Identification of vacuoles containing extraintestinal differentiated forms of Legionella pneumophila in colonized Caenorhabditis elegans soil nematodes

摘要: Legionella pneumophila, a causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, is facultative intracellular parasite freshwater protozoa. pneumophila features unique developmental network that involves several forms including the infectious cyst forms. Reservoirs L. include natural and man-made systems; however, recent studies have shown isolates can also be obtained directly from garden potting soil suggesting presence an additional reservoir. A previous study employing metazoan Caenorhabditis elegans, member Rhabditidae family free-living nematodes, demonstrated intestinal lumen colonized with pneumophila. While both replicative differentiated were observed in C. these morphologically distinct initially to restricted lumen. Using live DIC imaging coupled focused transmission electron microscopy analyses, we report here able invade establish Legionella-containing vacuoles (LCVs) cells. In addition, LCVs containing pseudocoelomic cavity gonadal tissue nematodes Furthermore, establishment was Dot/Icm dependent required endocytic factor RME-1 gain access maturing oocytes. Our findings are novel as this first report, our knowledge, extraintestinal elegans tissues, highlighting potential soil-dwelling alternate environmental reservoir for