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Yue Y, Chen K, Sun C, Ahmed S, Ojha SC. Antimicrobial peptidase lysostaphin at subinhibitory concentrations modulates staphylococcal adherence, biofilm formation, and toxin production. BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:311. [PMID: 37884887 PMCID: PMC10601153 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-03052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability of antimicrobial agents to affect microbial adherence to eukaryotic cell surfaces is a promising antivirulence strategy for combating the global threat of antimicrobial resistance. Inadequate use of antimicrobials has led to widespread instances of suboptimal antibiotic concentrations around infection sites. Therefore, we aimed to examine the varying effect of an antimicrobial peptidase lysostaphin (APLss) on staphylococcal adherence to host cells, biofilm biomass formation, and toxin production as a probable method for mitigating staphylococcal virulence. RESULTS Initially, soluble expression in E. coli and subsequent purification by immobilized-Ni2+ affinity chromatography (IMAC) enabled us to successfully produce a large quantity of highly pure ~ 28-kDa His-tagged mature APLss. The purified protein exhibited potent inhibitory effects against both methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant staphylococcal strains, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 1 to 2 µg/mL, and ultrastructural analysis revealed that APLss-induced concentration-specific changes in the morphological architecture of staphylococcal surface membranes. Furthermore, spectrophotometric and fluorescence microscopy revealed that incubating staphylococcal strains with sub-MIC and MIC of APLss significantly inhibited staphylococcal adherence to human vaginal epithelial cells and biofilm biomass formation. Ultimately, transcriptional investigations revealed that APLss inhibited the expression of agrA (quorum sensing effector) and other virulence genes related to toxin synthesis. CONCLUSIONS Overall, APLss dose-dependently inhibited adhesion to host cell surfaces and staphylococcal-associated virulence factors, warranting further investigation as a potential anti-staphylococcal agent with an antiadhesive mechanism of action using in vivo models of staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yue
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- National Engineering Laboratory for Resource Development of Endangered Crude Drugs in Northwest China, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Southwest Medical University, Jiangyang District, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Changfeng Sun
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Southwest Medical University, Jiangyang District, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
| | - Sarfraz Ahmed
- Wellman Centre for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114, USA
| | - Suvash Chandra Ojha
- Department of Infectious Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Southwest Medical University, Jiangyang District, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
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Zha J, Li J, Su Z, Akimbekov N, Wu X. Lysostaphin: Engineering and Potentiation toward Better Applications. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2022; 70:11441-11457. [PMID: 36082619 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.2c03459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Lysostaphin is a potent bacteriolytic enzyme with endopeptidase activity against the common pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. By digesting the pentaglycine crossbridge in the cell wall peptidoglycan of S. aureus including the methicillin-resistant strains, lysostaphin initiates rapid lysis of planktonic and sessile cells (biofilms) and has great potential for use in agriculture, food industries, and pharmaceutical industries. In the past few decades, there have been tremendous efforts in potentiating lysostaphin for better applications in these fields, including engineering of the enzyme for higher potency and lower immunogenicity with longer-lasting effects, formulation and immobilization of the enzyme for higher stability and better durability, and recombinant expression for low-cost industrial production and in situ biocontrol. These achievements are extensively reviewed in this article focusing on applications in disease control, food preservation, surface decontamination, and pathogen detection. In addition, some basic properties of lysostaphin that have been controversial and only elucidated recently are summarized, including the substrate-binding properties, the number of zinc-binding sites, the substrate range, and the cleavage site in the pentaglycine crossbridge. Resistance to lysostaphin is also highlighted with a focus on various mechanisms. This article is concluded with a discussion on the limitations and future perspectives for the actual applications of lysostaphin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Zha
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China
| | - Jingyuan Li
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China
| | - Zheng Su
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China
| | - Nuraly Akimbekov
- Department of Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan
| | - Xia Wu
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, China
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3
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Chen KJ, Lee CK. Self-cleaved expression of recombinant lysostaphin from its cellulose binding domain fusion. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 106:5023-5033. [PMID: 35790549 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-022-12047-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Mature lysostaphin (mLst) is a glycineglycine endopeptidase, capable of specifically cleaving penta-glycine crosslinker in the peptidoglycan of Staphylococcus aureus cell wall. It is a very effective therapeutic enzyme to kill the multidrug-resistant S. aureus often encountered in hospital acquired infections. Fusing cellulose binding domain (CBD) to mLst significantly reduced the insoluble expression of mLst in E. coli. Employing mLst-cleavable peptides as fusion linkers leaded to an effective self-cleavage expression that CBD and mLst could be completely cleaved off from the fusions during the expression process. The presence of residue linker fragment at N-terminus of the cleaved-off mLst strongly inhibited the cell lytic activity of the recovered recombinant mLst, and only ~ 50% of the wild-type mLst activity could be retained. Intact CBD-Lst fusions were obtained when uncleavable peptide linkers were employed. With CBD at N-terminus of mLst, the intact fusion completely lost its cell lytic activity but the dipeptidase activity still remained. In contrast, approximately 10% cell lytic activity of mLst still could be maintained for the fusion with CBD at C-terminus of mLst. KEY POINTS: • CBD fusion enhanced soluble expression of recombinant lysostaphin. • In vivo self-cleavage of fusion linkers by the expressed lysostaphin fusions. • Self-cleaved lysostaphin fusions retain most of dipeptidase but lose 50% cell lytic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kuan-Jung Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Kang Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 106, Taiwan.
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4
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Duman-Özdamar ZE, Ünlü A, Ünal H, Woodley JM, Bi Nay B. High-yield production of active recombinant S. simulans lysostaphin expressed in E. coli in a laboratory bioreactor. Protein Expr Purif 2020; 177:105753. [PMID: 32950627 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2020.105753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which has developed multidrug resistance, leads to many healthcare-associated infections resulting in significant medical and economic losses. Therefore, the development of new efficient strategies to deal with these bacteria has been gaining importance. Lysostaphin is a peptidoglycan hydrolase that has considerable potential as a bacteriocin. However, there have been few reported optimization and scale-up studies of the lysostaphin bioproduction process. Our preliminary results have revealed that the composition of auto-induction media at 30 °C increases the produced lysostaphin around 10-fold in shake flasks. In this study, achieving higher yields for recombinant lysostaphin in E. coli at a laboratory scale has been the aim, through the use of auto-induction media. Optimized medium composition and fermentation parameters were transferred to a laboratory-scale bioreactor. The tested conditions improved protein yields up to 184 mg/L in a 3 L stirred bioreactor and the productivity was improved 2-fold in comparison to previously published reports. Furthermore, this study also showed that lysostaphin is an effective bacteriocin on both commercially available and isolated S. aureus strains. These results will contribute to future larger-scale production of lysostaphin via the proposed fermentation conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aişe Ünlü
- Department of Chemistry, Gebze Technical University, 41400, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Hayriye Ünal
- Nanotechnology Research Center (SUNUM), Sabanci University, 34956, Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - John M Woodley
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK 2800 Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Barış Bi Nay
- Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, 41400, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey.
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5
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Production of Lysostaphin by Nonproprietary Method Utilizing a Promoter from Toxin–Antitoxin System. Mol Biotechnol 2019; 61:774-782. [DOI: 10.1007/s12033-019-00203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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6
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Cardoso CV, Barbosa EV, Liberal MHT, Chagas EFD. Transgenic technology: the strategy for the control and prevention of bovine staphylococcal mastitis? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biori.2019.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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7
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Duman ZE, Ünlü A, Çakar MM, Ünal H, Binay B. Enhanced production of recombinant Staphylococcus simulans lysostaphin using medium engineering. Prep Biochem Biotechnol 2019; 49:521-528. [DOI: 10.1080/10826068.2019.1599393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep Efsun Duman
- Department of Biotechnology, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Aişe Ünlü
- Department of Chemistry, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Mehmet Mervan Çakar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Hayriye Ünal
- Nanotechnology Research Center (SUNUM), Sabanci University, Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Barış Binay
- Department of Bioengineering, Gebze Technical University, Gebze, Kocaeli, Turkey
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Chandra Ojha S, Imtong C, Meetum K, Sakdee S, Katzenmeier G, Angsuthanasombat C. Purification and characterization of the antibacterial peptidase lysostaphin from Staphylococcus simulans : Adverse influence of Zn 2+ on bacteriolytic activity. Protein Expr Purif 2018; 151:106-112. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2018.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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9
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Sadoogh Abbasian S, Soufian S, Ghaznavi-Rad E, Abtahi H. High Level Activity of Recombinant Lysostaphin After Computer Simulation and Additive-Based Refolding. Int J Pept Res Ther 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10989-018-9769-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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10
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Boksha IS, Lavrova NV, Grishin AV, Demidenko AV, Lyashchuk AM, Galushkina ZM, Ovchinnikov RS, Umyarov AM, Avetisian LR, Chernukha MI, Shaginian IA, Lunin VG, Karyagina AS. Staphylococcus simulans Recombinant Lysostaphin: Production, Purification, and Determination of Antistaphylococcal Activity. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2017; 81:502-10. [PMID: 27297900 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297916050072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Staphylococcus simulans lysostaphin is an endopeptidase lysing staphylococcus cell walls by cleaving pentaglycine cross-bridges in their peptidoglycan. A synthetic gene encoding S. simulans lysostaphin was cloned in Escherichia coli cells, and producer strains were designed. The level of produced biologically active lysostaphin comprised 6-30% of total E. coli cell protein (depending on E. coli M15 or BL21 producer) under batch cultivation conditions. New methods were developed for purification of lysostaphin without affinity domains and for testing its enzymatic activity. As judged by PAGE, the purified recombinant lysostaphin is of >97% purity. The produced lysostaphin lysed cells of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus haemolyticus clinical isolates. In vitro activity and general biochemical properties of purified recombinant lysostaphin produced by M15 or BL21 E. coli strains were identical to those of recombinant lysostaphin supplied by Sigma-Aldrich (USA) and used as reference in other known studies. The prepared recombinant lysostaphin represents a potential product for development of enzymatic preparation for medicine and veterinary due to the simple purification scheme enabling production of the enzyme of high purity and antistaphylococcal activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- I S Boksha
- N. F. Gamaleya Federal Research Centre for Epidemiology and Microbiology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, 123098, Russia.
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11
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Farhangnia L, Ghaznavi- Rad E, Mollaee N, Abtahi H. Cloning, Expression, and Purification of Recombinant Lysostaphin From Staphylococcus simulans. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2014; 7:e10009. [PMID: 25147708 PMCID: PMC4138633 DOI: 10.5812/jjm.10009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2013] [Revised: 05/14/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections and its resistance to antibiotics is a global concern. Lysostaphin is an antimicrobial agent belonging to a major class of antimicrobial peptides and proteins known as the bacteriocins. It exhibits a high degree of anti-staphylococcal bacteriolytic activity. Objectives: In this study, high level of recombinant mature lysostaphin in Escherichia coli was produced by using pET32a expression vector. Materials and Methods: The S. simulans gene encoding lysostaphin was extracted, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sub-cloned in prokaryotic expression vector pET32a. E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS were transformed with pET32a-lys and gene expression was induced by IPTG. The expressed protein was purified by affinity-chromatography using (Ni-NTA) resin. Results: PCR and sequencing results confirmed the successful cloning of the target gene into the vector. The expression of protein was induced by IPTG and high concentration of the recombinant protein was obtained via the purification process by affinity-chromatography. Conclusions: Our data showed that the recombinant mature lysostaphin protein produced by pET32a vector in E. coli system was very efficient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leila Farhangnia
- Department of Biotechnology, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IR Iran
| | - Ehsanollah Ghaznavi- Rad
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IR Iran
| | - Neda Mollaee
- Department of Biotechnology, School of Medicine, University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IR Iran
| | - Hamid Abtahi
- Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IR Iran
- Corresponding author: Hamid Abtahi, Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IR Iran. Tel: +98-8614173502, Fax: +98-8614173526, E-mail:
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12
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Gene and protein sequence optimization for high-level production of fully active and aglycosylated lysostaphin in Pichia pastoris. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:2746-53. [PMID: 24561590 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03914-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysostaphin represents a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of staphylococcal infections, in particular those of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, conventional expression systems for the enzyme suffer from various limitations, and there remains a need for an efficient and cost-effective production process to facilitate clinical translation and the development of nonmedical applications. While Pichia pastoris is widely used for high-level production of recombinant proteins, there are two major barriers to the production of lysostaphin in this industrially relevant host: lack of expression from the wild-type lysostaphin gene and aberrant glycosylation of the wild-type protein sequence. The first barrier can be overcome with a synthetic gene incorporating improved codon usage and balanced A+T/G+C content, and the second barrier can be overcome by disrupting an N-linked glycosylation sequon using a broadened choice of mutations that yield aglyscosylated and fully active lysostaphin. The optimized lysostaphin variants could be produced at approximately 500 mg/liter in a small-scale bioreactor, and 50% of that material could be recovered at high purity with a simple 2-step purification. It is anticipated that this novel high-level expression system will bring down one of the major barriers to future development of biomedical, veterinary, and research applications of lysostaphin and its engineered variants.
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13
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Liu X, Wang Y, Tian Y, Yu Y, Gao M, Hu G, Su F, Pan S, Luo Y, Guo Z, Quan F, Zhang Y. Generation of mastitis resistance in cows by targeting human lysozyme gene to β-casein locus using zinc-finger nucleases. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20133368. [PMID: 24552841 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2013.3368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mastitis costs the dairy industry billions of dollars annually and is the most consequential disease of dairy cattle. Transgenic cows secreting an antimicrobial peptide demonstrated resistance to mastitis. The combination of somatic cell gene targeting and nuclear transfer provides a powerful method to produce transgenic animals. Recent studies found that a precisely placed double-strand break induced by engineered zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) stimulated the integration of exogenous DNA stretches into a pre-determined genomic location, resulting in high-efficiency site-specific gene addition. Here, we used ZFNs to target human lysozyme (hLYZ) gene to bovine β-casein locus, resulting in hLYZ knock-in of approximately 1% of ZFN-treated bovine fetal fibroblasts (BFFs). Gene-targeted fibroblast cell clones were screened by junction PCR amplification and Southern blot analysis. Gene-targeted BFFs were used in somatic cell nuclear transfer. In vitro assays demonstrated that the milk secreted by transgenic cows had the ability to kill Staphylococcus aureus. We report the production of cloned cows carrying human lysozyme gene knock-in β-casein locus using ZFNs. Our findings open a unique avenue for the creation of transgenic cows from genetic engineering by providing a viable tool for enhancing resistance to disease and improving the health and welfare of livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Liu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, , Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, People's Republic of China, Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Ministry of Agriculture, Northwest A&F University, , Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, People's Republic of China
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14
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Huang CY, Hsu JT, Chung PH, Cheng WTK, Jiang YN, Ju YT. Site-Specific N-Glycosylation of Caprine Lysostaphin Restricts its Bacteriolytic Activity TowardStaphylococcus Aureus. Anim Biotechnol 2013; 24:129-47. [DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2012.760469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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15
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Hassan M, Kjos M, Nes I, Diep D, Lotfipour F. Natural antimicrobial peptides from bacteria: characteristics and potential applications to fight against antibiotic resistance. J Appl Microbiol 2012; 113:723-36. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2012.05338.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 254] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2012] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - M. Kjos
- Departments of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science; Norwegian University of Life Sciences; Aas; Norway
| | - I.F. Nes
- Departments of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science; Norwegian University of Life Sciences; Aas; Norway
| | - D.B. Diep
- Departments of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science; Norwegian University of Life Sciences; Aas; Norway
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Lysostaphin: A Staphylococcal Bacteriolysin with Potential Clinical Applications. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2010; 3:1139-1161. [PMID: 27713293 PMCID: PMC4034026 DOI: 10.3390/ph3041139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2010] [Revised: 04/08/2010] [Accepted: 04/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysostaphin is an antimicrobial agent belonging to a major class of antimicrobial peptides and proteins known as the bacteriocins. Bacteriocins are bacterial antimicrobial peptides which generally exhibit bactericidal activity against other bacteria. Bacteriocin production is a self-protection mechanism that helps the microorganisms to survive in their natural habitats. Bacteriocins are currently distributed into three main classes. Staphylococcins are bacteriocins produced by staphylococci, which are Gram-positive bacteria of medical and veterinary importance. Lysostaphin is the only class III staphylococcin described so far. It exhibits a high degree of antistaphylococcal bacteriolytic activity, being inactive against bacteria of all other genera. Infections caused by staphylococci continue to be a problem worldwide not only in healthcare environments but also in the community, requiring effective measures for controlling their spread. Since lysostaphin kills human and animal staphylococcal pathogens, it has potential biotechnological applications in the treatment of staphylococcal infections. In vitro and in vivo studies performed with lysostaphin have shown that this staphylococcin has potential to be used, solely or in combination with other antibacterial agents, to prevent or treat bacterial staphylococcal infectious diseases.
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Klein M, Krönke M, Krut O. Expression of lysostaphin in HeLa cells protects from host cell killing by intracellular Staphylococcus aureus. Med Microbiol Immunol 2006; 195:159-63. [PMID: 16482441 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-006-0014-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The Staphylococcus aureus-specific cell wall endopeptidase lysostaphin was used as a model for an intracellular acting bactericidal antibiotic. HeLa cells were transfected with an expression vector directing the heterologous expression of lysostaphin in the cytoplasm. Expression, subcellular localization and enzymatic activity of lysostaphin were investigated by immunoblotting, fluorescent microscopy and agar diffusion assays. Both transiently and stably transfected HeLa cells showed a strong expression of active lysostaphin. After infection with S. aureus, the intracellular number of S. aureus and the host cell viability were determined. This staphylolytic activity resulted in a strong reduction of intracellular S. aureus in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, host cells expressing lysostaphin became protected from S. aureus-induced cell death. Our data demonstrate the potential of intracellularly acting cell-wall active drugs or antibiotics that kill S. aureus without causing harm to the infected host cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Klein
- Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universität zu Köln, Goldenfelsstrasse 21, 50935 Köln, Germany
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18
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Sharma R, Sharma PR, Choudhary ML, Pande A, Khatri GS. Cytoplasmic expression of mature glycylglycine endopeptidase lysostaphin with an amino terminal hexa-histidine in a soluble and catalytically active form in Escherichia coli. Protein Expr Purif 2006; 45:206-15. [PMID: 16181789 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2005.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2005] [Revised: 07/13/2005] [Accepted: 07/18/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a major problem in the world, causing hospital acquired infections and the infections/pathogenesis in community. Lysostaphin is a novel therapeutic molecule to kill the multidrug-resistant S. aureus. Mature lysostaphin is a single polypeptide (approximately 27 kDa) chain metalloprotease glycylglycine endopeptidase, capable of specifically hydrolyzing penta-glycine crosslinks present in the peptidoglycan of the S. aureus cell wall. The mature lysostaphin gene of Staphylococcus simulans has been cloned and overexpressed in the cytoplasm of E. coli with amino terminal hexa-histidine as a fusion partner under the transcriptional control of bacteriophage T7 phi 10 promoter/lac operator and ribosome binding site. The transformed E. coli BL21 (lambdaDE3) cells produced catalytically active soluble (His)6-lysostaphin fusion protein in the cytoplasm representing approximately 20% of the total cellular proteins. The fusion protein was purified to homogeneity using a single chromatographic step of IMAC on Ni-NTA agarose. The present cloning, expression, and purification procedure of recombinant lysostaphin from a non-pathogenic organism E. coli enables preparation of large quantity of r-lysostaphin for structure function studies and evaluation of its clinical potential in therapy and prophylaxis of staphylococcal infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul Sharma
- Bharat Biotech Foundation, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet, Hyderabad, AP 500 078, India
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19
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Szweda P, Kotłowski R, Kur J. New effective sources of the Staphylococcus simulans lysostaphin. J Biotechnol 2005; 117:203-13. [PMID: 15823409 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2005.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2004] [Revised: 01/11/2005] [Accepted: 01/24/2005] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The gene encoding Staphylococcus simulans lysostaphin has been cloned into two Escherichia coli expression systems: pET23b+ (Novagen, UK) and pBAD/Thio-TOPO (Invitrogen, USA), which allow the overexpression of a target protein as a fusion protein. The enzyme produced in the pET system contains a cluster of six histidines at the C-terminus, and the protein produced in the pBAD system contains 133 additional amino acid residues at the N-terminus, including thioredoxin, a cluster of six histidines and a recognition site for endoprotease Factor Xa. The recombinant enzymes were purified by metal-affinity chromatography on a Co2+-Sepharose column. Approximately 20 mg of purified recombinant enzyme were obtained in the pET expression system and 39 mg in the pBAD system, from a 1-L culture. The obtained fusion protein from the pET system revealed specific activity that was approximately 10 times higher than that of the fusion protein from the pBAD system (970 U/mg versus 83 U/mg). The purified enzymes displayed maximum activity at close to 45 degrees C and pH 8.0 or 7.5 for the enzyme obtained from pET and pBAD system, respectively. The lysostaphin activity was strongly inhibited by Zn2+ or Cu2+ (2 mM) with a 70-80% decrease. The Ni2+ (2 mM) also inhibited the enzyme with a 60 and 20% activity decrease for enzyme from the pET and pBAD system, respectively. The Co2+ had no impact on enzymatic activity at the 2 mM concentration; however, 30 and 20% activity decreases were observed at the 10mM concentration for the enzyme obtained from the pET and pBAD expression systems, respectively. EDTA, known as a strong inhibitor of the native lysostaphin, had no impact on the antistaphylococcal activity of either recombinant enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Szweda
- Department of Food Chemistry, Technology and Biotechnology, Gdańsk University of Technology, ul. G. Narutowicza 11/12, 80-952 Gdańsk, Poland
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Kerr DE, Plaut K, Bramley AJ, Williamson CM, Lax AJ, Moore K, Wells KD, Wall RJ. Lysostaphin expression in mammary glands confers protection against staphylococcal infection in transgenic mice. Nat Biotechnol 2001; 19:66-70. [PMID: 11135555 DOI: 10.1038/83540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Infection of the mammary gland, in addition to causing animal distress, is a major economic burden of the dairy industry. Staphylococcus aureus is the major contagious mastitis pathogen, accounting for approximately 15-30% of infections, and has proved difficult to control using standard management practices. As a first step toward enhancing mastitis resistance of dairy animals, we report the generation of transgenic mice that secrete a potent anti-staphylococcal protein into milk. The protein, lysostaphin, is a peptidoglycan hydrolase normally produced by Staphylococcus simulans. When the native form is secreted by transfected eukaryotic cells it becomes glycosylated and inactive. However, removal of two glycosylation motifs through engineering asparagine to glutamine codon substitutions enables secretion of Gln(125,232)-lysostaphin, a bioactive variant. Three lines of transgenic mice, in which the 5'-flanking region of the ovine beta-lactoglobulin gene directed the secretion of Gln(125,232)-lysostaphin into milk, exhibit substantial resistance to an intramammary challenge of 104 colony-forming units (c.f.u.) of S. aureus, with the highest expressing line being completely resistant. Milk protein content and profiles of transgenic and nontransgenic mice are similar. These results clearly demonstrate the potential of genetic engineering to combat the most prevalent disease of dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- D E Kerr
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
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Cavadinp C, Hertel C, Hammes WP. Stable Expression of the Lysostaphin Gene in Meat Lactobacilli by Introducing Deletions within the Prosequence. Syst Appl Microbiol 1996. [DOI: 10.1016/s0723-2020(96)80004-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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DeHart HP, Heath HE, Heath LS, LeBlanc PA, Sloan GL. The lysostaphin endopeptidase resistance gene (epr) specifies modification of peptidoglycan cross bridges in Staphylococcus simulans and Staphylococcus aureus. Appl Environ Microbiol 1995; 61:1475-9. [PMID: 7747966 PMCID: PMC167404 DOI: 10.1128/aem.61.4.1475-1479.1995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus produces an extracellular glycylglycine endopeptidase (lysostaphin) that lyses other staphylococci by hydrolyzing the cross bridges in their cell wall peptidoglycans. The genes for endopeptidase (end) and endopeptidase resistance (epr) reside on plasmid pACK1. An 8.4-kb fragment containing end was cloned into shuttle vector pL150 and was then introduced into Staphylococcus aureus RN4220. The recombinant S. aureus cells produced endopeptidase and were resistant to lysis by the enzyme, which indicated that the cloned fragment also contained epr. Treatments to remove accessory wall polymers (proteins, teichoic acids, and lipoteichoic acids) did not change the endopeptidase sensitivity of walls from strains of S. simulans biovar staphylolyticus or of S. aureus with and without epr. Immunological analyses of various wall fractions showed that there were epitopes associated with endopeptidase resistance and that these epitopes were found only on the peptidoglycans of epr+ strains of both species. Treatment of purified peptidoglycans with endopeptidase confirmed that resistance or susceptibility of both species was a property of the peptidoglycan itself. A comparison of the chemical compositions of these peptidoglycans revealed that cross bridges in the epr+ cells contained more serine and fewer glycine residues than those of cells without epr. The presence of the 8.4-kb fragment from pACK1 also increased the susceptibility of both species to methicillin.
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Affiliation(s)
- H P DeHart
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa 35487, USA
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