Immunomodulatory Yersinia outer proteins (Yops)-useful tools for bacteria and humans alike.

Human-pathogenic Yersinia produce plasmid-encoded Yersinia outer proteins (Yops), which are necessary to down-regulate anti-bacterial responses that constrict bacterial survival in the host. These Yops are effectively translocated directly from the bacterial into the target cell cytosol by the type III secretion system (T3SS). Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) in contrast are characterized by their ability to autonomously cross cell membranes and to transport cargo - independent of additional translocation systems. The recent discovery of bacterial cell-penetrating effector proteins (CPEs) - with the prototype being the T3SS effector protein YopM - established a new class of autonomously translocating immunomodulatory proteins. CPEs represent a vast source of potential self-delivering, anti-inflammatory therapeutics. In this review, we give an update on the characteristic features of the plasmid-encoded Yops and, based on recent findings, propose the further development of these proteins for potential therapeutic applications as natural or artificial cell-penetrating forms of Yops might be of value as bacteria-derived biologics.

Current activities of the Yersinia effector protein YopM.

Yersinia outer protein M (YopM) belongs to the group of Yop effector proteins, which are highly conserved among pathogenic Yersinia species. During infection, the effectors are delivered into the host cell cytoplasm via the type 3 secretion system to subvert the host immune response and support the survival of Yersinia. In contrast to the other Yop effectors, YopM does not possess a known enzymatic activity and its molecular mechanism(s) of action remain(s) poorly understood. However, YopM was shown to promote colonization and dissemination of Yersinia, thus being crucial for the pathogen's virulence in vivo. Moreover, YopM interacts with several host cell proteins and might utilize them to execute its anti-inflammatory activities. The results obtained so far indicate that YopM is a multifunctional protein that counteracts the host immune defense by multiple activities, which are at least partially independent of each other. Finally, its functions seem to be also influenced by differences between the specific YopM isoforms expressed by Yersinia subspecies. In this review, we focus on the global as well as more specific contribution of YopM to virulence of Yersinia during infection and point out the various extra- and intracellular molecular functions of YopM. In addition, the novel cell-penetrating ability of recombinant YopM and its potential applications as a self-delivering immunomodulatory therapeutic will be discussed.

Rabbit monoclonal antibodies directed at the T3SS effector protein YopM identify human pathogenic Yersinia isolates.

The Yersinia outer protein M (YopM) is a type 3 secretion system (T3SS)-dependent effector protein of Yersinia enterocolitica, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Yersinia pestis. Although YopM is indispensable for full virulence, its molecular functions still remain largely elusive. Recently, we could identify the recombinant YopM (rYopM) protein derived from the Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 (JB580) as a cell-penetrating protein, which down-regulates the expression of various pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNFα. In this study, we have generated rabbit monoclonal anti-YopM antibodies (RabMabs). RabMabs were characterized by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using various truncated versions of rYopM to identify epitope-containing domains. RabMabs recognizing either the N- or C-terminus of YopM were characterized further and validated using a collection of 61 pathogenic and non-pathogenic Yersinia strains as well as exemplary strains of major intestinal bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella enterica ssp. enterica, Shigella flexneri and intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli. RabMab 41.3 directed at the N-terminus of YopM of Y. enterocolitica strain 8081 recognized all YopM-expressing pathogenic Yersinia strains analyzed in this study but failed to recognize non-pathogenic isolates. Thus, RabMab 41.3 might be applicable for the detection of pathogenic Yersinia strains.