An Electroporation Method to Transform Rickettsia spp. with a Fluorescent Protein-Expressing Shuttle Vector in Tick Cell Lines

Summary

Electroporation is a rapid, broadly adopted method for introducing exogenous DNA into the genus Rickettsia. This protocol provides a useful electroporation method for the transformation of obligate intracellular bacteria in the genus Rickettsia.

Abstract

Rickettsioses are caused by a broad range of obligate intracellular bacteria belonging to the genus Rickettsia that can be transmitted to vertebrate hosts through the bite of infected arthropod vectors. To date, emerging or re-emerging epidemic rickettsioses remain a public health risk due to the difficulty in diagnosis, as diagnostic methods are limited and not standardized or universally accessible. Misdiagnosis resulting from a lack of recognition of the signs and symptoms may result in delayed antibiotic treatment and poor health outcomes. A comprehensive understanding of Rickettsia characteristics would ultimately improve clinical diagnosis, assessment, and treatment with improved control and prevention of the disease.

Functional studies of rickettsial genes are crucial for understanding their role in pathogenesis. This paper describes a procedure for the electroporation of the Rickettsia parkeri strain Tate's Hell with the shuttle vector pRAM18dSFA and the selection of transformed R. parkeri in tick cell culture with antibiotics (spectinomycin and streptomycin). A method is also described for the localization of transformed R. parkeri in tick cells using confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, a useful technique for checking transformation in vector cell lines. Similar approaches are also suitable for the transformation of other rickettsiae.

Introduction

Rickettsioses are caused by a broad range of obligate intracellular bacteria that belong to the genus Rickettsia (family Rickettsiaceae, order Rickettsiales). The genus Rickettsia is classified into four major groups based on phylogenetic characteristics^1,2: the spotted fever group (SFG), which contains those rickettsiae that cause the most severe and fatal tick-borne rickettsioses (e.g., Rickettsia rickettsii, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), the typhus group (TG, e.g., Rickettsia prowazekii, the agent of epidemic typhus), the transitional group (TRG, e....

Protocol

1. Propagation and purification of R. parkeri from tick cell culture

NOTE: All cell culture procedures are to be performed in a class II biosafety cabinet.

1. Preparing R. parkeri-infected tick cells
   1. Grow ISE6 cells in 25 cm² cell culture flasks at 34 °C in 5 mL of L15C300 medium¹⁷, supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 5% tryptose phosphate broth (TPB), and 0.1% lipoprotein concentrate (LPC).
      NOTE: ISE6 (Ixodes scapularis embryo-derived cell line) is a tick cell line extensively used in many laboratories and is, thus, a....

Results

The morphology of R. parkeri in ISE6 cells under a light microscope after Giemsa staining are shown in Figure 1. In Figure 2, transformed R. parkeri expressing red fluorescence protein in ISE6 cells are shown using confocal microscopy. There is a substantial increase in the infection rate of transformed R. parkeri (red) in ISE6 cells (blue, corresponds to the nuclei) from (A) day 7 to (B) day 10 of inc.......

Discussion

Here, we demonstrate a method for introducing exogenous DNA encoded on the shuttle plasmid pRAM18dSFA into rickettsiae using electroporation. In this procedure, cell-free rickettsiae were purified from host cells, transformed with a rickettsial shuttle vector, and released onto tick cells for infection. Also described is a confocal immunofluorescence procedure to detect red fluorescence protein-expressing R. parkeri in tick cells. Similar methods are applicable to other Rickettsia species and with furth.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.1 cm gap gene pulser electroporation cuvette	Bio-Rad	1652083
2 μm pore size filter	GE Healthcare Life Sciences Whatman	6783-2520
5 mL Luer-lock syringe	BD	309646
60-90 silicon carbide grit	LORTONE, inc	591-056
absolute methanol	Fisher Scientific	A457-4
Bacto tryptose phosphate broth	BD	260300
Cytospin centrifuge Cytospin4	Thermo Fisher Scientific	A78300003	The rotor is detachable so the whole rotor can be put into the hood to load infectious samples
EndoFree Plasmid Maxi Kit (10)	QIAGEN	12362	used to obtain endotoxin-free pRAM18dSFA plasmid
extended fine tip transfer pipet	Perfector Scientific	TP03-5301
fetal bovine serum	Gemini Bio	900-108	The FBS batch has to be tested to make sure ISE6 cells will grow well in it.
Gene Pulser II electroporator with Pulse Controller PLUS	Bio-Rad	165-2105 & 165-2110
hemocytometer	Thermo Fisher Scientific	267110
HEPES	Millipore-Sigma	H4034
ImageJ Fiji	National Institute of Health		raw image editing
KaryoMAX Giemsa stain	Gibco	2021-10-30
Leibovitz's L-15 medium	Gibco	41300039
lipoprotein concentrate	MP Biomedicals	191476
Nikon Diaphot	Nikon		epifluorescence microscope
NucBlue Live ReadyProbes Reagent	Thermo Fisher Scientific	R37605
Olympus Disc Scanning Unit (DSU) confocal microscope	Olympus
Petroff-Hausser Counting Chamber	Hausser Scientific	Chamber 3900
sodium bicarbonate	Millipore-Sigma	S5761
Vortex	Fisher Vortex Genie 2	12-812