Scientific article
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English

GBP1 recruitment to actin-rich pedestals of extracellular Gram-negative bacteria promotes pyroptosis

Published inEMBO journal, vol. 45, no. 14, p. 5046-5078
Publication date2026-07
First online date2026-06-09
Abstract

The IFNγ-induced GTPase guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) binds to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cytosolic gram-negative bacteria and promotes pyroptosis via the recruitment and activation of caspase-4 on the bacterial outer membrane. Enteropathogenic and enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively) are extracellular pathogens that adhere to host cells and stimulate dense actin polymerisation underneath their attachment sites, generating structures described as actin-rich pedestals. Here, we show that GBP1 traffics to actin-rich pedestals in human cells infected with EPEC or EHEC in vitro and mouse colonocytes infected with the EPEC-like murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium in vivo. GBP1 promotes caspase-4 recruitment to actin-rich pedestals, leading to pyroptosis and IL-18 release. GBP1 mutants defective in LPS coatomer formation also localise to EPEC pedestals. A novel assay that mimics pathogenic effector activity reveals GBP1 recruitment to sterile actin polymerisation sites. We conclude that cytosolic GBP1 is mobilised to sites of pathogen-induced actin remodelling independently of LPS. Our study establishes that GBP1 not only operates as a pattern-recognition receptor but also orchestrates effector-triggered immunity against pathogens that hijack the actin cytoskeleton.

Keywords
  • Actins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Caspases, Initiator / metabolism
  • Citrobacter rodentium / pathogenicity
  • Enterobacteriaceae Infections / metabolism
  • Enterobacteriaceae Infections / microbiology
  • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli / pathogenicity
  • Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli / pathogenicity
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-18 / metabolism
  • Lipopolysaccharides / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Pyroptosis
Funding
  • UKRI | Medical Research Council [MR/V030930/1]
  • Commonwealth Scholarship Commission [INCN-2024-75]
  • HHS | National Institutes of Health [1R01AI169618-01A1]
  • CRUK | Cancer Research UK Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories [DRCNPG-Nov21\100001]
  • Cancer Research UK [FC001057,361 FC001002]
  • Wellcome Trust [FC001057,FC001002]
  • NIAID NIH HHS [R01 AI169618]
Citation (ISO format)
BENNISON, Daniel J et al. GBP1 recruitment to actin-rich pedestals of extracellular Gram-negative bacteria promotes pyroptosis. In: EMBO journal, 2026, vol. 45, n° 14, p. 5046–5078. doi: 10.1038/s44318-026-00830-z
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Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttps://link.springer.com/10.1038/s44318-026-00830-z
Journal ISSN0261-4189
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Creation21/09/2026 10:08:49
First validation21/09/2026 14:09:09
Update21/09/2026 14:09:09
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