Cloning, expression and purification of extracellular serine protease Esp, a biofilm-degrading enzyme, from Staphylococcus epidermidis.

AIMS: Staphylococcus epidermidis Esp, an extracellular serine protease, inhibits Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation and nasal colonization. To further expand the biotechnological applications of Esp, we developed a highly efficient and economic method for the purification of recombinant Esp based on a Brevibacillus choshinensis expression-secretion system. METHODS AND RESULTS: The esp gene was fused with the N-terminal Sec-dependent signal sequence of the B. choshinensis cell wall protein and a C-terminal hexa-histidine-tag gene. The recombinant Esp was expressed and secreted into the optimized medium as an immature form and subsequently activated by thermolysin. The mature Esp was easily purified by a single purification step using nickel affinity chromatography and showed proteolytic activity as well as Staph. aureus biofilm destruction activity. CONCLUSIONS: The purification yield of the developed extracellular production system was 5 mg recombinant mature Esp per 20-ml culture, which was much higher than that of an intracellular production system in Escherichia coli (3 mg recombinant Esp per 1-l culture). SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our findings will be a powerful tool for the production and purification of recombinant Esp and also applicable to a large variety of recombinant proteins used for basic researches and biotechnological applications.

Cytochalasin D inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor production in macrophages.

We reported previously that a reorganization of microfilaments can be observed when macrophages are stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). This reorganization is not detected with current methods in macrophages of an LPS-nonresponsive C3H/HeJ mouse. These results suggest that the observed microfilament response might be involved in a macrophage-activating process induced by LPS. To investigate this, we studied the effect of cytochalasin D (CD), which inhibits reorganization of microfilaments, on LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production. A concentration of CD incapable of affecting filamentous actin by itself was used in these experiments. When this concentration of CD was added after LPS stimulation, microfilament reorganization and TNF production were inhibited. The suppressive effect of CD on TNF production was confirmed by the observation that TNF-alpha mRNA expression was also inhibited by CD. This inhibitory effect of CD was not specific to TNF, because the production of interleukin-1 and prostaglandin E2 were also inhibited. These effects of CD were observed only when CD was added within the first 20 min after LPS stimulation. These results suggest that the CD-sensitive microfilament response is essential in the signaling pathway for the production of certain monokines in LPS-stimulated macrophages.

Effects of BY-1949 on evoked responses of cortical blood flow and Meynert neurons.

The effects of BY-1949, a novel dibenzoxazepine derivative, injected into the cerebral ventricle on noxious stimulus-induced responses of regional blood flow in the cortex and neuronal activity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert were studied in male rats. These induced responses were markedly enhanced by administration of BY-1949 (16.4 +/- 0.5 ng/100 g, S.E.M.). These data indicate that BY-1949 acts on the central nervous system to modulate the response to a noxious stimulus of regional cerebral blood flow and neuronal activity in the nucleus basalis of Meynert.

Inhibition of interleukin-8 production in human endothelial cells by Staphylococcus aureus supernatant.

Recent reports have shown that Staphylococcus aureus infection increases the expression of cytokines and cell adhesion molecules in endothelial cells and enhances leucocyte migration, thereby resulting in bacterial elimination. In this study, we analysed the production of the chemokine interleukin (IL)-8 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) infected with several S. aureus strains by using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that the avirulent strains (00-51 and 00-62) increased IL-8 production but the virulent strains (A17 and A151) decreased it at both the mRNA and protein levels. We considered that the inhibition of IL-8 production depended on certain inhibitory factor(s) secreted by bacteria. This was because S. aureus also abolished IL-8 expression in HUVEC treated with cytochalasin D, and the addition of culture supernatants of strains A17 and A151 decreased IL-8 production in HUVEC. This factor(s) in the bacterial culture supernatant inhibited both basal and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-induced IL-8 production. In contrast, no inhibitory effect was observed on monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) production. These results indicate that S. aureus can down-regulate IL-8 release in endothelial cells through the secretion of inhibitory factor(s), and this may result in decreased neutrophil recruitment, thus interfering with the host immune response to bacterial infection.

The physical characteristics of the stabilized canine retractor.

The design, construction and a brief indication of the advantages of the stabilized canine retractor have already been explained (Adams, 1983). It is the purpose of the present investigation to clarify and evaluate the physical characteristics of the new form and to ascertain the precise nature and degree of the differences between it and the hitherto widely used standard form of this spring.

LPS induces selective translocation of protein kinase C-beta in LPS-responsive mouse macrophages, but not in LPS-nonresponsive mouse macrophages.

Translocation of protein kinase C (PKC) after PMA or LPS stimulation has been studied in thioglycolate (TGC)-elicited murine peritoneal macrophages. Among the PKC subtypes we examined (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, and epsilon) by indirect immunostaining and immunoblot analysis, conventional PKC-beta, as well as novel PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon were found to exist in TGC-elicited C3H/HeN mouse macrophages. Translocation of PKC-beta to the Triton-stable cytoskeleton could be seen in macrophages after stimulation by both PMA and LPS. On the other hand, novel PKCs redistributed only after PMA stimulation. Macrophages obtained from LPS-nonresponsive C3H/HeJ mice also exhibited PKC-beta, and the m.w., cellular distribution, and cellular content of this enzyme could not be distinguished from those of C3H/HeN macrophages. These macrophages exhibited PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon, as did the C3H/HeN macrophages. In these macrophages, however, LPS did not induce any remarkable change in the intracellular distribution of PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon or PKC-beta, whereas PMA was able to induce the translocation of PKC-beta to the cytoskeleton. These results suggest that LPS stimulation induces selective redistribution of PKC-beta in LPS-responsive macrophages, whereas a defect related to LPS unresponsiveness exists in C3H/HeJ mouse macrophages before the PKC activation. Translocation of PKC-beta can be understood to be an important event in LPS signaling in macrophages.

Reorganization of microfilaments in macrophages after LPS stimulation.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent activating substance of macrophages, induced the reorganization of microfilaments in macrophages obtained from C3H/HeN mice. At 1 min after LPS addition, a slight disassembly of actin was observed. At 2 to 4 min, there was a gradual assembly; then, at 5 and 6 min, a subsequent rapid disassembly occurred. We employed two methods to observe this process. One was the RITC-phalloidin staining of actin filaments and the other was the extraction of monomeric actin and unstable actin filaments with Triton X-100 solution. The results obtained by the two methods were basically in agreement. Nevertheless, there was a discrepancy between the results from the two methods, concerning the ratio of assembly and disassembly. The RITC-phalloidin staining was more sensitive in detecting actin assembly and less sensitive in detecting the disassembly than the extraction with Triton X-100 solution was. This difference suggests that some of the unstable filaments, which were extracted with Triton X-100 solution and fixed with formalin, were formed during the LPS-induced reorganization process. This reversible actin assembly could not be observed in the LPS-nonresponder, C3H/HeJ mouse macrophages. We concluded that the observed process could be attributed to LPS-signal triggering pathways subsequent to LPS binding and that a necessary component to initiate effective LPS-signaling, which is probably deficient in C3H/HeJ mice, is involved in this reorganization process of LPS-stimulated macrophages.

Apoptosis observed in murine peritoneal macrophages treated with interferon gamma through staphylococcal enterotoxin-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity.

The concept of superantigens is well-known and widely accepted. In this brief communication, we analyze the behaviour of antigen-presenting cells after T-cell activation by staphylococcal enterotoxin B, a representative superantigen. We tried to activate murine T cells by inflammatory mouse peritoneal macrophage in the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin B, but no T-cell activation was observed. We, therefore, analyzed surface-specific antigens of the macrophages. They expressed insufficient amounts of MHC class II, CD80 and CD86 molecules on the surface of the cells. On the contrary, increased amounts of MHC class II and CD86 molecules on the cell surfaces were observed after incubation with interferon gamma. Interferon gamma-primed macrophages were found to be competent to activate T cells in the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxin B. To our surprise, these macrophages underwent apoptosis in parallel with T-cell activation.

Different effects of fibronectin on the phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci by murine peritoneal macrophages.

Fibronectin is known to be an important factor in colonization by Staphylococcus aureus of host tissues as well as other extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen and laminin. We investigated the effect of fibronectin on the phagocytosis of the S. aureus Cowan I strain by macrophages and of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) strains for comparison. Fibronectin-reduced serum in place of normal serum lowered the phagocytic activity of the macrophages on the Cowan I strain. Purified fibronectin enhanced the phagocytic activity of the strain in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, fibronectin did not show any opsonic effect on the ingestion of CNS strains, though the binding of fibronectin occurred equally well in CNS strains and the Cowan I strain. Fibronectin-binding protein (FnBP), the specific fibronectin receptor on the surface on S. aureus, was detected in both the Cowan I strain and CNS strains. Polymerase chain reaction confirmed that not only the Cowan I strain, but also CNS strains possessed the FnBP gene. These results indicate that fibronectin shows an opsonic effect on the S. aureus, Cowan I strain but not on CNS strains, and suggest that the binding of fibronectin to FnBP is not sufficient for efficient phagocytosis of the staphylococci strains by macrophages.

Apoptosis observed in BALB/3T3 cells having ingested Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus was previously shown to be internalized by murine fibroblast. We examined the intracellular events of S. aureus ingested by BALB/3T3 cells. After uptake of strains A191 and A151, isolates from atopic lesion, and a laboratory strain, Cowan I, for 1 hr, BALB/3T3 cells were incubated with 1.25 microg/ml lysostaphin. Laddering of the DNA in multiples of approximately 180 bp occurred within 4 hr following bacterial addition in BALB/3T3 cells infected with A191 and within 18 hr in BALB/3T3 cells infected with A151: histochemical staining by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling method revealed that the rate of the fragmentation of nucleic DNA in Cowan I-infected BALB/3T3 cells at 21 hr following bacterial addition was 0.52 +/- 0.25%, significantly higher than that in the control cells. Transmission electron micrographs of BALB/3T3 cells at 4 hr following A191 addition showed that the apoptotic features, including electron-dense nucleus and plasma membrane blebbing, occurred in some cells in which many staphylococci escaped the endosome and went on to cell division. At the same time, A151 organisms enclosed with endosome membrane were static in the intact BALB/3T3 cells. The significant increase of A191 was confirmed by counting intracellular live bacteria during 2- to 6-hr incubation. These results suggest that internalized S. aureus escapes the endosome, multiplies and induces apoptosis in the fibroblast cell.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced biphasic inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate response and tyrosine phosphorylation of 140-kilodalton protein in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

We previously showed that a relatively high dose of LPS induced the selective translocation of protein kinase C-beta (PKC-beta) in LPS-responsive mouse macrophages. This result suggested that phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PLC) might be activated in the upstream of PKC-beta. Stimulation of C3H/HeN mouse macrophages by LPS induced the characteristic phosphatidylinositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) response, that is, a biphasic response consisting of a rapid increase occurring within the first 1 min, and another increase beginning at around 1 min after stimulation. Only the first response was disappeared when cells were treated with a platelet-activating factor receptor antagonist. LPS-inducible TNF-alpha gene activation, however, was not suppressed by the same antagonist, but suppressed by PKC inhibitors. LPS-stimulated macrophage lysates showed tyrosine phosphorylation of some proteins, and the strongest phosphorylation was observed at molecular mass of 140 kDa. The phosphorylation of this protein started at 40 s after LPS stimulation and continued to increase. Anti-PLC-gamma2 Ab seemed to recognize the same protein as the tyrosine-phosphorylated 140-kDa protein. A low dose of LPS (1 ng/ml) could not induce the tyrosine phosphorylation of this protein. Furthermore, LPS induced only the first phase change, but not the second phase increase in LPS-hyporesponsive C3H/HeJ mouse macrophages. These results indicate that the first phase rapid IP3 change, which is also seen in HeJ macrophages, is mediated via a platelet-activating factor receptor, and is not responsible for TNF-alpha production, while the second phase change mediated by a molecule other than CD14 is responsible for PKC-beta translocation and TNF-alpha production. The results also suggest that the later IP3 change is considered to be mediated through a gamma2 type of phosphatidylinositol-specific PLC.

Morphological changes and reorganization of actinfilaments in human myeloid leukemia cells induced by a novel protein phosphatase inhibitor, tautomycin.

A protein phosphatase inhibitor, tautomycin induces blebs on the surface of human myeloid leukemia K562 cells within 10 min. In this paper we examined the cytoskeleton of tautomycin-treated cells. In the presence of tautomycin, cells with blebs turned into segmented forms with smooth surfaces after 15 min and into smooth round shapes without microprotuberance after 60 min. Observation with fluorescence microscopy showed that F-actin detached from the plasma membrane at the site of the blebs. Further treatment with tautomycin induced the accumulation of F-actin at the segmentation centers. Under electron microscopy, an electron dense ring-structure was detected at the segmentation center. Tautomycin did not induce major changes of the microtubule network although F-actin accumulated near the microtubule organizing center. The amount of F-actin increased in tautomycin-treated cells. These results indicate that the morphological changes are induced by reorganization of actinfilaments.