Molecular analysis of the aroA gene of Pasteurella multocida and vaccine potential of a constructed aroA mutant

Immunogenicity and protection of a Pasteurella multocida strain with a truncated lipopolysaccharide outer core in ducks

Pasteurella multocida infection frequently causes fowl cholera outbreaks, leading to huge economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. This study developed a novel live attenuated P. multocida vaccine strain for ducks named PMZ2 with deletion of the gatA gene and first four bases of the hptE gene, both of which are required for the synthesis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) outer core. PMZ2 produced a truncated LPS phenotype and was highly attenuated in ducks with a > 10⁵-fold higher LD₅₀ than the wild-type strain. PMZ2 colonized the blood and organs, including the spleen, liver and lung, at remarkably reduced levels, and its high dose of oral infection did not cause adverse effects on body temperatures and body weights in ducks. To evaluate the vaccine efficacy of the mutant, ducklings were inoculated orally or intranasally with PMZ2 or PBS twice and subsequently subjected to a lethal challenge. Compared with the PBS control, PMZ2 immunization stimulated significantly elevated serum IgG, bile IgA and tracheal IgA responses, especially after the boost immunization in both the oral and intranasal groups, and the induced serum had significant bactericidal effects against the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the two PMZ2 immunization groups exhibited alleviated tissue lesions and significantly decreased bacterial loads in the blood and organs compared with the PBS group post-challenge. All the ducks in the PMZ2 oral and intranasal groups survived the challenge, while 70% of ducks in the PBS group succumbed to the challenge. Thus, the P. multocida mutant with mutation of the gatA gene and part of the hptE gene proved to be an effective live attenuated vaccine candidate for prevention of fowl cholera in ducks.

EPSP Synthase-Depleted Cells Are Aromatic Amino Acid Auxotrophs in Mycobacterium smegmatis

The epidemiological importance of mycobacterial species is indisputable, and the necessity to find new molecules that can inhibit their growth is urgent. The shikimate pathway, required for the synthesis of important bacterial metabolites, represents a set of targets for inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth. The aroA-encoded 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS) enzyme catalyzes the sixth step of the shikimate pathway. In this study, we combined gene disruption, gene knockdown, point mutations (D61W, R134A, E321N), and kinetic analysis to evaluate aroA gene essentiality and vulnerability of its protein product, EPSPS, from Mycolicibacterium (Mycobacterium) smegmatis (MsEPSPS). We demonstrate that aroA-deficient cells are auxotrophic for aromatic amino acids (AroAAs) and that the growth impairment observed for aroA-knockdown cells grown on defined medium can be rescued by AroAA supplementation. We also evaluated the essentiality of selected MsEPSPS residues in bacterial cells grown without AroAA supplementation. We found that the catalytic residues R134 and E321 are essential, while D61, presumably important for protein dynamics and suggested to have an indirect role in catalysis, is not essential under the growth conditions evaluated. We have also determined the catalytic efficiencies (K_cat/K_m) of recombinant wild-type (WT) and mutated versions of MsEPSPS (D61W, R134A, E321N). Our results suggest that drug development efforts toward EPSPS inhibition may be ineffective if bacilli have access to external sources of AroAAs in the context of infection, which should be evaluated further. In the absence of AroAA supplementation, aroA from M. smegmatis is essential, its essentiality is dependent on MsEPSPS activity, and MsEPSPS is vulnerable.

IMPORTANCE We found that cells from Mycobacterium smegmatis, a model organism safer and easier to study than the disease-causing mycobacterial species, when depleted of an enzyme from the shikimate pathway, are auxotrophic for the three aromatic amino acids (AroAAs) that serve as building blocks of cellular proteins: l-tryptophan, l-phenylalanine, and l-tyrosine. That supplementation with only AroAAs is sufficient to rescue viable cells with the shikimate pathway inactivated was unexpected, since this pathway produces an end product, chorismate, that is the starting compound of essential pathways other than the ones that produce AroAAs. The depleted enzyme, the 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSPS), catalyzes the sixth step of shikimate pathway. Depletion of this enzyme inside cells was performed by disrupting or silencing the EPSPS-encoding aroA gene. Finally, we evaluated the essentiality of specific residues from EPSPS that are important for its catalytic activity, determined with experiments of enzyme kinetics using recombinant EPSPS mutants.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase mutation in Vibrio anguillarum results in virulence attenuation and immunoprotection in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Background

Vibrio anguillarum is an extracellular bacterial pathogen that is a causative agent of vibriosis in finfish and crustaceans with mortality rates ranging from 30% to 100%. Mutations in central metabolism (glycolysis and the TCA cycle) of intracellular pathogens often result in attenuated virulence due to depletion of required metabolic intermediates; however, it was not known whether mutations in central metabolism would affect virulence in an extracellular pathogen such as V. anguillarum.

Results

Seven central metabolism mutants were created and characterized with regard to growth in minimal and complex media, expression of virulence genes, and virulence in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Only the isocitrate dehydrogenase (icd) mutant was attenuated in virulence against rainbow trout challenged by either intraperitoneal injection or immersion. Further, the icd mutant was shown to be immunoprotective against wild type V. anguillarum infection. There was no significant decrease in the expression of the three hemolysin genes detected by qRT-PCR. Additionally, only the icd mutant exhibited a significantly decreased growth yield in complex media. Growth yield was directly related to the abundance of glutamate. A strain with a restored wild type icd gene was created and shown to restore growth to a wild type cell density in complex media and pathogenicity in rainbow trout.

Conclusions

The data strongly suggest that a decreased growth yield, resulting from the inability to synthesize α-ketoglutarate, caused the attenuation despite normal levels of expression of virulence genes. Therefore, the ability of an extracellular pathogen to cause disease is dependent upon the availability of host-supplied nutrients for growth. Additionally, a live vaccine strain could be created from an icd deletion strain.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12866-017-1124-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Protective efficacy afforded by live Pasteurella multocida vaccines in chickens is independent of lipopolysaccharide outer core structure

Pasteurella multocida is a major animal pathogen that causes a range of diseases including fowl cholera. P. multocida infections result in considerable losses to layer and breeder flocks in poultry industries worldwide. Both killed whole-cell and live-attenuated vaccines are available; these vaccines vary in their protective efficacy, particularly against heterologous strains. Moreover, until recently there was no knowledge of P. multocida LPS genetics and structure to determine precisely how LPS structure affects the protective capacity of these vaccines. In this study we show that defined lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants presented as killed whole-cell vaccines elicited solid protective immunity only against P. multocida challenge strains expressing highly similar or identical LPS structures. This finding indicates that vaccination of commercial flocks with P. multocida killed cell formulations will not protect against strains producing an LPS structure different to that produced by strains included in the vaccine formulation. Conversely, protective immunity conferred by vaccination with live P. multocida strains was found to be largely independent of LPS structure. Birds vaccinated with a range of live mutants belonging to the L1 and L3 LPS genotypes, each expressing a specific truncated LPS structure, were protected against challenge with the parent strain. Moreover, birds vaccinated with any of the five LPS mutants belonging to the L1 LPS genotype were also protected against challenge with an unrelated strain and two of the five groups vaccinated with live LPS mutants belonging to the L3 genotype were protected against challenge with an unrelated strain. In summary, vaccination with live P. multocida aroA mutants producing full-length L1 or L3 LPS or vaccination with live strains producing shortened L1 LPS elicited strong protective immunity against both homologous and heterologous challenge.

Inhibition of capsular protein synthesis of Pasteurella multocida strain P-1059

A mutant strain, PBA322, was constructed by electroporation of a phagemid containing the coding region of antisense RNA of the ompH gene, encoding 39 kDa capsular protein or OmpH, into the parental strain P-1059 (serovar A:3) of Pasteurella multocida, and the pathogenicity was determined in mice and chickens. Grayish colonies of the mutant, indicating loss of capsule synthesis, were observed under a stereomicroscope using obliquely transmitted light, while iridescent colonies were observed for the parental strain. Moreover, strain PBA322 showed a low amount of OmpH compared with the parental strain on SDS-PAGE. Additionally, the capsule of strain PBA322 was thinner than that of the parental strain according to electron microscopy, correlating to the attenuation against chickens. In conclusion, strain PBA322, the mutant of P. multocida strain P-1059, was completely attenuated for chickens.

Attenuation and persistence of and ability to induce protective immunity to a Staphylococcus aureus aroA mutant in mice

Staphylococcus aureus is the most important etiological agent of bovine mastitis, a disease that causes significant economic losses to the dairy industry. Several vaccines to prevent the disease have been tested, with limited success. The aim of this study was to obtain a suitable attenuated aro mutant of S. aureus by transposon mutagenesis and to demonstrate its efficacy as a live vaccine to induce protective immunity in a murine model of intramammary infection. To do this, we transformed S. aureus RN6390 with plasmid pTV1ts carrying Tn917. After screening of 3,493 erythromycin-resistant colonies, one mutant incapable of growing on plates lacking phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine was isolated and characterized. Molecular characterization of the mutant showed that the affected gene was aroA and that the insertion occurred 756 bp downstream of the aroA start codon. Complementation of the aroA mutant with a plasmid carrying aroA recovered the wild-type phenotype. The mutant exhibited a 50% lethal dose (1 x 10(6) CFU/mouse) higher than that of the parental strain (4.3 x 10(4) CFU/mouse). The aroA mutant showed decreased ability to persist in the lungs, spleens, and mammary glands of mice. Intramammary immunization with the aroA mutant stimulated both Th1 and Th2 responses in the mammary gland, as ascertained by reverse transcription-PCR, and induced significant protection from challenge with either the parental wild-type or a heterologous strain isolated from a cow with mastitis.

Construction of in-frame aroA deletion mutants of Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Haemophilus somnus by using a new temperature-sensitive plasmid

A temperature-sensitive (TS) plasmid was generated from the endogenous streptomycin resistance plasmid of Mannheimia hemolytica and used to engineer in-frame aroA deletion mutants of Mannheimia hemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Haemophilus somnus. TS replacement plasmids carrying in-frame aroA deletions were constructed for each target species and introduced into host cells by electroporation. After recovery in broth, cells were spread onto plates containing antibiotic and incubated at 30 degrees C, the permissive temperature for autonomous plasmid replication. Transfer of transformants to selective plates cultured at a nonpermissive temperature for plasmid replication selected for single-crossover mutants consisting of replacement plasmids that had integrated into host chromosomes by homologous recombination. Transfer of the single-crossover mutants back to a permissive temperature without antibiotic selection drove plasmid resolution, and, depending on where plasmid excision occurred, either deletion mutants or wild-type cells were generated. The system used here represents a broadly applicable means for generating unmarked mutants of Pasteurellaceae species.

Generation and molecular characterization of new temperature-sensitive plasmids intended for genetic engineering of Pasteurellaceae

Temperature-sensitive (TS) plasmids were generated through chemical mutagenesis of a derivative of the streptomycin resistance parent plasmid pD70, isolated from Mannheimia hemolytica serotype 1. Three TS plasmids which failed to replicate at or above 42 degrees C in M. hemolytica but which were fully functional below 31 degrees C were selected for further analysis. Two of the TS plasmids were shown by sequencing to possess unique single-base-pair mutations. The third TS plasmid contained a unique base pair substitution and a second mutation that had been previously identified. These mutations were clustered within a 200-bp region of the presumed plasmid origin of replication. Site-directed single-nucleotide substitutions were introduced into the wild-type pD70 origin of replication to confirm that mutations identified by sequencing had conferred thermoregulated replication. Deletion analysis on the wild-type pD70 plasmid replicon revealed that approximately 720 bp are necessary for plasmid maintenance. Replication of the TS plasmids was thermoregulated in Pasteurella multocida and Haemophilus somnus as well. To consistently transform H. somnus with TS plasmid, in vitro DNA methylation with commercially available HhaI methyltransferase was necessary to protect against the organism's restriction enzyme HsoI (recognition sequence 5'-GCGC-3') characterized herein.

Potential use of a Yersinia ruckeri O1 auxotrophic aroA mutant as a live attenuated vaccine

The aroA gene of Yersinia ruckeri, which encodes 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase, was insertionally inactivated with a DNA fragment containing a kanamycin resistance determinant and reintroduced by allelic exchange into the chromosome of Y. ruckeri 21102 O1 by means of the suicide vector pIVET8. The Y. ruckeri aroA::Kan(r) mutant was highly attenuated when inoculated intraperitoneally into rainbow trout, with a 50% lethal dose of >5 x 10(7) CFU. The mutants were not recoverable from the internal organs 48 h post-inoculation or later. The vaccination of rainbow trout with the AroA mutant as a live vaccine conferred significant protection (relative percentage survival = 90%) against the pathogenic wild-type strain of Y. ruckeri.

Alteration of DNA adenine methylase (Dam) activity in Pasteurella multocida causes increased spontaneous mutation frequency and attenuation in mice

Pasteurella multocida is one of the primary bacterial pathogens associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex. Relatively few virulence factors of P. multocida have been characterized, and there is a need for improved vaccines for prevention of BRD. In other Gram-negative species, DNA adenine methylase (Dam) regulates the expression of virulence genes, and appropriate expression of Dam is required for virulence. In this study, the authors cloned and sequenced the P. multocida A1 dam gene and demonstrated that it is able to restore Dam function in an Escherichia coli dam mutant. When P. multocida dam was placed under the control of a constitutively expressed promoter on a plasmid, it caused an increased spontaneous mutation rate in P. multocida. In addition, the plasmid-mediated alteration of Dam production in P. multocida caused it to be highly attenuated in mice. These findings indicate that appropriate expression of Dam is required for virulence of P. multocida, which is believed to be the first report that Dam is required for virulence of a species in the Pasteurellaceae. Therefore, Dam may function as a virulence gene regulator in the Pasteurellaceae, similar to previously reported findings from other Gram-negative species.

Vaccine efficacy of a lysine auxotroph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The in vivo growth phenotype and vaccine efficacy of a lysine auxotrophic mutant of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv are described. An immunization experiment using a mouse model with an aerosol challenge showed that two doses of the M. tuberculosis mutant were required to generate protection equivalent to that of the Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine.

Protective immunity conferred by attenuated aroA derivatives of Pasteurella multocida B:2 strains in a mouse model of hemorrhagic septicemia

Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) is a fatal systemic disease of cattle and buffaloes. In South Asia HS is caused by infection with Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2. Some control is achieved with alum-precipitated or oil-adjuvanted killed whole-cell vaccines injected subcutaneously, but these vaccines provide only short-term immunity and require annual administration for effective use. Live attenuated vaccines have the advantage of a natural route of entry into the host, but for live strains to be used as vaccines, the mode of attenuation should be well defined. We constructed aroA attenuated derivatives of two P. multocida serotype B:2 strains by allelic exchange of the native aroA sequence with aroA sequences disrupted with a kanamycin resistance cassette or with marker-free aroA sequences containing an internal deletion. These strains were confirmed to be aroA mutants by PCR and Southern blot analysis, enzyme assay, and lack of growth on minimal medium. The aroA derivatives were highly attenuated for virulence in a mouse model of HS. Mouse challenge experiments showed that intraperitoneal or intranasal vaccination of an aroA strain completely protected mice against challenge with a high dose (>1,000 50% lethal doses) of either the parent strain or the other wild-type B:2 strain. The spread of the parent and the aroA derivatives to different organs was compared when the organisms were inoculated by different routes.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 carrying the defined aroA mutation is fully avirulent in the pig

The aroA gene from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 reference strain 4074 was isolated and sequenced. The gene complemented the aroA mutation in Escherichia coli AB2829. A kanamycin resistance cassette was inserted into the aroA gene and the mutant gene was reintroduced into A. pleuropneumoniae by allelic replacement. Intratracheal infection of susceptible pigs with A. pleuropneumoniae aroA caused no signs of respiratory disease or lung lesions in any of the animals at a dose 10(4) times the dose reliably known to induce acute pleuropneumonia; all animals infected with the unaltered control strain developed acute disease. The aroA mutant was rapidly eliminated from the lungs and tonsil of infected animals. The mutant may represent a safely attenuated strain for use in live bacterial vaccination or the delivery of antigen by the intranasal route. However, the residence time of the mutant in the respiratory tract of the pig may be too short for it to be useful in generating a protective immune response.

Identification of Pasteurella multocida virulence genes in a septicemic mouse model using signature-tagged mutagenesis

P. multocida is the causative agent of several economically significant veterinary diseases occurring in numerous species worldwide. Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) is a powerful genetic technique used to simultaneously screen multiple transposon mutants of a pathogen for their inability to survive in vivo. We have designed an STM system based on a mini-Tn10 transposon, chemiluminescent detection and semi-quantitative analysis and have identified transposon insertions into genes of Pasteurella multocida that attenuate virulence in a septicemic mouse model. A bank of 96 transposons containing strongly-hybridizing tags was used to create 19 pools of P. multocida transposon mutants containing approximately 70-90 mutants/pool. A total of 62 mutants were attenuated when checked individually, and 25 unique single transposon insertion mutations were identified from this group. The sequence of the disrupted ORF for each attenuated mutant was determined by either cloning or PCR-amplifying and sequencing the flanking regions. The attenuated mutants contained transposon insertions in genes encoding biosynthetic enzymes, virulence factors, regulatory components and unknown functions. This study should contribute to an understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms by which P. multocida and other pathogens in the Pasteurellaceae family cause disease and identify novel live vaccine candidates and new potential antibiotic targets.

A genetically-defined riboflavin auxotroph of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae as a live attenuated vaccine

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a gram negative pleiomorphic rod that is the causative agent of a severe, highly infectious and often fatal pleuropneumonia in swine. We have previously reported the construction of genetically-defined stable riboflavin auxotrophs by replacement of a portion of the APP riboflavin biosynthetic operon (ribGBAH) with an antibiotic cassette encoding resistance to kanamycin, and have demonstrated that such riboflavin auxotrophs are avirulent. In this study, we evaluated riboflavin auxotrophs of A. pleuropneumoniae for their ability to stimulate protective immunity against pleuropneumonia. An initial challenge experiment demonstrated that intramuscular vaccination with a live attenuated serotype 1A rib mutant, in a vaccine formulation that included a limiting amount of exogenous riboflavin, provided better protection against challenge with virulent A. pleuropneumoniae than either intratracheal immunization or intramuscular immunization with live bacteria in the absence of exogenous riboflavin. Subsequent studies in which the vaccine inoculating dose, concentration of exogenous riboflavin, and serotype of the vaccine strain were varied demonstrated that immunization with live avirulent riboflavin auxotrophs could elicit significant protection against experimental challenge with both homologous and heterologous virulent serotypes of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Attenuation of and protection induced by a leucine auxotroph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Attenuated mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis represent potential vaccine candidates for the prevention of tuberculosis. It is known that auxotrophs of a variety of bacteria are attenuated in vivo and yet provide protection against challenge with wild-type organisms. A leucine auxotroph of M. tuberculosis was created by allelic exchange, replacing wild-type leuD (Rv2987c), encoding isopropyl malate isomerase, with a mutant copy of the gene in which 359 bp had been deleted, creating a strain requiring exogenous leucine supplementation for growth in vitro. The frequency of reversion to prototrophy was <10(-11). In contrast to wild-type M. tuberculosis, the DeltaleuD mutant was unable to replicate in macrophages in vitro. Its attenuation in vivo and safety as a vaccine were established by the fact that it caused no deaths in immunodeficient SCID mice. Complementation of the mutant with wild-type leuD abolished the requirement for leucine supplementation and restored the ability of the strain to grow both in macrophages and in SCID mice, thus confirming that the attenuated phenotype was due to the DeltaleuD mutation. As a test of the vaccine potential of the leucine auxotroph, immunocompetent BALB/c mice, susceptible to fatal infection with wild-type M. tuberculosis, were immunized with the DeltaleuD mutant and subsequently challenged with virulent M. tuberculosis by both the intravenous and aerosol routes. A comparison group of mice was immunized with conventional Mycobacterium bovis BCG vaccine. Whereas all unvaccinated mice succumbed to intravenous infection within 15 weeks, mice immunized with either BCG or the DeltaleuD mutant of M. tuberculosis exhibited enhanced and statistically equivalent survival curves. However, the leuD auxotroph was less effective than live BCG in reducing organ burdens and tissue pathology of mice challenged by either route. We conclude that attenuation and protection against M. tuberculosis challenge can be achieved with a leucine auxotroph and suggest that to induce optimal protection, attenuated strains of M. tuberculosis should persist long enough and be sufficiently metabolically active to synthesize relevant antigens for an extended period of time.

The molecular biology of pasteurella multocida

Pasteurella multocida is an important veterinary and opportunistic human pathogen. The species is diverse and complex with respect to antigenic variation, host predeliction and pathogenesis. Certain serological types are the aetiologic agents of severe pasteurellosis, such as fowl cholera in domestic and wild birds, bovine haemorrhagic septicaemia and porcine atrophic rhinitis. The recent application of molecular methods such as the polymerase chain reaction, restriction endonuclease analysis, ribotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, gene cloning, characterisation and recombinant protein expression, mutagenesis, plasmid and bacteriophage analysis and genomic mapping, have greatly increased our understanding of P. multocida and has provided researchers with a number of molecular tools to study pathogenesis and epidemiology at a molecular level.

Use of in vivo-regulated promoters to deliver antigens from attenuated Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium

This study describes the construction and analysis of three in vivo-inducible promoter expression plasmids, containing pnirB, ppagC, and pkatG, for the delivery of foreign antigens in the DeltaaroAD mutant of Salmonella enterica var. Typhimurium (hereafter referred to as S. typhimurium). The reporter genes encoding beta-galactosidase and firefly luciferase were used to assess the comparative levels of promoter activity in S. typhimurium in vitro in response to different induction stimuli and in vivo in immunized mice. It was determined that the ppagC construct directed the expression of more beta-galactosidase and luciferase in S. typhimurium than the pnirB and pkatG constructs, both in vitro and in vivo. The gene encoding the C fragment of tetanus toxin was expressed in the aroAD mutant of S. typhimurium (BRD509) under the control of the three promoters. Mice orally immunized with attenuated S. typhimurium expressing C fragment under control of the pagC promoter [BRD509(pKK/ppagC/C frag)] mounted the highest tetanus toxoid-specific serum antibody response. Levels of luciferase expression in vivo and C-fragment expression in vitro from the pagC promoter appeared to be equivalent to if not lower than the levels of expression detected with the constitutive trc promoter. However, mice immunized with BRD509(pKK/ppagC/C frag) induced significantly higher levels of tetanus toxoid-specific antibody than BRD509(pKK/C frag)-immunized mice, suggesting that the specific location of foreign antigen expression may be important for immunogenicity. Mutagenesis of the ribosome binding sites (RBS) in the three promoter/C fragment expression plasmids was also performed. Despite optimization of the RBS in the three different promoter elements, the expression levels in vivo and overall immunogenicity of C fragment when delivered to mice by attenuated S. typhimurium were not affected. These studies suggest that in vivo-inducible promoters may give rise to enhanced immunogenicity and increase the efficacy of S. typhimurium as a vaccine vector.

Genetic and immunologic analyses of PlpE, a lipoprotein important in complement-mediated killing of Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1

Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1 is the bacterium most commonly associated with bovine shipping fever. The presence of antibodies against P. haemolytica outer membrane proteins (OMPs) correlates statistically with resistance to experimental P. haemolytica challenge in cattle. Until now, specific P. haemolytica OMPs which elicit antibodies that function in host defense mechanisms have not been identified. In this study, we have cloned and sequenced the gene encoding one such protein, PlpE. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed that PlpE is a lipoprotein and that it is similar to an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae lipoprotein, OmlA. Affinity-purified, anti-PlpE antibodies recognize a protein in all serotypes of P. haemolytica except serotype 11. We found that intact P. haemolytica and recombinant E. coli expressing PlpE are capable of absorbing anti-PlpE antibodies from bovine immune serum, indicating that PlpE is surface exposed in P. haemolytica and assumes a similar surface-exposed conformation in E. coli. In complement-mediated killing assays, we observed a significant reduction in killing of P. haemolytica when bovine immune serum that was depleted of anti-PlpE antibodies was used as the source of antibody. Our data suggest that PlpE is surface exposed and immunogenic in cattle and that antibodies against PlpE contribute to host defense against P. haemolytica.

Physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 chromosome

A physical and genetic map of the Pasteurella multocida A:1 genome was generated by using the restriction enzymes ApaI, CeuI, and NotI. The positions of 23 restriction sites and 32 genes, including 5 rrn operons, were localized on the 2.35-Mbp single circular chromosome. This report presents the first genetic and physical map for this genus.

Induction of protective immunity in rabbits by coadministration of inactivated Pasteurella multocida toxin and potassium thiocyanate extract

Pasteurella multocida is a bacterial pathogen that causes rhinitis (snuffles), pneumonia, otitis media, septicemia, metritis, and death in domestic rabbits. Currently, there are no effective vaccines to prevent infection by this organism. Subcutaneous (s.c.) immunization with either exotoxin or thiocyanate extracts of P. multocida induces partial protection in rabbits. Since disease begins at mucosal sites, induction of local immunity may be important in preventing systemic disease. Little is known concerning the efficacy of intranasal (i.n. ) administration of these antigens in inducing protective mucosal immunity to P. multocida in rabbits. The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to investigate the effectiveness of vaccination with purified P. multocida toxin (PMT) and a potassium thiocyanate extract of P. multocida (CN) in combination and (ii) to evaluate the efficacy of administration of these antigens i.n. versus s.c. Forty-eight rabbits were randomly divided into eight different treatment groups. Rabbits received either one or both antigens by either s.c. or i.n. administration. Following vaccination, each group received an i.n. challenge of P. multocida. Rabbits vaccinated with both antigens i.n. or s.c. had a 100% survival rate, few or no bacteria in the liver and lungs, high serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM antibody titers, and significant numbers of IgG antibody-secreting cells (ASC) in the spleen and tracheobronchial lymph node. Rabbits vaccinated i.n. had significant nasal and bronchoalveolar lavage IgA antibody levels. Rabbits vaccinated with only one antigen, either PMT or CN, had lower antibody titers, moderate to severe liver and lung infections, and fewer ASC compared to rabbits receiving both antigens. Rabbits in the control groups had moderate to severe liver and lung infections. This study indicates that i.n. immunization with both PMT and CN induces an effective response against homologous P. multocida challenge.

Molecular characterization of the Aeromonas hydrophila aroA gene and potential use of an auxotrophic aroA mutant as a live attenuated vaccine

The aroA gene of Aeromonas hydrophila SO2/2, encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase, was cloned by complementation of the aroA mutation in Escherichia coli K-12 strain AB2829, and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The nucleotide sequence of the A. hydrophila aroA gene encoded a protein of 440 amino acids which showed a high degree of homology to other bacterial AroA proteins. To obtain an effective attenuated live vaccine against A. hydrophila infections in fish, the aroA gene was inactivated by the insertion of a DNA fragment containing a kanamycin resistance determinant and reintroduced by allelic exchange into the chromosome of A. hydrophila AG2 by means of the suicide vector pSUP202. The A. hydrophila mutant AG2 aroA::Ka(r) was highly attenuated when inoculated intraperitoneally into a rainbow trout, with a 50% lethal dose of >2 x 10(8) CFU. The mutants were not recoverable from the internal organs after 48 h postinoculation. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that immunopositive materials, but not whole cells, reacting with a polyclonal antiserum against A. hydrophila were present in the kidney and spleen 9 days postinjection. Vaccination of rainbow trout with the AroA mutant as a live vaccine conferred significant protection against the wild-type strain of A. hydrophila.

Cloning and characterisation of the aroA and aroD genes of Shigella dysenteriae type 1

The aroA and aroD genes from Shigella dysenteriae type 1, encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase and 3-dehydroquinase, respectively, were cloned by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Their nucleotide sequences were determined and predicted to code for 46 kDa and 27.5 kDa proteins, respectively. Protein expressed from these genes using the minicell system, corresponded to the size of the predicted protein products. The cloned genes were shown to be functional by complementation of Escherichia coli aroA- and aroD- mutants. The predicted amino acid sequences of the cloned aroA (427 amino acids) and aroD (252 amino acids) genes of S. dysenteriae type 1 were found to be highly homologous to the corresponding genes in other bacterial species, indicating the high conservation of these housekeeping genes. The use of the cloned aroA and aroD genes in the development of a vaccine strain against S. dysenteriae is discussed.

Attenuation, persistence, and vaccine potential of an Edwardsiella ictaluri purA mutant

In this study, an adenine-auxotrophic strain of Edwardsiella ictaluri was constructed and its virulence, tissue persistence, and vaccine efficacy were evaluated. A clone containing the purA gene was isolated from an E. ictaluri genomic library, sequenced, and shown to have an overall sequence identity of 79.3% at the nucleotide level and 85.7% at the amino acid level with the Escherichia coli purA gene. The cloned E. ictaluri purA gene was mutated by deleting a 598-bp segment of the gene and inserting the kanamycin resistance gene from Tn903 into the gap. The delta purA::Km(r) gene was subcloned into the suicide plasmid pGP704, and the resulting plasmid was used to deliver the modified gene into a virulent strain of E. ictaluri by conjugation. Homologous recombination replaced the chromosomal purA gene with the mutated gene to create an adenine-auxotrophic strain (LSU-E2). Compared to wild-type E. ictaluri, LSU-E2 was highly attenuated by the injection, immersion, and oral routes of exposure. By the injection route, LSU-E2 had a 50% lethal dose (LD50) that was greater than 5 logs10 higher than the LD50 for wild-type E. ictaluri. In a tissue persistence study, LSU-E2 was able to invade channel catfish by the immersion route and persist in internal organs for at least 48 h. Channel catfish that were vaccinated with a single immersion dose of LSU-E2 had mortality significantly lower (P < 0.01) following a wild-type E. ictaluri challenge than that of nonvaccinated fish.

The sacB gene cannot be used as a counter-selectable marker in Pasteurella multocida

The use of the Bacillus subtilis sacB gene as a counter-selectable marker was assessed in serogroup A and B strains of Pasteurella multocida. Expression ofsacB failed to render any of the strains sensitive to sucrose, indicating that the sacB gene can not be used as a positive selection system in P. multocida.

Importance of the galE gene on the virulence of Pasteurella multocida

The galE gene of Pasteurella multocida has been isolated by complementing galE-defective mutants of Salmonella typhimurium with a plasmid library of this organism. The complete nucleotide sequence of the P. multocida galE gene consists of 1017 nucleotides, encoding a predicted polypeptide of 339 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence displayed the highest identity (85%) to the GalE protein of Haemophilus influenzae. However, the gene organization surrounding the galE locus was different from that of H. influenzae. A galE-defective mutant of P. multocida was obtained by replacement of the active galE gene by a copy inactivated in vitro. The resulting galE mutant was highly attenuated as seen in a biological test carried out in a mouse model.

Attenuation and vaccine potential of aroQ mutants of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, a gram-positive intracellular bacterial pathogen, is the etiological agent of the disease caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) in both sheep and goats. Attenuated mutants of C. pseudotuberculosis have the potential to act as novel live veterinary vaccine vectors. We have cloned and sequenced the aroB and aroQ genes from C. pseudotuberculosis C231. By allelic exchange, aroQ mutants of both C231, designated CS100, and a pld mutant strain TB521, designated CS200, were constructed. Infection of BALB/c mice indicated that introduction of the aroQ mutation into C231 and TB521 attenuated both strains. In sublethally infected BALB/c mice, both CS100 and CS200 were cleared from spleens and livers by day 8 postinfection. The in vivo persistence of these strains was increased when the intact aroQ gene was supplied on a plasmid in trans. Mice infected with TB521 harbored bacteria in organs at least till day 8 postinfection without ill effect. When used as a vaccine, only the maximum tolerated dose of CS100 had the capacity to protect mice from homologous challenge. Vaccination with TB521 also elicited protective immunity, and this was associated with gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production from splenocytes stimulated 7 days postvaccination. The role of IFN-gamma in controlling primary infections with C. pseudotuberculosis was examined in mice deficient for the IFN-gamma receptor (IFN-gammaR(-/-) mice). IFN-gammaR(-/-) mice cleared an infection with CS100 but were significantly more susceptible than control littermates to infection with C231 or TB521. These studies support an important role for IFN-gamma in control of primary C. pseudotuberculosis infections and indicate that aroQ mutants remain attenuated even in immunocompromised animals. This is the first report of an aroQ mutant of a bacterial pathogen, and the results may have implications for the construction of aromatic mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for use as vaccines.

Cross protective immunity conferred by a marker-free aroA mutant of Pasteurella multocida

The aroA gene from Pasteurella multocida serotype A:1 (X-73) was cloned by complementation of the Escherichia coli aroA mutant AB2829 with a DNA library constructed in pUC18. The cloned aroA gene was inactivated by deletion of a 300 bp internal sequence and reintroduced by homologous recombination into the chromosome of X-73 and P-1059 (serotype A:3) using a Pasteurella-E. coli shuttle vector pPBA1100. By subjecting the transformed cells to repeated subculturing in the presence of antibiotic selection coupled with auxotrophic enrichment, marker-free aroA mutants of X-73 and of P-1059 were isolated and designated PMP1 and PMP3, respectively. PMP1 and PMP3 were highly attenuated and capable of conferring complete protection against subsequent lethal challenge infection in a mouse model. Moreover, PMP3-immunized mice were protected against heterologous challenge infection with serotype A:1 or A:4.

The aroA gene of Campylobacter jejuni

The gene for 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase (aroA) cloned from Campylobacter jejuni (Cj) strain 81116 was identified by complementation of an Escherichia coli (Ec) auxotrophic aroA mutant. The Cj aroA gene has been sequenced. It encodes an enzyme of 428 amino acids (aa), that is homologous to other bacterial EPSP synthases, especially that of Bacillus subtilis with which it has a 39% aa identity. The transcriptional start point was mapped. It is present in an upstream open reading frame (ORF) that has a strong homology to the gene encoding phenylalanine tRNA synthetase (pheS). Downstream from aroA another ORF is present which is homologous to the lytB gene of Ec. The stop codon of the aroA gene overlaps the start codon of lytB.

A riboflavin auxotroph of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is attenuated in swine

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiological agent of a highly contagious and often fatal pleuropneumonia in swine. A riboflavin-requiring mutant of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 1, designated AP233, was constructed by deleting a portion of the riboflavin biosynthetic operon (ribGBAH) and replacing it with a gene cassette encoding kanamycin resistance. The genes affected included both the alpha- and beta-subunits of riboflavin synthase as well as a bifunctional enzyme containing GTP cyclohydrase and 3,4-dihydroxy-2-butanone-4-phosphate synthase activities. AP233 was unable to grow in the absence of exogenous riboflavin but otherwise was phenotypically identical to the parent wild-type strain. Experimental infection studies with pigs demonstrated that the riboflavin-requiring mutant was unable to cause disease, on the basis of mortality, lung pathology, and clinical signs, at dosages as high as 500 times the normal 50% lethal dose for the wild-type parent. This is the first demonstration of the attenuation of A. pleuropneumoniae by introduction of a defined mutation in a metabolic gene and the first demonstration that mutations in the genes required for riboflavin biosynthesis can lead to attenuation in a bacterial pathogen.

Immunity and vaccine development in Pasteurella multocida infections

The role of LPS in immunity was studied using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and active immunisation experiments. A panel of six MAbs produced against Pasteurella multocida serotype B:2 reacted with the LPS of serotypes B:2 and B:5, but not with other serotypes. The MAbs could opsonise P. multocida for phagocytosis by mouse macrophages, but were not bactericidal in the presence of complement. They conferred only partial passive protection in mice. Similar results showing only partial protection were obtained when purified LPS was used to actively immunise mice prior to challenge, suggesting that LPS plays a partial role in immunity to infection. The aroA gene from P. multocida serotypes A:1 and A:3 was cloned and inactivated by insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene. The mutated gene was re-introduced onto the chromosome by allelic exchange. The resultant aroA mutants were highly attenuated in a mouse model system, with a 6-log decrease in ID50. Virulence could be restored by complementation with a functional aroA gene. Mice immunised with two doses of the live mutants were protected against lethal challenge with the homologous parental strain, but not against the heterologous strain. P. multocida A:1 and A:3 expressed unique proteins when grown in iron-restricted medium. Moreover, the outer membrane (OM) fractions of these cells contained novel proteins of 75 kDa, 85 kDa and 94 kDa molecular mass. Mice were immunised with OM fractions prepared from serotype A:3 grown in iron-restricted (OM Fe-) or iron-replete (OM Fe+) media. When low challenge doses were used, both immunogens protected mice against serotype A:3, but only the OM Fe- fraction protected mice against heterologous challenge with serotype A:1. When higher challenge doses were used, only partial protection was observed.

Identification of Pasteurella multocida tryptophan synthase beta-subunit by antisera against strain P1059

Pasteurella multocida strain P1059 is a highly virulent bacterium which causes fowl cholera in turkeys and chickens. A genomic library of P. multocida P1059 DNA was constructed using pUC19, expressed in Escherichia coli DH5 alpha, and screened with chicken antisera generated against P. multocida P1059. Twelve out of the 4100 clones screened were immunoreactive. Plasmids isolated from these twelve clones were transformed into E. coli CSR603 for maxicell analysis. Five proteins, with molecular masses of 34, 37, 43, 46 and 55 kDa, were expressed. Further work focused on the 43 kDa protein because it was expressed at levels detectable by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot analysis. The nucleotide sequence of the 1.8 kbp insert containing the gene encoding this protein was determined. The sequence contained three open reading frames (ORFs). The first ORF (ORF1) did not appear to code for any known protein. The second ORF (ORF2) encoded a protein of 403 amino acids (43,662 Da). The deduced amino acid sequence showed 77% identity (84% similarity) with the tryptophan synthase beta subunit (TrpB) of Salmonella typhimurium and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The eight conserved regions of TrpB are observed in the P. multocida enzyme, including the conserved lysine (Lys-88) and consensus sequence (GGGSNA) implicated in pyridoxal phosphate binding. The expression and identity of the P. multocida TrpB were confirmed by complementation studies using E. coli W3110 tnaA2 trpB9578. The third ORF (ORF3) consisted of the first 77 nucleotides of the gene encoding the alpha-subunit of tryptophan synthase (trpA), and overlapped the 3'-end of trpB by 14 nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequence of the 77 nucleotides of the P. multocida TrpA had 68% identity (92% similarity) with the analogous region of TrpA from Klebsiella aerogenes (K. pneumoniae).

Construction and vaccine potential of an aroA mutant of Pasteurella haemolytica

The aroA gene, encoding 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate synthase, from Pasteurella haemolytica biotype A, serotype 1 was cloned by complementation of the aroA mutation in Escherichia coli strain AB2829 after electroporation with a DNA library constructed in pUC18. The cloned P. haemolytica aroA gene was inactivated by insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene and reintroduced by allelic exchange into the chromosome of the parental P. haemolytica using PbluescriptII SK+. The P. haemolytica aroA mutant was highly attenuated in a mouse septicaemic model. Mice immunized intraperitoneally with two doses of live P. haemolytica aroA mutant were protected against a lethal parental strain challenge.

Sequencing and expression of the aroA gene from Dichelobacter nodosus

The aroA locus of the Gram- pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus, which encodes 5-enolpyruvylshikimate 3-phosphate (EPSP) synthase, has been sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. The gene is located on a 1.48-kb DraI-HindIII fragment located directly upstream and in opposite transcriptional orientation to the gene encoding the fimbrial structural subunit. The deduced open reading frame is 1329 nucleotides in length, which encodes a protein of 443 amino acids (aa) with a calculated M(r) of 47,413, which was visualized in E. coli minicells, under the control of its native promoter. This derived aa sequence displays significant similarities with the sequences of the aroA gene products from a variety of microorganisms.

Molecular gene cloning and nucleotide sequencing and construction of an aroA mutant of Pasteurella haemolytica serotype A1

The aroA gene of Pasteurella haemolytica serotype A1 was cloned by complementation of the aroA mutation in Escherichia coli K-12 strain AB2829. The nucleotide sequence of a 2.2-kb fragment encoding aroA predicted an open reading frame product 434 amino acids long that shows homology to other bacterial AroA proteins. Several strategies to inactivate aroA were unsuccessful. Gene replacement was finally achieved by constructing a replacement plasmid with aroA inactivated by insertion of a P. haemolytica ampicillin resistance fragment into a unique NdeI site in aroA. A hybrid plasmid was constructed by joining the aroA replacement plasmid with a 4.2-kb P. haemolytica plasmid which encodes streptomycin resistance. Following PhaI methylation, the replacement plasmid was introduced by electroporation into P. haemolytica NADC-D60, a plasmidless strain of serotype 1A. Allelic exchange between the replacement plasmid and the chromosome of P. haemolytica gave rise to an ampicillin-resistant mutant which grew on chemically defined P. haemolytica medium supplemented with aromatic amino acids but failed to grow on the same medium lacking tryptophan. Southern blot analysis confirmed that aroA of the mutant was inactivated and that the mutant was without a plasmid.