Helicobacter pylori Growth Stage Determines the Size, Protein Composition, and Preferential Cargo Packaging of Outer Membrane Vesicles

• Published in: Proteomics (Weinheim) 2019-01, Vol.19 (1-2), p.e1800209-n/a
• Main Authors: Zavan, Lauren, Bitto, Natalie J, Johnston, Ella L., Greening, David W., Kaparakis‐Liaskos, Maria
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - metabolism; Cargo; Composition; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Epithelial cells; Extracellular Vesicles - metabolism; Gram-negative bacteria; Gram-Negative Bacteria - metabolism; Growth stage; Helicobacter pylori; Helicobacter pylori - metabolism; IL‐8; Immunogenicity; Membrane vesicles; outer membrane vesicles; Packaging; Protein composition; Proteins; Proteome - metabolism; Proteomes; proteomics; Proteomics - methods; Ribonucleic acid; RNA; size; Vesicles
• ISSN: 1615-9853; 1615-9861
• DOI: 10.1002/pmic.201800209

Gram‐negative bacteria release outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) as part of their normal growth that contain a range of cargo from their parent bacterium, including DNA, RNA, and proteins. The protein content of OMVs is suggested to be similar in composition to various sub‐cellular locations of their parent bacterium. However, very little is known regarding the effect of bacterial growth stage on the size, content, and selective packaging of proteins into OMVs. In this study, the global proteome of Helicobacter pylori and their OMVs throughout bacterial growth are examined to determine if bacterial growth stage affected OMV cargo composition. Analysis of OMVs produced by H. pylori reveals that bacterial growth stage affects the size, composition, and selection of protein cargo into OMVs. Proteomic analysis identifies that the proteome of H. pylori OMVs is vastly different throughout bacterial growth and that OMVs contain a range of proteins compared to their parent bacteria. In addition, bacterial growth stage affects the ability of OMVs to induce the production of IL‐8 by human epithelial cells. Therefore, the findings identify that the size, proteome, and immunogenicity of OMVs produced during various stages of bacterial growth is not comparable. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of considering the bacterial growth stage from which OMVs are isolated, as this will impact their size, protein composition, and ultimately their biological functions.