Cellular locations of proteinases and association with vesicles in Porphyromonas gingivalis.

We found that locations of arginine-specific gingipain (RGP) in the cellular fractions in the crude extract, envelope, vesicles, and culture supernatants were 48%, 16%, 17%, and 31%, respectively, and the corresponding values of lysine-specific gingipain (KGP) were 47%, 10%, 7%, and 36%, respectively. Although the molecular mass of RGP in the culture supernatant had been determined as 43 kDa, and that of KGP had been as 48 kDa, molecular masses of both proteinases solubilized from the vesicles were estimated to be over 1,500 kDa, since they eluted in the void volume of the column in the gel filtration on Sephacryl S-300. There was no reduction of molecular size by the following treatment with SDS, high-concentration NaCl, or urea. Interestingly, the occurrence of the macromolecular forms could not observed in other enzymes tested such as monopeptidyl, dipeptidyl, and tripeptidyl peptidases, as well as alkaline phosphatase. Therefore, occurrence of the macromolecular forms may be restricted to the proteinases. When the vesicle and culture supernatants containing free RGP and KGP were mixed and incubated, neither RGP nor KGP seemed to bind to vesicles. RGP bound to the vesicle was found to be more stable to heat treatment than the free form, suggesting that association of RGP with the vesicle caused heat stability of this enzyme.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV of Streptococcus anginosus: purification and characterization.

We found that N-unblocked nine p-nitroanilde derivatives of amino acids or peptides were hydrolyzed by the crude cell extracts of Streptococcus anginosus NCTC 10713. Then dipeptidyl peptidase IV was purified 323-fold by the procedures including ammonium sulfate concentration, anion exchange chromatography (twice), gel filtration (twice), hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and isoelectric focusing. The molecular weight was calculated as 84 kDa, and the isoelectric point was 4.9. The enzyme hydrolyzed mainly dipeptides containing proline residues at P1 position. It was strongly inhibited by serine enzyme inhibitors. General protease inhibitors, metal chelators, thiol alkylating agent, reducing agent, and several metal ions had no effect on the enzyme activity. Optimum pH for the activity was found at 7.0. The enzyme was mostly inactivated by heating at 50 degrees C for 15 min.

Dipeptidyl peptidase with strict substrate specificity of an anaerobic periodontopathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis.

A dipeptidyl peptidase which hydrolyzed Xaa-Ala-p-nitroanilide was purified to homogeneity by sequential procedures including ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, gel filtration and isoelectric focusing from the cell extract of Porphyromonas gingivalis. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed p-nitroanilide derivatives of Lys-Ala, Ala-Ala, and Val-Ala, but not Xaa-Pro. Enzyme activity was maximum at neutral pHs. Its molecular mass was 64 kDa with an isoelectric point of 5.7. The enzyme belonged to the family of serine peptidases.

Isolation and properties of a tripeptidyl peptidase from a periodontal pathogen Prevotella nigrescens.

Prolyltripeptidyl amino peptidase activity was found in a crude extract of Prevotella nigrescens and this enzyme was purified by procedures including concentration with ammonium sulfate, ion exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and isoelectric focusing. This peptidase hydrolyzed Ala-Ala-Pro-p-nitroanilide as well as Ala-Phe-Pro-p-nitroanilide. Furthermore, several p-nitroanilide derivatives of dipeptides with a proline residue in the second position from the amino-terminal end (Xaa-Pro) were also cleaved detectably. The molecular mass of this tripeptidase was calculated as 56 kDa and its isoelectric point was 5.8. The enzyme was inactivated completely by heating at 60 degrees C for 5 min and inhibited significantly by specific serine enzyme inhibitors.

Hemoglobin binding activity and hemoglobin-binding protein of Prevotella nigrescens.

Prevotella nigrescens, lacking siderophores was found to bind to the hemoproteins. The binding was observed also in the envelope which was prepared by sonication of the cell. The binding occurred in the pH-dependent manner; the binding was observed below neutral pHs of the incubation mixtures but only slightly observed in the neutral and alkaline pHs. Furthermore, hemoglobin bound to the envelope was dissociated at high pHs buffers. Maximum amounts of hemoglobin bound to 1 mg envelope was 51.2 mug. Kd for the reaction at pH 5.0 was 2.1 x 10¹° M (210 pM). From the dot blot assay, hemoglobin could bind to a protein solubilized from the envelope by a detergent, referred to as hemoglobin-binding protein (HbBP), then it was purified by the sequential procedures of ion exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography and isoelectric focusing. Molecular weight and isoelectric point of the HbBP were 46 kDa and 6.1, respectively.

Sixteen homologs of the mex-type multidrug resistance efflux pump in Bacteroides fragilis.

Sixteen homologs of multidrug resistance efflux pump operons of the resistance-nodulation-cell division (RND) family were found in the Bacteroides fragilis genome sequence by homology searches. Disruption mutants were made to the mexB homologs of the four genes most similar to Pseudomonas aeruginosa mexB. Reverse transcription-PCR was conducted and indicated that the genes were transcribed in a polycistronic fashion and that the promoter was upstream of bmeA (the mexA homolog). One of these disruption mutants (in bmeB, the mexB homolog) was more susceptible than the parental strain to certain cephems, polypeptide antibiotics, fusidic acid, novobiocin, and puromycin. The gene for this homolog and the adjacent upstream gene, bmeA, were cloned in a hypersensitive Escherichia coli host. The resultant transformants carrying B. fragilis bmeAB were more resistant to certain agents; these agents also had lower MICs for the B. fragilis bmeB disruption mutants than for the parental strain. The putative efflux pump operon is composed of bmeA, bmeB, and bmeC (a putative outer membrane channel protein homologous with OprM). Addition of the efflux pump inhibitors, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (a proton conductor that eliminates the energy source) and Phe-Arg beta-naphthylamide (MC-207,110) (the first specific inhibitor described for RND pumps in P. aeruginosa), resulted in lowered MICs in the parental strain but not in the bmeB disruption mutant, indicating that the bmeB pump is affected by these inhibitors. This is the first description of RND type pumps in the genus Bacteroides.