Evidence for peptidoglycan-associated protein(s) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Gonococcal penicillin-binding protein 3 and the surface-exposed 44kDa peptidoglycan-binding protein appear to be the same molecule

The outer membrane of Neisseria gonorrhoeae contains a 44,000 dalton (44kDa) surface-exposed protein which has the reported ability to form covalent interactions with peptidoglycan (PG). This PG-binding outer-membrane protein (OMP) appears to be highly conserved since it has been detected in all isolates examined. It also appears to be invariant since its primary structure among strains gives evidence of being identical (Judd et al., 1991). While studying the interaction of gonococcal penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) with human lysosomal cathepsin G, we noticed that the 44kDa PG-binding OMP exhibited certain properties similar to PBP3. In this study we sought to obtain biochemical evidence to ascertain whether these proteins were the same. We found that both proteins fractionated with other sarkosyl-insoluble OMPs and that they exhibited similar susceptibility to cleavage in situ by enzymatically active cathepsin G. Moreover, a purified preparation of the 44kDa OMP was found to covalently bind radiolabelled benzylpenicillin in vitro. Thus, the data presented herein suggest that the 44kDa PG-binding OMP and PBP3 are the same OMP.

Identification and characterization of peptidoglycan-associated proteins in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The principal proteins associated with Neisseria gonorrhoeae peptidoglycan (PG), as identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, are the following: two proteins at approximately 90 kilodaltons (kDa), single major species at both 60 and 44 kDa, a 34- to 36-kDa protein, and three proteins between 28 and 32 kDa. A protein analogous to Escherichia coli Braun lipoprotein was not detected with gonococcal cell wall preparations. The identity of the PG-associated proteins was confirmed immunologically with antibody generated against purified cell walls. Two types of protein species, dithiothreitol extractable (the majority) and alkylation dependent (primarily the 34- to 36-kDa protein), appeared to be associated with the N. gonorrhoeae cell wall fraction. It was found that a crucial step in the extraction of the proteins from the PG fraction was the inclusion of an acetone-water wash of the purified PG pellet. Studies with cell wall preparations obtained from N. gonorrhoeae intrinsically labeled with 32P revealed that the acetone wash was removing phospholipid from the cell wall fraction and thus facilitating protein extraction. Autoradiographic analysis with PG material derived from 125I-surface-labeled cells indicated that the 44-kDa protein is exposed on the surface of the organism even when associated with the PG layer. Radioimmunoprecipitation with anti-PG antibody confirmed these findings. Lectin analysis (wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase) suggested that the 34- to 36-kDa protein is covalently attached to the PG layer.

Porin from bacterial and mitochondrial outer membranes

The outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria acts as a molecular filter with defined exclusion limit for hydrophilic substances. The exclusion limit is dependent on the type of bacteria and has for enteric bacteria like Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium a value between 600 and 800 Daltons, whereas molecules with molecular weights up to 6000 can penetrate the outer membrane of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The molecular sieving properties result from the presence of a class of major proteins called porins which form trimers of identical subunits in the outer membrane. The porin trimers most likely contain only one large but well-defined pore with a diameter between 1.2 and 2 nm. Mitochondria are presumably descendents of gram-negative bacteria. The outer membrane of mitochondria contains in agreement with this hypothesis large pores which are permeable for hydrophilic substances with molecular weights up to 6000. The mitochondrial porins are processed by the cell and have molecular weights around 30,000 Daltons. There exists some evidence that the pore is controlled by electric fields and metabolic processes.

Complement consumption gonococcal peptidoglycan

Purified peptidoglycan (PG) obtained from Neisseria gonorrhoeae was tested for the ability to consume complement in normal human sera. Sonicated PG (S-PG), a heterogeneous mixture of soluble fragments (molecular weight, greater than 10(6)), as well as intact (insoluble) PG, reduced the level of whole hemolytic complement in a pool of four human sera. The minimal concentration of S-PG required for this activity was approximately 500 micrograms of S-PG per ml of serum. Complete lysozyme digestion of S-PG, yielding PG fragments of less than 10(4) molecular weight, eliminated complement-consuming activity. S-PG-mediated complement consumption resulted in depletion of the individual complement components C4 and C3. Consumption of complement did not occur when C4-deficient human serum or normal human sera treated with Mg2+-(ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N-tetraacetic acid to specifically impair classical complement pathway activity were used. The addition of rabbit anti-PG antibody greatly enhanced gonococcal PG-mediated complement consumption. Together, the data suggested that gonococcal PG-mediated complement consumption occurred via the classical complement pathway, was dependent on the presence of anti-PG antibody, and required glycosidically linked polymers of PG. Individual human sera varied widely in the extent of gonococcal PG-mediated reduction of complement levels, presumably a reflection of either different amounts of natural antibody to gonococcal PG, different levels of human PG hydrolase(s) capable of degrading PG to inactive fragments, or both.

Effect of environment on sensitivity of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriocins

The effect of environmental variation on the susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to pyocin produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa was examined. Susceptibility to at least one pyocin was demonstrated in strains of N. gonorrhoeae (99%), N. meningitidis (35%), and N. lactamica (47%). The degree of sensitivity to pyocin displayed by N. gonorrhoeae was affected by varying the pH of the growth environment. Gonococcal strains were more sensitive to growth inhibition by pyocins at an alkaline pH and less sensitive to growth inhibition at an acid pH. Inhibitory titers fluctuated during nonselective subculture of fresh clinical isolates. There was no apparent correlation between auxotype and sensitivity to pyocin. Also, no relationship between colony morphology and pyocin sensitivity was seen.

Cross-linking analysis of the outer membrane proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

The organization of outer membrane proteins of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was investigated by using two-dimensional dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and cross-linking agents. A naturally occurring protein aggregate, which may be composed of two proteins of 50,000 molecular weight, was detected in all strains. Treatment of whole cells with cross-linking agents yielded several additional complexes, suggesting that other proteins are arranged in the outer membrane as near neighbors. The principal outer membrane protein (molecular weight, 34,000) cross-linked (i) to itself to form a complex whch appeared to be trimeric, (ii) to the 28,000-molecular-weight outer membrane protein to form a bimolecular comlex, and (iii) to the 28,000-molecular-weight outer membrane protein in a 3:1 ratio. The formation of these complexes was independent of (i) colony type, (ii) colony opacity, (iii) pH during growth, and (iv) presence of markers for drug resistance or hypersensitivity.