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Nonspecific stimulation of antibacterial resistance by a synthetic thymic factor (FTS) in mice.

Treatment of mice with 0.01-1 microgram of a synthetic serum thymic factor (FTS) significantly increased their resistance to lethal doses (1-5 X 10(6) organisms) of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 (LT2). At least seven injections of FTS were necessary for induction of resistance, since the effects of one to three injections were variable. FTS additively potentiated the protective immunity to LT2 induced by immunization with avirulent mutant of LT2, irrespective of the structural components of the cell wall lipopolysaccharides of the mutants, which are basically correlated with their immunogenicity and virulence. Activated macrophages have a direct role in the induction of host resistance, since peritoneal macrophages from FTS-treated DBA/2 mice which are resistant to the doses of LT2 used could by themselves retard bacterial growth in vitro, whereas those from CBA/N mice which are relatively susceptible to LT2 did not inhibit bacterial growth without intervention of FTS-treated syngeneic T cells.

Animals↗

Sensitivity of bacteria to NaNO2 and to L-arginine-dependent system in murine macrophages.

Sensitivity of bacteria to NO2-/NO and to L-arginine-dependent system in murine macrophages was tested. The growth of all bacteria tested, Salmonella typhimurium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis, was significantly inhibited by NaNO2 at the concentration of 5 to 10 mM. However, L-arginine-dependent effector mechanism of LPS-activated murine macrophages was ineffective in killing these bacteria. It seems that the concentration of NO2-/NO in phagolysosome in the activated macrophages is insufficient to kill the bacteria in situ. We concluded that L-arginine-dependent effector mechanism can hardly work on bacteria killing in activated macrophages.

Animals↗

Subcellular localization of the major autolysin, ATL and its processed proteins in Staphylococcus aureus.

The Staphylococcus aureus autolysin gene, atl, encodes a unique 138-kDa protein (ATL) with amidase and glucosaminidase domains. ATL has been suggested to undergo proteolytic processing to generate two extracellular peptidoglycan hydrolases, 51-kDa endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (51-kDa GL) and 62-kDa N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanine amidase (62-kDa AM). To investigate cell-associated bacteriolytic enzymes for atl gene products, proteins were extracted from the cells as follows. The cells were exposed to 3 M LiCl followed by 4% SDS. Thereafter, the cells were disrupted and again extracted with 4% SDS. Whole SDS-stable cell-associated bacteriolytic proteins were extracted without disrupting the cells. Exposure to 3 M LiCl released major 138-, 115-, 85-, 62- and 51-kDa bacteriolytic proteins, and subsequent 4% SDS extraction released major 138- and 115-kDa bacteriolytic proteins. These bacteriolytic proteins were missing in extracts of atl mutant RUSAL2 (S. aureus RN450 atl::Tn551). Immunoblotting studies suggest that these are all atl gene products: the 138-kDa protein is an ATL with a cleaved signal sequence; the 115- and 85-kDa proteins are intermediates; and the 51- and 62-kDa proteins are cell-associated 51-kDa GL and 62-kDa AM, respectively. The trypsin susceptibility of these proteins suggests that they are located outside the cell membrane. Differences in extractability and immunoelectron microscopic studies suggest that atl gene products are associated with cells in two different ways, LiCl extractable and non extractable. We suggest that the 138-kDa ATL undergoes processing through intermediate proteins (115- and 85-kDa proteins) to mature as the active cell cluster-dispersing enzymes 51-kDa GL and 62-kDa AM on the cell surface.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Zymographic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus cell wall.

Susceptibilities of several preparations of Staphylococcus aureus cells to various peptidoglycan hydrolases with known bond specificity were analyzed by zymography. The substrates were intact S. aureus cells, cells boiled in the presence of SDS and cells treated with trichloroacetic acid after treatment with boiling SDS solution (TCA-cells). Twofold dilutions of lysostaphin (LS), lysozyme (LZ), S. aureus 51 kDa glucosaminidase (GL) or S. aureus 62 kDa amidase (AM) were electrophoresed, and the minimal enzyme dose showing a visible bacteriolytic band was defined as MBD (minimal bacteriolytic dose). Under the same experimental conditions, this method gave reproducible results. As the substrate for zymogram, TCA-cells were the most sensitive to LS, LZ and AM, whereas the three substrate were equally sensitive to GL. A zymographic analysis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus treated with methicillin together with previous studies suggest that this method can be used for the preliminary characterization of S. aureus cell wall peptidoglycan.

Amidohydrolases↗

Salt-Sensitive growth of Staphylococcus aureus: stimulation of salt-induced autolysis by multiple environmental factors.

The growth of Staphylococcus aureus 209P became extremely sensitive to a high NaCl concentration following lowered temperature, reduced air-supply, and decreased Ca2+ concentration in the medium. Cells in high-NaCl and low-Ca2+ concentration media either autolyzed or transformed into protoplast-like forms during growth when grown standing below 37 degrees C. The abnormal growth, however, was invariably avoided by preliminary supplementation with polyanetholesulfonate (autolysin inhibitor) in the growth media. These results suggested that the autolytic activity of this organism was precisely controlled by multiple environmental factors such as ionic strength, temperature, air supply, and the concentration of Ca2+.

Bacteriolysis↗

Modification of autolysis by synthetic peptides derived from the presumptive binding domain of Staphylococcus aureus autolysin.

The autolytic cell wall hydrolase of Staphylococcus aureus, Atl, contains three highly cationic repeats in the central region of the amino acid sequence, and the repeats are presumed to have the role of binding the enzyme to some components on the cell surface. To explain the possible function of the repeats, we synthesized a number of 10- to 30-mer oligopeptides based on the Atl amino acid sequence (Thr432-Lys610) containing repeat 1, and examined their effects on the autolysis of S. aureus cells. When the peptides were added to a cell suspension of S. aureus under low ionic strength conditions, five peptides, A10, A11, A14, A16 and B9, showed immediate increases in optical density (OD) of the cell suspension accompanied by decreases in viable cell counts. After the immediate increases, the ODs for A10 and A14 changed little in the first 2 hr. In contrast, the ODs for A11 and A16 decreased rapidly. When peptide A10 was added to suspensions of heat-killed whole cells, crude cell walls and a crude peptidoglycan preparation, their ODs were increased approximately 2-fold. In contrast, the OD was not increased when the peptide was added to a suspension of pure peptidoglycan from which anionic polymers had been removed. Light microscopic and transmission electron microscopic study showed that A10 and A14 inhibited autolysis and that A11 and A16 induced autolysis earlier than the control. These results suggest strongly that the peptides adsorb to and precipitate on the anionic cell surface polymers such as teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid via ionic interaction. The effects of peptides on the autolysis may be the results of the modification of S. aureus autolysin activities. These peptides, especially the 10-mer peptide B9 (PGTKLYTVPW) that represents the C-terminal half of A10 and N-terminal half of A11, may be important segments for Atl to bind to the cell surface.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Degradation process of Mycobacterium leprae cells in infected tissue examined by the freeze-substitution method in electron microscopy.

Mycobacterium leprae cells (strain Thai-53) harvested from infected mouse foot pads were examined by electron microscopy using the freeze-substitution technique. The population of M. leprae cells from the infected tissue consisted of a large number of degraded cells and a few normal cells. These thin sectioned cell profiles could be categorized into four groups depending on the alteration of the membrane structures, and the degradation process is considered to occur in stages, namely from stages 1 to 3. These are the normal cells with an asymmetrical membrane, a seemingly normal cell but with a symmetrical membrane (stage 1), a cell possessing contracted and highly concentrated cytoplasm with a membrane (stage 2), and a cell that has lost its membrane (stage 3). The peptidoglycan layer was found to remain intact in these cell groups.

Animals↗

Zymographic characterization of bacteriolytic enzymes produced by oral streptococci.

Zymographic analysis was performed to know the bacteriolytic enzyme profiles of 4% SDS extracts of oral streptococci, Streptococcus mutans, S. sobrinus, S. sanguis, S. mitis and S. salivarius. We investigated the five strains in each species and found that the profile was very similar among strains of the same species except for S. salivarius(the profile was classified into two types). On the other hand, the profile was considerably different among species. Two major bacteriolytic enzymes of S. mutans showing molecular mass of 80 and 100 kDa were found using SDS-boiled S. mutans or S. sobrinus cells as substrate. These bacteriolytic activities were less apparent in the gel containing S. mitis or S. salivarius, and also not detectable in the gel containing S. sanguis. S. sobrinus extract showed only one bacteriolytic band (78 kDa) as strong activity using S. sobrinus cells as substrate. S. sanguis extract showed no bacteriolytic bands using any streptococcal cells. Extracts of either S. mitis or S. salivarius showed weak activity by using respective strains as substrate.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Autolysis of Porphyromonas gingivalis is accompanied by an increase in several periodontal pathogenic factors in the supernatant.

Porphyromonas gingivalis autolyzes in the culture media. To examine in more detail the molecular components of the autolysate, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was performed. Many protein spots varied both in number and volume. One of these spots included Arg-gingipain (Rgp) as determined by N-terminal amino acid sequencing. Corresponding to the increase in spot volume, Rgp activity also increased during autolysis. The results of this study suggested that Rgp and other proteins in the P. gingivalis autolysate may be involved with the prolongation of periodontal disease, even after the death of P. gingivalis cells.

Adhesins, Bacterial↗

Analysis of six new genes encoding lysis proteins and coat proteins in Escherichia coli group A RNA phages.

Group A RNA phages consist of four genes-maturation protein, coat protein, lysis protein and replicase genes. We analyzed six plasmids containing lysis protein genes and coat protein genes of Escherichia coli group A RNA phages and compared their amino acid sequences with the known proteins of E. coli(group A), Pseudomonas aeruginosa(PP7) RNA phages and Rg-lysis protein from Qbeta phage. The size of lysis proteins was different by the groups but the coat proteins were almost the same size among phages. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the sub-groups A-I and A-II of E. coli RNA phages were clearly dispersed into two clusters.

Allolevivirus↗

High lysozyme activity in a Norwegian bovine family co-segregates with a restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the lysozyme gene cluster was performed in a Norwegian bovine family segregating a single dominant Mendelian factor for high lysozyme activity in serum. An RFLP site with allelic bands of 16kb and 5.9 kb turned out to be linked to the locus for the high lysozyme activity factor with a lod score of 6.8 at a recombination fraction of 3.4%. This implies that we have revealed a genetic marker for the high lysozyme activity trait.

Abomasum↗

Investigations of host defence in patients with sickle cell disease.

Parameters of host defence were investigated in 30 patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). A newly devised perfusion system was used to study the kinetics in whole blood of leucocyte adherence, phagocytosis, killing and solubilization of a mixture of Staph. aureus and Str. pneumoniae, and secretion of lactoferrin. A skin window technique was used to examine the accumulation of leucocytes at inflammatory foci and their subsequent rate of movement through a filter. Serum concentrations of C3, C4, total haemolytic complement and immunoglobulins were also measured. The rate of neutrophil migration into filters was slightly reduced in patients with SCD. The proportion of monocytes that emigrated from the skin windows and their rate of migration were markedly diminished. The adhesion of neutrophils and their ability to kill staphylococci were also reduced, particularly in patients of the haemoglobin (Hb) SS and Hb S-beta-thalassaemia genotypes. Neutrophil function was mostly impaired in patients with the greatest frequency of bacterial infection. The rate of clearance of pneumococci was related to the concentration of type specific immunoglobulin G but not M. Serum concentrations of immunoglobulins and complement were normal. We were unable to define a defect of host defence of sufficient magnitude to explain the susceptibility of these patients to severe infection.

Anemia, Sickle Cell↗