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The genes encoding homologous 85 kDa outer membrane proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis have been cloned and sequenced. The gonococcal gene, omp85, was identified by screening a genomic library with an antiserum raised against purified gonococcal outer membranes. The gene encoded a 792 amino acid protein, Omp85, having a typical signal peptide and a carboxyl-terminal phenylalanine characteristic of outer membrane proteins. The amino acid sequence was similar to that of the D15 protective surface antigen (D-15-Ag) of Haemophilus influenzae, and the Oma87 of Pasteurella multocida. Southern analysis demonstrated that omp85 was present as a single copy in N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis. PCR amplification was used to obtain a clone of the N. meningitidis omp85 homologue. Sequence analysis revealed that the N. meningitidis Omp85 was 95% identical to the N. gonorrhoeae Omp85.

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The ability to prevent disease by immunization with subunit vaccines that incorporate specific epitopes was demonstrated by DiMarchi et al. (1), who used a synthetic peptide to protect cattle against foot-and-mouth disease. However, generation of antibody to peptide antigens is often difficult owing to the small molecular mass and limited chemical complexity. We tested the hypothesis that recombinant DNA and synthetic peptide techniques would make it possible to stimulate vigorous immune responses to specific epitopes of an outer membrane protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The MtrC AP1 sequence from the invariant MtrC gonococcal lipoprotein was genetically fused to maltose binding protein. The resultant fusion protein was used as the primary immunogen to stimulate MtrC AP1-specific antiserum. To enhance antibody production specific to MtrC AP1, boosting immunizations were performed with synthetic MtrC AP1 sequence contained in a multiple antigenic peptide system immunogen. The MtrC AP1-specific antiserum strongly recognized the MtrC protein on Western blots and appeared to bind native MtrC protein in situ. The generation of antibody in this fashion provides the technology to produce antibody to defined epitopes of any protein, including those found in the gonococcal outer membrane. The ability of those antibodies to inhibit bacterial growth or to activate complement protein can then be tested.

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A 44 kDa protein is a dominant component of periplasmic extracts of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Peptide sequence generated from a cyanogen-bromide-cleaved fragment of this protein indicated sequence homology with elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu). Polyclonal antiserum was made against the 44 kDa protein purified from periplasm extracts of N. gonorrhoeae. The preabsorbed antiserum was immunoblotted against whole-cell lysates on two-dimensional gels. A 44 kDa protein and a smaller 37 kDa protein were recognized by this antiserum. A N. gonorrhoeae gamma phage DNA library was screened and a clone expressing a 44 kDa protein was identified. The DNA insert in this clone contained several genes homologous to genes contained in the str operon of Escherichia coli. One ORF product with a calculated molecular mass of 43 kDa was highly homologous to the EF-TuA of E. coli. A synthetic peptide antiserum specific for a portion of the C terminus of EF-Tu confirmed that the 37 kDa protein in whole-cell lysates of N. gonorrhoeae was a processed form of EF-Tu. Deletion of the tufA gene homologue in N. gonorrhoeae was attempted but was unsuccessful.

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The mtr (multiple transferable resistance) system of Neisseria gonorrhoeae determines levels of gonococcal resistance to hydrophobic agents (HAs), including detergent-like fatty acids and bile salts that bathe certain mucosal surfaces. The genetic organization of the mtr system was determined and found to consist of the mtrR gene, which encodes a transcriptional regulator (MtrR), and three tandemly linked genes termed mtrCDE. The mtrCDE genes were organized in the same apparent transcriptional unit, upstream and divergent from the mtrR gene. The mtrCDE-encoded proteins of N. gonorrhoeae were analogous to a family of bacterial efflux/transport proteins, notably the MexABOprK proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the AcrAE and EnvCD proteins of Escherichia coli, that mediate resistance to drugs, dyes, and detergents. Inactivation of the mtrC gene resulted in loss of the MtrC lipoprotein and rendered gonococci hypersusceptible to structurally diverse HAs; this revealed the importance of the mtr system in determining HAR in gonococci. Further support for a role of the mtrCDE gene complex in determining levels of HAR in gonococci was evident when transformants bearing mutations in the mtrR gene were analysed. In this respect, missense and null mutations in the mtrR gene were found to result in increased levels of MtrC and HAR. However, high levels of MtrC and HAR, similar to those observed for clinical isolates, were associated with a single bp deletion in a 13 bp inverted repeat sequence that intervened the divergent mtrR and mtrC genes. We propose that the 13 bp inverted-repeat sequence represents a transcriptional control element that regulates expression of the mtrRCDE gene complex, thereby modulating levels of gonococcal susceptibility to HAs.

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The periplasm of Neisseria gonorrhoeae should be similar to other Gram-negative bacteria, but no published reports confirm this assumption. We used a periplasmic isolation procedure developed in Escherichia coli to release the periplasmic contents of N. gonorrhoeae. The resultant periplasmic extract lacked lipopolysaccharide, protein markers of inner or outer membranes, surface-radiolabelled protein components, or ribosomal proteins. The periplasmic extract contained a single haem protein believed to be a c-type cytochrome known to exist in the periplasm of other Gram-negative species, and retained significant alkaline phosphatase activity. The dominant protein species released in the periplasmic extract was the gonococcal homologue of elongation factor Tu, a major component released in similar periplasmic extracts of E. coli. These data showed that the extraction procedure selectively released periplasmic components and that the gonococcal periplasm was comparable to that of E. coli. Further analysis of the gonococcal periplasm may provide important insights into the physiology of this pathogen of humans.

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Outer-membrane blebs from two serum-susceptible and two serum-resistant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were characterized. In general, bleb surfaces resembled cell surfaces, but there were qualitative and quantitative protein differences in blebs released by serum-susceptible and serum-resistant strains. Relative to blebs from serum-resistant strains, blebs from serum-susceptible strains expressed reduced amounts of major outer-membrane proteins I and III, and little if any 68,000 Dalton outer-membrane protein.

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We studied the interaction of normal human serum immunoglobulins with outer-membrane bleb antigens of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Gonococcal 68,000 Dalton and Lip (H.8 antigen) outer-membrane proteins were recognized by normal human serum immunoglobulins in blebs from serum-resistant strains, but not in blebs from serum-susceptible strains. The addition of blebs from a serum-resistant strain to bactericidal assays resulted in significantly greater inhibition of serum killing than the addition of blebs from a serum-susceptible strain. Our results indicate that blebs from two serum-resistant gonococcal strains have an enhanced ability to bind and remove cell-targeted bactericidal factors, and that outer-membrane blebbing may contribute to serum resistance.

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The outer membrane of Neisseria gonorrhoeae contains a 44,000 dalton (44kDa) surface-exposed protein which has the reported ability to form covalent interactions with peptidoglycan (PG). This PG-binding outer-membrane protein (OMP) appears to be highly conserved since it has been detected in all isolates examined. It also appears to be invariant since its primary structure among strains gives evidence of being identical (Judd et al., 1991). While studying the interaction of gonococcal penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) with human lysosomal cathepsin G, we noticed that the 44kDa PG-binding OMP exhibited certain properties similar to PBP3. In this study we sought to obtain biochemical evidence to ascertain whether these proteins were the same. We found that both proteins fractionated with other sarkosyl-insoluble OMPs and that they exhibited similar susceptibility to cleavage in situ by enzymatically active cathepsin G. Moreover, a purified preparation of the 44kDa OMP was found to covalently bind radiolabelled benzylpenicillin in vitro. Thus, the data presented herein suggest that the 44kDa PG-binding OMP and PBP3 are the same OMP.

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A previous study in our laboratory identified a surface-exposed peptidoglycan-associated protein of Neisseria gonorrhoeae which had an apparent molecular mass of 44,000 daltons (44kDa) (Hill and Judd, 1989). This paper reports results which confirm that the 44kDa protein is surface-exposed, and that the protein is expressed in, and is structurally invariant among, 14 strains of N. gonorrhoeae. The fact that the 44kDa outer-membrane protein is found in a conserved form in all gonococci examined strongly suggests that it is crucial to the bacterium's survival. Moreover, it appears that this protein is a penicillin-binding protein (PBP3) (Shafer and Judd, 1991). This invariant, surface-exposed, peptidoglycan-associated outer-membrane protein deserves further investigation to elucidate its role in the immunobiology of N. gonorrhoeae, and its possible use as an immunoprophylactic reagent.

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Resistance to normal human serum (NHS) killing in Neisseria gonorrhoeae has been associated with particular types of Protein I (PI) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but many exceptions exist, and the role of these structures in determining serum reactivities remains controversial. In reality, the response of the gonococcus to NHS is probably governed by several parameters involving a number of outer-membrane (OM) components. We surveyed the serum reactivities of 14 strains of N. gonorrhoeae and characterized each of their major OM components. The strains presented a spectrum of sensitivity to pooled NHS. As assessed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting, and peptide mapping, the strains were also quite heterogeneous in terms of PI, H.8 antigen, and LPS type, and the presence of the 2-1-L8 epitope. Five of the strains had identical PIAs in varying LPS and H.8 backgrounds, and four had identical PIBs in varying LPS and H.8 backgrounds. As assessed by electrophoretic migration and monoclonal antibody binding, Protein III and the 44,000 Dalton protein were identical in these strains. We found no association between PI subclass and serum sensitivity, while H.8 and LPS variation appeared to be related to bactericidal responses. The diversity and close interaction of gonococcal components in the OM are undoubtedly involved in differential abilities to survive NHS killing.

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Pooled normal human serum killing of 14 strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was assessed by dilution plate and microtiter methods. In both assays, the strains presented a spectrum of sensitivity to the serum. In the dilution plate assay, results with two different concentrations of human serum were similar for most, but not all of the strains tested. When data for all of the strains were compared, no correlation was found between the dilution plate and microtiter bactericidal assays. Finally, we found that the bactericidal capacities of intact and complement-depleted human sera were very similar when assessed by microtiter methods, suggesting a non-complement-mediated serum killing mechanism.

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Reverse transcriptase has been purified from feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) by DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose chromatography. The purified enzyme consists of a single protein with a Mr of 67,000. When proteolysis is not minimized during purification, a fragment of Mr 54,000 is also observed. This is similar to the reverse transcriptase from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV), which consists of a polypeptide of Mr 66,000; when proteolysis is not minimized during purification, a fragment of Mr 51,000 is also observed. In direct comparisons, the FIV reverse transcriptase is very similar to the HIV reverse transcriptase in template specificity and requirements for Mg2+. In contrast to these similarities, the FIV and HIV reverse transcriptases are substantially different in primary sequence, as determined by peptide mapping.

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The principal proteins associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae peptidoglycan (PG), as identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, are the following: two proteins at approximately 90 kilodaltons (kDa), single major species at both 60 and 44 kDa, a 34- to 36-kDa protein, and three proteins between 28 and 32 kDa. A protein analogous to Escherichia coli Braun lipoprotein was not detected with gonococcal cell wall preparations. The identity of the PG-associated proteins was confirmed immunologically with antibody generated against purified cell walls. Two types of protein species, dithiothreitol extractable (the majority) and alkylation dependent (primarily the 34- to 36-kDa protein), appeared to be associated with the N. gonorrhoeae cell wall fraction. It was found that a crucial step in the extraction of the proteins from the PG fraction was the inclusion of an acetone-water wash of the purified PG pellet. Studies with cell wall preparations obtained from N. gonorrhoeae intrinsically labeled with 32P revealed that the acetone wash was removing phospholipid from the cell wall fraction and thus facilitating protein extraction. Autoradiographic analysis with PG material derived from 125I-surface-labeled cells indicated that the 44-kDa protein is exposed on the surface of the organism even when associated with the PG layer. Radioimmunoprecipitation with anti-PG antibody confirmed these findings. Lectin analysis (wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase) suggested that the 34- to 36-kDa protein is covalently attached to the PG layer.

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Four transformant strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were generated, two of which (WS3 and WS5) had protein I subclass A (P.IA) and two which (WS2 and WS4) had protein I subclass B (P.IB). Analysis of the strains demonstrated that the two P.IA-bearing strains differed in lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and H.8 antigen, as assessed by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblotting. The WS5 strain had slow-migrating LOS and H.8 antigen, and the WS3 strain had fast-migrating LOS and H.8 antigen. The P.IB-bearing strains also had either slow-migrating LOS and H.8 antigen (WS4) or fast-migrating LOS and H.8 antigen (WS2). Structural and exposure analysis revealed that although the P.IAs were identical in the WS3 and WS5 strains, there was a slight alteration of the exposure of the proteins which correlated with altered LOS and/or H.8 antigen. The P.IBs were also shown to be structurally identical, but the LOS and/or H.8 antigen variation in these strains correlated with a more pronounced alteration in the exposure of the P.IB molecules. The differences in protein I (P.I) exposure were generally found in highly negatively charged regions of the molecule, suggesting that the immunogenicity and/or antigenicity of the P.I molecules may vary as a result of LOS and/or H.8 antigen alterations.

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The binding of C3 and C9 on serum sensitive (FA635) and serum resistant (FA638) transformants of serum sensitive Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain F62 was examined. Previous studies showed that these transformants have Protein IAs which are minimally different by proteinase K cleavage and primary structural and peptide mapping and bear LPS which vary slightly on SDS-PAGE. Binding of C3 and C9 on FA635 exceeded binding on FA638 in NHS and in adsorbed NHS. Monoclonal antibody 4G5, which binds to PI on FA638 but not FA635, increases C9 binding on FA638 to levels 3-3.5 fold greater than on FA635 but does not result in killing. The majority of additional 125IC9 deposited on FA638 following presensitization with 4G5 is released from the bacterial surface by trypsin. These results extend our earlier results with N. gonorrhoeae by showing that, although PI monoclonals can lead to substantial deposition of non-bactericidal C5b-9, this C5b-9 is not fully inserted into the gonococcal outer membrane.

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Naturally elaborated membrane bleb material is frequently observed in cultures of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This material was purified and analyzed for protein, lipopolysaccharide, and nucleic acid content. The electrophoretic protein profiles of two bleb-rich fractions, called BI and BII, were distinct, with only BII containing lipopolysaccharide and outer membrane proteins I and III. Both fractions contained RNA, circular DNA, and linear DNA. Exogenous pancreatic DNase I appeared to hydrolyze all bleb-associated DNA in fraction BI and the linear DNA in fraction BII. The circular DNA molecules associated with fraction BII resisted digestion. Electron microscopy of the bleb fractions verified their DNA content. Fixing blebs with glutaraldehyde before mounting them for microscopy prevented release of internal DNA. Such fixation produced little change in the micrographs of BI; however, only traces of DNA were observed in fixed BII preparations. Incubation of wild-type gonococci in mixtures of DNase and blebs purified from antibiotic-resistant strains resulted in efficient exchange of penicillinase-specifying R plasmids. Recipients incorporated plasmids independently of endogenous and exogenous chromosomal streptomycin resistance markers. These in vitro results suggest that bleb formation by N. gonorrhoeae may serve to transfer plasmids intercellularly in vivo, perhaps constituting a previously unexplored genetic exchange mechanism in these bacteria.

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