Sequence homologies between A subunits of Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae enterotoxins

Development and accuracy of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays for detection and quantification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) heat labile and heat stable toxin genes in travelers' diarrhea samples

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), the leading bacterial pathogen of travelers' diarrhea, is routinely detected by an established DNA hybridization protocol that is neither sensitive nor quantitative. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays that detect the ETEC toxin genes eltA, sta1, and sta2 in clinical stool samples were developed and tested using donor stool inoculated with known quantities of ETEC bacteria. The sensitivity of the qPCR assays is 89%, compared with 22% for the DNA hybridization assay, and the limits of detection are 10,000-fold lower than the DNA hybridization assays performed in parallel. Ninety-three clinical stool samples, previously characterized by DNA hybridization, were tested using the new ETEC qPCR assays. Discordant toxin profiles were observed for 22 samples, notably, four samples originally typed as ETEC negative were ETEC positive. The qPCR assays are unique in their sensitivity and ability to quantify the three toxin genes in clinical stool samples.

Cholera toxin: A paradigm for multi-functional engagement of cellular mechanisms (Review)

Cholera toxin (Ctx) from Vibrio cholerae and its closely related homologue, heat-labile enterotoxin (Etx) from Escherichia coli have become superb tools for illuminating pathways of cellular trafficking and immune cell function. These bacterial protein toxins should be viewed as conglomerates of highly evolved, multi-functional elements equipped to engage the trafficking and signalling machineries of cells. Ctx and Etx are members of a larger family of A-B toxins of bacterial (and plant) origin that are comprised of structurally and functionally distinct enzymatically active A and receptor-binding B sub-units or domains. Intoxication of mammalian cells by Ctx and Etx involves B pentamer-mediated receptor binding and entry into a vesicular pathway, followed by translocation of the enzymatic A1 domain of the A sub-unit into the target cell cytosol, where covalent modification of intracellular targets leads to activation of adenylate cyclase and a sequence of events culminating in life-threatening diarrhoeal disease. Importantly, Ctx and Etx also have the capacity to induce a wide spectrum of remarkable immunological processes. With respect to the latter, it has been found that these toxins activate signalling pathways that modulate the immune system. This review explores the complexities of the cellular interactions that are engaged by these bacterial protein toxins, and highlights some of the new insights to have recently emerged.

Escherichia coli STb toxin and colibacillosis: knowing is half the battle

Expression of both adherence and enterotoxin expression are required for enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains to cause colibacillosis. ETEC strains are responsible for diarrhea in humans and animals by production of various enterotoxins. For many years, the role of the heat-stable E. coli enterotoxin STb as a diarrhea-causing toxin in animals, and in particular in swine, has been controversial. In fact, although the presence of STb-positive E. coli strains and diarrhea in animals is frequently observed, the difficulty of reproducing the pathology in an animal model was interpreted as a lack of toxicity. Recently, new light was shed on the activity of STb in intestinal ligated loops and in pigs orally inoculated with STb-positive E. coli strains. This minireview revisits the effects of STb on the intestinal epithelium and enlightens the significance of STb in swine colibacillosis. The interaction of STb toxin with other E. coli enterotoxins and dual ETEC/enteropathogenic E. coli or ETEC/attaching effacing E. coli infections are also discussed.

Mucosal vaccines: non toxic derivatives of LT and CT as mucosal adjuvants

Most vaccines are still delivered by injection. Mucosal vaccination would increase compliance and decrease the risk of spread of infectious diseases due to contaminated syringes. However, most vaccines are unable to induce immune responses when administered mucosally, and require the use of strong adjuvant on effective delivery systems. Cholera toxin (CT) and Escherichia coli enterotoxin (LT) are powerful mucosal adjuvants when co-administered with soluble antigens. However, their use in humans is hampered by their extremely high toxicity. During the past few years, site-directed mutagenesis has permitted the generation of LT and CT mutants fully non toxic or with dramatically reduced toxicity, which still retain their strong adjuvanticity at the mucosal level. Among these mutants, are LTK63 (serine-to-lysine substitution at position 63 in the A subunit) and LTR72 (alanine-to-arginine substitution at position 72 in the A subunit). The first is fully non toxic, whereas the latter retains some residual enzymatic activity. Both of them are extremely active as mucosal adjuvants, being able to induce very high titers of antibodies specific for the antigen with which they are co-administered. Both mutants have now been tested as mucosal adjuvants in different animal species using a wide variety of antigens. Interestingly, mucosal delivery (nasal or oral) of antigens together with LTK63 or LTR72 mutants also conferred protection against challenge in appropriate animal models (e.g. tetanus, Helicobacter pylori, pertussis, pneumococci, influenza, etc). In conclusion, these LTK63 and LTR72 mutants are safe adjuvants to enhance the immunogenicity of vaccines at the mucosal level, and will be tested soon in humans.

Mucosal immunogenicity of genetically detoxified derivatives of heat labile toxin from Escherichia coli

Using a fixed dose of antigen, the immune response to detoxified mutants of LT-WT following intranasal (i.n.), subcutaneous (s.c.) and oral (i.g.) immunisation has been studied. When given i.n., both LT-WT and mutant toxin, K63, generated significant levels of toxin-specific IgG in the serum, and the levels of IgA in nasal and lung lavages were greater than those induced by rLT-B. In comparison, i.g. immunisation of mice with a similar quantity of either LT-WT or K63 toxin induced barely detectable levels of IgG in the sera. However, if the amount of protein used for i.g. immunisation was increased tenfold, relatively good levels of toxin-specific IgG were induced in the sera by both LT-WT or K63. Low levels of toxin-specific IgA were also observed in intestinal washes from these mice. Western blotting of the sera, using the native toxin as an antigen, demonstrated the presence of both anti-A and anti-B subunit antibodies. Most significantly, toxin-neutralising antibodies were induced in the serum, with the strongest activity being induced by the LT-WT, an intermediate activity induced by mutant K63 and a lower response by rLT-B. Together, these data show that ADP-ribosyltransferase is not necessary for mucosal immunogenicity of these proteins, and that the i.n. route of immunisation is more effective than the i.g. route of immunisation for the generation of both systemic (IgG) and mucosal (IgA) immune responses.

Mucosal adjuvanticity and immunogenicity of LTR72, a novel mutant of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin with partial knockout of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity

Heat-labile Escherichia coli enterotoxin (LT) has the innate property of being a strong mucosal immunogen and adjuvant. In the attempt to reduce toxicity and maintain the useful immunological properties, several LT mutants have been produced. Some of these are promising mucosal adjuvants. However, so far, only those that were still toxic maintained full adjuvanticity. In this paper we describe a novel LT mutant with greatly reduced toxicity that maintains most of the adjuvanticity. The new mutant (LTR72), that contains a substitution Ala --> Arg in position 72 of the A subunit, showed only 0.6% of the LT enzymatic activity, was 100,000-fold less toxic than wild-type LT in Y1 cells in vitro, and was at least 20 times less effective than wild-type LT in the rabbit ileal loop assay in vivo. At a dose of 1 microg, LTR72 exhibited a mucosal adjuvanticity, similar to that observed with wild-type LT, better than that induced by the nontoxic, enzymatically inactive LTK63 mutant, and much greater than that of the recombinant B subunit. This trend was consistent for both the amounts and kinetics of the antibody induced, and priming of antigen-specific T lymphocytes. The data suggest that the innate high adjuvanticity of LT derives from the independent contribution of the nontoxic AB complex and the enzymatic activity. LTR72 optimizes the use of both properties: the enzymatic activity for which traces are enough, and the nontoxic AB complex, the effect of which is dose dependent. In fact, in dose-response experiments in mice, 20 microg of LTR72 were a stronger mucosal adjuvant than wild-type LT. This suggests that LTR72 may be an excellent candidate to be tested in clinical trials.

Levels of expression and immunogenicity of attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium strains expressing Escherichia coli mutant heat-labile enterotoxin

The effects of heterologous gene dosage as well as Salmonella typhimurium strain variability on immune response toward both the heterologous antigen, the nontoxic mutant of the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin LTK63, and the carrier Salmonella strain have been analyzed. Effects of a single integration into the host DNA and different-copy-number episomal vectors were compared in S. typhimurium delta cya delta crp delta asd strains of two different serotypes, UK-1 and SR-11. Expression of the enterotoxin in the different Salmonella isolates in vitro was found to vary considerably and, for the episomal vectors, to correlate with the plasmid copy number. LTK63-specific serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies were highest in mice immunized with the high-level-expression strain. High anti-LTK63 IgG and IgA titers were found to correspond to higher anti-Salmonella immunity, suggesting that LTK63 exerts an adjuvant effect on response to the carrier. Statistically significant differences in anti-LTK63 immune response were observed between groups of mice immunized with the attenuated delta cya delta crp UK-1 and SR-11 derivatives producing the antigen at the same rate. These data indicate that the same attenuation in S. typhimurium strains of different genetic backgrounds can influence significantly the immune response toward the heterologous antigen. Moreover, delivery of the LTK63 enterotoxin to the immune system by attenuated S. typhimurium strains is effective only when synthesis of the antigen is very high during the initial phase of invasion, while persistence of the S. typhimurium strain in deep tissues has only marginal influence.

Intranasal immunogenicity and adjuvanticity of site-directed mutant derivatives of cholera toxin

Genetically modified derivatives of cholera toxin (CT), harboring a single amino acid substitution in and around the NAD binding cleft of the A subunit, were isolated following site-directed mutagenesis of the ctxA gene. Two mutants of CT, designated CTS106 (with a proline-to-serine change at position 106) and CTK63 (with a serine-to-lysine change at position 63), were found to have substantially reduced ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and toxicity; CTK63 was completely nontoxic in all assays, whereas CTS106 was 10(4) times less toxic than wild-type CT. The mucosal adjuvanticity and immunogenicity of derivatives of CT were assessed by intranasal immunization of mice, with either ovalbumin or fragment C of tetanus toxin as a bystander antigen. Mice immunized with wild-type CT produced both local (immunoglobulin A in mucosal washes) and systemic immune responses to both CT and bystander antigens. CTS106 showed good local and systemic responses to bystander proteins and to itself. Interestingly, mice immunized with the nontoxic derivative of CT, CTK63, generated weak immune responses to the bystander antigens which were similar to those achieved when CT B subunit was used as an adjuvant. In parallel experiments, an equivalent nontoxic mutant of the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin, LTK63 (with a serine-to-lysine change at position 63), was tested (9). In contrast to CTK63, LTK63 was found to be more immunogenic and a better intranasal adjuvant than recombinant heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit or CTK63. This information, together with data on immunoglobulin subclass responses, suggests that although highly homologous, CT and heat-labile enterotoxin should not be considered biologically identical in terms of their ability to act as intranasal adjuvants.

Mutations in the A subunit affect yield, stability, and protease sensitivity of nontoxic derivatives of heat-labile enterotoxin

Heat-labile toxin (LT) is a protein related to cholera toxin, produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains, that is organized as an AB5 complex. A number of nontoxic derivatives of LT, useful for new or improved vaccines against diarrheal diseases or as mucosal adjuvants, have been constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. Here we have studied the biochemical properties of the nontoxic mutants LT-K7 (Arg-7-->Lys), LT-D53 (Val-53-->Asp), LT-K63 (Ser-63-->Lys), LT-K97 (Val-97-->Lys), LT-K104 (Tyr-104-->Lys), LT-K114 (Ser-114-->Lys), and LT-K7/K97 (Arg-7-->Lys and Val-97-->Lys). We have found that mutations in the A subunit may have profound effects on the ability to form the AB5 structure and on the stability and trypsin sensitivity of the purified proteins. Unstable mutants, during long-term storage at 4 degrees C, showed a decrease in the amount of the assembled protein in solution and a parallel appearance of soluble monomeric B subunit. This finding suggests that the stability of the B pentamer is influenced by the A subunit which is associated with it. Among the seven nontoxic mutants tested, LT-K63 was found to be efficient in AB5 production, extremely stable during storage, resistant to proteolytic attack, and very immunogenic. In conclusion, LT-K63 is a good candidate for the development of antidiarrheal vaccines and mucosal adjuvants.

Probing the structure-activity relationship of Escherichia coli LT-A by site-directed mutagenesis

Computer analysis of the crystallographic structure of the A subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin (LT) was used to predict residues involved in NAD binding, catalysis and toxicity. Following site-directed mutagenesis, the mutants obtained could be divided into three groups. The first group contained fully assembled, non-toxic new molecules containing mutations of single amino acids such as Val-53-->Glu or Asp, Ser-63-->Lys, Val-97-->Lys, Tyr-104-->Lys or Asp, and Ser-114-->Lys or Glu. This group also included mutations in amino acids such as Arg-7, Glu-110 and Glu-112 that were already known to be important for enzymatic activity. The second group was formed by mutations that caused the collapse or prevented the assembly of the A subunit: Leu-41-->Phe, Ala-45-->Tyr or Glu, Val-53-->Tyr, Val-60-->Gly, Ser-68-->Pro, His-70-->Pro, Val-97-->Tyr and Ser-114-->Tyr. The third group contained those molecules that maintained a wild-type level of toxicity in spite of the mutations introduced: Arg-54-->Lys or Ala, Tyr-59-->Met, Ser-68-->Lys, Ala-72-->Arg, His or Asp and Arg-192-->Asn. The results provide a further understanding of the structure-function of the active site and new, non-toxic mutants that may be useful for the development of vaccines against diarrhoeal diseases.

Common features of the NAD-binding and catalytic site of ADP-ribosylating toxins

Computer analysis of the three-dimensional structure of ADP-ribosylating toxins showed that in all toxins the NAD-binding site is located in a cavity. This cavity consists of 18 contiguous amino acids that form an alpha-helix bent over a beta-strand. The tertiary folding of this structure is strictly conserved despite the differences in the amino acid sequence. Catalysis is supported by two spatially conserved amino acids, each flanking the NAD-binding site. These are: a glutamic acid that is conserved in all toxins, and a nucleophilic residue, which is a histidine in the diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas exotoxin A, and an arginine in the cholera toxin, the Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxins, the pertussis toxin and the mosquitocidal toxin of Bacillus sphaericus. The latter group of toxins presents an additional histidine that appears important for catalysis. This structure suggests a general mechanism of ADP-ribosylation evolved to work on different target proteins.

Structure and function of cholera toxin and the related Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin

Cholera and the related Escherichia coli-associated diarrheal disease are important problems confronting Third World nations and any area where water supplies can become contaminated. The disease is extremely debilitating and may be fatal in the absence of treatment. Symptoms are caused by the action of cholera toxin, secreted by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, or by a closely related heat-labile enterotoxin, produced by Escherichia coli, that causes a milder, more common traveler's diarrhea. Both toxins bind receptors in intestinal epithelial cells and insert an enzymatic subunit that modifies a G protein associated with the adenylate cyclase complex. The consequent stimulated production of cyclic AMP, or other factors such as increased synthesis of prostaglandins by intoxicated cells, initiates a metabolic cascade that results in the excessive secretion of fluid and electrolytes characteristic of the disease. The toxins have a very high degree of structural and functional homology and may be evolutionarily related. Several effective new vaccine formulations have been developed and tested, and a growing family of endogenous cofactors is being discovered in eukaryotic cells. The recent elucidation of the three-dimensional structure of the heat-labile enterotoxin has provided an opportunity to examine and compare the correlations between structure and function of the two toxins. This information may improve our understanding of the disease process itself, as well as illuminate the role of the toxin in studies of signal transduction and G-protein function.

Activation of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxins by native and recombinant adenosine diphosphate-ribosylation factors, 20-kD guanine nucleotide-binding proteins

Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxins (LT) are responsible in part for "traveler's diarrhea" and related diarrheal illnesses. The family of LTs comprises two serogroups termed LT-I and LT-II; each serogroup includes two or more antigenic variants. The effects of LTs result from ADP ribosylation of Gs alpha, a stimulatory component of adenylyl cyclase; the mechanism of action is identical to that of cholera toxin (CT). The ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of CT is enhanced by 20-kD guanine nucleotide-binding proteins, known as ADP-ribosylation factors or ARFs. These proteins directly activate the CTA1 catalytic unit and stimulate its ADP ribosylation of Gs alpha, other proteins, and simple guanidino compounds (e.g., agmatine). Because of the similarities between CT and LTs, we investigated the effects of purified bovine brain ARF and a recombinant form of bovine ARF synthesized in Escherichia coli on LT activity. ARF enhanced the LT-I-, LT-IIa-, and LT-IIb-catalyzed ADP ribosylation of agmatine, as well as the auto-ADP ribosylation of the toxin catalytic unit. Stimulation of ADP-ribosylagmatine formation by LTs and CT in the presence of ARF was GTP dependent and enhanced by sodium dodecyl sulfate. With agmatine as substrate, LT-IIa and LT-IIb exhibited less than 1% the activity of CT and LT-Ih. CT and LTs catalyzed ADP-ribosyl-Gs alpha formation in a reaction dependent on ARF, GTP, and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine/cholate. With Gs alpha as substrate, the ADP-ribosyltransferase activities of the toxins were similar, although CT and LT-Ih appeared to be slightly more active than LT-IIa and LT-IIb. Thus, LT-IIa and LT-IIb appear to differ somewhat from CT and LT-Ih in substrate specificity. Responsiveness to stimulation by ARF, GTP, and phospholipid/detergent as well as the specificity of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity are functions of LTs from serogroups LT-I and LT-II that are shared with CT.

Characterization of the receptor for cholera toxin and Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin in rabbit intestinal brush borders

125I-labelled heat-labile toxin (from Escherichia coli) and 125I-labelled cholera toxin bound to immobilized ganglioside GM1 and Balb/c 3T3 cell membranes with identical specificities, i.e. each toxin inhibited binding of the other. Binding of both toxins to Balb/c 3T3 cell membranes was saturable, with 50% of maximal binding occurring at 0.3 nM for cholera toxin and 1.1 nM for heat-labile toxin, and the number of sites for each toxin was similar. The results suggest that both toxins recognize the same receptor, namely ganglioside GM1. In contrast, binding of 125I-heat-labile toxin to rabbit intestinal brush borders at 0 degree C was not inhibited by cholera toxin, although heat-labile toxin inhibited 125I-cholera toxin binding. In addition, there were 3-10-fold more binding sites for heat-labile toxin than for cholera toxin. At 37 degrees C cholera toxin, but more particularly its B-subunit, did significantly inhibit 125I-heat-labile toxin binding. Binding of 125I-cholera toxin was saturable, with 50% maximal of binding occurring at 1-2 nM, and was quantitatively inhibited by 10(-8) M unlabelled toxin or B-subunit. By contrast, binding of 125I-heat-labile toxin was non-saturable (up to 5 nM), and 2 X 10(-7) M unlabelled B-subunit was required to quantitatively inhibit binding. Neuraminidase treatment of brush borders increased 125I-cholera toxin but not heat-labile toxin binding. Extensive digestion of membranes with Streptomyces griseus proteinase or papain did not decrease the binding of either toxin. The additional binding sites for heat-labile toxin are not gangliosides. Thin-layer chromatograms of gangliosides which were overlayed with 125I-labelled toxins showed that binding of both toxins was largely restricted to ganglioside GM1. However, 125I-heat-labile toxin was able to bind to brush-border galactoproteins resolved by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose.

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus encoded mutarotase: nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene and characterization of its secretion in Escherichia coli

The nucleotide sequence of the mutarotase gene from Acinetobacter calcoaceticus has been determined. It reveals an open reading frame of 381 amino acids. The codon usage of A. calcoaceticus for this gene is similar to E. coli except for the amino acids Leu, Ala, Glu, and Arg where major differences exist. This did not interfere drastically with high level expression in E. coli. The regulatory sequences for the initiation of translation are similar to the ones described for E. coli. The N-terminal 20 amino acids, which are not found in the mature enzyme, show homology to signal sequences of exported proteins. In A. calcoaceticus and E. coli mutarotase is specifically secreted into the periplasmic space. Processing of the signal sequence occurs at identical sites in both organisms. The mature mutarotase consists of 361 amino acids and has a calculated molecular weight of 38457 Da. Expression of mutarotase at a high level in a recombinant E. coli destabilizes the outer membrane. This results in coordinated leakage of mutarotase and beta-lactamase into the culture broth.

Rare codons in E. coli and S. typhimurium signal sequences

Codon usage has been examined in the signal sequences of 27 genes encoding proteins which possess leader peptides, and are inner-membrane located or exported. The results have been compared with codon usage in the corresponding coding sequences of most of the mature proteins. A bias is observed in the usage of rare codons for two of the three hydrophobic amino acids for which there are rare codons. Since hydrophobic residues are predominant in leader peptides, we suggest that a resulting concentration of rare codons in the signal sequence may play a role (or have played a role in the evolutionary past) in the secretion process by delaying translation.

Escherichia coli hemolysin is released extracellularly without cleavage of a signal peptide

A 110-kilodalton polypeptide isolated from cell-free culture supernatants of hemolytic Escherichia coli was shown to be associated with hemolytic activity. The relative amount of the extracellular 110-kilodalton species detected directly reflects the extracellular hemolysin activity associated with Escherichia coli strains harboring different hemolysin recombinant plasmids. The predicted molecular mass of the hemolysin structural gene (hlyA) based on DNA sequence analysis was 109,858 daltons. Amino-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the 110-kilodalton polypeptide provided direct evidence that it was encoded by hlyA. Based on this information, it was also demonstrated that the HlyA polypeptide was released extracellularly without signal peptidase-like cleavage. An examination of hemolysin-specific polypeptides detected by use of recombinant plasmids in a minicell-producing strain of Escherichia coli was performed. These studies demonstrated how hemolysin-associated 110- and 58-kilodalton polypeptides detected in the minicell background could be misinterpreted as a precursor-product relationship.

Molecular homogeneity of heat-stable enterotoxins produced by bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Heat-stable enterotoxins (STs) from four strains of bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli representing four serogroups were purified to homogeneity by utilizing previously published purification schemata. Biochemical characterization of the purified STs showed that they met the basic criteria for the heat-stable enterotoxins of E. coli. Amino acid analysis of the purified STs revealed that they were peptides of identical amino acid composition. This composition consisted of 18 residues of 10 different amino acids, 6 of which were cysteine. The amino acid composition of the four ST peptides was identical to that reported for the STs of human and porcine E. coli. In addition, complete sequence analysis of two of the ST peptides and partial sequencing of several others revealed strong homology to the sequences of STs from human and porcine E. coli and to the sequence predicted from the last 18 codons of the transposon Tn1681. There was also substantial homology to the sequence predicted from the ST-coding genetic element of human E. coli, which may indicate the existence of identical bioactive configuration among ST peptides of E. coli strains of various host origins. These data support the hypothesis that STs produced by human, bovine, and porcine E. coli are coded by a closely related genetic element which may have originated from a single, widely disseminated transposon.

Differences in cross-protection in rats immunized with the B subunits of cholera toxin and Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin

Although cholera toxin (CT), Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin (LT), and their B subunits are known to be immunologically related, the ability of each to raise an antitoxin response that provides equally strong cross-protection against active challenge with pure heterologous toxin has not been examined previously. We immunized rats with pure preparations of the B subunits of human LT, porcine LT, and CT. Immunization with either of the LT B subunits raised greater than or equal to fourfold increases in specific mucosal immunoglobulin A antitoxin titers to homologous and heterologous LT and CT B subunits, thereby providing strong protection against active challenge in ligated ileal loops with all three respective holotoxins and with a viable LT-producing E. coli strain. In contrast, immunization with the CT B subunit raised a greater than or equal to fourfold increase in antitoxin titers only to itself and provided strong protection only against challenge with the CT holotoxin. Conjugation of the CT B subunit with the E. coli heat-stable toxin by the carbodiimide reaction yielded a cross-linked immunogen with equal antigenicity for both components; immunization with this conjugate raised greater than or equal to fourfold increases in antitoxin titers to both components, but it provided significant protection only against challenge with a viable heat-stable toxin-producing E. coli strain and not to an LT-producing E. coli strain. These observations indicate that immunization with the LT B subunits raises a heterologous antitoxin response that extends to the CT B subunit, thereby providing equally strong protection against LT and CT; however, immunization with the CT B subunit raises principally a homologous antitoxin response, so that this immunogen provides strong protection only against CT.

Presence of a dinucleotide fold in cholera toxin: possible approach to chemoprophylaxis?

The ADP-ribosyltransferase activity of the A1 subunit of cholera toxin is specifically inhibited by the dye cibacron blue 3GA. The presence of a 'dinucleotide fold' in the A1 subunit is thus established for the first time. This specific inhibition observed in vitro is successfully exploited in vivo for the inhibition of te diarrheal response brought out by the pure toxin in the rabbit ileal-loop test.

Evidence that a non-O1 Vibrio cholerae produces enterotoxin that is similar but not identical to cholera enterotoxin

Cholera-like enterotoxin produced by a non-O1 strain of Vibrio cholerae, S7 (S7 enterotoxin), isolated from human diarrheal stool, was purified, and its physicochemical, biological, and immunological properties were compared with those of cholera enterotoxin from V. cholerae O1 569B (CT) and an enterotoxin produced by another non-O1 V. cholerae (E8498 enterotoxin) reported previously (Yamamoto et al., Infect. Immun. 39:1128-1135, 1983). The purified S7 enterotoxin had physicochemical properties different from those of CT and E8498 enterotoxin. S7 enterotoxin had greater relative mobility in conventional polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis and a lower isoelectric point, and its B subunit was smaller than those of CT and E8498 enterotoxin. The results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis suggested that the size of the aggregate of the B subunits of S7 enterotoxin is larger than that of CT and E8498 enterotoxin. The biological and immunological properties of S7 enterotoxin were indistinguishable from those of CT and E8498 enterotoxin. These results indicate that non-O1 vibrios may produce more than one kind of cholera-like enterotoxin: one which is identical to CT (E8498 enterotoxin type) and another which is not identical to CT (S7 enterotoxin type).

Nucleotide sequences within the cholera toxin operon

Nucleotide sequences coding for the N- and C-terminus of the A subunit and the N-terminus of the B subunit of cholera toxin were determined. These results show that the genes for the A and B subunits overlap out of phase by one nucleotide and that each subunit is synthesised as a precursor molecule which is subsequently processes after translation. It is proposed that the synthesis of each subunit is regulated at the translational level. Considerable homology with the heat labile toxin genes of enteropathogenic E.coli was noted.

Purification and characterization of heat-stable enterotoxin from bovine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) from Escherichia coli pathogenic for cattle was mass produced in a chemically defined medium. The toxin was concentrated and purified by sequentially applying batch adsorption chromatography on Amberlite XAD-2 resin, acetone fractionation, and preparative isoelectric focusing in a flatbed granulated gel. Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography was used to purify the toxin further and to eliminate contaminating ampholytes. The toxin was purified more than 2,000-fold and had a minimal effective dose of less than 0.5 ng. It was biologically active after heating to 100 degrees C for 30 min and was not hydrolyzed by trypsin, pronase, and subtilisin, but it was inactivated by treatment with 0.1 M 2-mercaptoethanol or 4 X 10(-5) M dithiothreitol, suggesting that disulfide bonds are essential for retaining its biological activity. The amino acid analysis revealed 18 amino acid residues per molecule, which is in agreement with the composition of ST from a human strain of enterotoxigenic E. coli. The amino acid composition of our ST matched the published coding sequence of the last 18 codons of Tn1618, a transposon isolated from the bovine enterotoxigenic E. coli strain B41 and shown to be present also in some strains of porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli. These findings further support the existence of a form of ST common to bovine, porcine, and human strains of enterotoxigenic E. coli.

Purification and some properties of a non-o1 Vibrio cholerae enterotoxin that is identical to cholera enterotoxin

Cholera-like enterotoxin was isolated and purified from the culture supernatant of a non-O1 strain of Vibrio cholerae, E8498, isolated from the environment. Enterotoxin was purified by aluminum hydroxide absorption and elution and successive gel filtrations on Sephadex G-100, Bio-Gel A-5m, and Sephadex G-75. Purified enterotoxin gave a single stained band on polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis, and the mobility was the same as that of cholera enterotoxin. The specific biological activity of the purified enterotoxin was almost the same as that of cholera enterotoxin in the Chinese hamster ovary cell assay, fluid accumulation in mouse ligated intestine, increase in vascular permeability in rabbit skin, and passive immune hemolysis. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis showed that the purified enterotoxin consisted of subunits A and B, identical to those of cholera enterotoxin, and Ouchterlony double gel diffusion tests indicated that the two toxins were immunologically identical. Enterotoxins prepared from several non-O1 strains isolated from human patients were also immunologically identical to cholera enterotoxin.

Assembly in vivo of enterotoxin from Escherichia coli: formation of the B subunit oligomer

An oligomer of the B subunit of heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli has been observed in minicells and in whole cells. There is a delay after synthesis of the B subunit before it appears in the oligomer. The delay is not due to slow processing of the precursor. A similar delay in oligomerization of the major outer membrane protein OmpF is also described.

Overlapping genes in the heat-labile enterotoxin operon originating from Escherichia coli human strain

We have determined the nucleotide sequence at the distal end of the heat-labile enterotoxin subunit A (LT-A) gene (toxA) originating from human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. The sequenced region covers the entire LT-A2 region and a part of the LT-A1 region. In confirming our previous prediction based on product analysis of clones toxA regions, the data suggest the overlapping of the distal end (5'-TTA TGA) of toxA with the proximal end (5'-ATG AAT) of the LT subunit B gene (toxB), in the sequences 5'-TTATGAAT. Some additional characteristics of the LT operon as well as of the products are discussed.

Molecular heterogeneity of heat-labile enterotoxins from human and porcine enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

The heat-labile enterotoxins produced by human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (LTh) and porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli (LTp) were purified to homogeneity, and their molecular properties were compared with those of purified cholera enterotoxin (CT). On polyacrylamide gel disk electrophoresis without sodium dodecyl sulfate, LTh, LTp, and CT differed in mobility, suggesting differences in their ionic charges. The pI values of LTh, LTp, and CT were 7.50, 8.10, and 6.80, respectively. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel slab electrophoresis, the B subunit and A1 and A2 fragments of LTh, LTp, and CT differed in mobility, suggesting that they differed in molecular size. Their molecular sizes seemed to decrease in the following order: B subunit, LTh greater than LTp congruent to CT; A1 fragment, LTp greater than LTh congruent to CT; A2 fragment, LTh congruent to CT greater than LTp. Amino acid compositions of LTh, LTp, and CT were also compared.

Sequence analysis of the heat-labile enterotoxin subunit B gene originating in human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

In this study, we determined the amino-terminal coding sequence, covering the signal peptide and the amino-terminus of the mature peptide, of the heat-labile enterotoxin subunit B (LT-B) gene originating in human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Neither the signal sequence nor the amino-terminal sequence of the mature LT-B was identical to those sequences from porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli, but there was an extensive homology.

The expression of biologically active cholera toxin in Escherichia coli

Chromosomal DNA from Vibrio cholerae El Tor strain 1621 was digested with Hind III and the products fractionated by centrifugation through a sucrose gradient. A 15kb fragment containing the toxin gene of V. cholerae was identified by its homology with the heat labile toxin (LT) gene of toxigenic E. coli. This fragment was cloned in E. coli using pAT153 and subsequently characterised by digestion with different restriction endonucleases. Sequences homologous to the LT gene were identified by hybridisation and then sub-cloned using either pAT153 or pACYC184. Expression of the cloned CT gene in E. coli was detected using both cell culture and ELISA assays. One recombinant plasmid coded for the synthesis of an immunologically active but biologically inactive derivative of CT.

Molecular epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae in the U.S. Gulf Coast

Enterotoxigenic strains of Vibrio cholerae O-1, biotype El Tor, isolated from a case of cholera in Texas in 1973, an outbreak of cholera in Louisiana in 1978, and Louisiana sewage samples in 1980 and 1981 were analyzed for their genetic similarities. Chromosomal DNA was isolated from each strain, digested with restriction endonuclease, and analyzed by the Southern blot technique. A radioactive probe consisting of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin DNA detected cholera toxin gene sequences in these strains and demonstrated that the toxin gene sequence, if not the entire chromosomal DNA, is identical in these strains and distinctly different from other strains of V. cholerae isolated throughout the world. In addition, two strains of enterotoxigenic V. cholerae non-O-1 isolated from clinical cases, were analyzed and found to possess cholera toxin genes which differed in the DNA sequence from the V. cholerae O-1 strains. We concluded that a single strain of enterotoxigenic V. cholerae O-1 is resident in the U.S. Gulf Coast and that a second reservoir of cholera toxin genes exists in V. cholerae non-O-1 strains in Louisiana.

Role of membrane gangliosides in the binding and action of bacterial toxins

Gangliosides are complex glycosphingolipids that contain from one to several residues of sialic acid. They are present in the plasma membrane of vertebrate cells with their oligosaccharide chains exposed to the external environment. They have been implicated as cell surface receptors and several bacterial toxins have been shown to interact with them. Cholera toxin, which mediates its effects on cells by activating adenylate cyclase, bind with high affinity and specificity to ganglioside GM1. Toxin-resistant cells which lack GM1 can be sensitized to cholera toxin by treating them with GM1. Cholera toxin specifically protects GM1 from cell surface labeling procedures and only GM1 is recovered when toxin-receptor complexes are isolated by immunoadsorption. These results clearly demonstrate that GM1 is the specific and only receptor for cholera toxin. Although cholera toxin binds to GM1 on the external side of the plasma membrane, it activates adenylate cyclase on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane by ADP-ribosylation of the regulatory component of the cyclase. GM1 in addition to functioning as a binding site for the toxin appears to facilitate its transmembrane movement. The heat-labile enterotoxin of E. coli is very similar to cholera toxin in both form and function and can also use GM1 as a cell surface receptor. The potent neurotoxin, tetanus toxin, has a high affinity for gangliosides GD1b and GT1b and binds to neurons which contain these gangliosides. It is not yet clear whether these gangliosides are the physiological receptors for tetanus toxin. By applying the techniques that established GM1 as the receptor for cholera toxin, the role of gangliosides as receptors for tetanus toxin as well as physiological effectors may be elucidated.

Release of heat-labile enterotoxin subunits by Escherichia coli

Most of the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) synthesized by Escherichia coli is cell associated; however, a small portion of LT (approximately 10%) is released by bacterial cells into the culture supernatant. The LT subunit B (LT-B) produced by a cloned LT-B gene (tox B) was released in amounts equal to the parent LT release. In contrast, no release of LT subunit A (LT-A) or its smaller derivatives was observed in strains containing cloned toxA genes. The data suggest that LT-B is necessary for the release of LT-A across the bacterial membrane.

Molecular cloning of Vibrio cholerae enterotoxin genes in Escherichia coli K-12

Hybridization probes derived from the A and B subunit genes of the heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) of Escherichia coli were used to analyze DNA from Vibrio cholera strain 569B for cholera toxin gene sequences. Southern blot analysis indicated that the cholera toxin A and B subunit genes were each duplicated in the strain. One of the two toxin subunit gene pairs was cloned as a 5.1-kilobase DNA insert in plasmid pBR322. E. coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmid pJM17 were shown to produce cholera toxin, which was found to be largely cell associated. Protein chemical analysis indicated that the toxin was in its unnicked form and required additional proteolytic processing by trypsin to exhibit full toxicity in tissue culture. The alteration in E. coli of the secretion and proteolytic processing of cholera toxin parallels that previously observed for LT. An in vitro generated insertion mutation in the A subunit gene on pJM17 was shown to abolish production of the A chain but still allow production of the B chain. These observations, together with restriction mapping data, have demonstrated that the cholera toxin and LT genes are very similar in their genetic organization.

Quantitative description of the binding of GM1 oligosaccharide by cholera enterotoxin

We present a quantitative molecular interpretation of binding between the five B subunits of cholera enterotoxin and the oligosaccharide of ganglioside GM1, based on the currently accepted quaternary structure of the toxin and principles of multiple equilibria. A sequential binding equation is derived and fitted to published binding data obtained by equilibrium dialysis. In one study of binding to reduced toxin (I), intact toxin (II), and isolated B subunits (III) at low concentrations, analysis by the Hill equation suggested that binding was positively cooperative and that there were only four binding sites per toxin molecule; individual affinity constants could not be estimated because of the empirical nature of the Hill equation. Our analysis suggests that the evidence for positive cooperativity is stronger for I and III than for II. Affinity constants for the first binding step are about 2.0-2.1 microM-1 for I and 2.5-2.7 microM-1 for II and III; those for the second binding step are about 3.5-5.0 microM-1 and for I and III, but only 2.5 microM-1 for II. Constants for later binding steps are apparently within the range of 2-7 microM-1. Predictions of the sequential model at higher ligand concentrations diverge substantially from those of the Hill equation, and are supported by data obtained at higher protein and ligand concentrations. Thus all available equilibrium dialysis data are consistent with a single set of affinity constants and with the hypothesis of five equivalent binding sites.