Proximity Labeling to Map Host-Pathogen Interactions at the Membrane of a Bacteria Containing Vacuole inChlamydia trachomatisInfected Human Cells
Authors: Olson Macy G. , Widner Ray E. , Jorgenson Lisa M. , Lawrence Alyssa , Lagundzin Dragana , Woods Nicholas T. , Ouellette Scot P. , Rucks Elizabeth A. 
Published: April 2019

As an obligate intracellular pathogenic bacterium,C. trachomatisdevelops within a membrane-bound vacuole, termed the inclusion. The inclusion membrane is modified by chlamydial inclusion membrane proteins (Incs), which act as the mediators of host-pathogen interactions. Anin vivounderstanding of Inc-Inc and Inc-eukaryotic protein interactions and how these contribute to overall host-chlamydial interactions at this unique membrane is lacking. Previous bacterial two-hybrid studies established that certain Incs have the propensity to bind other Incs while others have limited Inc-Inc interactions. We hypothesize some Incs organize the inclusion membrane whereas other Incs bind eukaryotic proteins to promote chlamydial-host interactions. To test this hypothesis, we used the ascorbate peroxidase proximity labeling system (APEX2), which labels proximal proteins with biotinin vivo, and chose to analyze Inc proteins with varying Inc-binding propensities. We inducibly expressed these Incs fused to APEX2 inChlamydia trachomatisL2, verified their localization and labeling activities by transmission electron microscopy, and used affinity purification-mass spectrometry to identify biotinylated proteins. To analyze our mass spectrometry results for statistical significance, we used Significance Analysis of INTeractome (SAINT), which demonstrated that our Inc-APEX2 constructs labeled Inc proteins as well as known and previously unreported eukaryotic proteins that localize to the inclusion. Our results broadly support two types of Inc interactions: Inc-Inc versus Inc-host. One eukaryotic protein, LRRFIP1 (LRRF1) was found in all of our Inc-APEX2 datasets, which is consistent with previously published AP-MS datasets. For the first time, we demonstrate by confocal and super-resolution microscopy that endogenous LRRF1 localizes to the chlamydial inclusion. We also used bacterial two-hybrid studies and pulldown assays to determine if LRRF1 was identified as a true interacting protein or was proximal to our Inc-APEX2 constructs. Combined, our data highlight the utility of APEX2 to capture the complexin vivoprotein-protein interactions at the chlamydial inclusion.

Author summary

Many intracellular bacteria, including the obligate intracellular pathogenChlamydia trachomatis, grow within a membrane-bound “bacteria containing vacuole” (BCV) that, in most cases, prevents association with the lysosome. Secreted cytosolic effectors modulate host activity, but an understanding of the host-pathogen interactions that occur at the BCV membrane is limited by the difficulty in purifying membrane fractions from infected host cells. Here, we used the ascorbate peroxidase proximity labeling system (APEX2), which labels proximal proteins with biotinin vivo, to study the interactions that occur at the chlamydial vacuolar, or inclusion, membrane. The inclusion membrane is modified by chlamydial type III secreted inclusion membrane proteins (Incs), which act as the mediators of host-pathogen interactions. Our results broadly support two types of Inc interactions: Inc-Inc versus Inc-host. Our data highlight the utility of APEX2 to capture the complex protein-protein interactions at a membrane sitein vivoin the context of infection.