Department of Microbiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39216,1 Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 1500 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Jackson, Mississippi 392162
Received 4 April 2006/ Returned for modification 24 May 2006/ Accepted 7 July 2006
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Current immunization strategies for pneumococcal disease are directed against capsular polysaccharide. It is known that antibodies to capsular polysaccharide confer a high level of protection against invasive disease (15, 18). Two vaccine formulations are presently licensed in the United States: a 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine and a heptavalent polysaccharide-protein conjugate. The efficacy of the polysaccharide vaccine is only about 60% for preventing invasive diseases in groups for which it is indicated (11, 13). A heptavalent protein-polysaccharide conjugate vaccine that is protective in children less than 2 years old and reduces nasopharyngeal colonization has been developed (4, 10). However, because of the limited immunogenicity and serotype distribution, as well as the expense, of current vaccines there is a need for improved pneumococcal vaccine antigens.
Pneumococcal proteins are being studied as potential vaccine candidates because they have several advantages over polysaccharide antigens. Proteins are, generally, antigenically conserved across all serotypes and stimulate a T-cell-dependent immune response resulting in more robust immunological memory (28). Several pneumococcal surface proteins have been shown to be effective immunogens and can prevent sepsis, pneumonia, and carriage in animal models (1, 2, 5, 6, 23, 26).
Polyamines such as spermidine and putrescine are small, ubiquitous, polycationic molecules that are involved in many aspects of cellular physiology in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Polyamines interact extensively with nucleic acids and consequently have a significant role in DNA replication, transcription, and translation (9, 16, 29). Intracellular polyamines in bacteria are derived both from de novo synthesis from amino acids and from the environment. In Escherichia coli a four-gene operon designated potABCD encodes an ABC transporter for putrescine and spermidine. This transport system is required for normal cell growth in vitro (17, 20). An operon with significant homology to the E. coli Pot operon at the amino acid level has been described in pneumococci, and mRNA has been detected during in vitro growth, suggesting a role for this transporter in cellular physiology (33).
PotD from pneumococci shows significant homology to E. coli PotD, and the pneumococcal protein possesses a characteristic gram-positive signal peptide, suggesting an extracellular location for this molecule. Interestingly, it does not possess an amino acid motif characteristic of sortase-processed proteins, lipoproteins, or choline-binding proteins. However, flow cytometry and cell fractionation experiments have shown that PotD in pneumococci is surface exposed (27a). Previous studies have shown that a potD mutation in a mouse-virulent capsular type 3 strain significantly attenuates the natural history of infection in systemic and pulmonary murine models, indicating a role for PotD in pneumococcal pathogenesis (32).
In the present study immunization with recombinant PotD was used to immunize mice, and protection against lethal bacteremia was assessed. Passive protection with hyperimmune serum was also performed to focus on the role of immunoglobulin in protective immune responses elicited by PotD.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Cloning, expression, and purification of His6-PotD fusion protein. The coding sequence for PotD was amplified using high-fidelity polymerase with a 5' primer starting at the first codon downstream from the 31-amino-acid signal peptide-coding sequence: potD forward (5'-CACCATGTTAGATAGTAAAATCAAT-3') and potD reverse (5'-CTTCCGATACATTTTAAACTGTA-3'). The amplified DNA was ligated into the vector pET101/D-TOPO, which added a C-terminal hexahistidine sequence to the expressed protein. The resulting plasmid was used to chemically transform competent E. coli cells. The orientation and sequence of the cloned gene were verified by DNA sequencing of the recombinant plasmid. This plasmid was then used to transform E. coli BL21Star(DE3) for protein expression. The transformed cells were grown overnight at 37°C in 10 ml of LB medium containing 100 µg/ml of ampicillin. The overnight culture was used to inoculate 200 ml of LB broth containing ampicillin, which was incubated at 37°C with shaking until the optical density at 600 nm reached 0.6 to 0.8. Induction of PotD was achieved by addition of isopropyl-ß-D-thiogalactoside (IPTG) to a final concentration of 1 mM, and the culture was incubated for an additional 6 h. The cells were harvested by centrifugation, and recombinant PotD was purified with a B-Per 6His fusion protein purification kit (Pierce, Rockford, IL) used according to the manufacturer's protocol. Briefly, the bacterial pellet was resuspended in 10 ml of lysis buffer and centrifuged at 14,000 rpm using a Beckman JA-17 rotor. The pellet was discarded, and the supernatant was loaded onto 1-ml nickel-chelated resin columns previously equilibrated with 10 column volumes of lysis buffer. The columns were washed with 6 column volumes of 10 mM imidazole buffer, followed by 6 volumes of buffer containing 25 mM imidazole. The protein was eluted with 6 volumes of buffer containing 200 mM imidazole. Fractions (1 ml) were collected and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to identify the fractions containing PotD. The selected fractions were dialyzed extensively against phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (pH 7.0) to remove the imidazole, and the protein was stored at 20°C. A similar procedure was used to treat E. coli host strain BL21 without the recombinant plasmid for use as a control in the immunization experiments.
Active immunization. PotD purity was confirmed by SDS-PAGE, and the concentration was determined by using Bradford reagent (Pierce, Rockford, IL). All immunization experiments were performed with 8- to 12-week-old CBA/CaHN-Btkxid(CBA/N) mice (Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME). For each immunization experiment mice were immunized subcutaneously with 5 µg PotD suspended in PBS with 1 mg/ml of alum. Each animal received three immunizations at 7- to 14-day intervals, and sera were collected from the mice by retro-orbital bleeding before immunization (day 0) and 1 week after the third immunization (day 35). Control mice received an identical course of immunization with E. coli BL21 lysate plus alum or PBS with alum. All experimental and control groups contained 12 animals. Intravenous infection was performed 1 week after the third immunization using 104 CFU of WU2. The mice were closely monitored for 10 days, and the survival time of each mouse was recorded. All experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Data on survival of mice for the active immunization experiment were analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier graph and log rank test.
ELISA and immunoblotting. Specific antibody titers were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) using 96-well plates (Nunc, Chantilly, VA) coated with 5 µg/ml purified recombinant PotD. Individual mouse or rabbit sera were incubated with coated plates for 1 h at room temperature, and bound antibodies were detected by using alkaline phosphatase-conjugated goat anti-mouse or anti-rabbit immunoglobulin G (Southern Biotech, Birmingham, AL) and disodium p-nitrophenol phosphate as the substrate. Absorbance at 405 nm was measured, and the endpoint titer was defined as the reciprocal of the dilution of serum showing absorbance above the background level (optical density, >0.07). For immunoblotting, purified protein or pneumococcal culture lysates were separated by SDS-PAGE with 3 to 12% gels, electroblotted onto nitrocellulose membranes, and reacted with specific antiserum using standard protocols (27).
Rabbit antiserum and passive immunization. Eight- to 12-week-old New Zealand White rabbits were immunized subcutaneously with recombinant PotD at biweekly intervals, and subsequently serum was collected by ear bleeding as previously described (14). Pooled rabbit antiserum was titrated by ELISA as described above. Pre- and postimmune sera were diluted 102 and 103 in PBS, and 200 µl was administered intraperitoneally to groups of six mice. Four hours after administration of serum, animals were challenged by intravenous infection with 104 CFU of pneumococcal strain WU2 and observed for 10 days.
| RESULTS |
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| DISCUSSION |
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Immunization with PotD induces a vigorous antibody response in mice. Antibodies to PotD do not appear to cross-react with other pneumococcal proteins when PotD antiserum is used to probe pneumococcal lysates by immunoblotting. Preexisting antibodies to PotD induced by immunization with recombinant protein provide a significant degree of protection against intravenous challenge with an otherwise lethal inoculum of a virulent type 3 pneumococcal strain. Passive transfer of PotD immune serum effectively protects against pneumococcal bacteremia, suggesting that protection results specifically from a humoral immune response.
Antibodies directed against PotD may protect against pneumococcal infection by at least two different, although not necessarily mutually exclusive, mechanisms. Polyamines are essential to cell growth and can be acquired by either de novo synthesis or uptake from the environment. The pneumococcal genomes which have been sequenced contain homologues of known genes encoding enzymes which synthesize polyamines from ornithine and arginine. However, uptake of polyamines from the environment appears to be necessary for full expression of pneumococcal virulence (24, 32). PotD is a putative polyamine-binding surface protein, and inhibition of its function with antibodies may alter intracellular polyamine levels to an extent which attenuates virulence. Alternatively, PotD antibodies may promote phagocytosis of pneumococci by opsonization and activation of complement. In future studies we will look at in vitro opsonophagocytosis of pneumococci with purified PotD immunoglobulin G.
Pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides are immunodominant antigens, and antibodies to capsule protect against invasive pneumococcal infections; however, many persons at high risk for pneumococcal infection do not respond to certain capsular polysaccharides with an adequate immune response. In addition, there are more than 90 different pneumococcal serotypes, which precludes a comprehensive polysaccharide-based vaccine. Protein antigens offer the advantages of inducing strong memory immune responses and being conserved across all serotypes. PotD represents a potential protein-based vaccine candidate which deserves further study for its ability to induce protective immunity. Studies of mucosal and pulmonary immune responses against PotD are currently under way and may suggest an improved means to protect against both invasive pneumococcal infection and carriage on respiratory mucosal surfaces.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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| FOOTNOTES |
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