Lincomycin increases synthetic rate and periplasmic pool size for cholera toxin

Immunochromatographic detection of the heat-labile enterotoxin of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with cross-detection of cholera toxin

Here, we report the development of an immunochromatographic test strip that can detect heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. Five types of monoclonal antibody (mAb)-producing hybridomas were isolated: three mAbs were A subunit specific and two were B subunit specific. Four mAbs also cross-reacted with both LT proteins derived from swine and human E. coli strains, but only one mAb 57B9 additionally cross-reacted with cholera toxin. Thus, mAb 57B9 was used to form a gold colloid-conjugated antibody for the immunochromatographic test by combination with polyclonal anti-LT rabbit IgG. This test strip detected not only LT in the culture supernatant of LT gene-positive strains, but also cholera toxin in the culture supernatant of Vibrio cholerae. These results indicate that this test strip is suitable for the diagnosis of both enterotoxigenic E. coli and V. cholerae infection.

Identification of Novel Components Influencing Colonization Factor Antigen I Expression in Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Colonization factors (CFs) mediate early adhesion of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) in the small intestine. Environmental signals including bile, glucose, and contact with epithelial cells have previously been shown to modulate CF expression in a strain dependent manner. To identify novel components modulating CF surface expression, 20 components relevant to the intestinal environment were selected for evaluation. These included mucin, bicarbonate, norepinephrine, lincomycin, carbon sources, and cations. Effects of individual components on surface expression of the archetype CF, CFA/I, were screened using a fractional factorial Hadamard matrix incorporating 24 growth conditions. As most CFs agglutinate erythrocytes, surface expression was evaluated by mannose resistant hemagglutination. Seven components, including porcine gastric mucin, lincomycin, glutamine, and glucose were found to induce CFA/I surface expression in vitro in a minimal media while five others were inhibitory, including leucine and 1,10-phenanthroline. To further explore the effect of components positively influencing CFA/I surface expression, a response surface methodology (RSM) was designed incorporating 36 growth conditions. The optimum concentration for each component was identified, thereby generating a novel culture media, SP1, for CFA/I expression. CFs closely related to CFA/I, including CS4 and CS14 were similarly induced in SP1 media. Other epidemiologically relevant CFs were also induced when compared to the level obtained in minimal media. These results indicate that although CF surface expression is complex and highly variable among strains, the CF response can be predicted for closely related strains. A novel culture media inducing CFs in the CF5a group was successfully identified. In addition, mucin was found to positively influence CF expression in strains expressing either CFA/I or CS1 and CS3, and may function as a common environmental cue.

Lincomycin-induced over-expression of mature recombinant cholera toxin B subunit and the holotoxin in Escherichia coli

Cholera toxin (CT) B subunit (CTB) was overproduced using a novel expression system in Escherichia coli. An expression plasmid was constructed by inserting the gene encoding the full-length CTB and the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence derived from CTB or from the heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB) of enterotoxigenic E. coli into the lacZalpha gene fragment in the pBluescript SK(+) vector. The E. coli strain MV1184 was transformed with each plasmid and then cultured in CAYE broth containing lincomycin. Recombinant CTB (rCTB) was purified from each cell extract. rCTB was overproduced in both transformants without obvious toxicity and was structurally and biologically identical to that of CT purified from Vibrio cholerae, indicating that the original SD and CTB signal sequences were also sufficient to express rCTB in E. coli. Lincomycin-induced rCTB expression was inhibited by mutating the lac promoter, suggesting that lincomycin affects the lactose operon. Based on these findings, we constructed a plasmid that contained the wild-type CT operon and successfully overproduced CT (rCT) using the same procedure for rCTB. Although rCT had an intact A subunit, the amino-terminal modifications and biological properties of the A and B subunits of rCT were identical to those of CT. These results suggest that this novel rCTB over-expression system would also be useful to generate both wild-type and mutant CT proteins that will facilitate further studies on the characteristics of CT, such as mucosal adjuvant activity.

Detection of cholera toxin by a highly sensitive bead-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay

A bead-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (bead-ELISA) for detection and quantification of cholera toxin (CT) in broth cultures of Vibrio cholerae O1 has been developed. Under optimal buffer and pH conditions the bead-ELISA could consistently detect 40 pg/ml of CT. None of the ingredients of commonly used media for in vitro culture of V. cholerae O1 hindered the performance of the bead-ELISA. Evaluation of the sensitivity and specificity of the bead-ELISA against the commonly used reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA) test for detection of CT was performed using a collection of 239 strains of V. cholerae O1 (including both biotypes and serotypes) which were examined by a gene probe encoding for the A1 subunit of CT. Although both the assays were highly specific, the bead-ELISA was more sensitive than the RPLA. Quantification of CT by the bead-ELISA revealed that the concentration of CT produced by the strains of V. cholerae O1 which were negative by the RPLA was lower than 1 ng/ml and therefore below the minimum detection ability of the RPLA. The bead-ELISA is a simple, specific and highly sensitive assay for routine detection of CT and is recommended for routine use in clinical microbiology laboratories.

Effect of subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics on extracellular Shiga-like toxin I

Patients with diarrhea due to strains of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) (e. g. O157:H7) might be at a higher risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome when treated with antimicrobial agents. It has been suggested that this might be due to an increase of release or production of vero or shiga-like toxin from such organisms, possibly as a stress response to antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to detect such increases in extracellular toxin in vitro with a newly developed method that exposed EHEC to high sublethal concentrations followed by a recovery phase at progressively lower concentrations. Five strains of EHEC were exposed to continuously changing concentrations of ciprofloxacin, co-trimoxazole, cefixime and tetracycline. The amount of free shiga-like toxin I (SLT-I) released was compared to the amount released from inocula that were not exposed to antibiotics. There were significant differences between the five EHEC strains in the amount of toxin detected after exposure to antimicrobial agents (p less than 0.001). Equally important was the type of antibiotic (p less than 0.001), with ciprofloxacin inducing the largest increase ranging from 169 to 436%, followed by co-trimoxazole, cefixime and tetracycline. In addition, the increases in free toxin correlated with the concentration of the antibiotics (p less than 0.001). The association between antibiotic-induced increases in SLT-I produced by strains of EHEC and certain classes of antibiotics might influence the analysis of future epidemiological studies on risk factors for HUS.

Lincomycin increases the half-life of beta-lactamase mRNA

Escherichia coli K-12 strains isolates carrying plasmid pBR322 were grown in the presence of subinhibitory concentrations of lincomycin, which stimulated beta-lactamase synthesis about 2.5-fold, and the effects of the drug on the synthesis and degradation of bla mRNA were studied. The bla mRNA levels determined by 1-min pulse-labeling with [3H]uridine were significantly higher in a lincomycin-containing culture than in the control culture, indicating that stimulation of beta-lactamase synthesis is caused by an increase in the amount of bla mRNA. The enhancing effect of lincomycin was observed in strains harboring pBR322 delta P1 and pBR322 delta P3, which lacked the P1 or P3 promoter, respectively, as well as in the strain harboring pBR322. S1 nuclease analysis showed that the half-life of bla mRNA increased about 2.7-fold when lincomycin was present. These results indicate that the increase in beta-lactamase synthesis caused by lincomycin is due to an increase in the stability of bla mRNA rather than activation of its synthesis.

Transient entry of enterotoxin subunits into the periplasm occurs during their secretion from Vibrio cholerae

Cholera toxin and heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) are structurally similar oligomeric proteins which are capable of being efficiently secreted from Vibrio cholerae. Here we report that these proteins transiently enter the periplasm of V. cholerae as they traverse the cell envelope to reach the extracellular milieu. Pulse-chase experiments on V. cholerae TRH7000 harboring an LT-encoding plasmid revealed that radiolabeled LT A and B subunits entered the periplasm rapidly, followed by their slow efflux (half-time, 13 min) into the medium. LT B-subunit efflux from the periplasm was calculated to be at a rate of ca. 170 monomers per min per cell (which is equivalent to 34 assembled LT holotoxin molecules per min per cell). These values were estimated to be sufficient to account for the increase in extracellular enterotoxin concentration during exponential cell growth. Thus, all enterotoxin subunits which are secreted into the medium can be assumed to be channelled via the periplasm. These findings led to an improved model of the pathway of toxin secretion by V. cholerae.

Lincomycin stimulates synthesis of TEM-2 beta-lactamase by Escherichia coli

Lincomycin increased the TEM-2 beta-lactamase activity of Escherichia coli K-12 cells carrying plasmid RP4 at a concentration which slightly inhibited cell growth. In a control culture beta-lactamase activity reached its maximal level in late log phase, whereas when lincomycin was present beta-lactamase activity continued to increase into the stationary phase. Lincomycin (100 micrograms/ml) inhibited both cell growth and protein synthesis by about 35% but stimulated beta-lactamase activity 2.5-fold per ml of culture and about 4-fold per cell after 20 h of growth. The amount of beta-lactamase produced in each culture was also compared by densitophotometry of a stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The relative values were in good agreement with the relative enzyme activities, indicating that the stimulatory effect of lincomycin was due to an increase in the amount of beta-lactamase protein. Inactivation of beta-lactamase appeared to be faster when lincomycin was present. This was determined by measuring the decrease in beta-lactamase activity when phenethyl alcohol was present to prevent maturation of the enzyme. There was no significant difference in plasmid copy number between the cells grown in the presence or absence of lincomycin. These results indicate that lincomycin stimulates transcription, translation, or translocation of beta-lactamase.

Mechanism of toxin secretion by Vibrio cholerae investigated in strains harboring plasmids that encode heat-labile enterotoxins of Escherichia coli

A genetically engineered Vibrio cholerae strain from which the cholera toxin genes had previously been deleted was used as a host in which to study the expression and secretion of related toxins and their subunits. Recombinant plasmids encoding heat-labile enterotoxins (LTs) from Escherichia coli of human and porcine origin were expressed in the V. cholerae host, and this resulted in the secretion of the LTs into the extracellular milieu. The secreted LTs were isolated and it was found that the A subunits of human and porcine LT were "unnicked" polypeptides, which indicates that nicking is not obligatory for toxin secretion. V. cholerae strains were also constructed that harbored plasmids encoding either the A or the B subunits of human LT (A+B-, or A-B+). Approximately 90% of the B subunits were secreted from the A-B+ strain, while all of the A subunits expressed by the A+B- strain remained cell associated. This implies that strains synthesizing both subunits assemble the A and B subunits prior to their secretion. We propose that the entry of the toxin into the secretory step of the export pathway is mediated by a secretory apparatus that recognizes structural domains within the B subunit of LT.

Neuraminidase production by Vibrio cholerae O1 and other diarrheagenic bacteria

Vibrio cholerae O1 strains belonging to both biotypes (classical and El Tor) and both serotypes (Ogawa and Inaba) produced neuraminidase which was released rather than cell bound. Classical strains made more neuraminidase than did El Tor strains. About one-third of V. cholerae non-O1 strains and one-fourth of Aeromonas hydrophila strains were neuraminidase positive. Strains of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, and Shigella spp. did not produce detectable neuraminidase.

Cellular location of heat-labile enterotoxin in Escherichia coli

We demonstrated that both the A and B subunits of heat-labile enterotoxin from Escherichia coli are located in the periplasm. The toxin was shown to form aggregates in Tris-EDTA buffers which are routinely used for isolating membranes. The aggregates pellet upon centrifugation, and this may explain why several previous investigators have concluded that enterotoxin is associated with membranes.

Effects of lincomycin and tetracycline on production and properties of enterotoxins of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli grown in the presence of lincomycin and tetracycline produced an increased amount of heat-labile enterotoxin (LT). These antibiotics increased the production of not only extracellular LT but also intracellular LT. On the other hand, lincomycin did not stimulate the production of heat-stable enterotoxin by enterotoxigenic E. coli. The extracellular LTs produced in the presence of lincomycin and tetracycline were purified and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis. Results showed that the A subunits of the purified LTs were not nicked, unlike that of extracellular LT produced in the absence of the antibiotics.

Shigella dysenteriae 1 cytotoxin: periplasmic protein releasable by polymyxin B and osmotic shock

Treatment of Shigella dysenteriae 1 either with the antibiotic polymyxin B or by osmotic shock resulted in the release of 80 to 90% of the cytotoxin activity of the organism. Under the conditions employed, the release of toxin activity was accompanied by the appearance of a periplasmic enzyme, 5'-nucleotidase. There was no significant release of cytoplasmic contents, assessed by measurement of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. The release of cytotoxin and 5'-nucleotidase by polymyxin B were both dependent on the duration of incubation with, and the concentration of, the antibiotic. In terms of specific activity (cytotoxin activity per milligram of protein), the polymyxin B and osmotic shock extracts were 20- to 30-fold more active than crude toxin preparation derived from a whole-cell lysate. The data strongly support a periplasmic location for Shiga cytotoxin and the utility of the polymyxin B extraction to obtain starting material for toxin purification.

Detection of toxins produced by vibrio fluvialis

The results of studies with cell-free extracts and culture supernatant fluids of Vibrio fluvialis (a recently recognized, potential enteric pathogen for humans) grown in the absence and presence of lincomycin indicated that the bacterium could produce (i) a factor which causes CHO cell elongation (CEF) similar to that elicited by V. cholerae enterotoxin and by the heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli, (ii) cytolysin(s) active against erythrocytes, (iii) nonhemolytic, CHO cell-killing factor(s), and (iv) protease(s) active against azocasein. The CEF was heat labile and ammonium sulfate precipitable, and it had an isoelectric point (estimated by sucrose density gradient electrofocusing) and molecular weight (estimated by gel filtration) of about 5.1 and 135,000, respectively.

Exclusive localization of colicin A in cell cytoplasm of producing bacteria

The production of colicin A in Citrobacter freundii and in Escherichia coli was studied. After induction with low concentrations of mitomycin C, these organisms differed with regards to cell growth, cell viability, and kinetics of colicin A biosynthesis. Despite these differences, immunoferritin labelling on ultra-thin sections of induced frozen cells demonstrated that colicin A was located exclusively within the cell cytoplasm in both types of bacteria. By using protein markers, it was shown that at no time after induction was colicin A accumulated in the periplasmic space or in inner or outer membranes. These results were confirmed by a biochemical approach. For at least 3 h after induction, colicin A remained associated with producing cells and no colicin A activity was found in the periplasmic space. These results are discussed with reference to the synthesis and export of other bacteriocins.

Cholera toxin is synthesized in precursor form on free polysomes in Vibrio cholerae 569B

Membrane-bound and free polysomes have been isolated from Vibrio cholerae 569B. Nacent polypeptide chains were completed in a cell-free translation mixture containing Escherichia coli S-300 extracts and [3H]leucine or [35S]methionine. Cholera toxin-related polypeptides synthesized in vitro were immunologically detected after treatment with either anti-subunit A or anti-subunit B serum. Immunoreactive translation products were removed from reaction mixtures with formalinized Cowan's strain of Staphylococcus aureus, electrophoresed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, and visualized by fluorography. Anti-subunit A serum precipitated two major polypeptide species (molecular weights 52,000 and 45,000) from translation mixtures programed with free polysomes, whereas anti-subunit B serum precipitated only the 45,000-molecular-weight polypeptide. No cholera toxin-related polypeptides were detectable in translation mixtures programed with membrane-bound polysomes. Purified subunit A and cholera toxin competed for anti-subunit A binding sites and blocked the immunoprecipitation of the 35S-labeled 52,000- and 45,000-dalton polypeptides from in vitro translation mixtures. The data presented suggest that cholera toxin is synthesized in the cytoplasm in a precursor form on free polysomes and is secreted post-translationally.