to examine the fitness of Leptospira interrogans mutants in the hamster model with acute leptospirosis, it can also be applied through a chronic infection models, in vitro studies, and other strains of Leptospira. Demonstrating the procedure will be Kritel Lourdault and Karen Evangelista, both post-docs from my laboratory. First, assemble a filtration unit.Place the base on a 125 milliliter side arm Erlenmeyer flask. Position an acetate cellulose filter at the base and clamp a funnel onto the base. Connect the filtration unit to a vacuum system.Next, add five milliliters of Leptospira culture and 0.5 milliliters of E.coli culture into the funnel. Turn on the vacuum to filter the solution. Then place the filter with bacteria-side up onto an EMJH plate, supplemented with DAP.Incubate the plate at 30 degrees Celsius over night. The next day, transfer the filter into a 15 milliliter tube containing one milliliter of EMJH, and vortex the tube for 10 seconds to release the bacteria in the suspension. Then spread the suspension onto five EMJH plates, supplemented with kanamycin using glass beads or a spreader.Wrap the plates in parafilm and incubate them upside down at 30 degrees Celsius until colonies are visible. When colonies are visible, collect and transfer them individually into three milliliters of EMJH containing kanamycin. Then incubate the tubes at 30 degrees Celsius with 150 rpm agitation for seven to 10 days, or to a density of 100 million cells per milliliter.To identify the transposon insertion site, perform nested PCRs. First, prepare the mix for the first PCR. Then, add the samples from culture to the PCR mixes.After running the first reaction, prepare the mix for the second PCR. Add two microliters of PCR product from the first PCR to the complete the reaction mixes. After running the PCR, examine the products on an agarose gel.Proceed by sequencing the products to determine the transposon insertion site. To begin the animal experiment, first grow individual mutants in EMJH, supplemented with kanamycin. Then determine the culture densities using a dark field microscope.Dilute each cultured mutant strain in EMJH to the same density. Then, pool an equal volume of all the mutants to make the input pool. Now challenge the animals as described in the text protocol.The number of animals required depends on the size of the input pool. Be sure to consult a biostatistician to determine the number of animals to inoculate. Allow the infection to develop for four days, then harvest blood and tissues as described in the text protocol.To extract the DNA from the blood sample, use a commercial extraction kit. For tissue, dice 50 to 80 milligrams of tissue into one millimeter cubes. Then, transfer the diced tissues to a screw cap tube and weigh them on a precision balance.Next, add 500 microliters of sterile PBS into the tube. Homogenize it using a disrupter for one minute. Then use a volume corresponding to 25 milligrams of tissue to extract the DNA.Use a commercial kit according to the manufacturer's instructions. Dilute the DNA in 100 microliters of elution buffer. Next, transfer 50 microliters of extracted DNA into a 1.5 milliliter microcentrifuge tube.Then shear the DNA. Place the tube into a sonicator cup horn filled with water at four degrees Celsius. Run the sonicator for three minutes while wearing ear protection.Next, load 2.5 microliters of the sheared DNA into a 2%agarose gel to confirm that most of the DNA fragments are under 600 base pairs. Next, prepare the reaction mix to add cytosine tails to the DNA fragments. Incubate the reaction for an hour at 37 degrees Celsius.Then, inactivate the enzyme by increasing the temperature to 75 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. When the reaction is done, clean it up using a PCR purification kit and elute the DNA with 12 microliters of elution buffer. Run two PCRs to create the genomic libraries.For the first PCR, prepare mixes with TnkN3 and olj376 primers. Primer TnkN3 is specific to the transposon and primer olj376 is specific to the C-tail. For each sample, combine 22 microliters of mix with three microliters of C-tailed purified DNA.Then, run the PCR as described in the text protocol. For the second PCR, use one microliter of the first PCR product as a template. For primers, use pMargent2 to target the transposon and use the IP primers.The IP primers each have a six base pair barcode and specific sequences recognizable by the next generation sequencing platform. Next run out three microliters of the second PCR products on a 2%agarose gel. The library should show a smear with the majority of the signal between 200 to 600 base pairs, and no amplification should be observable in the control reaction.Next, clean the genomic libraries with a PCR purification kit and elute the DNA with 30 microliters of elution buffer. Then measure the DNA concentration with a fluorometer. Now, calculate the volume of each library needed for 15 to 20 nanograms of DNA.Mix the libraries and determine the DNA molar concentration in the pool, using a publicly available calculator. Now send the pooled genomic libraries out for high-throughput sequencing. Later, process the FASTQ files obtained from sequencing using open source software and analyze the results.Eight hamsters were challenged with one milliliter of pooled transposon mutants and the infection was allowed to develop for four days. After extracting the DNA collected from these hamsters'livers, it was sheared and characterized on an agarose gel. Most of the fragments were between 200 and 600 base pairs.After adding C-tail to the sheared DNA, PCRs were used to prepare genomic libraries. Electrophoresis was performed to confirm the size of the PCR products. The size of most of the PCR products was between 200 and 600 base pairs.After processing the sequencing reads, the output/input ratios were determined using the transposon sequencing approach. As expected, mutants known to be virulent, such as flaA1 and IlgB do not show any change in fitness. In contrast, mutants known to be attenuated, such as loa22 show a decrease in fitness.Mutants with a reduced in vivo fitness level were identified, such as lic12327. Follow up experimentation showed the virulence of these mutants to be attenuated in hamsters. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to generate genomic DNA libraries in order to quantify and identify mutants with altered in vivo fitness.After mutants with in vivo fitness defects are identified, they can be tested individually in hamsters to determine if their virulence is attenuated. Don't forget that Leptospira interrogans can be lethal and must be handled using BSL2 containment. Personal protective equipment including gloves and a lab coat must be worn while handling the bacteria.

high-throughput-parallel-sequencing-to-measure-fitness-leptospira

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

High-throughput Detection Method for Influenza Virus

Influenza virus is a respiratory pathogen that causes a high degree of morbidity and mortality every year in multiple parts of the world. Therefore, precise diagnosis of the infecting strain and rapid high-throughput screening of vast numbers of clinical samples is paramount to control the spread of pandemic infections. Current clinical diagnoses of influenza infections are based on serologic testing, polymerase chain reaction, direct specimen immunofluorescence and cell culture 1,2.
Here, we report the development of a novel diagnostic technique used to detect live influenza viruses. We used the mouse-adapted human A/PR/8/34 (PR8, H1N1) virus 3 to test the efficacy of this technique using MDCK cells 4. MDCK cells (104 or 5 x 103 per well) were cultured in 96- or 384-well plates, infected with PR8 and viral proteins were detected using anti-M2 followed by an IR dye-conjugated secondary antibody. M2 5 and hemagglutinin 1 are two major marker proteins used in many different diagnostic assays. Employing IR-dye-conjugated secondary antibodies minimized the autofluorescence associated with other fluorescent dyes. The use of anti-M2 antibody allowed us to use the antigen-specific fluorescence intensity as a direct metric of viral quantity. To enumerate the fluorescence intensity, we used the LI-COR Odyssey-based IR scanner. This system uses two channel laser-based IR detections to identify fluorophores and differentiate them from background noise. The first channel excites at 680 nm and emits at 700 nm to help quantify the background. The second channel detects fluorophores that excite at 780 nm and emit at 800 nm. Scanning of PR8-infected MDCK cells in the IR scanner indicated a viral titer-dependent bright fluorescence. A positive correlation of fluorescence intensity to virus titer starting from 102-105 PFU could be consistently observed. Minimal but detectable positivity consistently seen with 102-103 PFU PR8 viral titers demonstrated the high sensitivity of the near-IR dyes. The signal-to-noise ratio was determined by comparing the mock-infected or isotype antibody-treated MDCK cells.
Using the fluorescence intensities from 96- or 384-well plate formats, we constructed standard titration curves. In these calculations, the first variable is the viral titer while the second variable is the fluorescence intensity. Therefore, we used the exponential distribution to generate a curve-fit to determine the polynomial relationship between the viral titers and fluorescence intensities. Collectively, we conclude that IR dye-based protein detection system can help diagnose infecting viral strains and precisely enumerate the titer of the infecting pathogens.

This method describes the use of Infrared dye based imaging system for detection of H1N1 in bronchioalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of infected mice at a high sensitivity. This methodology can be performed in a 96- or 384-well plate, requires &lt;10 &mu;l volume of test material and has the potential for concurrent screening of multiple pathogens.

Influenza virus is a respiratory pathogen that causes a high degree of morbidity and mortality every year in multiple parts of the world. Therefore, ...

Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are common. Indeed, more than 1 billion people are affected, mainly in the developing world where poverty prevails and hygiene behavior, water supply, and sanitation are often deficient1,2. Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the two hookworm species, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, are the most prevalent STHs3. The estimated global burden due to hookworm disease, ascariasis, and trichuriasis is 22.1, 10.5, and 6.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), respectively4. Furthermore, an estimated 30-100 million people are infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, the most neglected STH species of global significance which arguably also causes a considerable public health impact5,6. Multiple-species infections (i.e., different STHs harbored in a single individual) are common, and infections have been linked to lowered productivity and thus economic outlook of developing countries1,3.
For the diagnosis of common STHs, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the Kato-Katz technique7,8, which is a relatively straightforward method for determining the prevalence and intensity of such infections. It facilitates the detection of parasite eggs that infected subjects pass in their feces.
With regard to the diagnosis of S.stercoralis, there is currently no simple and accurate tool available. The Baermann technique is the most widely employed method for its diagnosis. The principle behind the Baermann technique is that active S.stercoralis larvae migrate out of an illuminated fresh fecal sample as the larvae are phototactic9. It requires less sophisticated laboratory materials and is less time consuming than culture and immunological methods5.
Morbidities associated with STH infections range from acute but common symptoms, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and pruritus, to chronic symptoms, such as anemia, under- and malnutrition, and cognitive impairment10. Since the symptoms are generally unspecific and subtle, they often go unnoticed, are considered a normal condition by affected individuals, or are treated as symptoms of other diseases that might be more common in a given setting. Hence, it is conceivable that the true burden of STH infections is underestimated by assessment tools relying on self-declared signs and symptoms as is usually the case in population-based surveys.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Stephenson and colleagues highlighted the possibility of STH infections lowering the physical fitness of boys aged 6-12 years11,12. This line of scientific inquiry gained new momentum recently13,14,15. The 20-meter (m) shuttle run test was developed and validated by L&eacute;ger et al.16 and is used worldwide to measure the aerobic fitness of children17. The test is easy to standardize and can be performed wherever a 20-m long and flat running course and an audio source are available, making its use attractive in resource-constrained settings13. To facilitate and standardize attempts at assessing whether STH infections have an effect on the physical fitness of school-aged children, we present methodologies that diagnose STH infections or measure physical fitness that are simple to execute and yet, provide accurate and reproducible outcomes. This will help to generate new evidence regarding the health impact of STH infections.

Chronic infection with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) causes malabsorption, stunting, and wasting in the growing child. Hence, it is plausible that these infections also reduce the physical fitness of children. Here, we visualize two techniques for the diagnosis of STHs and the 20-meter shuttle run test for assessing children's physical fitness.

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are common. Indeed, more than 1 billion people are affected, mainly in the developing world where poverty ...

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Invasion and colonization of host cells by bacterial pathogens depend on the activity of a large number of prokaryotic proteins, defined as virulence factors, which can subvert and manipulate key host functions. The study of host/pathogen interactions is therefore extremely important to understand bacterial infections and develop alternative strategies to counter infectious diseases. This approach however, requires the development of new high-throughput assays for the unbiased, automated identification and characterization of bacterial virulence determinants. Here, we describe a method for the generation of a GFP-tagged mutant library by transposon mutagenesis and the development of high-content screening approaches for the simultaneous identification of multiple transposon-associated phenotypes. Our working model is the intracellular bacterial pathogen Coxiellaburnetii, the etiological agent of the zoonosis Q fever, which is associated with severe outbreaks with a consequent health and economic burden. The obligate intracellular nature of this pathogen has, until recently, severely hampered the identification of bacterial factors involved in host pathogen interactions, making of Coxiella the ideal model for the implementation of high-throughput/high-content approaches.

Generation and Multi-phenotypic High-content Screening of Coxiella burnetii Transposon Mutants

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium responsible for the zoonotic disease Q fever. Here we describe methods for the generation of Coxiella fluorescent transposon mutants as well as the automated identification and analysis of the resulting internalization, replication and cytotoxic phenotypes.

Invasion and colonization of host cells by bacterial pathogens depend on the activity of a large number of prokaryotic proteins, defined as virulence ...

High-throughput Gene Tagging in Trypanosoma brucei

Improvements in mass spectrometry, sequencing and bioinformatics have generated large datasets of potentially interesting genes. Tagging these proteins can give insights into their function by determining their localization within the cell and enabling interaction partner identification. We recently published a fast and scalable method to generate Trypanosoma brucei cell lines that express a tagged protein from the endogenous locus. The method was based on a plasmid we generated that, when coupled with long primer PCR, can be used to modify a gene to encode a protein tagged at either terminus. This allows the tagging of dozens of trypanosome proteins in parallel, facilitating the large-scale validation of candidate genes of interest. This system can be used to tag proteins for localization (using a fluorescent protein, epitope tag or electron microscopy tag) or biochemistry (using tags for purification, such as the TAP (tandem affinity purification) tag). Here, we describe a protocol to perform the long primer PCR and the electroporation in 96-well plates, with the recovery and selection of transgenic trypanosomes occurring in 24-well plates. With this workflow, hundreds of proteins can be tagged in parallel; this is an order of magnitude improvement to our previous protocol and genome scale tagging is now possible.

High-throughput Gene Tagging in Trypanosoma brucei

Addition of a tag to a protein is a powerful way of gaining insight into its function. Here, we describe a protocol to endogenously tag hundreds of Trypanosoma brucei proteins in parallel such that genome scale tagging is achievable.

Improvements in mass spectrometry, sequencing and bioinformatics have generated large datasets of potentially interesting genes. Tagging these proteins ...

Creation of a Dense Transposon Insertion Library Using Bacterial Conjugation in Enterobacterial Strains Such As Escherichia Coli or Shigella flexneri

Transposon mutagenesis is a method that allows gene disruption via the random genomic insertion of a piece of DNA called a transposon. The protocol below outlines a method for high efficiency transfer between bacterial strains of a plasmid harboring a transposon containing a kanamycin resistance marker. The plasmid-borne transposase is encoded by a variant tnp gene that inserts the transposon into the genome of the recipient strain with very low insertional bias. This method thus allows the creation of large mutant libraries in which transposons have been inserted into unique genomic positions in a recipient strain of either Escherichia coli or Shigella flexneri bacteria. By using bacterial conjugation, as opposed to other methods such as electroporation or chemical transformation, large libraries with hundreds of thousands of unique clones can be created. This yields high-density insertion libraries, with insertions occurring as frequently as every 4-6 base pairs in non-essential genes. This method is superior to other methods as it allows for an inexpensive, easy to use, and high efficiency method for the creation of a dense transposon insertion library. The transposon library can be used in downstream applications such as transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq), to infer genetic interaction networks, or more simply, in mutational (forward genetic) screens.

Creation of a Dense Transposon Insertion Library Using Bacterial Conjugation in Enterobacterial Strains Such As Escherichia Coli or Shigella flexneri

Presented here is a simple method for creating a high-density transposon insertion library in Escherichia coli or Shigella flexneri using bacterial conjugation. This protocol allows the creation of a collection of hundreds of thousands of unique mutants in bacteria by the random genomic insertion of a transposon.

Transposon mutagenesis is a method that allows gene disruption via the random genomic insertion of a piece of DNA called a transposon. The protocol below ...

Replication of the Ordered, Nonredundant Library of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14 Transposon Insertion Mutants

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a phenotypically and genotypically diverse and adaptable Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitous in human environments. P. aeruginosa is able to form biofilms, develop antibiotic resistance, produce virulence factors, and rapidly evolve in the course of a chronic infection. Thus P. aeruginosa can cause both acute and chronic, difficult to treat infections, resulting in significant morbidity in certain patient populations. P. aeruginosa strain PA14 is a human clinical isolate with a conserved genome structure that infects a variety of mammalian and nonvertebrate hosts making PA14 an attractive strain for studying this pathogen. In 2006, a nonredundant transposon insertion mutant library containing 5,459 mutants corresponding to 4,596 predicted PA14 genes was generated. Since then, distribution of the PA14 library has allowed the research community to better understand the function of individual genes and complex pathways of P. aeruginosa. Maintenance of library integrity through the replication process requires proper handling and precise techniques. To that end, this manuscript presents protocols that describe in detail the steps involved in library replication, library quality control and proper storage of individual mutants.

Replication of the Ordered, Nonredundant Library of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PA14 Transposon Insertion Mutants

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection causes significant morbidity in vulnerable hosts. The nonredundant transposon insertion mutant library of P. aeruginosa strain PA14, designated as PA14NR Set, facilitates analysis of gene functionality in numerous processes. Presented here is a protocol to generate high-quality copies of the PA14NR Set mutant library.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a phenotypically and genotypically diverse and adaptable Gram-negative bacterium ubiquitous in human environments. P. aeruginosa ...

High-throughput Measurement of Plasma Membrane Resealing Efficiency in Mammalian Cells

In their physiological environment, mammalian cells are often subjected to mechanical and biochemical stresses that result in plasma membrane damage. In response to these damages, complex molecular machineries rapidly reseal the plasma membrane to restore its barrier function and maintain cell survival. Despite 60 years of research in this field, we still lack a thorough understanding of the cell resealing machinery. With the goal of identifying cellular components that control plasma membrane resealing or drugs that can improve resealing, we have developed a fluorescence-based high-throughput assay that measures the plasma membrane resealing efficiency in mammalian cells cultured in microplates. As a model system for plasma membrane damage, cells are exposed to the bacterial pore-forming toxin listeriolysin O (LLO), which forms large 30-50 nm diameter proteinaceous pores in cholesterol-containing membranes. The use of a temperature-controlled multi-mode microplate reader allows for rapid and sensitive spectrofluorometric measurements in combination with brightfield and fluorescence microscopy imaging of living cells. Kinetic analysis of the fluorescence intensity emitted by a membrane impermeant nucleic acid-binding fluorochrome reflects the extent of membrane wounding and resealing at the cell population level, allowing for the calculation of the cell resealing efficiency. Fluorescence microscopy imaging allows for the enumeration of cells, which constitutively express a fluorescent chimera of the nuclear protein histone 2B, in each well of the microplate to account for potential variations in their number and allows for eventual identification of distinct cell populations. This high-throughput assay is a powerful tool expected to expand our understanding of membrane repair mechanisms via screening for host genes or exogenously added compounds that control plasma membrane resealing.

Here we describe a high-throughput fluorescence-based assay that measures the plasma membrane resealing efficiency through fluorometric and imaging analyses in living cells. This assay can be used for screening drugs or target genes that regulate plasma membrane resealing in mammalian cells.

In their physiological environment, mammalian cells are often subjected to mechanical and biochemical stresses that result in plasma membrane damage. In ...

A High-throughput Assay to Assess and Quantify Neutrophil Extracellular Trap Formation

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are immunogenic extracellular DNA structures that can be released by neutrophils upon a wide variety of triggers. NETs have been demonstrated to serve as an important host defense mechanism that traps and kills microorganisms. On the other hand, they have been implicated in diverse systemic autoimmune diseases. NETs are immunogenic and toxic structures that contain a pool of relevant autoantigens including anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Different forms of NETs can be induced depending on the stimulus. The amount of NETs can be quantified using different techniques including measuring DNA release in supernatants, measuring DNA-complexed with NET-molecules like myeloperoxidase (MPO) or neutrophil elastase (NE), measuring the presence of citrullinated histones by fluorescence microscopy, or flow cytometric detection of NET-components which all have different features regarding their specificity, sensitivity, objectivity, and quantity. Here is a protocol to quantify ex vivo NET formation in a highly-sensitive, high-throughput manner by using three-dimensional immunofluorescence confocal microscopy. This protocol can be applied to address various research questions about NET formation and degradation in health and disease.

This protocol describes a highly sensitive and high throughput neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) assay for the semi-automated quantification of ex vivo NET formation by immunofluorescence three-dimensional confocal microscopy. This protocol can be used to evaluate NET formation and degradation after different stimuli and can be used to study potential NET-targeted therapies.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are immunogenic extracellular DNA structures that can be released by neutrophils upon a wide variety of triggers. ...

A High-throughput Shigella-specific Bactericidal Assay

Serum bactericidal assays (SBAs) measure the functional activity of antibodies and have been used for many decades. SBAs directly measure antibody killing activity by assessing the ability of antibodies in serum to bind to bacteria and activate complement. This complement activation results in the lysis and killing of the target bacteria. These assays are valuable because they go beyond quantifying antibody production to elucidate the biological functions that these antibodies have, allowing researchers to study the role that antibodies may play in preventing infection. SBAs have been used to study immune responses for many human pathogens, but there is no widely accepted methodology for Shigella at present. Historically, SBAs have been very labor-intensive, requiring many time-consuming steps to accurately quantify surviving bacteria. This protocol describes a simple, robust, and high-throughput assay that measures functional antibodies specific for Shigella in serum in vitro. The method described here offers many advantages over traditional SBAs, including the use of frozen bacterial stocks, 96 well assay plates, a micro-culture system, and automated colony-counting. All of these modifications make this assay less labor-intensive and more high-throughput. This protocol is simpler and faster to perform than traditional SBAs while still using simple technologies and readily available reagents. The protocol has been successfully applied in multiple independent laboratories and the assay is robust and reproducible. The assay can be used to assess immune responses in pre-clinical as well as clinical studies. Quantifying shigellacidal antibody titers both before and after antigen exposure (either by immunization or infection) allows for a broader understanding of how functional antibody responses are generated and their contribution to protective immunity. The development of this standardized, well-characterized assay may greatly facilitate Shigella vaccine design.

A High-throughput Shigella-specific Bactericidal Assay

Here we present a protocol to measure Shigellacidal activity of antibodies in serum. Serum is mixed with bacteria and exogenous complement, incubated, and the reaction mixture is plated on agar plates. Viable bacteria form colonies which are counted, using an automated colony enumerator, and used to determine the bactericidal titer.

Serum bactericidal assays (SBAs) measure the functional activity of antibodies and have been used for many decades. SBAs directly measure antibody killing ...

Constructing Mutants in Serotype 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae strain 519/43

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 1 remains a huge problem in low-and-middle income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its importance, studies in this serotype have been hindered by the lack of genetic tools to modify it. In this study, we describe a method to genetically modify a serotype 1 clinical isolate (strain 519/43). Interestingly, this was achieved by exploiting the Pneumococcus&#8217; ability to naturally acquire DNA. However, unlike most pneumococci, the use of linear DNA was not successful; to mutate this important strain, a suicide plasmid had to be used. This methodology has provided the means for a deeper understanding of this elusive serotype, both in terms of its biology and pathogenicity. To validate the method, the major known pneumococcal toxin, pneumolysin, was mutated because it has a well-known and easy to follow phenotype. We showed that the mutant, as expected, lost its ability to lyse red blood cells. By being able to mutate an important gene in the serotype of interest, we were able to observe different phenotypes for loss of function mutants upon intraperitoneal and intranasal infections from the ones observed for other serotypes. In summary, this study proves that strain 519/43 (serotype 1) can be genetically modified.

Constructing Mutants in Serotype 1 Streptococcus pneumoniae strain 519/43

Here, we describe a S. pneumoniae serotype 1 strain 519/43 that can be genetically modified by using its ability to naturally acquire DNA and a suicide-plasmid. As proof of principle, an isogenic mutant in the pneumolysin (ply) gene was made.

Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 1 remains a huge problem in low-and-middle income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite its importance, ...