The unique Brucella effectors NyxA and NyxB target SENP3 to modulate the subcellular localisation of nucleolar proteins

The cell nucleus is a primary target for intracellular bacterial pathogens to counteract immune responses and hijack host signalling pathways to cause disease. The mechanisms controlling nuclear protein localisation in the context of stress responses induced upon bacterial infection are still poorly understood. Here we show that the Brucella abortus effectors NyxA and NyxB interfere with the host sentrin specific protease 3 (SENP3), which is essential for intracellular replication. Translocated Nyx effectors directly interact with SENP3 via a defined acidic patch identified from the crystal structure of NyxB, preventing its nucleolar localisation at the late stages of the infection. By sequestering SENP3, the Nyx effectors induce the cytoplasmic accumulation of the nucleolar AAA-ATPase NVL, the large subunit ribosomal protein L5 (RPL5) and the ribophagy receptor NUFIP1 in Nyx-enriched structures in the vicinity of replicating bacteria. This shuttling of ribosomal biogenesis-associated nucleolar proteins is negatively regulated by SENP3 and dependent on the autophagy-initiation protein Beclin1, indicative of a ribophagy-derived process induced during Brucella infection. Our results highlight a new nucleomodulatory function by two unique Brucella effectors, and reveal that SENP3 is a critical regulator of the subcellular localisation of multiple nucleolar proteins during Brucella infection, promoting intracellular replication.