Molecular cloning and expression in Escherichia coli K-12 of the gene for a hemagglutinin from Vibrio cholerae

VlpA of Vibrio cholerae O1: the first bacterial member of the alpha 2-microglobulin lipocalin superfamily

We have identified a gene, vlpA, which is closely linked to the mfrA,B locus associated with mannose-fucose-resistant haemagglutination. VlpA is an outer-membrane protein which can be labelled with [3H]palmitate and whose processing is globomycin-sensitive, suggesting that it is a lipoprotein. Homology searches revealed that VlpA belongs to the group of lipocalins of the alpha 2-microglobulin superfamily which function as small hydrophobic molecule transporters, and is the first identified bacterial member of this group. Multiple copies of this gene are present in Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 and Southern hybridization reveals a biotype-specific pattern of fragment sizes. Construction of strains capable of hyperproducing VlpA suggested that it is able to bind haemin with low affinity but this may be due to a simple hydrophobic interaction. Attempts to construct specific mutants in vlpA have been unsuccessful, presumably because of the multiple copies of vlpA genes and their linkage to the VCR element.

Cholera

Despite more than a century of study, cholera still presents challenges and surprises to us. Throughout most of the 20th century, cholera was caused by Vibrio cholerae of the O1 serogroup and the disease was largely confined to Asia and Africa. However, the last decade of the 20th century has witnessed two major developments in the history of this disease. In 1991, a massive outbreak of cholera started in South America, the one continent previously untouched by cholera in this century. In 1992, an apparently new pandemic caused by a previously unknown serogroup of V. cholerae (O139) began in India and Bangladesh. The O139 epidemic has been occurring in populations assumed to be largely immune to V. cholerae O1 and has rapidly spread to many countries including the United States. In this review, we discuss all aspects of cholera, including the clinical microbiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical features of the disease. Special attention will be paid to the extraordinary advances that have been made in recent years in unravelling the molecular pathogenesis of this infection and in the development of new generations of vaccines to prevent it.

Identification of VCR, a repeated sequence associated with a locus encoding a hemagglutinin in Vibrio cholerae O1

We have determined the nucleotide sequence of a 6.3-kb BamHI fragment of the chromosome of Vibrio cholerae 569B that includes the sequence of the mannose-fucose-resistant hemagglutinin reported previously (V.L. Franzon, A. Barker, and P. A. Manning, Infect. Immun. 61:3032-3037, 1993). This region contains nine copies of a 124-bp direct repeat, here named VCR, of imperfect dyad symmetry, that are shown by Southern hybridization to occur at least 60 to 100 times in the V. cholerae O1 chromosome. Large-scale chromosomal mapping suggests that the repeats are confined to about 10% of the chromosome. Related sequences are also found in non-O1 V. cholerae but not in other members of the family Vibrionaceae. However, VCR is unrelated to other previously described repetitive sequences.

Biotype-specific tcpA genes in Vibrio cholerae

The tcpA gene, encoding the structural subunit of the toxin-coregulated pilus, has been isolated from a variety of clinical isolates of Vibrio cholerae, and the nucleotide sequence determined. Strict biotype-specific conservation within both the coding and putative regulatory regions was observed, with important differences between the El Tor and classical biotypes. V. cholerae O139 Bengal strains appear to have El Tor-type tcpA genes. Environmental O1 and non-O1 isolates have sequences that bind an El Tor-specific tcpA DNA probe and that are weakly and variably amplified by tcpA-specific polymerase chain reaction primers, under conditions of reduced stringency. The data presented allow the selection of primer pairs to help distinguish between clinical and environmental isolates, and to distinguish El Tor (and Bengal) biotypes from classical biotypes of V. cholerae. While the role of TcpA in cholera vaccine preparations remains unclear, the data strongly suggest that TcpA-containing vaccines directed at O1 strains need include only the two forms of TcpA, and that such vaccines directed at (O139) Bengal strains should include the TcpA of El Tor biotype.

Nucleotide sequence encoding the mannose-fucose-resistant hemagglutinin of Vibrio cholerae O1 and construction of a mutant

The region of DNA encoding the mannose-fucose-resistant hemagglutinin (MFRHA) of Vibrio cholerae O1 has been localized, and the nucleotide sequence has been determined. The region contains a single open reading frame encoding 230 amino acids, corresponding to a protein of 26.9 kDa. The N terminus of this protein is atypical for a protein localized in the outer membrane. A mutant lacking MFRHA activity has been constructed by allelic exchange after inactivation via the insertion of a kanamycin resistance gene cartridge. The MFRHA-negative mutant has been assessed for virulence in the infant mouse cholera model. This mutant shows a marked defect in its ability to persist in the infant mouse gut and is incapable of competing with the wild-type organism, even when given in 25-fold excess. This defect also leads to a > 100-fold increase in the 50% lethal dose. These data suggest that the MFRHA is an important colonization factor in the infant mouse model.

Molecular design of cholera vaccines

Cholera is still a serious public health problem in developing countries, particularly those in tropical regions. This has stimulated considerable research into the molecular analysis of pathogenesis resulting in the identification of a number of critical components required for both colonization of the gut mucosa and the disease symptoms. These components are the targets for rational molecular approaches to vaccine development.

The oac gene encoding a lipopolysaccharide O-antigen acetylase maps adjacent to the integrase-encoding gene on the genome of Shigella flexneri bacteriophage Sf6

Lysogens of Shigella flexneri harbouring the temperate bacteriophage, Sf6, have been previously shown to undergo a serotype conversion due to O-acetylation of the O-antigen of the lipopolysaccharide. A partial physical map of the phage genome has been constructed. Analysis of the phage DNA suggests that the phage packages by a headful mechanism and that the mature DNA molecules are terminally redundant. Cloning of the PstI fragments of Sf6 enabled the region encoding the serotype conversion to be localized, showing that this was clearly phage-encoded. The gene was further localized by mutagenesis with Tn5 and the nucleotide sequence of the entire 2693-bp PstI fragment was determined. Two major open reading frames (ORFs) were found capable of encoding proteins of 44.1 and 37.2 kDa. The latter corresponds to the O-antigen acetylase and its gene has been designated oac. The oac gene is capable of converting Sh. flexneri serotypes X, Y, 1a and 4a to 3a, 3b, 1b and 4b, respectively. The Oac protein bears a high degree of homology to the NodX protein of Rhizobium leguminosarum suggesting that it, too, may be a sugar acetylase. The second ORF immediately upstream from oac corresponds to the bacteriophage Sf6 integrase responsible for chromosomal integration and is highly homologous to the integrases of Escherichia coli bacteriophages P4 and phi 80, but less closely related to those of P1, P2, P22, 186 and lambda.

Distinguishing between the extracellular DNases of Vibrio cholerae and development of a transformation system

Vibrio cholerae is known to secrete DNase(s) into the extracellular environment. These proteins have been thought to be responsible for the difficulties in transforming this organism. In this work we demonstrate that the dns and xds genes differ and that their products are solely responsible for the extracellular DNase activity. By site-directed mutagenesis, strains have been constructed which are mutant in one or both genes. These strains have been assessed for their ability to be transformed with plasmid DNA and for their virulence in the infant mouse cholera model. DNase-deficient mutants can be readily transformed and the product of dns appears to be the more significant barrier. No effect on virulence was observed with the mutants.

Production of type 1 fimbriae by Escherichia coli HB101

Escherichia coli HB101 is frequently used as a host in the cloning of bacterial virulence genes because of its reported lack of virulence determinants such as fimbriae, adhesins and haemagglutinins. However, passage of HB101 in standing broth culture rapidly induced the production of fimbriae which mediated adhesion to HEp-2 cells and mannose-sensitive haemagglutination of human and guinea-pig erythrocytes. Fimbrial serology, morphology and pilin molecular mass of 18 kDa were consistent with those of type 1 fimbriae.

Genetic analysis of the rfb region of Shigella flexneri encoding the Y serotype O-antigen specificity

The gene cluster (rfb region) which determines the biosynthesis of the Shigella flexneri O-antigen of the Y serotype specificity was cloned from a S. flexneri serotype 2a strain. Two plasmids, pPM2212 and pPM2213, which conferred O-antigen biosynthesis were generated from separate cosmid clones by deletion with Clal. These plasmids expressed O-antigen in Escherichia coli K12 like that of the parental strain, as assessed by reactions to antisera in colony and Western immunoblots, sensitivity to bacteriophage Sf6, and by silver staining of lipopolysaccharides separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These plasmids also mediated O-antigen expression in an E. coli K12 rfb-delete background, indicating that all the necessary genes have been cloned. A detailed restriction map of the region has been constructed and analysis of various subclones has allowed the limits of the coding region for O-antigen biosynthesis to be defined to a maximum of 11 kb. Expression of these plasmids demonstrates a novel phenotype associated with control of lipopolysaccharide chain length. The gene(s) responsible maps adjacent to, but separate from, those associated with the biosynthesis of the O-antigen unit. Analysis of plasmid-encoded proteins in minicells and maxicells has facilitated the construction of a physical map. Finally, plasmid pPM-2212 was used to probe a collection of S. flexneri serotypes by Southern hybridization. With the exception of serotype 6, which appears to be unrelated, a similar pattern was found in all serotypes.

Cloning and nucleotide sequence of the Vibrio cholerae hemagglutinin/protease (HA/protease) gene and construction of an HA/protease-negative strain

The structural gene hap for the extracellular hemagglutinin/protease (HA/protease) of Vibrio cholerae was cloned and sequenced. The cloned DNA fragment contained a 1,827-bp open reading frame potentially encoding a 609-amino-acid polypeptide. The deduced protein contains a putative signal sequence followed by a large propeptide. The extracellular HA/protease consists of 414 amino acids with a computed molecular weight of 46,700. In the absence of protease inhibitors, this is processed to the 32-kDa form which is usually isolated. The deduced amino acid sequence of the mature HA/protease showed 61.5% identity with the Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase. The cloned hap gene was inactivated and introduced into the chromosome of V. cholerae by recombination to construct the HA/protease-negative strain HAP-1. The cloned fragment containing the hap gene was then shown to complement the mutant strain.

Genetic analysis in vibrio

Bacteria of the genus Vibrio are remarkably diverse, and until recently the methodology for genetic analysis consisted of a patchwork of different approaches, many of which were narrowly applicable to a single species. The invention of the recombinant DNA technology and the subsequent innovations in transposon mutagenesis and in transductive and conjugative gene transfer techniques have led to the development of very powerful and general strategies for genetic analysis of species of Vibrio. The striking synergy of combining recombinant DNA, transposon, and gene transfer methods is particularly evident in the construction of transposons which generate gene fusions and of broad host range plasmids which deliver transposons and mutated genes and which mobilize chromosomes. With such tools it should be possible to perform advanced genetic analysis on the many undomesticated species of Vibrio still to be explored.

Regions of the cloned Vibrio cholerae rfb genes needed to determine the Ogawa form of the O-antigen

The O-antigen of the lipopolysaccharides of Vibrio cholerae 01 can exist in two forms termed Inaba and Ogawa. We used a complementation system to demonstrate that the Ogawa phenotype is dominant over the Inaba phenotype. By using a set of deletions affecting the Ogawa rfb genes, we identified two regions which are needed to confer the Ogawa phenotype. In vitro mutagenesis of the cloned Ogawa rfb genes resulted in the isolation of variants with the Inaba phenotype. The results are interpreted with respect to previous studies demonstrating interconversion between the two forms of the V. cholerae O-antigen.

Nucleotide sequence of the structural gene, tcpA, for a major pilin subunit of Vibrio cholerae

The toxin co-regulated pilus (Tcp) of Vibrio cholerae appears to be a major protective antigen. By cosmid cloning we have isolated a number of clones capable of converting Tcp- El Tor strains of V. cholerae to Tcp+. A synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide probe based upon the N-terminal amino acid sequence of TcpA, has been used to localize the structural gene within the cosmid clones. Using suitable subclones, the nucleotide sequence of the tcpA gene has been determined. The gene encodes a 23.3-kDa pre-protein which in its mature form has a size of 20.3 kDa. The N-terminal leader peptide or signal sequence is atypical and does not conform with the usual rules of such sequences. The TcpA protein shows some similarities to the major pilins of the methylated phenylalanine type or type-4 pili from other bacteria; however, it is sufficiently different that it may represent a new class.

Identification and molecular cloning of a 70 kDa species-specific antigen common to Clostridium difficile

Three common antigens (CB 1, 2 and 3), characteristic of Clostridium difficile species were identified by immunoblot analysis using homologous and heterologous rabbit antisera, raised against whole cells from 9 distinct strains of C. difficile. A gene library of C. difficile genomic DNA was constructed in Escherichia coli by cloning in Sau 3A-cleaved clostridial DNA fragments into the bacteriophage vector lambda EMBL3. OUt of 3000 plaques screened using the whole cell antisera, 27 clones were positively identified. One of these clones, designated gamma Cd21, expressed high levels of an antigen which could be immunologically identified using whole cell antisera against the 9 C. difficile strains. Antiserum raised against the clone gamma Cd21 identified a 70 kDa antigen (previously named CB1) as demonstrated by immunoblot analysis. Monospecific antiserum against gamma Cd21 recognises the 70 kDa antigen in all 97 strains of C. difficile derived from worldwide sources and does not cross-react with 17 strains from 13 other clostridial species.

Molecular cloning and expression of Clostridium difficile toxin A in Escherichia coli K12

Clostridium difficile toxin A was purified to homogeneity and was used to raise monospecific antiserum in rabbits. A gene bank of C. difficile DNA in Escherichia coli was constructed by cloning Sau3A-cleaved clostridial DNA fragments into the bacteriophage vector lambda EMBL3. Out of 4500 plaques screened with antitoxin A, 9 clones were positively identified. One of these clones lambda tA5 expressed a 235 kDa protein which exhibited a cytotonic effect on Chinese hamster ovary cells, and had the ability to haemagglutinate rabbit erythrocytes, both properties characteristic of toxin A. The size of the lambda tA5 insert DNA was 14.3 kb.

Genetics of Vibrio cholerae and its bacteriophages

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Extracellular proteins of Vibrio cholerae: molecular cloning, nucleotide sequence and characterization of the deoxyribonuclease (DNase) together with its periplasmic localization in Escherichia coli K-12

The gene encoding the extracellular DNase of Vibrio cholerae was cloned into Escherichia coli K-12. A maximal coding region of 1.2 kb and a minimal region of 0.6 kb were determined by transposon mutagenesis and deletion analysis. The nucleotide sequence of this region contained a single open reading frame of 690 bp corresponding to a protein of Mr 26,389 with a typical N-terminal signal sequence of 18 aa which, when removed, would give a mature protein of Mr 24,163. This is in good agreement with the size of 24 kDa, calculated directly by Coomassie blue staining following sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and indirectly via a DNA-hydrolysis assay. The protein is located in the periplasmic space of E. coli K-12 unlike in V. cholerae where it is excreted into the extracellular medium. The introduction of the DNase gene into a periplasmic (tolA) leaky mutant of E. coli K-12 facilitates the release of the protein, further confirming the periplasmic location.