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Infect. Immun., 06 1996, 1984-1991, Vol 64, No. 6
MA Jagels, J Travis, J Potempa, R Pike and TE Hugli
The anaerobic bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis has been implicated as a
primary causative agent in adult periodontitis. Several proteinases are
produced by this bacterium, and it is suggested that they contribute to
virulence and to local tissue injury resulting from infection by P.
gingivalis. Cysteine proteinases with specificities to cleave either Arg-X
or Lys-X peptide bonds (i.e., gingipains) have been characterized as
predominant enzymes associated with vesicles shed from the surface of this
bacterium. It has recently been demonstrated that these proteinases are
capable of degrading the blood complement component C5, resulting in the
generation of biologically active C5a. By using an affinity-purified rabbit
antibody raised against residues 9 to 29 of the C5a receptor (C5aR; CD88),
we demonstrate that noncysteinyl proteinases associated with vesicles
obtained from P. gingivalis cleave the C5aR on human neutrophils.
Proteolytic attack of the C5aR by enzymes from the P. gingivalis vesicles
was inhibited by TPCK (tolylsullonyl phenylalanyl chloromethyl ketone),
PMSF (phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride), and dichloroisocoumarin, suggesting
that serine proteinases are primarily responsible for this degradative
activity. The purified vesicle proteinase Lys-gingipain but not Arg-
gingipain also cleaved the N-terminal region of the C5aR on the human
neutrophils. Lys-gingipain activity was essentially resistant to these
inhibitors but was inhibited by TLCK (Nalpha-p-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl
ketone) and iodoacetamide. A synthetic peptide that mimics the N-terminal
region of C5aR (residues 9 to 29; PDYGHY DDKDTLDLNTPVDKT) was readily
cleaved by chymotrypsin but not by trypsin, despite the presence of two
potential trypsin (i.e., lysyl-X) cleavage sites. The specific sites of
cleavage in the C5aR 9-29 peptide were determined by mass spectroscopy for
both chymotrypsin and Lys- gingipain digests. This analysis demonstrated
that the C5aR peptide is susceptible to cleavage at both potential
Lys-gingipain sites (i.e., between residues 17 and 18 [K-D] and 28 and 29
[K-T]) and at two chymotrypsin sites (between residues 14 and 15 [Y-D] and
20 and 21 [L- D]), respectively. These studies suggest that P. gingivalis
contains at least two enzymes capable of cleaving the C5aR, Lys-gingipain
and a second nontryptic serine proteinase that is distinct from either Arg-
or Lys-gingipain.
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology
Proteolytic inactivation of the leukocyte C5a receptor by proteinases derived from Porphyromonas gingivalis
Department of Immunology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
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