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Infection and Immunity, May 2000, p. 2566-2572, Vol. 68, No. 5
Departments of Anesthesia and
Critical Care,2 Infectious
Diseases,1
Pathology,3 and
Pediatrics,5 Massachusetts General Hospital and
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, and Department
of Pediatrics, Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles and University of
Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles,
California4
Complexes containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and three outer
membrane proteins (OMPs) are released by gram-negative bacteria incubated in human serum and into the circulation in an experimental model of sepsis. The same OMPs are bound by immunoglobulin G (IgG) in
the cross-protective antiserum raised to Escherichia coli
J5 (anti-J5 IgG). This study was performed to identify the three OMPs.
The 35-kDa OMP was identified as outer membrane protein A (OmpA) by
immunoblotting studies using OmpA-deficient bacteria and recombinant
OmpA protein. The 18-kDa OMP was identified as peptidoglycan-associated
lipoprotein (PAL) based on peptide sequences from the purified protein
and immunoblotting studies using PAL-deficient bacteria. The 5- to
9-kDa OMP was identified as murein lipoprotein (MLP) based on
immunoblotting studies using MLP-deficient bacteria. The studies
identify the OMPs released into human serum and into the circulation in
an experimental model of sepsis as OmpA, PAL, and MLP.
Bacterial cell wall components
released into the bloodstream are believed to be important in the
pathogenesis of gram-negative sepsis. Although prior investigators have
reported that bacteria release lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into
serum (62, 63) and into the circulation (4, 18, 56,
66), the full composition of released bacterial products has not
been established. Very little is known about release of non-LPS
gram-negative outer membrane components such as outer membrane proteins
(OMPs) in sepsis. Fragments containing LPS, OmpA, and another faintly
staining protein, of 17 kDa, were affinity purified from filtrates of
human serum incubated with Salmonella enterica serovar
Abortus equi bacteria using O-chain-specific anti-LPS immunoglobulin G
(IgG) (20). Similarly, we have affinity purified
complexes containing LPS and at least three OMPs, with estimated
molecular masses of 35, 18, and 5 to 9 kDa, from filtrates of normal
human serum incubated with Escherichia coli bacteria, using O-chain-specific anti-LPS IgG (29, 30).
Previous studies indicated that passive and active immunity directed to
rough mutant bacteria such as S. enterica serovar Minnesota
Re595 and E. coli J5 protect in experimental and clinical gram-negative sepsis (1, 5, 11, 42, 43, 68). Protection has
been attributed to antibodies directed to conserved core components of
LPS (lipid A and core oligosaccharide). However, it has been difficult
to prove that antisera to rough strains of bacteria contain
cross-reactive anti-lipid A or anti-core oligosaccharide IgGs (15,
57), and the exact mechanism of protection remains unclear and controversial.
We have demonstrated that IgG in antiserum raised to heat-killed
E. coli J5 (J5 antiserum) binds to the same three
gram-negative bacterial OMPs that are released into serum in the
OMP-LPS complexes described above (30). OMP-LPS complexes
are also released into the bloodstream of burned rats with E. coli O18K+ sepsis (29). In addition, at
least one OMP, with an estimated molecular mass of 18 kDa, is released
from bacteria separately from the OMP-LPS complexes and in a form that
is selectively affinity purified from human serum and septic rat plasma
by IgG in J5 antiserum (29).
This study was performed to identify the 35-, 18-, and 5- to 9-kDa OMPs
that are released in vitro into human serum (30) and in vivo
into the circulation in experimental gram-negative sepsis
(29) and are bound by IgG in J5 antiserum.
Bacterial strains, media, and growth conditions.
E.
coli J5 was a gift from J. C. Sadoff (Walter Reed Army
Institute of Research, Washington, D.C.); E. coli O18:K1:H7
(designated E. coli O18K+), E. coli
O18:K1
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Outer Membrane Protein A, Peptidoglycan-Associated Lipoprotein,
and Murein Lipoprotein Are Released by Escherichia coli
Bacteria into Serum
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ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
:G2A (a nonencapsulated derivative of O18:K1:H7,
designated E. coli O18K
), E. coli
O8:K45:H1, E. coli O16:K1:H6, and E. coli
O25:K5:H1 were gifts from A. Cross (University of Maryland Cancer
Center, Baltimore). OMP-deficient E. coli K-12 and E. coli O18 mutants and closely related OMP-containing bacteria were
used for immunoblotting studies. E. coli O18 E91
(OmpA-deficient derivative of E. coli O18:K1:H7) and E69
(OmpA-restored derivative of E. coli O18:K1:H7) were
generated as previously described (52). E. coli
K-12 1292 (39), JC7752 (peptidoglycan-associated
lipoprotein [PAL]-deficient derivative of 1292), and 7752(p417)
(PAL-restored mutant of JC7752) were kindly provided by J.-C.
Lazzaroni (Université Claude Bernard, Lyon, France). E. coli K-12(p400), CH202 [PAL-deficient mutant of E. coli K-12(p400)], and CH202(pRC2) (PAL-restored derivative of
CH202) were kindly provided by U. Henning (Max-Planck-Institut für Biologie, Tübingen, Germany) (12). The
E. coli K-12 mutant that lacks murein lipoprotein (MLP;
Braun's lipoprotein) due to a deletion of the 1po gene,
JE5505 (F
1po his proA argE thi gal lac xyl mtl
tsx), and its otherwise identical 1po-positive partner
that contains MLP, JE5506 (F
pps his proA argE thi
gal lac xyl mtl tsx), were kindly provided by H. Nikaido
(University of California, Berkeley) (32).
Monoclonal antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against each of the three OMPs bound by IgG in J5 antiserum and against the O-polysaccharide of E. coli O18 LPS. For production of anti-OMP monoclonal antibodies, BALB/c mice (Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, Mass.) were immunized with heat-killed, lyophilized E. coli J5 vaccine prepared as described elsewhere (57). Vaccine was resuspended in sterile normal saline (1 mg/ml). Increasing doses (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mg) were injected intraperitoneally three times per week for 3 weeks. Booster injections were given monthly for 1 to 3 months, with the final booster 3 days before the spleen was harvested. Splenocytes were harvested and fused with myeloma cells by standard laboratory protocol (27, 36). Hybridoma cell lines were cultured in Dulbecco's modification of Eagle's medium (Cellgro; Mediatech Inc., Herndon, Va.) supplemented with glucose (4.5 g/liter), L-glutamine, 20% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (Mediatech), penicillin (100 U/ml), and streptomycin (100 mg/ml).
The three OMPs are exposed on the surface of bacteria after incubation in human serum (30). Accordingly, monoclonal antibodies were initially screened by bacterial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), using serum-exposed smooth E. coli isolates (E. coli O8:K45:H1, O16:K1:H6, and O25:K5:H1) as coating antigen and hybridoma culture supernatants as primary antibody. Antibodies that bound to serum-exposed bacteria were then tested by immunoblotting using E. coli O25:K5:H1 bacterial lysates as antigen and hybridoma culture supernatants as primary antibody. A MilliBlot-MP membrane processor (Millipore Corporation, Bedford, Mass.) was used for application of primary antibody. Blots were developed as described below. Following initial screening, hybridomas of interest were subcloned by limiting dilution to one cell in every fourth well to derive subclones with strong growth characteristics and high production of the antibodies with the binding characteristics described below. Polyclonal mouse anti-J5 IgG was used as a positive control, and preimmune serum served as the negative control. Antibodies directed against the OMPs were selected based on binding to bands in bacterial lysates that were the same molecular weights as the three OMPs bound by anti-J5 IgG (30). To confirm that the monoclonal antibodies were binding OMPs, immunoblotting was performed with outer membranes that were incubated with or without proteinase K prior to electrophoresis as previously described (30). Two methods were used to prepare large amounts of the monoclonal IgGs from the hybridoma cell lines isolated as described above. Monoclonal antibodies directed to each of the three OMPs and to the O polysaccharide of E. coli O18 LPS (monoclonal anti-O18 IgG) were produced in ascites fluid of BALB/c mice by mouse hybridoma cell lines. The hybridoma cell line producing anti-O IgG was the kind gift of A. Cross (34). Ten days after intraperitoneal instillation of 0.5 ml of pristane (Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.), 5 × 106 to 10 × 106 hybridoma cells were collected, washed twice in Hanks' balanced salt solution (Mediatech), and injected intraperitoneally. Ascites fluid was collected by aspiration every 2 to 3 days three times (27). Monoclonal antibody against the 18-kDa OMP was also produced in an artificial capillary cell culture system (Cellmax; Cellco, Laguna Hills, Calif.). The cartridge (Cellmax 011 module) was inoculated with 2.5 × 107 viable cells. Culture medium was Dulbecco's modification of Eagle's medium (Mediatech) supplemented with glucose (4.5 g/liter), L-glutamine, 2.5 to 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (Mediatech), penicillin (100 U/ml), and streptomycin (100 mg/ml). The concentration of IgG produced in the artificial capillary cell culture was 0.3 to 1.0 mg/ml as determined by ELISA. Anti-OMP antibodies showed no cross-reactivity with LPS or with proteins in human serum by immunoblotting. The monoclonal anti-O18 IgG does not cross-react with LPS from other organisms, with the OMPs, or with proteins in human serum by immunoblotting.Sera, antisera, IgG, and immunobeads.
Sera and antisera were
prepared from the blood of 2- to 3-kg New Zealand White rabbits (ARI
Breeding Laboratories, East Bridgewater, Mass.) and BALB/c mice.
Antiserum to a vaccine of heat-killed E. coli J5 (J5
antiserum) was prepared from pooled blood from 10 rabbits as previously
described (30, 57). Murine antiserum against E. coli J5 vaccine was collected from mice immunized as described
above. A vaccine of E. coli O18 O polysaccharide consisting of the purified O-polysaccharide conjugated to toxin A of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa was a gift from A. Cross
(17). Rabbit antiserum to the O polysaccharide of E. coli O18 LPS (polyclonal anti-O18 IgG) was prepared using 10 mg of
vaccine per inoculation as previously described (30). All
sera were immediately prepared after venipuncture, aliquoted, and
frozen (
80°C) until use. IgG in polyclonal rabbit antisera to
heat-killed E. coli J5 does not cross-react with components of normal human serum by immunoblotting. Polyclonal anti-O18 IgG does
not cross-react with LPS from heterologous bacteria, OMPs, or
components of normal human serum by ELISA and/or immunoblotting.
80°C) and
thawed immediately prior to use.
IgG was purified from hyperimmune serum, from artificial capillary cell
culture supernatants, and from ammonium sulfate-precipitated ascites
fluid by passage over a protein G-Sepharose 4 fast-flow column
(Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) as described elsewhere (27, 64). Bound IgG was eluted from the column with 0.1 M glycine (pH
2.7) and was immediately neutralized with 1 M Tris buffer (pH 9.0).
Purified IgG was dialyzed against phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH
7.2) and stored at
80°C. Protein concentration was determined by
ELISA (69) and by UV absorption
(A280).
IgGs were covalently conjugated to magnetic beads (BioMag Amine
Terminated 8-4100, PerSeptive Diagnostics, Cambridge, Mass.) according
to the manufacturer's instructions and as previously described
(30). Monoclonal IgG directed against the 18-kDa OMP was
covalently conjugated to cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose 4B beads
(Pharmacia) according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Immunoblotting.
Immunoblotting was used to detect binding of
antisera and monoclonal antibodies to lysates of bacteria
(106/well), samples collected during the purification of
the 18-kDa OMP, and bacterial antigens that were affinity purified from
filtrates of human serum incubated with bacteria. All samples were
prepared in sample buffer (2.5% sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS], 22%
glycerol, 0.5%
-mercaptoethanol, and trace bromophenol blue in Tris
base), electrophoresed on SDS-16% polyacrylamide gels, and
transferred to nitrocellulose (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, Calif.)
by applying 200 mA of constant current at 4°C for 1 h (Hoefer
Scientific Instruments, San Francisco, Calif.). The nitrocellulose was
blocked with 1% powdered skim milk in TTBS (150 mM NaCl, 50 mM Tris,
0.1% Tween 20 [pH 7.5]), washed with TTBS, incubated with primary
antibodies in TTBS, and washed. Primary antibodies included rabbit or
mouse J5 antiserum (diluted 500- and 4,000-fold respectively), murine monoclonal antibodies to each of the three OMPs (at a concentration of
1 mg/ml), or polyclonal anti-O18 IgG (diluted 500-fold). Blots were
then incubated for 30 min with biotin-conjugated anti-rabbit or
anti-mouse IgG antibody (Vectastain; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, Calif.) diluted 1:240 in TTBS, washed, and then incubated for 30 min in
a mixture of avidin and biotinylated horseradish peroxidase complex, as
specified by the manufacturer (Vectastain). After a final wash with
PBS, peroxidase substrate (2 ml of 4-chloro-1-naphthol, [3 mg/ml], 8 ml of PBS, 10 µl of 30% H2O2) was added. The
reaction was stopped after 20 to 30 min.
Purification of the 18-kDa OMP. The final purification procedure for the 18-kDa OMP consisted of (i) preparation of total bacterial membranes, (ii) Triton X-100 extraction of bacterial membranes, (iii) affinity chromatography using Sepharose beads conjugated with 6D7 (the anti-18 kDa OMP monoclonal antibody), and (iv) reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation. Details of the purification steps are described below.
Total bacterial membranes were prepared from mid-late-log-phase cultures of E. coli O18K
essentially as
described previously (30, 49). Unless otherwise indicated,
all steps were performed at 4 to 6°C. Two-liter cultures of bacteria
were harvested by centrifugation, and the resultant pellets were
resuspended in a total of 60 ml of prechilled 10 mM HEPES buffer (pH
7.4) with 25% sucrose (wt/vol) and 0.2 mM dithiothreitol (Fisher
Biochemicals, Fair Lawn, N.J.). RNase and DNase (Sigma) were each added
to a final concentration of 4 µg/ml. Cells were disrupted by
sonicating the suspension on ice (microtip, 30- to 60-s bursts
separated by 60 to 90 s, total sonication time of 4 min). Unbroken
bacteria and other debris were removed by centrifugation
(10,000 × g, 40 min), and the supernatant was
collected (volume of 60 ml); 15 ml of HEPES buffer (pH 7.4) containing
EDTA (25 mM), and dithiothreitol (0.2 mM) was added to the 60 ml to adjust the concentration of sucrose to 20% (wt/vol) and the
concentration of EDTA to 5 mM. Samples were layered onto a 60%
(wt/vol) sucrose cushion (7.5 ml of sample per 4.5 ml of cushion), and
ultracentrifuged (100,000 × g, 3 h, 6°C).
Bacterial membranes present in the hazy white/yellow band at the
interface were collected by puncturing the side of the tube with a
20-gauge needle and aspirating with a 1-ml syringe (approximately 0.5 ml/tube, final volume, 5 ml). Total membranes were dialyzed against 6 liters of Tris-HCl (20 mM, pH 8). The final volume of dialyzed material
was approximately 15 ml per 2 liters of the starting bacterial culture.
Sixty milliliters of dialyzed total membranes representing 8 liters of
the starting bacterial culture was concentrated to 36 ml using a
nitrogen pressurized system and a Diaflo ultrafiltration membrane, YM30
filter (Millipore Company, Danvers, Mass.), and extracted with Triton
X-100. Twelve milliliters of 10% Triton X-100 in Tris-HCl (20 mM, pH
8.4) with the protease inhibitor 4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl
fluoride (Sigma) and EDTA was added to the membranes [final
concentrations; 2.5% Triton X-100, 0.5 mM
4-(2-aminoethyl)benzenesulfonyl fluoride, 5 mM EDTA]. The sample was
incubated at room temperature for 30 min and then ultracentrifuged (TH641 swinging-bucket rotor, 100,000 × g, 2 h,
6°C). The resultant supernatant (48 ml) was circulated overnight at 9 to 10 ml/h through a 5.5-ml column of mouse monoclonal IgG directed
against the 18-kDa OMP covalently conjugated to cyanogen
bromide-activated Sepharose 4B beads (4°C). The column was washed (36 ml, 2.5% Triton X-100 in 200 mM sodium phosphate, 0.5 M NaCl [pH
6.8]), and then bound antigen was eluted in 0.5 and 1% SDS (in 200 mM
phosphate, 0.5 M NaCl [pH 6.8]). Eluted material was concentrated to
4 ml by centrifugation in a Centricon Plus-20 centrifugal filter device (10-kDa cutoff; Biomax-8 series; Millipore).
Three milliliters of the concentrated affinity-purified sample was
applied to an analytical C4 reverse-phase HPLC column
(Vydac, Hesperia, Calif.) and eluted using a linear gradient of 5 to
95% acetonitrile-0.1% trifluoroacetic acid-H2O at a
flow rate of 1 ml/min. Fractions were collected at 1-min intervals into
20 µl of twofold-concentrated SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) sample buffer (5% SDS and 44% glycerol in Tris base) and lyophilized. Lyophilized samples were resuspended in 40 µl of water
with
-mercaptoethanol (0.5%) and trace bromophenol blue and heated
(100°C, 5 to 10 min). Fractions were electrophoresed and analyzed for
the 18-kDa OMP by immunoblotting using anti-J5 IgG or 6D7 (the
monoclonal anti-18-kDa OMP IgG) as the primary antibody.
Sequencing of the purified 18-kDa OMP. The peak fraction from the C4 HPLC separation was electrophoresed on an SDS-16% polyacrylamide gel and stained with Coomassie brilliant blue. The faintly staining 18-kDa band was then cut from the gel, washed twice (50% acetonitrile, 0.5 ml, 3 min), and frozen. Sequence analysis of two peptides of a trypsin digestion of the protein in the gel was performed at the Harvard Microchemistry Facility by tandem mass spectrometry on a Finnigan LCQ quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer.
Recombinant OmpA. The coding region of the 325-amino-acid mature OmpA protein, excluding the 21-amino-acid signal sequence (GenBank accession no. V00307), was generated by PCR amplification of DNA from an extract of E. coli O18:K1:H7. OmpA-specific PCR primers (OmpABac1 [5'GACGACGACAAGGCTCCGAAAGATAACACCTG3'] and OmpABac2 [5'GAGGAGAAGCCCGGTTAAGCCTGCGGCTGAGTTAC3']) contained 5' extensions for cloning into the transfer plasmid pBACgus-2cp (Novagen, Madison, Wis.). The transfer plasmid containing the OmpA coding sequence, OmpA/pBACgus-2cp, was then transfected into the BacVector-2000 Triple Cut Baculovirus DNA in Sf9 cells as instructed by the manufacturer (Novagen, Madison, Wis.). Positive recombinants were expanded, and high-titer virus was produced, to give multiplicities of infection in the range of 10 to 20 for maximal protein expression in Sf9 cells. The final baculovirus construct contained the OmpA coding sequence, with an in-frame amino-terminal extension (fusion sequences were encoded by the pBACgus-2cp transfer plasmid) containing an enterokinase recognition sequence, an S-protein binding site, and a polyhistidine tail. The 36.5-kDa (calculated molecular mass) OmpA fusion protein was purified from baculovirus-infected Sf9 cell lysates by polyhistidine affinity chromatography over a Talon cobalt metal affinity resin as specified by the manufacturer (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.).
Affinity purification of OMPs from sterile filtrates of
serum-exposed bacteria.
E. coli O18K+ was grown
to mid-log phase, harvested, and washed. The resultant bacterial pellet
was resuspended in an equal volume of normal human serum
(108 bacteria/ml) with ampicillin (200 µg/ml) and
incubated for 2 h at 37°C on a rotating drum. The serum was
filtered through a 0.45-µm-pore-size filter to remove intact
bacteria. The serum filtrate was then incubated with
antibody-conjugated magnetic beads. Antibodies used for these affinity
purification studies included polyclonal anti-O18 IgG, IgG from J5
antiserum, and IgG from normal rabbit serum. Two hundred microliters of
each sample was incubated with IgG-conjugated beads that had previously
been washed and resuspended in 800 µl of PBS. The final concentration of IgG was 100 µg/ml. The final concentration of filtered serum was
20%. Reaction mixtures were incubated for 16 to 20 h at 4°C, with end-over-end mixing. The antibody-conjugated beads with attached antigens were then separated from the 20% filtered serum by placing the tubes in a strong magnetic field, and the beads were washed three
times with PBS. Antigen was eluted by heating the beads (5 min,
100°C) in 100 µl of SDS-PAGE sample buffer (2.5% SDS and 22%
glycerol in Tris base). Supernatants were carefully separated from the
beads, and
-mercaptoethanol (0.5%) and trace bromophenol blue were
added. Twenty microliters of each sample was then electrophoresed on
lanes of 16% gels and transferred to nitrocellulose. Blots were
stained with mouse anti-J5 IgG, monoclonal anti-O18 IgG, and mouse
monoclonal antibodies directed against each of the OMPs. Blots were
developed as described above, using biotinylated horse anti-mouse IgG
as secondary antibody.
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RESULTS |
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The 35-kDa OMP is OmpA.
We hypothesized that the 35-kDa
protein was OmpA based on the apparent molecular weight and the fact
that the electrophoretic mobility of the band was altered by boiling
(data not shown) (31). Immunoblotting studies were performed
to identify this protein. Isolates of E. coli O18 bacteria
in which the OmpA gene had been deleted and then reinserted into the
strain (52) and recombinant OmpA were electrophoresed on
SDS-16% polyacrylamide gels, transferred to nitrocellulose, and used
as antigen. Staining antibodies included anti-J5 IgG and our monoclonal
IgG that is directed against the 35-kDa OMP (2D3). Anti-J5 IgG and 2D3
did not react with the 35-kDa band in lysates of bacteria in which the
OmpA gene was deleted but did react with a 35-kDa band in the wild-type
strain and the strain in which the gene was reinserted (Fig.
1). Recombinant OmpA was stained by
anti-J5 IgG and 2D3 (Fig. 2). Recombinant OmpA ran at a slightly higher molecular weight, presumably because of
the polyhistidine tag that is present on the recombinant protein. These
results indicate that the 35-kDa OMP is OmpA and that 2D3 is a
monoclonal anti-OmpA IgG.
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The 18-kDa OMP is PAL.
The 18-kDa OMP was identified by
sequencing purified protein. Total bacterial membranes were extracted
with Triton X-100 detergent containing EDTA, and the 18-kDa OMP was
affinity purified from the extracted material by using our monoclonal
IgG that binds to the 18-kDa OMP (6D7). The protein was further
purified to homogeneity by passage over a reverse-phase C4
HPLC column. Immunoblots of the fractions revealed that the 18-kDa OMP
eluted from the column at 95% acetonitrile. The fraction containing
the peak of the 18-kDa OMP was subjected to SDS-PAGE, the gel was
stained with Coomassie blue, and the single lightly stained band was
cut from the gel and sequenced by tandem mass spectrometry as indicated
in Materials and Methods (Harvard Microchemistry, Cambridge, Mass.).
Two peptide sequences (10 and 14 amino acids) that each mapped with
100% homology to the PAL were obtained (Fig.
3).
|
|
The 5- to 9-kDa OMP is MLP.
We hypothesized that the 5- to
9-kDa OMP was MLP based on its low molecular weight and size
heterogeneity (26). Accordingly, a mutant of E. coli K-12 lacking MLP (JE5505) and its MLP-positive, otherwise
identical partner (JE5506) were used as antigens on immunoblots (Fig.
5). One blot was developed with anti-J5
IgG, and the other blot was developed with our monoclonal antibody, 1C7. Anti-J5 IgG and 1C7 IgG did not react with the 5- to 9-kDa band in
bacterial lysates of the MLP-deficient strain. These results indicate
that the lower cross-reactive OMP is MLP and that 1C7 is an anti-MLP
IgG.
|
Identification of the OMPs released by bacteria incubated in human
serum.
Our prior studies (30) and work by others
(20) have demonstrated that E. coli and
Salmonella bacteria incubated in human serum release
complexes of OMPs and LPS that can be affinity purified using O-chain
specific anti-LPS IgG. To test the hypothesis that OmpA, PAL, and MLP
are present in OMP-LPS complexes released by bacteria into human serum,
polyclonal anti-O18 IgG was used to affinity purify LPS from sterile
filtrates of human serum incubated with E. coli
O18K+, a strain that is resistant to the bactericidal
activity of human serum (16), as described in Materials and
Methods. To further study the interaction of anti-J5 IgG with released
OmpA, PAL, and MLP, filtrates were also incubated with magnetic beads
that were previously conjugated with rabbit anti-J5 IgG. Captured
antigens were immunoblotted with the murine monoclonal IgGs
against OmpA (2D3), MLP (1C7), and PAL (6D7), murine monoclonal
anti-LPS (O-chain specific) IgG, and murine polyclonal anti-J5 IgG.
OmpA, PAL, and MLP were all detected in samples that were affinity
purified using O-chain-specific anti-LPS IgG, indicating that bacteria
release complexes containing these OMPs and LPS (Fig. 6). PAL, but not OmpA or MLP, was also detected in samples that were affinity purified using anti-J5 IgG (Fig. 6). No OMPs were
detected in immunoblots of control samples that were affinity
purified using IgG from normal rabbit serum. Only slight staining
of the OMPs was present in control samples prepared from sterile
filtrates of bacteria incubated with ampicillin in saline in the
absence of normal human serum, indicating that serum factors are
important in release of the OMPs (29).
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DISCUSSION |
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This study identifies three outer membrane proteins that are released by E. coli bacteria into human serum in vitro (30) and in an animal model of gram-negative sepsis (29) as OmpA, PAL, and MLP. OmpA, PAL, and MLP are structural outer membrane proteins (3, 10, 39, 45, 54, 58, 61) that are highly conserved among different enteric gram-negative bacteria (2, 8, 33, 47). Proteins similar to each exist in nonenteric gram-negative bacteria (46, 48, 59). MLP and PAL are lipoproteins with covalently attached lipids. The OMPs are tightly associated with LPS (37, 53). OmpA, PAL, and MLP have not been studied extensively in the context of gram-negative sepsis, although it has been known for several decades that many proteins associated with LPS are biologically active (14, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 44, 51, 67).
OmpA, initially described by Henning and colleagues (23, 31), has 325 amino acid residues (13) and exhibits heat-modifiable electrophoretic mobility on SDS-PAGE (13, 50). The N-terminal domain of OmpA is comprised of 177 amino acids and is believed to traverse the outer membrane eight times (35). The C-terminal domain is believed to protrude into the periplasmic space. OmpA is involved in maintaining the shape of bacteria (58), serves as a phage receptor and a receptor for F-mediated conjugation, and may have pore-forming properties (60). OmpA enhances uptake of LPS into macrophages (38) and has been reported to be involved in E. coli invasion of the central nervous system (52). An OmpA-deficient mutant of the virulent strain E. coli O18K1 was shown to be less virulent than its OmpA+ parent strain in neonatal rat and embryonated chick egg models of sepsis (65).
PAL was initially described and characterized by Mizuno (47). It has 173 amino acid residues and is closely, but not covalently, associated with the peptidoglycan layer (39, 46, 47). PAL has a hydrophobic region of 22 amino acids at the N-terminal domain that interacts with the outer membrane (39). The C-terminal domain is involved in interactions with the peptidoglycan layer (39).
MLP, first described and characterized by Braun and colleagues (7, 10, 26), is the most abundant outer membrane protein (10). MLP has 58 amino acid residues and exists in two forms, a free form and a form that is covalently linked to peptidoglycan by the C-terminal domain (6, 7). Recently Zhang reported that MLP induces lethal shock in a strain of mouse (C3H/HeJ) that is genetically hyporesponsive to LPS (67). Furthermore, they found that MLP was synergistic with LPS for lethal toxicity.
We have previously shown that epitopes of all three OMPs are exposed on the surface of bacteria that have been incubated in human serum and that antiserum raised to a rough mutant vaccine of E. coli J5 results in high titers of antibodies that bind to the same three OMPs on the bacterial surface (30). The identity of two of these proteins as PAL and MLP is surprising, as both proteins are situated in the deep periplasmic space and only short N-terminal segments are believed to interact with the outer membrane (9, 39). Therefore, the increased clearance of heterologous smooth bacterial strains by infusion of antiserum to E. coli J5 (55) may be mediated through binding of immunoglobulin in this antiserum to epitopes of OmpA, PAL, and MLP on the bacterial surface.
Previous investigators have focused on LPS as the primary bacterial toxin released in gram-negative sepsis. Release of bacterial membrane components other than LPS, either alone or in conjunction with LPS, has not been studied extensively. Our studies indicate that bacteria incubated in human serum release at least three OMPs in addition to LPS. Although the present studies focused on the three predominant proteins that we have demonstrated are bound by anti-J5 IgG, it seems likely that other bacterial components, including additional OMPs, may also be present in the OMP-containing fragments that are released into serum.
More recent studies suggest that complexes containing these three OMPs and LPS are released by E. coli bacteria into human serum (30) and into septic rat blood (29). To our knowledge, release of OmpA, PAL, or MLP into the bloodstream in sepsis has not been previously described. A pathogenic role for at least one of these OMPs is suggested by studies indicating that MLP causes lethal shock in C3H/HeJ mice (67). More study will be needed to test the hypothesis that these three OMPs may contribute to the pathogenesis of gram-negative infection.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This work was supported by Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children grant 8510, U.S. Navy grant N0014-94-C-0021, and NIH grant AI39617-02 and by the Charles H. Hood Foundation, Boston, Mass.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Infectious Disease Unit, 5th Floor, 149 Thirteenth St., Charlestown, MA 02129. Phone: (617) 724-3104 or 724-4959. Fax: (617) 726-4176. E-mail: hellman{at}etherdome.mgh.harvard.edu.
Editor: R. N. Moore
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