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Monoclonal antibodies recognizing epitopes carried on both glycolipids and glycoproteins of the human milk fat globule membrane.

The molecules of the human milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) which bind four murine monoclonal antibodies (LICR LON M3, M8, M18 and M24) raised against the human MFGM have been identified. By using 'Western' blotting [Burnette (1981) Anal. Biochem. 112, 195-203] it was shown that each antibody reacted with a different set of proteins. M3 and M24 were similar in their pattern of reaction with the membrane proteins, but were quite distinct from M8 and M18, which also differed from each other. Glycopeptides prepared from the MFGM by exhaustive Pronase digestion were able to inhibit partially the binding of M3 and M24, and prevent totally the binding of M8 and M18, to the MFGM in an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. Oligosaccharides obtained by the deproteination of human milk also completely inhibited the binding of M3, M18 and M24 to the MFGM. However, the binding of M8 was not inhibited by these saccharides, and therefore M8 may not be recognizing a simple carbohydrate determinant. By using an enzyme-linked assay, M8 and M18 were shown not to bind to MFGM glycolipid, whereas M3 and M24 did, and this was confirmed by overlaying thin layer chromatograms of MFGM lipids with these antibodies. Both M3 and M24 showed a similar complex pattern of reaction, binding to more than one glycolipid moiety. By these means all four antibodies have been shown to react with antigens which involve carbohydrate side chains carried on different proteins, and two were also shown to react with such determinants on glycolipids.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Hydrophobic glycosides of N-acetylglucosamine can act as primers for polylactosamine synthesis and can affect glycolipid synthesis in vivo.

Several hydrophobic glycosides of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) served as primers for polylactosamine synthesis when added to Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The modified glycosides, containing one to six lactosamine repeats in linear array, were sialylated and secreted into the culture medium. The relative efficiencies of the glycosides to serve as primers were dependent on the nature of the aglycone and on the anomeric configuration of the GlcNAc residue. The same compounds were tested for their effects on glycolipid synthesis in CHO cells. All of the beta-glycosides significantly inhibited the synthesis of the lactoseries glycolipid GM3 whereas the alpha-glycoside was inactive. The compound GlcNAc alpha 1-O-benzyl- was the most efficient primer of polylactosamine synthesis and had no effect on glycolipid synthesis. This compound may have potential for the assay of the polylactosamine synthetic capacity of living cells.

Acetylglucosamine↗

Circulating immune complexes in human tuberculosis sera: demonstration of specific antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis glycolipid (DAT, PGLTb1, LOS) antigens in isolated circulating immune complexes.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG using three glycolipid antigens from Mycobacterium tuberculosis in 65 tuberculosis (TB) patients and 50 healthy control subjects was performed. The circulating immune complexes (CICs) were isolated by precipitation with polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG). This method associated to ELISA measured the specific antibodies present in these CICs. PEG [optical density (OD) 280] was shown to be significantly elevated (P < 0.001) in tuberculous samples. The concentrations of IgG antibodies complexed to the three glycolipid antigens were shown to be higher in patient with tuberculosis than in normal control subjects (P < 0.001). No correlation was observed between levels of free and CIC-bound antibodies. These antibodies isolated from CICs were responsible for almost all of the false-negative serological results. However, great heterogeneity was noticed depending on the antigen used, showing a more positive ELISAs against DAT (77%) than against LOS (71%) or PGLTb1 (18.5%). No correlation was established between the presence of specific CIC-complexed IgG and the bacteriological load or the tuberculosis localization (pulmonary vs. extrapulmonary). The sensitivity of ELISA for CIC-complexed IgG to DAT and LOS was lower in HIV-infected TB patients. From these results, we conclude that detection of complexed IgG DAT and LOS glycolipid antigen will be useful as a complementary technique for the serodiagnosis of tuberculosis.

Adult↗

Identification and macrophage-activating activity of glycolipids released from intracellular Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Intracellular mycobacteria release cell wall glycolipids into the endosomal network of infected macrophages. Here, we characterize the glycolipids of Mycobacterium bovis BCG (BCG) that are released into murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMØ). Intracellularly released mycobacterial lipids were harvested from BMMØ that had been infected with 14C-labelled BCG. Released BCG lipids were resolved by thin-layer chromatography, and they migrated similarly to phosphatidylinositol dimannosides (PIM2), mono- and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, trehalose mono- and dimycolates and the phenolic glycolipid, mycoside B. Culture-derived BCG lipids that co-migrated with the intracellularly released lipids were purified and identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. When delivered on polystyrene microspheres, fluorescently tagged BCG lipids were also released into the BMMØ, in a manner similar to release from viable or heat-killed BCG bacilli. To determine whether the released lipids elicited macrophage responses, BCG lipid-coated microspheres were delivered to interferon gamma-primed macrophages (BMMØ or thioglycollate-elicited peritoneal macrophages), and reactive nitrogen intermediates as well as tumour necrosis factor-alpha and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 production were induced. When fractionated BCG lipids were delivered on the microspheres, PIM2 species reproduced the macrophage-activating activity of total BCG lipids. These results demonstrate that intracellular mycobacteria release a heterogeneous mix of lipids, some of which elicit the production of proinflammatory cytokines from macrophages that could potentially contribute to the granulomatous response in tuberculous diseases.

Animals↗

Glycolipid activation of invariant T cell receptor+ NK T cells is sufficient to induce airway hyperreactivity independent of conventional CD4+ T cells.

Asthma is an inflammatory lung disease, in which conventional CD4+ T cells producing IL-4/IL-13 appear to play an obligatory pathogenic role. Here we show, in a mouse model of asthma, that activation of pulmonary IL-4/IL-13 producing invariant TCR+ CD1d-restricted natural killer T (NKT) cells is sufficient for the development of airway hyperreactivity (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma, in the absence of conventional CD4+ T cells and adaptive immunity. Respiratory administration of glycolipid antigens that specifically activate NKT cells (alpha-GalactosylCeramide and a Sphingomonas bacterial glycolipid) rapidly induced AHR and inflammation typically associated with protein allergen administration. Naïve MHC class II-deficient mice, which lack conventional CD4+ T but have NKT cells, showed exaggerated baseline AHR and, when challenged with alpha-GalactosylCeramide, demonstrated even greater AHR. These studies demonstrate an expanded role for NKT cells, in which NKT cells not only produce cytokines that influence adaptive immunity but also function as critical effector cells that can induce AHR. These results suggest that NKT cells responding to glycolipid antigens, as well as conventional CD4+ T cells responding to peptide antigens, may be synergistic in the induction of AHR, although in some cases, each may independently induce AHR.

Animals↗

Glycolipid-bound sialic acid in serum: increased levels in mice and humans bearing mammary carcinomas.

In mice bearing transplantable mammary carcinomas, serum levels of sialic acid-containing glycolipids were elevated 2.5-fold in pooled serum samples from which gangliosides were purified by column chromatography. A method is also described by which ganglioside content was estimated on as little as 1.0 ml of whole blood to permit studies with individual tumor-bearing mice and age- and litter-matched controls. Using this method, we observed similar elevations in ganglioside levels that were independent of age and sex of the animal and appeared in advance of palpable tumors. Following excision of the tumors, the glycolipid sialic acid values dropped below control levels and remained there. Serum sialic acid of the glycolipid fraction was elevated nearly 2-fold in human carcinoma patients and appeared to decline after surgery.

Animals↗

Use of lectins and polyethylene glycol for fusion of glycolipid-containing liposomes with eukaryotic cells.

Efficient fusion of phospholipid vesicles with monolayer cultures of eukaryotic cells was accomplished by attaching glycolipid-containing vesicles to the cell surface by using a lectin displaying binding for both the cell surface and the glycolipid, followed by treatment with polyethylene glycol. Fusion was inferred from the transfer of fluorescent lipid analog probes embedded in the vesicle membrane over the entire cell surface and of fluoresceinated proteins from the aqueous space of the vesicle to the cytoplasm of the cell. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching showed that both the injected membrane and the cytoplasmic markers were mobile. Two different lectin--glycolipid combinations [Ricinus communis agglutinin I-lactosylcerebroside and concanavalin A-tetradecyl- (or hexadecyl-) maltobionamide] were used to promote attachment of lipid vesicles before polyethylene glycol-induced fusion with BG-9 human fibroblasts, NIL-8M2 hamster cells, or L-929 mouse cells. In the absence of lectin or polyethylene glycol, fusion was negligible. However, when both the lectin and the glycol were used, a dramatic increase in the transfer of both vesicle membrane and aqueous space markers from the liposomes to the cells occurred.

Animals↗

Possible role of ceramide in defining structure and function of membrane glycolipids.

A possible role of ceramide in defining the carbohydrate structure of glycolipids and the expression of glycolipid function has been proposed, on the basis of our finding that the ceramide composition of "lacto-series" glycosphingolipid isolated from human erythrocytes shows a remarkable correlation with the terminal carbohydrate structure: (i) The ceramides of three glycosphingolipids with Lex (or x) determinant [Gal beta 1 leads to 4(Fuc alpha 1 leads to 3) GlcNAc] had almost exclusively 16:0 fatty acid; in contrast, the ceramide of its positional isomer H determinant had mainly 20--24:0 fatty acids. (ii) The ceramide of two glycosphingolipids with NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6GAL structure was predominantly of 16:0 fatty acid, in contrast to that of its positional isomer NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 3Gal residue, in which the ceramide had 20--24:0 fatty acids. These results, together with our previous observation that ceramide composition of mouse lymphoma and myelocytic leukemia MI cells affects their antigenicity, suggest that ceramide structure may define the organization of glycosyltransferase for synthesis of the carbohydrate determinants and may affect the organization and orientation of the carbohydrate chain in membranes, eliciting or suppressing the reactivity to its ligand. Because these glycolipids with Lex and NeuAc alpha 2 leads to 6Gal structures are developmentally regulated and are highly expressed in certain tumors, ceramide composition may affect development, differentiation, and oncogenesis.

Carbohydrate Sequence↗

Differences in the glycolipid membrane anchors of bovine and human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterases.

Acetylcholinesterases (AcChoEases; EC 3.1.1.7) from bovine (Ebo) and human (Ehu) erythrocytes were purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography. The hydrophobic portion of the glycolipid membrane anchor of each enzyme was radiolabeled with the photoactivated reagent 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine. Several cleavage procedures demonstrated that this radiolabel was highly selective for the fatty acid portion of the anchor in both enzymes. The labeled enzymes were digested with phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns)-specific phospholipase C (EC 3.1.4.10), and label release was assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. About 85% of the radiolabel was cleaved from Ebo AcChoEase, whereas only 5% was released from Ehu AcChoEase. This finding agrees with a report that Ebo AcChoEase was quantitatively released from intact erythrocytes by PtdIns-specific phospholipase C but Ehu AcChoEase was not [Low, M. G. & Finean, J. B. (1977) FEBS Lett. 82, 143-146]. The two AcChoEases contained comparable amounts of the anchor components ethanolamine, glucosamine, and myo-inositol, but qualitative and quantitative differences were found in the fatty acids. Thin-layer chromatography of radiolabeled fragments generated from Ebo and Ehu AcChoEases by nitrous acid deamination revealed a major difference in the membrane anchors of the two enzymes. The fragment released from Ebo AcChoEase by this procedure comigrated with PtdIns, whereas the corresponding fragment from Ehu AcChoEase had a mobility much greater than that of PtdIns even though it contained myo-inositol and fatty acids. These studies show that 3-(trifluoromethyl)-3-(m-[125I]iodophenyl)diazirine is useful for analysis of lipid-containing compounds and indicate that, whereas Ebo AcChoEase contains PtdIns in its glycolipid anchor, Ehu AcChoEase has a different anchor structure, which is resistant to PtdIns-specific phospholipase C. This observation suggests the existence of a class of glycolipid-anchored membrane proteins resistant to this phospholipase.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Quantitative analysis of bacterial toxin affinity and specificity for glycolipid receptors by surface plasmon resonance.

The primary virulence factors of many pathogenic bacteria are secreted protein toxins which bind to glycolipid receptors on host cell surfaces. The binding specificities of three such toxins for different glycolipids, mainly from the ganglioside series, were determined by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) using a liposome capture method. Unlike microtiter plate and thin layer chromatography overlay assays, the SPR/liposome methodology allows for real time analysis of toxin binding under conditions that mimic the natural cell surface venue of these interactions and without any requirement for labeling of toxin or receptor. Compared to conventional assays, the liposome technique showed more restricted oligosaccharide specificities for toxin binding. Cholera toxin demonstrated an absolute requirement for terminal galactose and internal sialic acid residues (as in GM1) with tolerance for substitution with a second internal sialic acid (as in GD1b). Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin bound to GM1 and tolerated removal or extension of the internal sialic acid residue (as in asialo-GM1 and GD1b, respectively) but not substitution of the terminal galactose of GM1. Tetanus toxin showed a requirement for two internal sialic acid residues as in GD1b. Extension of terminal galactose with a single sialic acid was tolerated to some extent. The SPR analyses also yielded rate and affinity constants which are not attainable by conventional assays. Complex binding profiles were observed in that the association and dissociation rate constants varied with toxin:receptor ratios. The sub-nanomolar affinities of cholera toxin and heat-labile enterotoxin for liposome-anchored gangliosides were attributable largely to very slow dissociation rate constants. The SPR/liposome technology should have general applicability in the study of glycolipid-protein interactions and in the evaluation of reagents designed to interfere with these interactions.

Biosensing Techniques↗

The Candida albicans phospholipomannan is a family of glycolipids presenting phosphoinositolmannosides with long linear chains of beta-1,2-linked mannose residues.

In a series of studies, we have shown that Candida albicans synthesizes a glycolipid, phospholipomannan (PLM), which reacted with antibodies specific for beta-1,2-oligomannosides and was biosynthetically labeled by [(3)H]mannose, [(3)H]palmitic acid, and [(32)P]phosphorus. PLM has also been shown to be released from the C. albicans cell wall and to bind to and stimulate macrophage cells. In this study, we show by thin layer chromatography scanning of metabolically radiolabeled extracts that the C. albicans PLM corresponds to a family of mannose and inositol co-labeled glycolipids. We describe the purification process of the molecule and the release of its glycan fraction through alkaline hydrolysis. Analysis of this glycan fraction by radiolabeling and methylation-methanolysis confirmed the presence of inositol and of 1, 2-linked mannose units. NMR studies evidenced linear chains of beta-1,2-oligomannose as the major PLM components. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that these chains were present in phosphoinositolmannosides with degrees of polymerization varying from 8 to 18 sugar residues. The PLM appears as a new type of eukaryotic inositol-tagged glycolipid in relationship to both the absence of glucosamine and the organization of its glycan chains. This first structural evidence for the presence of beta-1, 2-oligomannosides in a glycoconjugate other than the C. albicans phosphopeptidomannan may have some pathophysiological relevance to the adhesive, protective epitope, and signaling properties thus far established for these residues.

Candida albicans↗

Sterol-modulated glycolipid sorting occurs in niemann-pick C1 late endosomes.

The Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) protein and endocytosed low density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol were shown to enrich separate subsets of vesicles containing lysosomal associated membrane protein 2. Localization of Rab7 in the NPC1-containing vesicles and enrichment of lysosomal hydrolases in the cholesterol-containing vesicles confirmed that these organelles were late endosomes and lysosomes, respectively. Lysobisphosphatidic acid, a lipid marker of the late endosomal pathway, was found in the cholesterol-enriched lysosomes. Recruitment of NPC1 to Rab7 compartments was stimulated by cellular uptake of cholesterol. The NPC1 compartment was shown to be enriched in glycolipids, and internalization of GalNAcbeta1-4[NeuAcalpha2-3]Galbeta1-4Glcbeta1-1'-ceramide (G(M2)) into endocytic vesicles depends on the presence of NPC1 protein. The glycolipid profiles of the NPC1 compartment could be modulated by LDL uptake and accumulation of lysosomal cholesterol. Expression in cells of biologically active NPC1 protein fused to green fluorescent protein revealed rapidly moving and flexible tubular extensions emanating from the NPC1-containing vesicles. We conclude that the NPC1 compartment is a dynamic, sterol-modulated sorting organelle involved in the trafficking of plasma membrane-derived glycolipids as well as plasma membrane and endocytosed LDL cholesterol.

Animals↗

The alpha (1,3)-fucosyltransferase Fuc-TIV, but not Fuc-TVII, generates sialyl Lewis X-like epitopes preferentially on glycolipids.

Fuc-TIV and Fuc-TVII are the two alpha(1, 3)-fucosyltransferases in myeloid cells responsible for the biosynthesis of sialyl Lewis X (sLe(x)), the minimal ligand structure for the selectins. We have compared the ability of Fuc-TIV and Fuc-TVII to generate sLe(x)-like epitopes in transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-Pro(-)5 cells expressing the P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 and the core-2 branching enzyme C2GnT. We found that mouse Fuc-TIV and Fuc-TVII can generate similar levels of cell surface sLe(x). Surprisingly however, Fuc-TIV-generated sLe(x) was resistant to proteinase K and trypsin treatment and could be removed from cells by delipidation with chloroform/methanol, whereas 80-90% of Fuc-TVII-generated sLe(x) was protease-sensitive, and most of it resistant to delipidation. Despite similar levels of sLe(x) on the cell surface, Fuc-TVII transfectants adhered to immobilized E-selectin-IgG under static and flow conditions better than Fuc-TIV transfectants. Binding was mainly protease sensitive, indicating that glycoproteins were more efficient ligands than glycolipids. In summary, we conclude that the two fucosyltransferases differ in their in vivo specificity for acceptor substrates with Fuc-TVII generating sLe(x) preferentially on glycoproteins, whereas most of the Fuc-TIV-generated sLe(x) is found on glycolipids. Interestingly, the non-catalytic portion of Fuc-TIV in a Fuc-TIV/VII chimeric enzyme mediated the specificity for glycolipid substrates.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a Lepidopteran insect beta4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase with broad substrate specificity, a functional role in glycoprotein biosynthesis, and a potential functional role in glycolipid biosynthesis.

A degenerate PCR approach was used to isolate a lepidopteran insect cDNA encoding a beta4-galactosyl-transferase family member. The isolation and initial identification of this cDNA was based on bioinformatics, but its identification as a beta4-galactosyltransferase family member was experimentally confirmed. The newly identified beta4-galactosyltransferase family member had unusually broad donor and acceptor substrate specificities in vitro, as transferred galactose, N-acetylglucosamine, and N-acetylgalactosamine to carbohydrate, glycoprotein, and glycolipid acceptors. However, the enzyme preferentially utilized N-acetylgalactosamine as the donor for all three acceptors, and its derived amino acid sequence was closely related to a known N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase. These data suggested that the newly isolated cDNA encodes a beta4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase that functions in insect cell glycoprotein biosynthesis, glycolipid biosynthesis, or both. The remainder of this study focused on the role of this enzyme in N-glycoprotein biosynthesis. The results showed that the purified enzyme transferred N-acetylgalactosamine, but no detectable galactose or N-acetylglucosamine, to a synthetic N-glycan in vitro. The structure of the reaction product was confirmed by chromatographic, mass spectroscopic, and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. Co-expression of the new cDNA product in insect cells with an N-glycoprotein reporter showed that it transferred N-acetylgalactosamine, but no detectable galactose or N-acetylglucosamine, to this N-glycoprotein in vivo. Confocal microscopy showed that a GFP-tagged version of the enzyme was localized in the insect cell Golgi apparatus. In summary, this study demonstrated that lepidopteran insect cells encode and express a beta4-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase that functions in N-glycoprotein biosynthesis and perhaps in glycolipid biosynthesis, as well. The isolation and characterization of this gene and its product contribute to our basic understanding of insect protein N-glycosylation pathways and to the growing body of evidence that insects can produce glycoproteins with complex N-glycans.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

DC-SIGN mediates binding of dendritic cells to authentic pseudo-LewisY glycolipids of Schistosoma mansoni cercariae, the first parasite-specific ligand of DC-SIGN.

During schistosomiasis, parasite-derived glycoconjugates play a key role in manipulation of the host immune response, associated with persistence of the parasite. Among the candidate host receptors that are triggered by glycoconjugates are C-type lectins (CLRs) on dendritic cells (DCs), which in concerted action with Toll-like receptors determine the balance in DCs between induction of immunity versus tolerance. Here we report that the CLR DC-SIGN mediates adhesion of DCs to authentic glycolipids derived from Schistosoma mansoni cercariae and their excretory/secretory products. Structural characterization of the glycolipids, in combination with solid phase and cellular binding studies revealed that DC-SIGN binds to the carbohydrate moieties of both glycosphingolipid species with Galbeta1-4(Fucalpha1-3)GlcNAc (Lewis(X)) and Fucalpha1-3Galbeta1-4(Fucalpha1-3)GlcNAc (pseudo-Lewis(Y)) determinants. Importantly, these data indicate that surveying DCs in the skin may encounter schistosome-derived glycolipids immediately after infection. Recent analysis of crystals of the carbohydrate binding domain of DC-SIGN bound to Lewis(X) provided insight into the ability of DC-SIGN to bind fucosylated ligands. Using molecular modeling we showed that the observed binding of the schistosome-specific pseudo-Lewis(Y) to DC-SIGN is not directly compatible with the model described. To fit pseudo-Lewis(Y) into the model, the orientation of the side chain of Phe(313) in the secondary binding site of DC-SIGN was slightly changed, which results in a perfect stacking of Phe(313) with the hydrophobic side of the galactose-linked fucose of pseudo-Lewis(Y). We propose that pathogens such as S. mansoni may use the observed flexibility in the secondary binding site of DC-SIGN to target DCs, which may contribute to immune escape.

Animals↗

Modulation of GalT1 and SialT1 sub-Golgi localization by SialT2 expression reveals an organellar level of glycolipid synthesis control.

Ganglioside glycosyltransferases organize as multienzyme complexes that localize in different sub-Golgi compartments. Here we studied whether in CHO-K1 cells lacking CMP-NeuAc: GM3 sialyltransferase (SialT2), the sub-Golgi localization of UDP-Gal:glucosylceramide beta-1,4-galactosyltransferase (GalT1) and CMP-NeuAc:lactosylceramide sialyltransferase (SialT1) complex is affected when SialT2, another member of this complex, is coexpressed. GalT1 and SialT1 sub-Golgi localization was determined by studying the effect of brefeldin A (BFA) and monensin on the synthesis of glycolipids and on the sub-Golgi localization of GalT1(1-52)-CFP (cyan fluorescent protein) and SialT1(1-54)-YFP (yellow fluorescent protein) chimeras by single cell fluorescence microscopy and by isopycnic subfractionation. We found that BFA, and also monensin, impair the synthesis of glycolipids beyond GM3 ganglioside in wild type (WT) cells but beyond GlcCer in SialT2(+) cells. Although BFA redistributed GalT1-CFP and SialT1-YFP to the endoplasmic reticulum in WT cells, a fraction of these chimeras remained associated with a distal Golgi compartment, enriched in trans Golgi network, and recycling endosome markers in SialT2(+) cells. In BFA-treated cells, the percentage of GalT1-CFP and SialT1-YFP associated with Golgi-like membrane fractions separated by isopycnic subfractionation was higher in SialT2(+) cells than in WT cells. These effects were reverted by knocking down the expression of SialT2 with specific siRNA. Results indicate that sub-Golgi localization of glycosyltransferase complexes may change according to the relative levels of the expression of participating enzymes and reveal a capacity of the organelle to adapt the topology of the glycolipid synthesis machinery to functional states of the cell.

Animals↗

Influence of the washing buffer composition on the sensitivity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using mycobacterial glycolipids as capture antigens.

Immunogenic glycolipids from the cell wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are potential capture antigens in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the serodiagnostis of tuberculosis. Typically, washing steps in ELISAs are performed with buffers containing a detergent. However, Tween-20, the most commonly added detergent, was reported to be able to remove the coating of certain glycolipid antigens from microtitre wells. In order to determine the influence of the washing buffer composition on the results, we measured serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) against three mycobacterial glycolipids by ELISA, conducting three separate experiments with three different buffers: Tris-buffered saline (TBS), TBS plus 0.02% Tween-20 (TBS-Tween), or TBS plus 0.3% bovine serum albumin (TBS-BSA). The capture antigens applied were lipoarabinomannan with the basic arabinose-containing motif (AraLAM), the mannose-capped version of lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM), and trehalose-6,6'-dimycolate (cord factor). All ELISAs achieved acceptable specificities around 95%. The sensitivities, however, varied widely, depending upon the sort of washing buffer used. In 38 patients with sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis and control groups of 79 patients with non-tuberculosis lung disease and 92 healthy volunteers, the anti-cord factor ELISA achieved 100%, 31.6%, and 60.5% with TBS, TBS-Tween, and TBS-BSA, respectively. Corresponding sensitivity values for AraLAM were 39.5%, 26.3%, and 23.7%, and for ManLAM 94.7%, 65.8%, and 55.3%. We conclude that Tween-20 or BSA should be omitted from the washing buffer in ELISAs, when the capture antigen is of lipid nature.

Adolescent↗

The effect of phenolic glycolipid-1 from Mycobacterium leprae on the antimicrobial activity of human macrophages.

Purified PGL-1 and dPGL from M. leprae can prevent bacterial killing by intact phagocytes and cell-free antimicrobial systems. Both glycolipids completely abolished the antimicrobial effect of the acetaldehyde-XO-Fe2+ system. Because the cytotoxicity of this system is inhibited by catalase, SOD, mannitol, and ethanol, but not by heated SOD or catalase, these data suggest that toxicity is due to OH. generated by the Haber-Weiss reaction. That the antimicrobial killing in the XO system is completely blocked by the addition of PGL-1 or dPGL suggests that these glycolipids can act as OH. scavengers. A modest protective effect against the cytotoxicity of the MPO-H2O2-halide system by both PGL-1 and dPGL was also observed. The antimicrobial activity of the MPO system was abolished with chloride, but not iodide, as the halide. The effect of the M. leprae-derived glycolipid on bacterial killing by intact phagocytes was examined. Two linking antibodies were used to bind the dPGL to a rapidly growing test organism, S. aureus, a murine IgM mAb specific for the terminal glycoside of PGL-1, and a rabbit IgG anti-mouse IgM which bound the staphylococcal protein A via its Fc region. Examination by transmission EM of human monocyte-derived macrophages which had ingested staphylococci either coated with both antibodies and dPGL, or coated only with the IgG and IgM antibodies, demonstrated the presence of bacteria in phagosomes of control and IFN-gamma-activated macrophages. Activation of the macrophage monolayers by pretreatment with IFN-gamma markedly increased their staphylocidal activity. When dPGL coated staphylococci were ingested, killing by both control and IFN-gamma-activated macrophages was completely blocked. These results, suggesting that PGL-1 can scavenge reactive oxygen species and prevent microbial death within the phagosome, may in part explain the intracellular survival of M. leprae in certain cell types.

Antigens, Bacterial↗