Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of the gene encoding the heat-modifiable major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b

Positively selected codons in immune-exposed loops of the vaccine candidate OMP-P1 of Haemophilus influenzae

The high levels of variation in surface epitopes can be considered as an evolutionary hallmark of immune selection. New computational tools enable analysis of this variation by identifying codons that exhibit high rates of amino acid changes relative to the synonymous substitution rate. In the outer membrane protein P1 of Haemophilus influenzae, a vaccine candidate for nontypeable strains, we identified four codons with this attribute in domains that did not correspond to known or assumed B- and T-cell epitopes of OMP-P1. These codons flank hypervariable domains and do not appear to be false positives as judged from parsimony and maximum likelihood analyses. Some closely spaced positively selected codons have been previously considered part of a transmembrane domain, which would render this region unsuited for inclusion in a vaccine. Secondary structure analysis, three-dimensional structural database searches, and homology modeling using FadL of E. coli as a structural homologue, however, revealed that all positively selected codons are located in or near extracellular looping domains. The spacing and level of diversity of these positively selected and exposed codons in OMP-P1 suggest that vaccine targets based on these and conserved flanking residues may provide broad coverage in H. influenzae.

Variability of outer membrane protein P1 and its evaluation as a vaccine candidate against experimental otitis media due to nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae: an unambiguous, multifaceted approach

Candidate vaccine antigens for preventing otitis media caused by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) should possess one or more conserved epitopes. We sought to evaluate the candidacy of P1, a surface-expressed outer membrane protein knowing that this antigen is subject to diversifying selection. Therefore, we selected NTHI strains from among >500 phylogenically variant isolates representative of the diversity found in natural populations of H. influenzae. Twenty-three variants of P1 (</=95% similarity) were identified among 42 strains. When chinchillas were immunized with recombinant P1 (rP1) obtained from one of these isolates (BCH-3), all animals developed antibodies specific for rP1. Immunized animals were protected against disease when challenged with BCH-3, but not with an ompP1 mutant of BCH-3 or a strain (BCH-2) possessing a heterologous P1 (91% identity). We conclude that (i) while P1 induces protection against NTHI-mediated otitis media, development of a polyvalent vaccine reflecting the variability of P1 would be necessary to construct an efficacious vaccine and (ii) use of a phylogenically characterized collection of representative isolates in concert with gene sequencing, cloning, gene inactivation, and animal testing offers an efficient, rational, and rigorous strategy for evaluating the potential problems associated with variability of vaccine targets and specificity of related immune responses.

Vaccination against middle-ear bacterial and viral pathogens

Considerable evidence suggests that otitis media (OM) can be prevented by systemic immunization. Building on the highly effective H. influenzae type b (Hib) conjugate vaccine technology, pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are being developed to circumvent T-independence of these antigens and provide durable immunity at a very young age. Several pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are currently in clinical testing. Potential vaccine antigens of nontypable H. influenzae (NTHi) include OMP, HMW, pili, and fimbriae. Several OMPs show extensive homology among strains, but surface, determinants of others are highly variable so that antibodies to surface epitopes of one strain will not bind to surface epitopes of another. Several M. catarrhalis OMP and HMW antigens have vaccine potential, but no functional correlates of protection have been identified, and there is no clear evidence that antibody to M. catarrhalis is associated with OM protection. Attenuated viral vaccines also hold promise of preventing childhood OM. Two clinical trials with killed influenza vaccines have shown a significant reduction in OM among vaccine recipients compared to control children during periods of high influenza disease activity in the community. Passive immunoprophylaxis also has potential for preventing OM. Human bacterial polysaccharide immune globulin was protective for pneumococcal OM in children and in the chinchilla OM model. High-dose respiratory syncytial virus-enriched immunoglobulin reduced the incidence and severity of RSV lower respiratory tract infection in high-risk children. Passive immunoprophylaxis may also be effective in children with specific immune deficiencies, such as IgG2 deficiency, and patients who fail to respond to vaccines.

Immunogenicity of synthetic peptides of Haemophilus influenzae type b outer membrane protein P1

To identify the B- and T-cell epitopes of P1 of Haemophilus influenzae type b, 13 peptides covering 90% of the protein were chemically synthesized. Mouse, guinea pig, and rabbit antisera raised against purified native P1 were tested for their reactivities against the peptides in peptide-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Six immunodominant linear B-cell epitopes were mapped to residues 103 to 137, 189 to 218, 248 to 283, 307 to 331, 384 to 412, and 400 to 437 of the mature P1 protein. When P1 peptides were screened for their reactivities with three human convalescent-phase serum specimens, peptides corresponding to residues 39 to 64, 226 to 253, and 400 to 437 reacted strongly with the antisera. Four regions (residues 39 to 64, 226 to 253, 339 to 370, and 400 to 437) contained murine T-cell epitopes. Rabbit antipeptide antisera were tested for their reactivities with the immunizing peptides and P1 protein by ELISA and immunoblots. All anti-P1 peptide antisera except those raised against peptide HIBP1-8 (residues 279 to 312) or HIBP1-8-keyhole limpet hemocyanin conjugate were shown to be specific for their respective immunizing peptides by ELISA. In addition, rabbit antisera raised against the synthetic peptides corresponding to residues 1 to 29, 39 to 64, 103 to 137, 189 to 218, 226 to 253, 248 to 283, 307 to 331, and 400 to 437 of the mature P1 protein recognized the P1 protein from both typeable and nontypeable isolates. These results suggest that these peptides contain epitopes highly conserved among typeable and nontypeable strains of H. influenzae. However, none of the antipeptide antisera have bactericidal activity, nor were they protective against H. influenzae type b in the infant rat model of bacteremia.

Outer membrane protein binding sites of complement component 3 during opsonization of Haemophilus influenzae

Complement component 3 (C3) binding to Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) is an important step in host defense against invasive disease, but the details of this process remain poorly understood. We have shown that the P1 and P2 outer membrane proteins (OMPs) serve as binding sites for C3 on serum-opsonized Hib. Whole-cell lysates of opsonized Hib were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the resolved proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose. Immunoblot analysis with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the 49-kDa P1 and 39-kDa P2 OMPs demonstrated high-molecular-weight bands that were not present when the bacteria were opsonized with heat-inactivated or methylamine-treated serum. Immunoblot analysis with MAbs to the 98- or 16-kDa (P6) OMPs did not reveal additional bands. An unencapsulated Hib mutant still lacked C3 bound to the 98-kDa or P6 OMP, indicating that the absence of C3 binding to these proteins was not the result of epitope masking by the capsule. Studies with MAbs to C3 fragments confirmed that the anti-P1- and anti-P2-reactive bands were C3 fragments bound to these OMPs. The molecular weights of proteins reactive to anti-OMP and anti-C3 antibodies indicated that multiple C3 fragments may be bound to P1 or that C3 may be bound to P2 multimers. Finally, the presence of other anti-C3-reactive proteins indicated that several other proteins serve as C3 targets during the opsonization of Hib.

Paradoxical effect of pilus expression on binding of antibodies by Haemophilus influenzae

Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) pili are surface proteins that are associated with the ability of Hib to attach to human epithelial cells. Like pilus expression of other bacteria, expression of Hib pili undergoes phase variation. We observed that Hib in the piliated phase (Hib p+) bound monoclonal antibodies directed against six conserved, surface-exposed, nonpilus Hib outer membrane epitopes to a greater extent than Hib in the nonpiliated phase (Hib p-). However, after extended incubation, p+ and p- cells bound these antibodies in a similar fashion. The differential in nonpilus antibody binding to p+ and p- Hib was not related to the presence of the type b capsule. In addition, Hib p+ organisms whose pilin gene was insertionally inactivated and did not produce pili and Hib in the nonpiliated phase bound the nonpilus Hib antibodies similarly. Hib p+ and p- organisms did not differ in their binding of anti-type b capsule antibody, and the binding was specific for the epitopes recognized by the antibodies. In complement-dependent bactericidal assays, the nonpilus antibodies killed Hib p+ more effectively than Hib p-. The increased binding to, and killing of, Hib p+ by a variety of nonpilus antibodies may be important for host defense against invasive Hib.

Identification of surface-exposed B-cell epitopes recognized by Haemophilus influenzae type b P1-specific monoclonal antibodies

A panel of P1 synthetic peptides was synthesized to map the surface-exposed epitopes of Haemophilus influenzae type b outer membrane protein P1 recognized by three murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs 7C8, 3E12, and 6B1). By using peptide-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, MAbs 6B1, 7C8, and 3E12 were shown to recognize distinct epitopes localized within residues 60 to 88, 165 to 193, and 400 to 437 of mature P1, respectively. Since MAb 7C8 was shown previously to be protective against certain H. influenzae type b subtypes in the infant rat model of bacteremia, its cognate epitope was further characterized by using truncated peptide analogs. Fine mapping of the 7C8 epitope by competitive inhibition studies revealed that it was localized within residues 184 and 193.

Epitope analysis of an immunodominant domain on the P1 protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b using synthetic peptides and anti-idiotypic antibodies

Synthetic peptides, anti-idiotypic antibodies (anti-Id) and human and murine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were used to further define a major antigenic domain on the outer membrane P1 protein (OMP) of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Synthetic peptides were elaborated from the known primary sequences of the P1 protein of prototype Hib strains MinnA (OMP subtype 1H) and 8358 (OMP subtype 6U). By peptide mapping, antibodies are categorized into three groups: A, B and C. A first epitope on the P1 from strain MinnA was identified by the reactivity of one set of murine anti-P1 mAbs with the two overlapping peptides 11H and 13H, corresponding to amino acid residues 384-412 and 400-437, respectively. On the basis of their reactivity with both peptides, these mAbs were designated as group A. Anti-Id obtained from mice immunized with two group A mAbs reacted specifically with all group A mAbs. A second epitope on the same P1 protein was identified by the reactivity of the peptide 13H with another distinct set of murine anti-P1 mAbs assigned to group B. This group of mAbs did not recognize the peptide 11H. Murine anti-Id which were prepared against one group B mAb inhibited the attachment of this mAb to outer membrane preparations, whereas the binding of the other group B mAbs was not affected, suggesting that these mAbs represent a heterologous group of mAbs. The epitope(s) recognized by two human anti-P1 mAbs was (were) distinct from the ones recognized by murine mAbs since no reactivity with the peptides was observed. Similarly, the binding of the two human mAbs to the P1 antigen was not inhibited by anti-Id raised against group A or B mAbs. Interestingly, an epitope on a different P1 protein recovered from strain 8358 was identified by the reactivity of group C murine mAbs with the peptide 13U, which occupies the same position on the P1 protein as 13H but differs from the latter by 10 amino acid residues. Our studies demonstrated the presence of several distinct surface-exposed B-cell epitopes within the antigenic domain which was defined previously on the P1 protein of Hib MinnA. Furthermore, we showed the immunodominance of this region on two different P1 proteins. None of the mAbs, however, had a bacteriolytic or protective activity against Hib strains. We suggest that the surface-exposed immunodominant region on the OMP P1 of Hib do not induce protective antibodies against Hib infection.

Stable, conserved outer membrane epitope of strains of Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius associated with Brazilian purpuric fever

Brazilian purpuric fever is a rapidly fatal childhood disease associated with a clonal strain of Haemophilus influenzae biogroup aegyptius. We describe a conserved, surface-exposed epitope present on 95% of H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius isolates that are associated with Brazilian purpuric fever. This epitope, defined by reaction with the monoclonal antibody 8G3, is on or associated with the 48-kDa heat-modifiable P1 protein. The epitope is absent on strains of H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius that are not associated with Brazilian purpuric fever but is present on one strain of H. influenzae biotype II. None of 81 other Haemophilus strains tested reacted with 8G3. The sensitivity and specificity of the 8G3 monoclonal antibody in detecting Brazilian case-clone strains of H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius associated with Brazilian purpuric fever are 95 and 99%, respectively. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the epitope is surface exposed, and N-terminal amino acid sequencing of an 8G3-reactive P1 protein from a strain of H. influenzae biogroup aegyptius showed 100% correlation with the published N-terminal amino acid sequence of a P1 protein of H. influenzae type b. The virulence of the organism in an infant rat model of bacteremia was not dependent on the expression of this epitope.

The e (P4) outer membrane protein of Haemophilus influenzae: biologic activity of anti-e serum and cloning and sequencing of the structural gene

Outer membrane proteins of nontypeable (NT) Haemophilus influenzae are among the major candidates for inclusion in vaccines against these organisms. This article reports the purification of the e (P4) lipoprotein of H. influenzae and the subsequent production of antiserum directed against this protein. The anti-e polyclonal serum cross-reacted with e protein in multiple clinical NT H. influenzae isolates. Monoclonal antibody analysis of e protein showed at least one surface-exposed epitope to be conserved among NT H. influenzae strains. Anti-e serum also had bactericidal activity against multiple clinical isolates of NT H. influenzae. These results are in contrast to previous reports in the literature that purified P4 protein did not elicit biologically active antibodies. Anti-e antibodies exhibited synergistic bactericidal activity directed against NT H. influenzae when mixed with antibodies directed against another Haemophilus lipoprotein, PCP. This bactericidal synergy was observed against a variety of NT clinical isolates. We also report the cloning of the Haemophilus e lipoprotein, or hel, gene encoding the e protein and its expression and processing in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide sequence of the gene and deduced amino acid sequence of the protein are given. These results demonstrate that e protein is a viable candidate to be a component of a vaccine against NT H. influenzae.

Identification of a surface-exposed immunodominant epitope on outer membrane protein P1 of Haemophilus influenzae type b

Eight murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against outer membrane protein P1 of Haemophilus influenzae type b were generated and characterized. Seven of the eight MAbs reacted with recombinant P1 and purified P1 protein from H. influenzae type b strains MinnA and 1613; MAb P1.8 was specific for the latter strain. A panel of 32 nontypeable and 140 encapsulated Haemophilus strains recovered worldwide representing the major clonal families of serotypes a, b, and d was used to evaluate the distribution among Haemophilus strains of the epitopes identified by the P1-specific MAbs. The epitope reactive with the seven MAbs which recognized P1 from strains MinnA and 1613 was shared by 92% of the encapsulated Haemophilus isolates tested. The epitope is present in the H. influenzae type b strains from clonal families commonly recovered from cases of invasive disease in North America and Europe. A series of nested 5' and 3' deletions of the P1 gene were constructed and analyzed to localize the determinants on P1 recognized by the MAbs. MAbs P1.2, P1.4, P1.5, P1.6, and P1.7 recognized an epitope localized to the carboxy-terminal portion of P1. Murine MAbs P1.1 and P1.3 and two human MAbs, HiH-7 and HiH-10, recognized a complex epitope which was partially localized to the carboxy-terminal portion of the P1 protein. These data indicate that an immunodominant surface-exposed epitope is present on the carboxy-terminal portion of the P1 protein of type b Haemophilus isolates responsible for the majority of invasive disease in North America.

Molecular cloning, partial purification, and characterization of a haemin-binding lipoprotein from Haemophilus influenzae type b

A library of genomic DNA fragments from Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) DL42 was constructed in plasmid pBR322, transformed into Escherichia coli strain RR1, and screened for recombinant clones with haemin-binding activity by plating onto haemin-containing agar. Expression of haemin-binding activity by clones correlated with the expression of a protein with an apparent molecular weight of 51,000 (51K) that was also recognized by anti-Hib strain DL42 serum in immunoblots. One recombinant clone, designated pHM2, with the smallest DNA insert (3.62 kb) was characterized further. Ethanol inhibition of expression of pHM2 in minicells revealed that the 51K protein was the result of a processing event involving a larger precursor. E. coli RR1(pHM2) adsorbed haemin in liquid suspensions as well as from solid media. Subcloning of a 2.6 kb fragment of pHM2 into a shuttle vector permitted the construction of a recombinant Hib clone, DL42(pHM1002), which overexpressed the 51K haemin-binding protein. This 51K protein appears to be peripherally associated with the inner, and possibly outer, membranes of Hib. Affinity chromatography on haemin-agarose was utilized to purify the haemin-binding protein from both E. coli RR1(pHM2) and Hib DL42(pHM1002) to near homogeneity. The use of the antibiotic globomycin in a minicell expression system and radioimmunoprecipitation analysis of Hib proteins intrinsically radiolabelled with [3H]-palmitate indicated that the 51K haemin-binding protein is a lipoprotein.

Characterization of a mutant of Haemophilus influenzae type b lacking the P2 major outer membrane protein

An isogenic mutant of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) lacking the ability to express the P2 major outer membrane (porin) protein was constructed and characterized in various model systems. Linker insertion mutagenesis of a cloned Hib DNA insert containing the P2 structural gene was used in conjunction with a genetic transformation system to obtain a transformant unreactive with a P2-specific monoclonal antibody. This transformant was shown to lack detectable P2 protein by both protein staining and immunoblot methods. The P2 mutant exhibited a generation time in complex broth medium that was significantly longer than that of the wild-type parent strain. The P2 mutant was also unable to produce detectable bacteremia in infant rats after intraperitoneal challenge, while the wild-type parent strain produced bacteremia in all animals challenged with this strain. Reintroduction of a wild-type copy of the P2 gene into this mutant yielded a transformant strain that had a generation time in vitro identical to that of the wild-type parent strain and that was also fully virulent in the infant rat model. These findings suggest that the ability to synthesize the P2 protein may be necessary but not sufficient for full expression of virulence by this pathogen.

Expression in Escherichia coli of a high-molecular-weight protective surface antigen found in nontypeable and type b Haemophilus influenzae

An Escherichia coli clone producing a high-molecular-weight surface antigen of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) was isolated from a library of Hib DNA fragments cloned as lysogens in a lambda replacement vector. The antigen is found in sarcosyl-insoluble outer membrane protein preparations and was produced by all 36 H. influenzae isolates tested. Absorption studies indicated that the antigen is a surface determinant on all isolates tested. Antibodies to the antigen (D15) were found in eight of nine convalescent-phase sera from children with invasive Hib infection. Affinity-purified antibodies prepared against the cloned antigen gave protection against the development of bacteremia in a rat pup model.

The 34-kilodalton membrane immunogen of Treponema pallidum is a lipoprotein

Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum and Escherichia coli incorporated exogenous [3H]palmitate into the 34-kilodalton (kDa) pathogen-specific antigen of T. pallidum. Radiolabeled fatty acid remained associated with the protein upon immunoprecipitation and after boiling in sodium dodecyl sulfate, acetone precipitation, and extensive extractions in organic solvents, suggesting that the fatty acid was covalently bound to the protein. Detection of [3H]palmitate after alkaline and acid hydrolyses confirmed the identity of the incorporated label. Globomycin inhibited maturation of the recombinant 34-kDa antigen, suggesting that E. coli uses the lipoprotein-specific signal peptidase II to process the treponemal antigen. Globomycin also inhibited processing of the 34-kDa antigen, as well as the 44.5- and 15-kDa antigens, in T. pallidum, implying that T. pallidum also possesses the lipoprotein export pathway common to both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Ethanol inhibited processing of the 34-kDa antigen in minicells, suggesting that the 34-kDa antigen normally is translocated through the cytoplasmic membrane. Comparison of the Triton X-114 phase partitioning behavior of the 34-kDa antigen produced either by minicells or by a cell-free translation system indicated that the covalent attachment of fatty acid conferred hydrophobic biochemical properties to the 34-kDa antigen, consistent with the hypothesis that the attached lipid anchors the 34-kDa antigen into the membrane.

Comparative analysis of the structures of the outer membrane protein P1 genes from major clones of Haemophilus influenzae type b

P1 outer membrane proteins from Haemophilus influenzae type b are heterogeneous antigenically and with respect to apparent molecular weight in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. For determination of the molecular basis for the differences in the P1 proteins, the genes for the P1 proteins from strain 1613, representative of outer membrane protein subtype 3L, and strain 8358, representative of outer membrane protein subtype 6U, were cloned, sequenced, and compared with the previously reported gene for the P1 protein from strain MinnA, a strain with the outer membrane protein subtype 1H. These prototype strains are representatives of the three major clonal families of H. influenzae type b responsible for invasive disease in diverse areas of the world. The nucleotide sequences of the P1 genes from strains 1613 and 8358 were 94 and 90% identical to the MinnA sequence, respectively. The derived amino acid sequences were 91 and 86% identical, respectively. Heterogeneity between the MinnA and 1613 proteins was largely localized to two short variable regions; the protein from strain 8538 contained a third variable region not observed in the other P1 proteins. Thus, the outer membrane protein P1 genes are highly conserved; the variable regions may code for the previously demonstrated strain-specific antigenic determinants.

Structural and antigenic conservation of the P2 porin protein among strains of Haemophilus influenzae type b

The P2 porin protein is the most abundant protein in the outer membrane of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Biochemical and immunochemical techniques were used to characterize the P2 proteins from a number of different Hib strains. P2 proteins from Hib outer membrane vesicles were resolved by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and transferred to nitrocellulose for in situ tryptic digestion. Solid-phase tryptic digests of P2 from eight Hib strains were resolved by high-pressure liquid chromatography and shown to be similar if not identical. Radioimmunoprecipitation analysis involving Hib cells (containing intrinsically radiolabeled proteins or lipooligosaccharide) and Western blot (immunoblot) analysis were used to identify two P2-specific murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). These MAbs were shown to be reactive with 120 Hib strains tested in a colony blot radioimmunoassay. One of these MAbs bound to a surface-exposed P2 epitope that was antibody accessible on all Hib strains tested; the other MAb was directed against a P2 epitope that either was not exposed on the cell surface or was otherwise inaccessible to antibody.

Effect of primary immunization on pulmonary clearance of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae

Nontypable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is being increasingly recognized as a cause of both adult pneumonia and acute infectious exacerbations in chronic bronchitis. We used a mouse model to study the immune enhancement of pulmonary clearance of NTHI after a primary immunization. BALB/c mice were immunized with whole NTHI either by intraperitoneal (i.p.) or intratracheal (i.t.) routes. There was 10-fold more NTHI-directed antibody detected in the serum of the i.p.-immunized mice than in the serum from the i.t.-immunized animals. Western blot analysis revealed that these antibodies were directed against both NTHI lipooligosaccharide and the various outer membrane proteins of NTHI. The development of NTHI-directed antibodies in serum was associated with significant enhancement of early pulmonary clearance of NTHI. Six hours after delivery of an endobronchial challenge with NTHI, the i.p.-immunized mice had cleared most of the organisms from their lungs, while the i.t.-immunized mice did not clear NTHI any more rapidly than did unimmunized mice. Serum from the i.p.-immunized mice caused more than 99% uptake of NTHI in an in vitro opsonophagocytic assay, while serum from i.t.-immunized mice stimulated little or no phagocytosis of this organism. Opsonophagocytosis of NTHI was obtained with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid collected from i.p.-immunized mice 6 h after, but not before, an endobronchial challenge with NTHI. Intravenous injection of an opsonic IgG monoclonal antibody directed against NTHI lipooligosaccharide resulted in both the appearance of this antibody in the alveolar spaces of the unperturbed lung and enhanced pulmonary clearance of NTHI. These data indicate that the i.p. (systemic) route of immunization is more effective than the i.t. route in establishing pulmonary immunity to NTHI in this model system. Furthermore, immune enhancement of clearance of NTHI from the lungs after a primary immunization apparently results from the exudation of opsonic and bactericidal antibodies from the serum into the alveolae in response to the inflammatory challenge.

Expression of the heat-modifiable major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b is unrelated to virulence

The heat-modifiable major outer membrane protein (P1) of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) has been shown to be both exposed on the cell surface and capable of inducing the synthesis of antibodies protective against experimental Hib disease. Chemical mutagenesis of a recombinant plasmid containing the Hib gene encoding P1 resulted in inactivation of P1 expression by this plasmid. The mutated P1 gene was transformed into Hib to obtain an isogenic mutant lacking only the ability to synthesize this surface protein. In addition, the P1 gene was inserted into a plasmid shuttle vector and used to construct a recombinant Hib strain that overexpressed the P1 protein. Lack of P1 expression did not affect the ability of Hib to grow in vitro. Neither the absence nor the overproduction of P1 affected expression of capsular polysaccharide and lipooligosaccharide by Hib. The P1-negative mutant and the P1-overexpressing strain were both as susceptible to the bactericidal activity of pooled normal human serum as was the wild-type parent strain, while the P1-negative mutant was as resistant to the bactericidal activity of normal infant rat serum as was the wild-type parent strain. The P1-negative mutant was no less virulent than was the wild-type parent strain in an animal model system, such that both the numbers of animals infected by this mutant and the mean magnitudes of the resultant bacteremias were essentially identical to those obtained with challenge by the wild-type parent strain. Similarly, overexpression of P1 did not detectably affect the virulence of Hib. These data indicate that this protective protein antigen plays no detectable role in the expression of virulence by Hib, as assessed in an animal model system.

Primary structure of the porin protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b determined by nucleotide sequence analysis

Sequencing techniques for single- and double-stranded DNA were used to determine the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding P2, the major outer membrane (porin) protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). The open reading frame encoding the P2 protein comprised 361 amino acid codons. Comparison of the inferred amino acid sequence with data obtained by amino acid sequencing of the N terminus of the mature or fully processed P2 protein revealed that this protein has a signal peptide composed of 20 amino acids. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of tryptic peptides derived from purified P2 allowed direct identification of 158 of the 341 amino acids in the fully processed P2 protein; there was 100% correlation between these amino acid sequences and that inferred from the nucleotide sequence. The amino acid sequence of Hib P2 protein had 23 to 25% homology with the sequence of the OmpF porin of Escherichia coli and with that of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae porin P.IA. Codon usage in the Hib P2 gene was significantly different from that observed for a gene encoding a porin of E. coli. DNA hybridization studies indicated that there is a single copy of the P2 gene in the Hib chromosome. The availability of the nucleotide and amino acid sequences for the Hib P2 protein will facilitate investigation of the antigenic characteristics and structure-function relationship of this porin.

Isolation and characterization of a mutant of Haemophilus influenzae type b deficient in outer membrane protein P1

The gene for outer membrane protein P1 of Haemophilus influenzae type b has been previously cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. To investigate the physiologic role of the P1 protein, the cloned P1 gene was insertionally inactivated with the Tn5 derivative Tn5tac1, and an isogenic P1-deficient Haemophilus mutant was then generated by transformation with linearized plasmid DNA containing the insertionally inactivated gene. The P1-deficient strain grew normally in vitro and induced bacteremia in the infant rat model.

Cloning of the gene encoding the major outer membrane protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b

The major outer membrane protein (P2) of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) with an apparent molecular weight of 37,000 to 40,000 has been previously shown to function as a porin and also as a target for antibodies protective against experimental Hib disease. The gene encoding the Hib P2 protein was cloned by using a shuttle vector capable of replication in both Escherichia coli and H. influenzae. The amino acid sequence of the amino terminus of the Hib P2 protein was determined and used to design an oligonucleotide probe corresponding to the first 20 amino acids of this protein. This oligonucleotide probe was used to identify Hib chromosomal DNA fragments containing the Hib P2 gene. These DNA fragments were ligated into the plasmid vector pGJB103 and then used to transform a rec-1 mutant of H. influenzae Rd. Recombinant clones expressing the Hib P2 protein were identified in a colony blot-radioimmunoassay by using a monoclonal antibody specific for a surface epitope of the Hib P2 protein. The gene encoding this Hib protein was present on a 10-kilobase Hib DNA insert in the recombinant plasmid. Transformation experiments involving the recombinant plasmid suggested that unregulated synthesis of Hib P2 is a lethal event in E. coli. The recombinant Hib P2 protein was exposed on the surface of the recombinant H. influenzae strain. This recombinant strain was used to develop a system for detecting polyclonal serum antibodies directed against surface determinants of the Hib P2 protein. The availability of the gene encoding the Hib P2 protein should facilitate investigation of both the immunogenicity and the structure-function relationship(s) of this major outer membrane protein.

Purification, cloning, and sequence of outer membrane protein P1 of Haemophilus influenzae type b

Outer membrane protein P1 from Haemophilus influenzae type b MinnA was purified and partially characterized. Antiserum was generated against the purified protein and was used to immunologically screen a lamba EMBL3 genomic library prepared from strain MinnA DNA. A 4.2-kilobase-pair EcoRI-BamHI fragment containing the P1 gene was subcloned into pBR322. The recombinant protein was synthesized by Escherichia coli K-12, in which it localized to the outer membrane. The N-terminal sequence of the purified protein was determined and found to correspond to residues 23 through 36. The 22-amino-acid leader peptide had a typical structure, with two lysine residues near the amino terminus, a stretch of hydrophobic residues, and alanine residues at positions 20 and 22. The Mr of the processed protein was 47,752, which is in good agreement with the estimate of 50,000 from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Putative -35 and -10 promoter sequences were identified upstream from the translational start site. Codon usage was examined and determined to be substantially different than the codon preference in E. coli.