Distant relatives of a eukaryotic cell-specific toxin family evolved a complement-like mechanism to kill bacteria.
Hunter L Abrahamsen, Tristan C Sanford, Casie E Collamore, Bronte A Johnstone, Michael J Coyne, Leonor García-Bayona, Michelle P Christie, Jordan C Evans, Allison J Farrand, Katia Flores and 4 more
Article in Nature communications, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
2 · The registry
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
5 · Who and what money
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Hunter L Abrahamsen *Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Tristan C Sanford *Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Casie E Collamore *Department of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Bronte A Johnstone *Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3313-5553
Michael J CoyneDuchossois Family Institute and Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Leonor García-BayonaDuchossois Family Institute and Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Michelle P ChristieDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7001-3400
Jordan C EvansDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Allison J FarrandDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
Katia FloresDuchossois Family Institute and Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Craig J MortonDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5452-5193
Michael W ParkerDepartment of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia. mwp@unimelb.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3101-1138
Laurie E ComstockDuchossois Family Institute and Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA. lecomstock@uchicago.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-6368-8351
Rodney K TwetenDepartment of Microbiology & Immunology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA. rod-tweten@ouhsc.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9293-9899
Funding
ULTRASTRUCTURE AND CYTOMORPHOLOGY COREP30DK042086 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI LIU, CAMBRIAN YANGSHAO · 1990 to 2025
$29.8M
Secreted antimicrobial proteins of the intestinal BacteriodalesR01AI093771 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI LAURIE E COMSTOCK · 2012 to 2026
$5.1M
Pore Formation by Cholesterol Dependent CytolysinsR37AI037657 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · PI TWETEN, RODNEY K. · 2016 to 2025
$4.8M
Probing short and long term consequences of Small and Large Bowel Microbiota Transplants on Host Physiology: Implications for the development of future live biotherapeuticsR01DK138072 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI EUGENE B CHANG, Kristina Brooke Martinez-Guryn · 2024 to 2026
$2.1M
Plasmid encoded biofilm formation by the intestinal Bacteroidales and its importance in community ecology and resilienceK99AI167064 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · PI GARCIA-BAYONA, LEONOR · 2022 to 2023
$198k
Human gut Bacteroidales defense mechanisms against emerging antibacterial toxinsF31AI189149 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR · PI Tristan C. Sanford · 2025 to 2026
$95k
Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) APP1194263Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) DP200102871Department of Health | National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) DP230101148Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID) 5R37AI037657-27Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID) K99AI167064Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID) R01AI093771NIAID NIH HHS F31 AI189149NIAID NIH HHS K99 AI167064NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI093771NIAID NIH HHS R37 AI037657NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK042086NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK138072
6 · The paper itself
Abstract
Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) comprise a large family of pore-forming toxins produced by Gram-positive bacteria, which are used to attack eukaryotic cells. Here, we functionally characterize a family of 2-component CDC-like (CDCL) toxins produced by the Gram-negative Bacteroidota that form pores by a mechanism only described for the mammalian complement membrane attack complex (MAC). We further show that the Bacteroides CDCLs are not eukaryotic cell toxins like the CDCs, but instead bind to and are proteolytically activated on the surface of closely related species, resulting in pore formation and cell death. The CDCL-producing Bacteroides is protected from the effects of its own CDCL by the presence of a surface lipoprotein that blocks CDCL pore formation. These studies suggest a prevalent mode of bacterial antagonism by a family of two-component CDCLs that function like mammalian MAC and that are wide-spread in the gut microbiota of diverse human populations.
Indexed as
Complement Membrane Attack ComplexAnimalsBacterial ProteinsBacterial ToxinsBacteroidesComplement System ProteinsCytotoxinsEukaryotic CellsGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansBacterial ProteinsBacterial ToxinsComplement Membrane Attack ComplexComplement System ProteinsCytotoxins
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.
Distant relatives of a eukaryotic cell-specific toxin family evolved a complement-like mechanism to kill bacteria. · full record | Socratic