Carboxypeptidase activity in human mycoplasmas

Presence of human mycoplasma DNA in gastric tissue samples from Korean chronic gastritis patients

We aimed to determine whether mycoplasmas are present in Korean chronic gastritis, and to understand their roles in gastric cancer tumorigenesis, because mycoplasmas resemble Helicobacter pylori in terms of ammonia production and induction of inflammatory cytokines in immune and non-immune cells. The presence and identity of mycoplasmas were assessed by semi-nested PCR and sequencing, and the results were compared with pathologic data. Fifty-six samples collected from Korean chronic gastritis patients were used for this study. Twenty-three (41.1%) were positive for mycoplasmas. Eighteen sequenced samples contained a single human mycoplasma or two mycoplasmas, which were identified as Mycoplasma faucium (13/18), M. fermentans (3/18), M. orale (1/18), M. salivarium (2/18), and M. spermatophilum (1/18). Mycoplasma-infected chronic gastritis samples showed significantly more severe neutrophil infiltration than non-infected samples (P = 0.0135). Mycoplasma profiles in the oral cavity (M. salivarium is major) and stomach were different, and the presence of significant proinflammatory responses in mycoplasma-positive patients suggests that the mycoplasmas are not simply contaminants. Further studies are required to understand whether mycoplasmas play a role in gastric tumorigenesis.

Purification and characterization of arginine carboxypeptidase produced by Porphyromonas gingivalis

Arginine carboxypeptidase was isolated from the cytoplasm of Porphyromonas gingivalis 381 and purified by DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography on DEAE-5PW and TSK G2000SW(XL). Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme revealed the presence of three major bands at 42, 33, and 32 kDa with identical N-terminal sequences. By Western blotting analysis and immunoelectron microscopy, the arginine carboxypeptidase was found to be widely distributed in the cytoplasm and on the surface of the outer membrane. The open reading frame corresponding to the N-terminal amino acids of the arginine carboxypeptidase was detected by a search of the sequence of the P. gingivalis W83 genome. This sequence showed homology with mammalian carboxypeptidases (M, N, and E/H) and included a zinc-binding region signature, suggesting that the enzyme is a member of the zinc carboxypeptidase family. The purified enzyme was inhibited by EGTA, o-phenanthroline, DL-2-mercaptomethyl-3-guanidinoethylthiopropanoic acid, and some metal ions, such as Cu(2+), Zn(2+), and Cd(2+). On the other hand, Co(2+) activated the enzyme. The enzyme released arginine and/or lysine from biologically active peptides containing these amino acids at the C terminus but did not cleave substrates when proline was present at the penultimate position. These results indicate that the arginine carboxypeptidase produced by P. gingivalis is an exo type of metallocarboxypeptidase. This enzyme may function to release arginine in collaboration with an arginine aminopeptidase, e.g., Arg-gingipain, to obtain specific amino acids from host tissues during the growth of P. gingivalis.

A 4.1-kilodalton polypeptide in the cultural supernatant of Mycoplasma fermentans is one of the substances responsible for induction of interleukin-6 production by human gingival fibroblasts

The cultural supernatant of Mycoplasma fermentans induced interleukin-6 production by human gingival fibroblasts. The active entities were divided into hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances. In this study, we purified a 4.1-kilodalton polypeptide from the hydrophilic substances. It reacted with polyclonal antibodies to M. fermentans and activated human macrophages.

Purification of a phosphatase which hydrolyzes phosphatidic acid, a key intermediate in glucolipid synthesis in Acholeplasma laidlawii A membranes

A phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP; EC 3.1.3.4.), dephosphorylating phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol (DAG), was identified and purified from the plasma membrane of Acholeplasma laidlawii A. After four purification steps, including membrane preparation, Tween 20 solubilization, preparative gel electrophoresis and electro-elution, PAP was purified about 400 times to near homogeneity. The molecular weight of PAP was according to SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis approximately 25 kDa and the enzyme was a stable and integral membrane protein. It is proposed to catalyze the first enzymatic step in the important glucolipid pathway of A. laidlawii. No essential cofactors or activator lipids were found. However, some divalent cations and phosphate analogues were potent inhibitors. Beside the in vivo substrate (PA), PAP was found to dephosphorylate p-nitrophenylphosphate. This less stringent specificity makes alternative in vivo functions for PAP plausible, the importance which is discussed.

Effects of manganese on growth of Mycoplasma salivarium and Mycoplasma orale

The growth of Mycoplasma salivarium ATCC 23064 and Mycoplasma orale ATCC 15539 was inhibited by MnCl2. The growth-inhibitory effect was much more remarkable on M. orale than M. salivarium and was much more remarkable in medium supplemented with 10% (vol/vol) horse serum (HS) than 20% (vol/vol) HS. It was suggested that isolates of Mycoplasma from the oral cavity could be roughly identified as either M. salivarium and M. orale by examination of the growth (color changes) in PPLO broth supplemented with 10% (vol/vol) HS and 0.2 mM MnCl2.

Ammonia production as a virulence expression by Mycoplasma salivarium

Rabbits were inoculated intracutaneously with M. salivarium (ATCC 23064) cells. The size of the resulting swelling was significantly larger in 1) the sites inoculated with viable cells (7.5 x 10(9) CFU) suspended in a medium with arginine (arginine medium) than in those inoculated with killed cells, and in 2) those inoculated with cells suspended in arginine medium than with cells suspended in arginine-free medium. The swelling was enhanced when rabbits had previously been immunized with the organism. This effect was concluded to be due to ammonia which the organism produced by the hydrolysis of arginine through the arginine-dihydrolase pathway.

Proteolytic activities of Mycoplasma salivarium

Proteolytic activity was demonstrated in ATCC 23064 and oral isolates (more than 100 strains) of My coplasma salivarium and was suggested to be due to aminopeptidase, some other metalloproteinases, and serine proteinases. An aminopeptidase and a carboxypeptidase were purified from cell membranes of the organism and characterized. In amino acid specificities, the aminopeptidase was different from aminopeptidase B and leucine aminopeptidase, and the carboxypeptidase from carboxypeptidases B and N. These enzymes are considered to play a role in providing the organism with arginine as a main energy source, eventually facilitating the production of ammonia, and in protecting the organism and the other co-existing pathogens from defense mechanisms of the host by inactivating kallidin, bradykinin, tuftsin, and anaphylatoxins such as C3a and C5a.

Purification and characterization of an arginine-specific carboxypeptidase from Mycoplasma salivarium

The carboxypeptidase which had been shown to be present exclusively in nonfermentative mycoplasmas was found to be associated with cell membranes of Mycoplasma salivarium. The enzyme was released from the membranes with Triton X-100 and purified by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel, affinity chromatography on arginine-Sepharose 4B, and chromatofocusing. The purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 218 kilodaltons, as estimated by gel filtration through Sepharose CL-6B, and yielded one band of activity in analytical disc-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis performed in the presence of 0.5% (wt/vol) Triton X-100. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme treated in the presence or absence of 2-mercaptoethanol revealed one band with a molecular mass of 87 kilodaltons. The enzyme catalyzed selectively the cleavage of the C-terminal arginine residue of peptides such as N-benzoylglycyl-L-arginine, tuftsin, and bradykinin and was inhibited considerably by o-phenanthroline and EDTA but only slightly by NiCl2. The inhibition of the enzyme by EDTA was fully reversed by the addition of ZnCl2, whereas the addition of CoCl2 activated the enzyme.

Response of a Streptococcus sanguis strain to arginine-containing peptides

For dental plaque organisms such as Streptococcus sanguis, the ecological importance of the ability to utilize arginine as an energy source has been established in previous studies. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the ability of a strain of S. sanguis to process unsubstituted arginine-containing peptides. The organism was grown under glucose-limited conditions in a chemically defined medium, and peptide was added to washed, resting cells in a pH-stat at pH 7.0. Filtrates taken at appropriate time intervals were assayed for peptide, free amino acids, and metabolites. Irrespective of the position of the arginine residue, all peptides tested were attacked, although those that possessed a C-terminal arginine (including a tetrapeptide) were processed at a faster rate than were those in which arginine was N terminal. However, C-terminal arginine was cleaved only slowly from a peptide containing 24 residues. In each case, most of the released arginine was converted to ornithine via the arginine deiminase pathway. Such peptidase activities appeared to occur at or near the cell surface and were probably constitutive. It was found that the organism grew in chemically defined medium containing arginine that was present solely in the form of a tripeptide, and also that a strain of S. mutans possessed only a limited ability to attack arginine-containing peptides and was unable to utilize the released arginine.

Purification and characterization of an aminopeptidase from Mycoplasma salivarium

The aminopeptidase which had been shown to be present in Mycoplasma salivarium was found to be associated with the cell membranes of the organism. The enzyme was solubilized in water by papain digestion of the membranes pretreated with Triton X-100 and purified approximately 130-fold by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50, affinity chromatography on L-leucylglycine-AH-Sepharose 4B, and gel filtration on Sepharose CL-6B. The purified enzyme had a molecular mass of 397 kilodaltons, estimated by gel filtration through Sepharose CL-6B, and gave two bands of activity in analytical disc polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis: a dense, diffuse band and a less dense, narrow one, accounting for 90 and 5% of stained proteins in the gel, respectively. The purified protein revealed two bands with molecular masses of 50 and 46 kilodaltons by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme catalyzed selectively the cleavage of the N-terminal arginine and leucine residues of peptides; had a pH optimum at 8.5; and was inhibited remarkably by bestatin, o-phenanthroline, EDTA, and L-cysteine, but was activated nine- and twofold by MnCl2 and MgCl2, respectively. The enzyme pretreated with MnCl2 had much higher maximum velocity (Vmax) for L-leucine-p-nitroanilide than the one not treated. That is, the Michaelis constant (Km) and Vmax values of the pretreated enzyme were 10.5 mM and 12.1 microM/min, respectively, whereas those of the untreated enzyme were 5.8 mM and 1.6 microM/min, respectively.