Trichomonas vaginalis targets Lactobacillus jensenii via pseudopodia-independent phagocytosis and secreted lysozyme TvGH25

Zimmann, N.; Havelka, M.; Zdrha, A.; Prochazkova, J.; Smutna, T.; Rada, P.; Verner, Z.; Hart, A.; Sharma, J.; Biboy, J.; Vollmer, D.; Vollmer, W.; Tachezy, J.

doi:10.64898/2026.07.07.735988

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.07.735988

Trichomonas vaginalis targets Lactobacillus jensenii via pseudopodia-independent phagocytosis and secreted lysozyme TvGH25

Zimmann, N.·Havelka, M.·Zdrha, A.·Prochazkova, J.·Smutna, T.·Rada, P.·Verner, Z.·Hart, A.·Sharma, J.·Biboy, J.·Vollmer, D.·Vollmer, W.·Tachezy, J.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A low abundance or absence of protective lactobacilli during acute trichomoniasis is a well-known phenomenon that is associated with T. vaginalis (TV) infection. However, a crucial question that remains unanswered is whether alterations in the lactobacilli population precede TV infection or whether the parasite plays an active role in lactobacilli disappearance. Our findings showed that TV efficiently phagocytosed one of the dominant Lactobacillus species L. jensenii (LJ). Phagocytosis proceeds via a pseudopodia-independent mechanism reminiscent of sinking with a preference for viable cells. The presence of viable LJ leads to an increase in secretion of 27 TV proteins, including TvGH25 lysozyme. This enzyme cleaves peptidoglycan, a major component of the bacterial cell wall. TV overexpressing TvGH25 effectively lowers the bacterial cell count, evidencing the enzymes antimicrobial potential. These data support the notion that TV cells can suppress the Lactobacillus population through a combination of targeted secretory response and phagocytic activity, revealing novel potential targets for developing alternative therapeutic strategies against trichomoniasis. Significance StatementTrichomonas vaginalis (TV) is a sexually transmitted parasite that causes trichomoniasis and is connected to the disruption of the healthy vaginal microbiome, dominated by Lactobacillus species. However, the nature of the interactions between TV and Lactobacillus is poorly understood. In this study, we show that TV uses an unusual form of pseudopodia-independent phagocytosis to engulf L. jensenii alongside a targeted secretory response to the bacterial encounter, involving TvGH25 lysozyme. We found that TV acquired this enzyme by lateral gene transfer from bacteria and repurposed it against bacteria to degrade the major bacterial cell wall component peptidoglycan. TvGH25 thus represents an effective component of TVs antibacterial arsenal. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanistic disruption of the protective Lactobacillus microbiota.

Explore related subjects

microbiology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Zimmann, N., Havelka, M., Zdrha, A., Prochazkova, J., Smutna, T., Rada, P., Verner, Z., Hart, A., Sharma, J., Biboy, J., Vollmer, D., Vollmer, W., Tachezy, J.. 2026-07-07. Trichomonas vaginalis targets Lactobacillus jensenii via pseudopodia-independent phagocytosis and secreted lysozyme TvGH25. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.07.735988

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

A population-scale landscape of the subgingival microbiome reveals divergent routes to periodontal dysbiosis

Periodontitis is an archetypical mucosal inflammatory disease in which microbiome dysbiosis at the tooth-epithelial interface interacts with host genetic and behavioral risk factors to drive immune-mediated tissue destruction. Although subgingival microbiome compositional shifts are thought to parallel disease severity, microbiome variation at the population-level and its relationship to periodontal clinical phenotypes and disease-modifying factors remain poorly defined. Here, we use unsupervised manifold learning to map the compositional landscape of the subgingival microbiome in 1,355 adults spanning periodontal health to severe periodontitis. We identified eight latent microbiome states organized along a branching continuum from eubiosis to dysbiosis. An intermediate microbial configuration marked ecological destabilization and bifurcation into two distinct periodontitis-associated dysbiotic trajectories, distinguished by links to gingival inflammation and smoking. Although the microbiome trajectories broadly tracked periodontal destruction, a minority of individuals showed discordant microbiome-clinical phenotypes, with some individuals with periodontitis retaining otherwise eubiotic microbiomes enriched for low-abundance pathobionts, while some cases of health or mild disease had highly dysbiotic communities, suggesting distinct host susceptibility. Together, these findings define a population-scale ecological landscape of the subgingival microbiome, reveal divergent trajectories to periodontal dysbiosis, and highlight heterogeneity in the relationship between microbial community structure and clinical disease expression.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

The iron-binding siderophore enterobactin is required for the response of multi-drug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae to zinc limitation

To persist during infection Klebsiella pneumoniae must overcome nutrient iron and zinc limitation imposed by the host immune system through a process called nutritional immunity. Secreted small molecule siderophores are a major virulence determinant of Klebsiella pneumoniae pathogenesis and are presumed to overcome nutritional immunity by binding iron for bacterial acquisition. In this work, we set out to identify how a multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae grows in zinc limited environments. Using unbiased transcriptomics, proteomics, and an arrayed transposon screen, we identified that synthesis and uptake of the siderophore enterobactin is required to allow for growth in low zinc conditions. Iron-specific chelators did not replicate this phenotype and addition of supplemental iron through heme in growth media could not complement severe growth defects of enterobactin mutant K. pneumoniae experiencing zinc limitation. Finally, zinc starvation induced enterobactin production independent of the canonical zinc uptake regulator (Zur) transcription factor suggesting an unidentified regulatory mechanism by which Gram-negative pathogens may respond to zinc stress. Together, these studies expand the role of enterobactin beyond iron regulation and highlight a previously unreported link between iron and zinc homeostasis in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2026

A microbiota-derived protease links phage susceptibility to host epithelial responses

Bacteriophages are major ecological drivers of gut microbial ecology, yet whether bacterial mechanisms that determine phage susceptibility have consequences for the mammalian host remains poorly understood. Here, we identify dipeptidyl peptidase 11 (Dpp11a), the predominant active serine protease of the prevalent gut commensal Phocaeicola vulgatus, as an unexpected bacterial defence factor. Dpp11a protects against environmental proteases and confers resistance to bacteriophage infection. Metatranscriptomic analyses further reveal increased expression of both dpp11a and P. vulgatus-associated phage transcripts in ulcerative colitis stool samples, indicating that both components of this interaction are transcriptionally active in disease-associated human microbiomes. Using the microfluidic gut-on-a-chip co-culture model HuMiX, we show that the absence of Dpp11 is accompanied by altered epithelial tight-junction remodelling during phage-bacterial infection. Together, our findings reveal that the consequences of bacterial phage defence can extend beyond phage-bacterium interactions to the mammalian epithelium.

microbiology↗