Loading...
The C. elegans CHP1 homolog, pbo-1, functions in innate immunity by regulating the pH of the intestinal lumen
Benomar, Saida Lansdon, Patrick Bender, Aaron M. Peterson, Blake R. Chandler, Josephine R. Ackley, Brian D.
Benomar, Saida
Lansdon, Patrick
Bender, Aaron M.
Peterson, Blake R.
Chandler, Josephine R.
Ackley, Brian D.
Citations
Altmetric:
Abstract
Caenorhabditis elegans are soil-dwelling nematodes and models for understanding innate immunity and infection. Previously, we developed a novel fluorescent dye (KR35) that accumulates in the intestine of C. elegans and reports a dynamic wave in intestinal pH associated with the defecation motor program. Here, we use KR35 to show that mutations in the Ca2+-binding protein, PBO-1, abrogate the pH wave, causing the anterior intestine to be constantly acidic. Surprisingly, pbo-1 mutants were also more susceptible to infection by several bacterial pathogens. We could suppress pathogen susceptibility in pbo-1 mutants by treating the animals with pH-buffering bicarbonate, suggesting the pathogen susceptibility is a function of the acidity of the intestinal pH. Furthermore, we use KR35 to show that upon infection by pathogens, the intestinal pH becomes neutral in a wild type, but less so in pbo-1 mutants. C. elegans is known to increase production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as H2O2, in response to pathogens, which is an important component of pathogen defense. We show that pbo-1 mutants exhibited decreased H2O2 in response to pathogens, which could also be partially restored in pbo-1 animals treated with bicarbonate. Ultimately, our results support a model whereby PBO-1 functions during infection to facilitate pH changes in the intestine that are protective to the host.
Description
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Date
2020-01-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Keywords
Citation
Benomar, S., Lansdon, P., Bender, A. M., Peterson, B. R., Chandler, J. R., & Ackley, B. D. (2020). The C. elegans CHP1 homolog, pbo-1, functions in innate immunity by regulating the pH of the intestinal lumen. PLoS pathogens, 16(1), e1008134. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1008134