A kinetic model reveals the critical gating motifs for donor-substrate loading into Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae N-glycosyltransferase.

Soluble N-glycosyltransferase from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (ApNGT) catalyzes the glycosylation of asparagine residues, and represents one of the most encouraging biocatalysts for N-glycoprotein production. Since the sugar tolerance of ApNGT is restricted to limited monosaccharides (e.g., Glc, GlcN, Gal, Xyl, and Man), tremendous efforts are devoted to expanding the substrate scope of ApNGT via enzyme engineering. However, rational design of novel NGT variants suffers from an elusive understanding of the substrate-binding process from a dynamic point of view. Here, by employing extensive all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations integrated with a kinetic model, we reveal, at the atomic level, the complete donor-substrate binding process from the bulk solvent to the ApNGT active-site, and the key intermediate states of UDP-Glc during its loading dynamics. We are able to determine the critical transition event that limits the overall binding rate, which guides us to pinpoint the key ApNGT residues dictating the donor-substrate entry. The functional roles of several identified gating residues were evaluated through site-directed mutagenesis and enzymatic assays. Two single-point mutations, N471A and S496A, could profoundly enhance the catalytic activity of ApNGT. Our work provides deep mechanistic insights into the structural dynamics of the donor-substrate loading process for ApNGT, which sets a rational basis for design of novel NGT variants with desired substrate specificity.

An enzyme-based protocol for cell-free synthesis of nature-identical capsular oligosaccharides from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is the etiological agent of acute porcine pneumonia and responsible for severe economic losses worldwide. The capsule polymer of App serotype 1 (App1) consists of [4)-GlcNAc-ß(1,6)-Gal-α-1-(PO4-] repeating units that are O-acetylated at O-6 of the GlcNAc. It is a major virulence factor and was used in previous studies in the successful generation of an experimental glycoconjugate vaccine. However, the application of glycoconjugate vaccines in the animal health sector is limited, presumably because of the high costs associated with harvesting the polymer from pathogen culture. Consequently, here we exploited the capsule polymerase Cps1B of App1 as an in vitro synthesis tool and an alternative for capsule polymer provision. Cps1B consists of two catalytic domains, as well as a domain rich in tetratricopeptide repeats (TPRs). We compared the elongation mechanism of Cps1B with that of a ΔTPR truncation (Cps1B-ΔTPR). Interestingly, the product profiles displayed by Cps1B suggested processive elongation of the nascent polymer, whereas Cps1B-ΔTPR appeared to work in a more distributive manner. The dispersity of the synthesized products could be reduced by generating single-action transferases and immobilizing them on individual columns, separating the two catalytic activities. Furthermore, we identified the O-acetyltransferase Cps1D of App1 and used it to modify the polymers produced by Cps1B. Two-dimensional NMR analyses of the products revealed O-acetylation levels identical to those of polymer harvested from App1 culture supernatants. In conclusion, we have established a protocol for the pathogen-free in vitro synthesis of tailored, nature-identical App1 capsule polymers.

Exploring a combined Escherichia coli-based glycosylation and in vitro transglycosylation approach for expression of glycosylated interferon alpha.

The conventional use of E. coli system for protein expression is limited to non-glycosylated proteins. While yeast, insect and mammalian systems are available to produce heterologous glycoproteins, developing an engineered E. coli-based glycosylation platform will provide a faster, more economical, and more convenient alternative. In this work, we present a two-step approach for production of a homogeneously glycosylated eukaryotic protein using the E. coli expression system. Human interferon α-2b (IFNα) is used as a model protein to illustrate this glycosylation scheme. In the first step, the N-glycosyltransferase from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (ApNGT) is co-expressed for in vivo transfer of a glucose residue to IFNα at an NX(S/T) N-glycosylation sequon. Several E. coli systems were examined to evaluate the efficiency of IFNα N-glucosylation. In the second step, the N-glucosylated protein is efficiently elaborated with biantennary sialylated complex-type N-glycan using an in vitro chemoenzymatic method. The N-glycosylated IFNα product was found to be biologically active and displayed significantly improved proteolytic stability. This work presents a feasible E. coli-based glycosylation machinery for producing therapeutic eukaryotic glycoproteins.

High-Throughput Synthesis and Analysis of Intact Glycoproteins Using SAMDI-MS.

High-throughput quantification of the post-translational modification of many individual protein samples is challenging with current label-based methods. This paper demonstrates an efficient method that addresses this gap by combining Escherichia coli-based cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) and self-assembled monolayers for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SAMDI-MS) to analyze intact proteins. This high-throughput approach begins with polyhistidine-tagged protein substrates expressed from linear DNA templates by CFPS. Here, we synthesized an 87-member library of the E. coli Immunity Protein 7 (Im7) containing an acceptor sequence optimized for glycosylation by the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae N-glycosyltransferase (NGT) at every possible position along the protein backbone. These protein substrates were individually treated with NGT and then selectively immobilized to self-assembled monolayers presenting nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid (Ni-NTA) complexes before final analysis by SAMDI-MS to quantify the conversion of substrate to glycoprotein. This method offers new opportunities for rapid synthesis and quantitative evaluation of intact glycoproteins.

Structure of a bacterial toxin-activating acyltransferase.

Secreted pore-forming toxins of pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli hemolysin (HlyA) insert into host-cell membranes to subvert signal transduction and induce apoptosis and cell lysis. Unusually, these toxins are synthesized in an inactive form that requires posttranslational activation in the bacterial cytosol. We have previously shown that the activation mechanism is an acylation event directed by a specialized acyl-transferase that uses acyl carrier protein (ACP) to covalently link fatty acids, via an amide bond, to specific internal lysine residues of the protoxin. We now reveal the 2.15-Å resolution X-ray structure of the 172-aa ApxC, a toxin-activating acyl-transferase (TAAT) from pathogenic Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. This determination shows that bacterial TAATs are a structurally homologous family that, despite indiscernible sequence similarity, form a distinct branch of the Gcn5-like N-acetyl transferase (GNAT) superfamily of enzymes that typically use acyl-CoA to modify diverse bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic substrates. A combination of structural analysis, small angle X-ray scattering, mutagenesis, and cross-linking defined the solution state of TAATs, with intermonomer interactions mediated by an N-terminal α-helix. Superposition of ApxC with substrate-bound GNATs, and assay of toxin activation and binding of acyl-ACP and protoxin peptide substrates by mutated ApxC variants, indicates the enzyme active site to be a deep surface groove.

The Lon protease homologue LonA, not LonC, contributes to the stress tolerance and biofilm formation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Lon proteases are a family of ATP-dependent proteases that are involved in the degradation of abnormal proteins in bacteria exposed to adverse environmental stress. An analysis of the genome sequence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae revealed the unusual presence of two putative ATP-dependent Lon homologues, LonA and LonC. Sequence comparisons indicated that LonA has the classical domain organization of the LonA subfamily, which includes the N-terminal domain, central ATPase (AAA) domain, and C-terminal proteolytic (P) domain. LonC belongs to the recently classified LonC subfamily, which includes Lon proteases that contain neither the N-terminal domain of LonA nor the transmembrane region that is present only in LonB subfamily members. To investigate the roles of LonA and LonC in A. pleuropneumoniae, mutants with deletions in the lonA and lonC genes were constructed. The impaired growth of the △lonA mutant exposed to low and high temperatures and osmotic and oxidative stress conditions indicates that the LonA protease is required for the stress tolerance of A. pleuropneumoniae. Furthermore, the △lonA mutant exhibited significantly reduced biofilm formation compared to the wild-type strain. However, no significant differences in stress responses or biofilm formation were observed between the △lonC mutant and the wild-type strain. The △lonA mutant exhibited reduced colonization ability and attenuated virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae in the BALB/c mouse model compared to the wild-type strain. Disruption of lonC gene did not significantly influence the colonization and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae. The data presented in this study illustrate that the LonA protease, but not the LonC protease, is required for the stress tolerance, biofilm formation and pathogenicity of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Characterization of bifunctional L-glutathione synthetases from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae and Actinobacillus succinogenes for efficient glutathione biosynthesis.

Glutathione (GSH), an important bioactive substance, is widely applied in pharmaceutical and food industries. In this work, two bifunctional L-glutathione synthetases (GshF) from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (GshFAp) and Actinobacillus succinogenes (GshFAs) were successfully expressed in Escherichia coli BL-21(DE3). Similar to the GshF from Streptococcus thermophilus (GshFSt), GshFAp and GshFAs can be applied for high titer GSH production because they are less sensitive to end-product inhibition (Ki values 33 and 43 mM, respectively). The active catalytic forms of GshFAs and GshFAp are dimers, consistent with those of GshFPm (GshF from Pasteurella multocida) and GshFSa (GshF from Streptococcus agalactiae), but are different from GshFSt (GshF from S. thermophilus) which is an active monomer. The analysis of the protein sequences and three dimensional structures of GshFs suggested that the binding sites of GshFs for substrates, L-cysteine, L-glutamate, γ-glutamylcysteine, adenosine-triphosphate, and glycine are highly conserved with only very few differences. With sufficient supply of the precursors, the recombinant strains BL-21(DE3)/pET28a-gshFas and BL-21(DE3)/pET28a-gshFap were able to produce 36.6 and 34.1 mM GSH, with the molar yield of 0.92 and 0.85 mol/mol, respectively, based on the added L-cysteine. The results showed that GshFAp and GshFAs are potentially good candidates for industrial GSH production.

Molecular analysis of an alternative N-glycosylation machinery by functional transfer from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae to Escherichia coli.

N-Linked protein glycosylation is a frequent post-translational modification that can be found in all three domains of life. In a canonical, highly conserved pathway, an oligosaccharide is transferred by a membrane-bound oligosaccharyltransferase from a lipid donor to asparagines in the sequon NX(S/T) of secreted polypeptides. The δ-proteobacterium Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae encodes an unusual pathway for N-linked protein glycosylation. This pathway takes place in the cytoplasm and is mediated by a soluble N-glycosyltransferase (NGT) that uses nucleotide-activated monosaccharides to glycosylate asparagine residues. To characterize the process of cytoplasmic N-glycosylation in more detail, we studied the glycosylation in A. pleuropneumoniae and functionally transferred the glycosylation system to Escherichia coli. N-Linked glucose specific human sera were used for the analysis of the glycosylation process. We identified autotransporter adhesins as the preferred protein substrate of NGT in vivo, and in depth analysis of the modified sites in E. coli revealed a surprisingly relaxed peptide substrate specificity. Although NX(S/T) is the preferred acceptor sequon, we detected glycosylation of alternative sequons, including modification of glutamine and serine residues. We also demonstrate the use of NGT to glycosylate heterologous proteins. Therefore, our study could provide the basis for a novel route for the engineering of N-glycoproteins in bacteria.

Identification of dfrA14 in two distinct plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the distribution and genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates from pigs in England. METHODS: Clinical isolates collected between 1998 and 2011 were tested for resistance to trimethoprim and sulphonamide. The genetic basis of trimethoprim resistance was determined by shotgun WGS analysis and the subsequent isolation and sequencing of plasmids. RESULTS: A total of 16 (out of 106) A. pleuropneumoniae isolates were resistant to both trimethoprim (MIC >32 mg/L) and sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L), and a further 32 were resistant only to sulfisoxazole (MIC ≥256 mg/L). Genome sequence data for the trimethoprim-resistant isolates revealed the presence of the dfrA14 dihydrofolate reductase gene. The distribution of plasmid sequences in multiple contigs suggested the presence of two distinct dfrA14-containing plasmids in different isolates, which was confirmed by plasmid isolation and sequencing. Both plasmids encoded mobilization genes, the sulphonamide resistance gene sul2, as well as dfrA14 inserted into strA, a streptomycin-resistance-associated gene, although the gene order differed between the two plasmids. One of the plasmids further encoded the strB streptomycin-resistance-associated gene. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first description of mobilizable plasmids conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae and, to our knowledge, the first report of dfrA14 in any member of the Pasteurellaceae. The identification of dfrA14 conferring trimethoprim resistance in A. pleuropneumoniae isolates will facilitate PCR screens for resistance to this important antimicrobial.

Structure and biosynthetic locus of the lipopolysaccharide outer core produced by Pasteurella multocida serovars 8 and 13 and the identification of a novel phospho-glycero moiety.

Pasteurella multocida strains are classified into 16 Heddleston serovars on the basis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigens expressed on the surface of the bacteria. The LPS structure and the corresponding LPS outer core biosynthesis loci of strains belonging to serovars 1, 2, 3, 5, 9 and 14 have been characterized, revealing a clear structural basis for serovar classification. However, several of these serovars are genetically related, sharing the same LPS outer core biosynthesis locus, but producing different LPS molecules as a result of mutations within LPS assembly genes. In this article, we report that the P. multocida type strains belonging to serovars 8 and 13 share the same LPS outer core biosynthesis locus and produce structurally related LPS molecules. Structural analysis of the serovar 8 LPS revealed an inner core that is conserved among P. multocida strains and the following outer core structure: X-(1-6)-(1S)GalaNAC-(1-4-6)-α-Gal-(1-3)-ß-Gal(PEtn)-(1-4)-L,D-α-Hep-(1-6) where X is a unique phospho-glycero moiety, 1-((4-aminobutyl)amino)-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl hydrogen phosphate, attached to the sixth position of (1S)GalaNAc. For serovar 13, the LPS structure is the same except for the absence of the terminal phospho-glycero moiety. Analysis of the common outer core biosynthesis locus from the serovar 8 and 13 type strains identified three genes that we predict are involved in the biosynthesis of this terminal moiety. Furthermore, bioinformatic comparisons with the characterized LPS outer core glycosyltransferases from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar 1, strain 4074, allowed us to assign a function for each of the glycosyltransferases encoded within the serovar 8/13 LPS outer core biosynthesis locus.

Screening of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae LuxS inhibitors.

LuxS, a conserved bacterial enzyme involved in the activated methyl cycle, catalyzes S-ribosylhomocysteine (SRH) into homocysteine and AI-2 (the inter-species quorum-sensing signal molecule). This enzyme has been reported to be essential for the survival of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in its natural host. Therefore, it is a potential drug target against A. pleuropneumoniae, an important swine respiratory pathogen causing great economic losses in the pig industry worldwide. In this study, the enzymatic activity determination method was established using the recombinant LuxS of A. pleuropneumoniae. Thirty-five compounds similar to the shape of SRH were screened from the Specs compound library by the software vROCS and were evaluated for LuxS inhibition. Three compounds could inhibit LuxS activity. Two of them were confirmed to be competitive inhibitors and the third one was uncompetitive. All the three compounds displayed inhibitory effects on the growth of A. pleuropneumoniae and two other important swine pathogens, Haemophilis parasuis and Streptococcus suis, with MIC50 values ranging from 11 to 51 µg/ml. No significant cytotoxic effect of the compounds was detected on porcine PK-15 cells at the concentration which showed inhibitory effect on bacterial growth. These results suggest that LuxS is an ideal target to develop antimicrobials for porcine bacterial pathogens. The three LuxS inhibitors identified in this study can be used as lead compounds for drug design.

Cytoplasmic N-glycosyltransferase of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is an inverting enzyme and recognizes the NX(S/T) consensus sequence.

N-Linked glycosylation is a frequent protein modification that occurs in all three domains of life. This process involves the transfer of a preassembled oligosaccharide from a lipid donor to asparagine side chains of polypeptides and is catalyzed by the membrane-bound oligosaccharyltransferase (OST). We characterized an alternative bacterial pathway wherein a cytoplasmic N-glycosyltransferase uses nucleotide-activated monosaccharides as donors to modify asparagine residues of peptides and proteins. N-Glycosyltransferase is an inverting glycosyltransferase and recognizes the NX(S/T) consensus sequence. It therefore exhibits similar acceptor site specificity as eukaryotic OST, despite the unrelated predicted structural architecture and the apparently different catalytic mechanism. The identification of an enzyme that integrates some of the features of OST in a cytoplasmic pathway defines a novel class of N-linked protein glycosylation found in pathogenic bacteria.

Functional characterization of AasP, a maturation protease autotransporter protein of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is the etiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious respiratory infection in pigs. AasP, a putative subtilisin-like serine protease autotransporter, has recently been identified in A. pleuropneumoniae. We hypothesized that, similarly to other autotransporters of this type, AasP may undergo autocatalytic cleavage resulting in release of the passenger domain of the protein. Furthermore, AasP may be responsible for cleavage of other A. pleuropneumoniae outer membrane proteins. To address these hypotheses, the aasP gene was cloned and the expressed recombinant AasP protein used to raise monospecific rabbit antiserum. Immunoblot analysis of whole-cell lysates and secreted proteins demonstrated that AasP does not undergo proteolytic cleavage. Immunoblot analysis also confirmed that AasP is universally expressed by A. pleuropneumoniae. Confirmation of the maturation protease function of AasP was obtained through phenotypic analysis of an A. pleuropneumoniae aasP deletion mutant and by functional complementation. Comparison of the secreted proteins of the wild type, an aasP mutant derivative, and an aasP mutant complemented in trans led to the identification of OmlA protein fragments that were present only in the secreted-protein preparations of the wild-type and complemented strains, indicating that AasP is involved in modification of OmlA. This is the first demonstration of a function for any autotransporter protein in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

Analysis of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ArcA regulon identifies fumarate reductase as a determinant of virulence.

The ability of the bacterial pathogen Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae to grow anaerobically allows the bacterium to persist in the lung. The ArcAB two-component system is crucial for metabolic adaptation in response to anaerobic conditions, and we recently showed that an A. pleuropneumoniae arcA mutant had reduced virulence compared to the wild type (F. F. Buettner, A. Maas, and G.-F. Gerlach, Vet. Microbiol. 127:106-115, 2008). In order to understand the attenuated phenotype, we investigated the ArcA regulon of A. pleuropneumoniae by using a combination of transcriptome (microarray) and proteome (two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis and subsequent mass spectrometry) analyses. We show that ArcA negatively regulates the expression of many genes, including those encoding enzymes which consume intermediates during fumarate synthesis. Simultaneously, the expression of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, a component of the respiratory chain serving as a direct reduction equivalent for fumarate reductase, was upregulated. This result, together with the in silico analysis finding that A. pleuropneumoniae has no oxidative branch of the citric acid cycle, led to the hypothesis that fumarate reductase might be crucial for virulence by providing (i) energy via fumarate respiration and (ii) succinate and other essential metabolic intermediates via the reductive branch of the citric acid cycle. To test this hypothesis, an isogenic A. pleuropneumoniae fumarate reductase deletion mutant was constructed and studied by using a pig aerosol infection model. The mutant was shown to be significantly attenuated, thereby strongly supporting a crucial role for fumarate reductase in the pathogenesis of A. pleuropneumoniae infection.

[Generation of nalidixic acid-resistant strains and signature-tagged mutants of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae].

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a very important respiratory pathogen for swine and causes great economic losses in pig industry worldwide. Signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) is an effective method to identify virulence genes in bacteria. In this study, we selected nalidixic acid-resistant strains of APP serotypes 1 and 3 by in vitro cultivation, and used as receipt strains for constructing transposon mutants by mating with E. coli CC 118 lambdapir or S17-1 lambdapir containing mini-Tn10 tag plasmids pLOF/TAG1-48, with or without the help of E. coli DH5alpha (pRK2073). We screened mutant strains by antibiotics selection, PCR and Southern blot identification. Our data revealed that nalidixic acid-resistance of APP strains could easily be induced in vitro and the resistance was due to the mutation in the DNA gyrase A subunit gene gyrA. In the mating experiments, the bi-parental mating was more effective and easier than tri-parental mating. Different APP strains showed a different mating and transposon efficiency in the bi-parental mating, with the strains of serotype 1 much higher than serotype 3 and the reference strain of serotype 3 higher than the field strains. These data were helpful for the construction of STM mutants and pickup of virulence genes of APP.

Isolation and molecular characterization of a urease-negative Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae mutant.

An atypical urease-negative mutant of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serovar 2 was isolated in Japan. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the urease gene cluster revealed that the insertion of a short DNA sequence into the cbiM gene was responsible for the urease-negative activity of the mutant. Veterinary diagnostic laboratories should be watchful for the presence of aberrant urease-negative A. pleuropneumoniae isolates.

Pyridoxal phosphate synthases PdxS/PdxT are required for Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae viability, stress tolerance and virulence.

Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) is an essential cofactor for numerous enzymes involved in a diversity of cellular processes in living organisms. Previous analysis of the Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae S-8 genome sequence revealed the presence of pdxS and pdxT genes, which are implicated in deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate (DXP)-independent pathway of PLP biosynthesis; however, little is known about their roles in A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenicity. Our data demonstrated that A. pleuropneumoniae could synthesize PLP by PdxS and PdxT enzymes. Disruption of the pdxS and pdxT genes rendered the pathogen auxotrophic for PLP, and the defective growth as a result of these mutants was chemically compensated by the addition of PLP, suggesting the importance of PLP production for A. pleuropneumoniae growth and viability. Additionally, the pdxS and pdxT deletion mutants displayed morphological defects as indicated by irregular and aberrant shapes in the absence of PLP. The reduced growth of the pdxS and pdxT deletion mutants under osmotic and oxidative stress conditions suggests that the PLP synthases PdxS/PdxT are associated with the stress tolerance of A. pleuropneumoniae. Furthermore, disruption of the PLP biosynthesis pathway led to reduced colonization and attenuated virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae in the BALB/c mouse model. The data presented in this study reveal the critical role of PLP synthases PdxS/PdxT in viability, stress tolerance, and virulence of A. pleuropneumoniae.

Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase structure from a microbial pathogen establishes a class with a conserved dimer interface.

Macrophages and neutrophils protect animals from microbial infection in part by issuing a burst of toxic superoxide radicals when challenged. To counteract this onslaught, many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens possess periplasmic Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases (SODs), which act on superoxide to yield molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. We have solved the X-ray crystal structure of the Cu,Zn SOD from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, a major porcine pathogen, by molecular replacement at 1.9 A resolution. The structure reveals that the dimeric bacterial enzymes form a structurally homologous class defined by a water-mediated dimer interface, and share with all Cu,Zn SODs the Greek-key beta-barrel subunit fold with copper and zinc ions located at the base of a deep loop-enclosed active-site channel. Our structure-based sequence alignment of the bacterial enzymes explains the monomeric nature of at least two of these, and suggests that there may be at least one additional structural class for the bacterial SODs. Two metal-mediated crystal contacts yielded our C222(1) crystals, and the geometry of these sites could be engineered into proteins recalcitrant to crystallization in their native form. This work highlights structural differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic Cu,Zn SODs, as well as similarities and differences among prokaryotic SODs, and lays the groundwork for development of antimicrobial drugs that specifically target periplasmic Cu,Zn SODs of bacterial pathogens.

Expression and phylogenetic relationships of a novel lacZ homologue from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

To learn more about the genetics and physiology of the important swine pathogen, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, we cloned the lacZ gene by complementation of an Escherichia coli delta lac mutant. The A. pleuropneumoniae lacZ gene has an open reading frame of 3015 bp which could encode a protein with a predicted molecular mass of 117022. The deduced protein shares 26.8-34.8% identity with beta-galactosidases from both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Sequences with homology to seven regions commonly found in beta-galactosidases are present and amino acids corresponding to active site residues Tyr-503 and Glu-537 in E. coli LacZ are also conserved; however, there is a leucine in the place of Gly-794, a residue which has been implicated in substrate recognition. The sequences flanking the A. pleuropneumoniae lacZ gene do not share homology with known transport or regulatory genes nor do they share homology with cAMP receptor protein (CRP) or LacI binding sites. Low levels of beta-galactosidase activity could be detected when the protein was expressed from a multicopy plasmid in E. coli delta lac and when it was measured in A. pleuropneumoniae. The level of activity was not markedly reduced in the presence of glucose. Although the A. pleuropneumoniae LacZ shares some features with other beta-galactosidases, its constitutive expression and an unusual active site residue suggest that it may have a unique function.

Cloning and characterization of the groE locus from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae.

A 4.4-kb DNA fragment was cloned from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (strain 4074, serotype 1) by genetic complementation with Escherichia coli groES-groEL mutant strains. Sequence analysis of this fragment revealed a purine nucleoside phosphorylase (DeoD)-encoding gene homolog (deoD), heat-shock response-encoding genes for the small (groES) and large subunits (groEL) and a partial open reading frame encoding an alcohol dehydrogenase homolog (adhE). The predicted amino-acid sequence of groES and groEL genes showed extensive sequence identity (80-95%) with other Pasteurellaceae. The gene organization surrounding the groE locus was different from that of Haemophilus infuenzae. When expressed in E. coli, groES-groEL genes were capable of complementing the growth of a lambda lytic phage, indicating a structural as well as functional conservation.