Increased talin-vinculin spatial proximities in livers in response to spotted fever group rickettsial and Ebola virus infections

Lab Invest. 2020 Aug;100(8):1030-1041. doi: 10.1038/s41374-020-0420-9. Epub 2020 Apr 1.

Abstract

Talin and vinculin, both actin-cytoskeleton-related proteins, have been documented to participate in establishing bacterial infections, respectively, as the adapter protein to mediate cytoskeleton-driven dynamics of the plasma membrane. However, little is known regarding the potential role of the talin-vinculin complex during spotted fever group rickettsial and Ebola virus infections, two dreadful infectious diseases in humans. Many functional properties of proteins are determined by their participation in protein-protein complexes, in a temporal and/or spatial manner. To resolve the limitation of application in using mouse primary antibodies on archival, multiple formalin-fixed mouse tissue samples, which were collected from experiments requiring high biocontainment, we developed a practical strategic proximity ligation assay (PLA) capable of employing one primary antibody raised in mouse to probe talin-vinculin spatial proximal complex in mouse tissue. We observed an increase of talin-vinculin spatial proximities in the livers of spotted fever Rickettsia australis or Ebola virus-infected mice when compared with mock mice. Furthermore, using EPAC1-knockout mice, we found that deletion of EPAC1 could suppress the formation of spatial proximal complex of talin-vinculin in rickettsial infections. In addition, we observed increased colocalization between spatial proximity of talin-vinculin and filamentous actin-specific phalloidin staining in single survival mouse from an ordinarily lethal dose of rickettsial or Ebola virus infection. These findings may help to delineate a fresh insight into the mechanisms underlying liver specific pathogenesis during infection with spotted fever rickettsia or Ebola virus in the mouse model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Actin Cytoskeleton / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / genetics
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / metabolism
  • Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Liver / microbiology
  • Liver / virology
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Protein Binding
  • Rickettsia / physiology
  • Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis / metabolism
  • Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis / microbiology
  • Talin / chemistry
  • Talin / metabolism*
  • Vinculin / chemistry
  • Vinculin / metabolism*

Substances

  • Epac protein, mouse
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
  • Talin
  • Vinculin

Supplementary concepts

  • Rickettsia australis