Characterization of two proteins of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine clinical mastitis with homology to glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

Invited review: A critical appraisal of mastitis vaccines for dairy cows

Infections of the mammary gland remain a frequent disease of dairy ruminants that negatively affect animal welfare, milk quality, farmer serenity, and farming profitability and cause an increase in use of antimicrobials. There is a need for efficacious vaccines to alleviate the burden of mastitis in dairy farming, but this need has not been satisfactorily fulfilled despite decades of research. A careful appraisal of past and current research on mastitis vaccines reveals the peculiarities but also the commonalities among mammary gland infections associated with the major mastitis pathogens Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus agalactiae, or Streptococcus dysgalactiae. A major pitfall is that the immune mechanisms of effective protection have not been fully identified. Until now, vaccine development has been directed toward the generation of antibodies. In this review, we drew up an inventory of the main approaches used to design vaccines that aim at the major pathogens for the mammary gland, and we critically appraised the current and tentative vaccines. In particular, we sought to relate efficacy to vaccine-induced defense mechanisms to shed light on some possible reasons for current vaccine shortcomings. Based on the lessons learned from past attempts and the recent results of current research, the design of effective vaccines may take a new turn in the years to come.

An overview of moonlighting proteins in Staphylococcus aureus infection

Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for numerous instances of superficial, toxin-mediated, and invasive infections. The emergence of methicillin-resistant (MRSA), as well as vancomycin-resistant (VRSA) strains of S. aureus, poses a massive threat to human health. The tenacity of S. aureus to acquire resistance against numerous antibiotics in a very short duration makes the effort towards developing new antibiotics almost futile. S. aureus owes its destructive pathogenicity to the plethora of virulent factors it produces among which a majority of them are moonlighting proteins. Moonlighting proteins are the multifunctional proteins in which a single protein, with different oligomeric conformations, perform multiple independent functions in different cell compartments. Peculiarly, proteins involved in key ancestral functions and metabolic pathways typically exhibit moonlighting functions. Pathogens mainly employ those proteins as virulent factors which exhibit high structural conservation towards their host counterparts. Consequentially, the host immune system counteracts these invading bacterial virulent factors with minimal protective action. Additionally, many moonlighting proteins also play multiple roles in various stages of pathogenicity while augmenting the virulence of the bacterium. This has necessitated elaborative studies to be conducted on moonlighting proteins of S. aureus that can serve as drug targets. This review is a small effort towards understanding the role of various moonlighting proteins in the pathogenicity of S. aureus.

Comparison of Staphylococcus aureus surface protein extraction methods and immunogenicity

Staphylococcus aureus is the major contagious bovine mastitis pathogen and has no effective vaccine. Strain variation and limited knowledge of common immunogenic antigen/s are among major constraints for developing effective vaccines. S. aureus cell surface proteins that are exposed to the host immune system constitute good vaccine candidates. The objective of this study was to compare two novel S. aureus surface protein extraction methods with biotinylation method and evaluate immune-reactivity of extracted proteins. Surface proteins were extracted from nine genetically distinct S. aureus strains from cases of bovine mastitis. After extraction, bacterial cell integrity was examined by Gram staining and electron microscopy to determine if extraction methods caused damage to cells that may release non-surface proteins. The extracted proteins were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and evaluated for immune-reactivity using western blot. Results showed that all three extraction methods provided multiple protein bands on SDS-PAGE. Western blot result showed several immunoreactive surface proteins, in which some proteins strongly (well-resolved, thick, dark, and intense band) reacted across the nine strains tested. The three methods are valid for the extraction of surface proteins and hexadecane, and cholic acid methods are more feasible than biotinylation since both are easier, cheaper, and have minor effects on the bacterial cell. Strongly immune-reactive surface proteins may serve as potential candidates for a vaccine to control S. aureus mastitis in dairy cows.

Identification of a conserved linear B-cell epitope in the Staphylococcus aureus GapC protein

The GapC protein of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a surface protein that is highly conserved among Staphylococcus strains, and it can induce protective humoral immune responses. However, B-cell epitopes in S. aureus GapC have not been reported. In this study, we generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb2A9) targeting S. aureus GapC. Through a passive immunity test, mAb2A9 was shown to partially protect mice against S. aureus infection. We screened the motif ²³⁶PVATGSLTE²⁴³ that is recognized by mAb2A9 using a phage-display system. The motif sequence exactly matched amino acids 236-243 of the S. aureus GapC protein. Then, we identified the key amino acids in the motif using site-directed mutagenesis. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that residues P236, G240, L242, and T243 formed the core of the ²³⁶PVATGSLT²⁴³ motif. In addition, this epitope was proven to be located on the surface of S. aureus, and it induced a protective humoral immune response against S. aureus infection in immunized mice. Overall, our results characterized a conserved B-cell epitope, which will be an attractive target for designing effective epitope-based vaccines against S. aureus infection.

The double adjuvants LTB and CpG significantly enhanced the immuno-protective effects of recombinant GIT derived from Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus in mice

PURPOSE

In this study, we prepared GapC1-150-IsdB126-361-TRAP (GIT) proteins plus heat-labile enterotoxin B (LTB) as an intra-molecular adjuvant, together with CpG to further enhance its immunogenicity.

METHODOLOGY

Initially, the target genes were acquired and inserted into pET-32a (+) vectors to express LTB-GIT protein. LTB-GIT expression was confirmed by Western blotting and its immunocompetence was estimated through ELISA. Further, we immunized BALB/c mice with the LTB-GIT plus CpG adjuvant. After the second immunization, the antigen-specific CD4⁺ cell responses for IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 were monitored by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) assay. After the third immunization, the level of IgG antibodies in the serum from immunized groups was assessed by ELISA, and the protective immune response was appraised by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus dysgalactiae challenge.

RESULTS

The ELISA results showed that the OD450nm value of the LTB-GIT group was significantly higher than that of the BSA group. The group immunized with LTB-GIT plus CpG exhibited significantly stronger CD4⁺ T cell responses for IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 compared to the group immunized with LTB-GIT, GIT alone orLTB-GIT plus CpG. In addition, the group immunized with LTB-GIT plus CpG generated the highest level of IgG antibodies against GIT among all of the groups, and our results also showed that LTB-GIT plus CpG markedly improved the survival percentage of mice compared to other groups.

CONCLUSION

We confirmed that the novel double adjuvants, LTB and CpG, are able to significantly improve GIT-induced immune responses. This formula could be a promising strategy for enhancing the immune efficacy of multi-subunit vaccines against Staphylococcus aureus and streptococcal infection.

Glyceradehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a suitable vaccine candidate for protection against bacterial and parasitic diseases

The enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-P-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has been identified as having other properties in addition to its key role in glycolysis. The ability of GAPDH to bind to numerous extracellular matrices, modulation of host-immune responses, a role in virulence and surface location has prompted numerous investigators to postulate that GAPDH may be a good vaccine candidate for protection against numerous pathogens. Although immune responses against GAPDH have been described for many microorganisms, vaccines containing GAPDH have been successfully tested in few cases including those against the trematode-Schistosoma mansoni, the helminth-Enchinococcus multilocularis; the nematode filaria- Litomosoides sigmodontis; fish pathogens such as Aeromonas spp., Vibrio spp., Edwarsiella spp., and Streptococcus iniae; and environmental streptococci, namely, Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus dysgalactiae. Before GAPDH-based vaccines are considered viable options for protection against numerous pathogens, we need to take into account the homology between the host and pathogen GAPDH proteins to prevent potential autoimmune reactions, thus protective GAPDH epitopes unique to the pathogen protein must be identified.

Cross-protective effect of a novel multi-antigen-chimeric vaccine against Streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice

Staphylococcal and streptococcal species are the most common pathogens that cause bovine mastitis. Induction of a broad-spectrum protective immunity against staphylococci and streptococci by combining multiple antigens into a single vaccine is highlighted. To develop a universal vaccine candidate, a GapC1-tIsdB-TRAP (GIT) construct was generated. The GIT contained the truncated GapC from Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and truncated IsdB and full-length TRAP from Staphylococcus aureus. The humoral and cellular immune responses elicited by GIT were evaluated in mice. Antibody levels against GIT displayed a consistent tendency with antibody levels against GapC, IsdB and TRAP. The level of IFN-γ was higher in the GIT group than in the IsdB group (P<0.05), and the level of IL-4 was higher in the GIT group than in the GapC or TRAP groups (P<0.05). The GIT group showed an improved protection against Streptococcus in comparison with GapC group. A significant difference in S. aureus challenge test was detected between the GIT group and the IsdB or TRAP groups (P<0.05) in per cent survival of mice, and a synergistic immunoprotection against S. aureus or S. dysgalactiae was produced in the GIT group. These results suggested that the GIT would be a promising common vaccine candidate against S. aureus and Streptococcus.

Nonprofessional phagocytic cell receptors involved in Staphylococcus aureus internalization

Staphylococcus aureus is a successful human and animal pathogen. The majority of infections caused by this pathogen are life threatening, primarily because S. aureus has developed multiple evasion strategies, possesses intracellular persistence for long periods, and targets the skin and soft tissues. Therefore, it is very important to understand the mechanisms employed by S. aureus to colonize and proliferate in these cells. The aim of this review is to describe the recent discoveries concerning the host receptors of nonprofessional phagocytes involved in S. aureus internalization. Most of the knowledge related to the interaction of S. aureus with its host cells has been described in professional phagocytic cells such as macrophages. Here, we showed that in nonprofessional phagocytes the α 5 β 1 integrin host receptor, chaperons, and the scavenger receptor CD36 are the main receptors employed during S. aureus internalization. The characterization and identification of new bacterial effectors and the host cell receptors involved will undoubtedly lead to new discoveries with beneficial purposes.

Role of GapC in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as a major pathogen causing clinical or subclinical intramammary infections in lactating cows, sheep and goats. S. aureus produces a wide arsenal of cell surface and extracellular proteins involved in virulence. Among these are two conserved proteins with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) activity named glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase-B (GapB) and -C (GapC). In this study, we used the S. aureus wild type strain RN6390 and its isogenic gapC mutant H330 in in vitro and in vivo studies and determined that the S. aureus GapC protein plays a role on adherence to and internalization into bovine mammary epithelial (MAC-T) cells. In addition, we found that S. aureus H330 did not caused mastitis after an experimental infection of ovine mammary glands. Together, these results show that GapC is important in the pathogenesis of S. aureus mastitis.

Molecular basis of virulence in Staphylococcus aureus mastitis

BACKGROUND

S. aureus is one of the main pathogens involved in ruminant mastitis worldwide. The severity of staphylococcal infection is highly variable, ranging from subclinical to gangrenous mastitis. This work represents an in-depth characterization of S. aureus mastitis isolates to identify bacterial factors involved in severity of mastitis infection.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We employed genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches to comprehensively compare two clonally related S. aureus strains that reproducibly induce severe (strain O11) and milder (strain O46) mastitis in ewes. Variation in the content of mobile genetic elements, iron acquisition and metabolism, transcriptional regulation and exoprotein production was observed. In particular, O11 produced relatively high levels of exoproteins, including toxins and proteases known to be important in virulence. A characteristic we observed in other S. aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis cases.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Our data are consistent with a dose-dependant role of some staphylococcal factors in the hypervirulence of strains isolated from severe mastitis. Mobile genetic elements, transcriptional regulators, exoproteins and iron acquisition pathways constitute good targets for further research to define the underlying mechanisms of mastitis severity.

On the functional diversity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase: biochemical mechanisms and regulatory control

BACKGROUND

New studies provide evidence that glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) is not simply a classical glycolytic protein of little interest. Instead, it is a multifunctional protein with significant activity in a number of fundamental cell pathways. GAPDH is a highly conserved gene and protein, with a single mRNA transcribed from a unique gene. Control mechanisms must exist which regulate its functional diversity.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

This review focuses on new, timely studies defining not only its diverse activities but also those which define the regulatory mechanisms through which those functions may be controlled. The reader is referred to the author's prior review for the consideration of past reports which first indicated GAPDH multiple activities (Sirover, Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1432 (1999) 159-184.)

CONCLUSIONS

These investigations demonstrate fundamental roles of GAPDH in vivo, dynamic changes in its subcellular localization, and the importance of posttranslational modifications as well as protein:protein interactions as regulatory control mechanisms.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

GAPDH is the prototype "moonlighting" protein which exhibits activities distinct from their classically identified functions. Their participation in diverse cell pathways is essential. Regulatory mechanisms exist which control those diverse activities as well as changes in their subcellular localization as a consequence of those new functions.

Protein chimeras containing the Mycoplasma bovis GAPDH protein and bovine host-defence peptides retain the properties of the individual components

Besides the well characterized role in glycolysis, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has been implicated in virulence of pathogenic micro-organisms and because of its cell surface location, it has been shown to act as an adhesin for colonization of tissue surfaces both for pathogenic and non-pathogenic normal microflora. These novel properties of GAPDH make this protein a target for studies in pathogenesis and a candidate for vaccine development against several diseases. Previously, we have isolated the GAPDH protein of Mycoplasma bovis and we are currently using this protein as a test antigen to develop a vaccine to protect feedlot animals from M. bovis-related diseases. As part of our vaccine studies, we are testing several novel immune modulators, some of which are host-defence peptides (HDP). HDP are small protein molecules that are part of the innate immune system of the host possess antimicrobial activities and can act as adjuvants. These novel compounds have been used as part of chimeric proteins composed of viral antigens fused to HDP and these chimeras were found to promote immune responses. The first step in the use of the M. bovis GAPDH protein and HDP as components of a vaccine was to construct M. bovis GAPDH-HDP chimeric proteins. The three M. bovis GAPDH-HDP chimeric proteins constructed here: GAPDH-BMAP28 (sGap-M), GAPDH-indolicidin (sGap-I), and GAPDH-TAP (Gap-T) retained properties associated with the individual components, namely GAPDH enzymatic and HDP antimicrobial activities.

Comparison of the regulation, metabolic functions, and roles in virulence of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase homologues gapA and gapB in Staphylococcus aureus

The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus contains two glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) homologues known as GapA and GapB. GapA has been characterized as a functional GAPDH protein, but currently there is no biological evidence for the role of GapB in metabolism in S. aureus. In this study we show through a number of complementary methods that S. aureus GapA is essential for glycolysis while GapB is essential in gluconeogenesis. These proteins are reciprocally regulated in response to glucose concentrations, and both are influenced by the glycolysis regulator protein GapR, which is the first demonstration of the role of this regulator in S. aureus and the first indication that GapR homologues control genes other than those within the glycolytic operon. Furthermore, we show that both GapA and GapB are important in the pathogenesis of S. aureus in a Galleria mellonella model of infection, showing for the first time in any bacteria that both glycolysis and gluconeogenesis have important roles in virulence.

Progress in the development of effective vaccines to prevent selected gram-positive bacterial infections

Infections caused by virulent Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus, group B streptococci and group A streptococci, remain significant causes of morbidity and mortality despite progress in antimicrobial therapy. Despite significant advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of infection caused by these organisms, there are only limited strategies to prevent infection. In this article, we review efforts to develop safe and effective vaccines that would prevent infections caused by these 3 pathogens.

Deletion of sua gene reduces the ability of Streptococcus uberis to adhere to and internalize into bovine mammary epithelial cells

To elucidate the role of Streptococcus uberis adhesion molecule (SUAM) in the pathogenesis of S. uberis mastitis, sua deletion in S. uberis UT888 was achieved by homologous recombination using a thermosensitive plasmid. The deletion mutant was analyzed for sua deletion by PCR, southern blot and DNA sequencing, and was designated Δsua S. uberis UT888. As compared to the isogenic parent strain, Δsua S. uberis UT888 did not produce SUAM based on SDS-PAGE gel and western blot. Deletion of sua and lack of expression of SUAM by Δsua S. uberis UT888 markedly reduced the ability of the sua gene deletion mutant of S. uberis to adhere to and internalize into mammary epithelial cells. These results confirm the central role of SUAM in adherence to and internalization of S. uberis into host cells.

Expression, purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction studies of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA252)

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase 1 from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA252) was cloned in pQE30 vector, overexpressed in Escherichia coli M15(pREP4) cells and purified to homogeneity. The protein was crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The crystals belonged to space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 65.23, b = 95.58, c = 87.91 A, beta = 106.5 degrees . X-ray diffraction data were collected and processed to a maximum resolution of 2.0 A. The presence of one tetramer in the asymmetric unit gave a Matthews coefficient (V(M)) of 1.78 A(3) Da(-1) and a solvent content of 31%. The structure was solved by molecular replacement and structure refinement is now in progress.

Relative quantitative comparisons of the extracellular protein profiles of Staphylococcus aureus UAMS-1 and its sarA, agr, and sarA agr regulatory mutants using one-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and nanocapillary liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

One-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by nanocapillary liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry was used to analyze proteins isolated from Staphylococcus aureus UAMS-1 after 3, 6, 12, and 24 h of in vitro growth. Protein abundance was determined using a quantitative value termed normalized peptide number, and overall, proteins known to be associated with the cell wall were more abundant early on in growth, while proteins known to be secreted into the surrounding milieu were more abundant late in growth. In addition, proteins from spent media and cell lysates of strain UAMS-1 and its isogenic sarA, agr, and sarA agr regulatory mutant strains during exponential growth were identified, and their relative abundances were compared. Extracellular proteins known to be regulated by the global regulators sarA and agr displayed protein levels in accordance with what is known regarding the effects of these regulators. For example, cysteine protease (SspB), endopeptidase (SspA), staphopain (ScpA), and aureolysin (Aur) were higher in abundance in the sarA and sarA agr mutants than in strain UAMS-1. The immunoglobulin G (IgG)-binding protein (Sbi), immunodominant staphylococcal antigen A (IsaA), IgG-binding protein A (Spa), and the heme-iron-binding protein (IsdA) were most abundant in the agr mutant background. Proteins whose abundance was decreased in the sarA mutant included fibrinogen-binding protein (Fib [Efb]), IsaA, lipase 1 and 2, and two proteins identified as putative leukocidin F and S subunits of the two-component leukotoxin family. Collectively, this approach identified 1,263 proteins (matches of two peptides or more) and provided a convenient and reliable way of identifying proteins and comparing their relative abundances.

Proteomic strategies to elucidate pathogenic mechanisms of spirochetes

Spirochetes are a unique group of bacteria that include several motile and highly invasive pathogens that cause a multitude of acute and chronic disease processes. Nine genomes of spirochetes have been completed, which provide significant insights into pathogenic mechanisms of disease and reflect an often complex lifestyle associated with a wide range of environmental and host factors encountered during disease transmission and infection. Characterization of the outer membrane of spirochetes is of particular interest since it interacts directly with the host and environs during disease and likely contains candidate vaccinogens and diagnostics. In concert with appropriate fractionation techniques, the tools of proteomics have rapidly evolved to characterize the proteome of spirochetes. Of greater significance, studies have confirmed the differential expression of many proteins, including those of the outer membrane, in response to environmental signals encountered during disease transmission and infection. Characterization of the proteome in response to such signals provides novel insights to understand pathogenic mechanisms of spirochetes.

DNA-protein immunization against the GapB and GapC proteins of a mastitis isolate of Staphylococcus aureus

One of the most economically important diseases that affect the dairy industry is bovine mastitis caused by strains of S. aureus. The development of an effective vaccine has been hampered by the antigenic diversity of the bacterium. Immunization with plasmid DNAs, encoding S. aureus antigens either as single molecule or as chimeric products containing at least two antigens, has been proposed as a novel strategy to prevent this costly disease. We continued our studies on a chimeric protein composed of the surface-located GapB and GapC proteins of S. aureus and in this work we tested the effects of DNA vaccination with plasmids encoding the individual antigens as well as the GapC/B protein with or without a boost with the recombinant proteins. The results showed that DNA vaccination alone was unable to elicit a significant humoral response and barely able to elicit a detectable cell-mediated response to the recombinant antigens. These effects were overcome by boosting with the proteins indicating that these DNA vaccines alone were not sufficient to mount an immune response against the S. aureus GapB and GapC proteins.

Immune responses to a Staphylococcus aureus GapC/B chimera and its potential use as a component of a vaccine for S. aureus mastitis

Bovine mastitis caused by strains of S. aureus is the most economically important disease affecting the dairy industry worldwide. Commercially available vaccines show various degrees of success and work in research laboratories with experimental vaccines suggests that in part, the failure of these vaccines lies in the limited antigenic repertoire contained in the vaccine formulations. Since it seems impractical to produce a vaccine containing antigens from all major S. aureus mastitis isolates, we took the approach of using two surface antigens GapB and GapC that appear to be conserved and constructed a GapC/B chimera as the basis for a vaccine. The humoral and cellular immune responses to GapC/B were compared to the responses to the individual proteins, alone or in combination. The GapC/B protein elicited strong humoral and cellular responses in mice as judged by the levels of total IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and number of IL-4- and IFN-gamma-secreting cells. These results suggest that this chimeric protein could be an attractive target for further vaccine efficacy studies.