Open AccessCoxiella burnetii inhibits host immunity by a protein phosphatase adapted from glycolysis
Author(s) -
Yong Zhang,
Jiaqi Fu,
Shuxin Liu,
Lidong Wang,
Jiazhang Qiu,
Erin J. van Schaik,
James E. Samuel,
Lei Song,
ZhaoQing Luo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2110877119
Subject(s) - effector , biology , virulence , phosphatase , coxiella burnetii , immunity , microbiology and biotechnology , aldolase a , immune system , biochemistry , enzyme , gene , genetics
Significance Many effectors of theCoxiella burnetii Dot/Icm transporter are important for its virulence, but the lack of understanding of their biochemical activity prevents the use of them as potential therapeutic targets. Here, we found that the effector Cbu0513 (CinF) is a protein phosphatase that attacks IκBα, a key regulatory protein in NF-κB signaling. Unlike its homologs such as ST0318 from the archaeonSulfolobus tokodaii , CinF has lost the enzymatic activity as a fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase/phosphatase. Instead, it specifically targets IκBα to make it resistant to proteasome-mediated degradation in cells stimulated with NF-κB agonists. Our finding has expanded the strategy used by bacterial pathogens to inhibit host immunity, which may provide leads for the development of immune modulators for disease treatment.