GABA-producing Bifidobacterium dentium modulates visceral sensitivity in the intestine.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent abdominal pain is a common and costly health-care problem attributed, in part, to visceral hypersensitivity. Increasing evidence suggests that gut bacteria contribute to abdominal pain perception by modulating the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, specific microbial signals remain poorly defined. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a principal inhibitory neurotransmitter and a key regulator of abdominal and central pain perception from peripheral afferent neurons. Although gut bacteria are reported to produce GABA, it is not known whether the microbial-derived neurotransmitter modulates abdominal pain. METHODS: To investigate the potential analgesic effects of microbial GABA, we performed daily oral administration of a specific Bifidobacterium strain (B. dentiumATCC 27678) in a rat fecal retention model of visceral hypersensitivity, and subsequently evaluated pain responses. KEY RESULTS: We demonstrate that commensal Bifidobacterium dentium produces GABA via enzymatic decarboxylation of glutamate by GadB. Daily oral administration of this specific Bifidobacterium (but not a gadB deficient) strain modulated sensory neuron activity in a rat fecal retention model of visceral hypersensitivity. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The functional significance of microbial-derived GABA was demonstrated by gadB-dependent desensitization of colonic afferents in a murine model of visceral hypersensitivity. Visceral pain modulation represents another potential health benefit attributed to bifidobacteria and other GABA-producing species of the intestinal microbiome. Targeting GABAergic signals along this microbiome-gut-brain axis represents a new approach for the treatment of abdominal pain.

Mutational analysis of leucine 47 in human epidermal growth factor.

Seven site-specific mutants (including changes to other hydrophobic, charged, and heterocyclic amino acids) of leucine 47 of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) were generated by protein engineering and characterized for their activity in three assays: radioreceptor competition binding in membrane fractions, the stimulation of the EGF receptor's tyrosine kinase activity, and the stimulation of thymidine uptake in tissue culture cells. K1/2 (concentration required for half maximum response) values for each of the mutants are reported in the three assays. The results show that the native leucine residue is quite important for EGF activity. Substitutions are tolerated to different degrees, depending upon hydrophobicity and size of the side chain. Substitution with ionic residues led to the most drastic reduction in activity. One-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, at physiological pH, of several of the mutants did not detect any major structural perturbations which would account for the loss of activity. The results suggest that the side chain of leucine 47, because of its charge neutrality, size, and hydrophobicity, is highly important, although not absolutely essential for the interaction of EGF with its receptor. A striking finding was the lower (compared with wild type) Vmax values of the mutants in the tyrosine kinase reaction, but these low Vmax mutants, in cell culture experiments, were able to stimulate at high concentrations a growth response equivalent to wild type EGF.

Biochemical properties of site-directed mutants of human epidermal growth factor: importance of solvent-exposed hydrophobic residues of the amino-terminal domain in receptor binding.

Eight analogues of human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) having specific amino acid substitutions in the beta-sheet structure (residues 19-31) of the amino-terminal domain were generated by site-directed mutagenesis. Affinity of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor for each of these mutant hEGF analogues was measured by both radioreceptor competition binding and receptor tyrosine kinase stimulation assays. The relative binding affinities obtained by these two methods were generally in agreement for each hEGF species. The results indicate that hydrophobic residues on the exposed surface of the beta-sheet structure of the amino-terminal domain of hEGF have an important role in the formation of the active EGF-receptor complex. The substitution of hydrophobic amino acid residues, Val-19----Gly, Met-21----Thr, Ile-23----Thr, and Leu-26----Gly, resulted in decreased binding affinity, with the most severe reductions observed with the last two mutants. The mutations Ala-25----Val and Lys-28----Arg introduced amino acid residues resulting in slightly increased receptor binding affinity. Similar to previous results with acidic residues in this region [Engler, D.A., Matsunami, R.K., Campion, S.R., Stringer, C.D., Stevens, A., & Niyogi, S.K. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 12384-12390], removal of the positive charge in the Lys-28----Leu substitution had almost no effect on binding affinity, indicating the lack of any absolute requirement for ionic interactions at this site. Substitution of Tyr-22, which resulted in decreased receptor binding affinity, provides further indication of the importance of aromatic residues in this region of the molecule, as found earlier with Tyr-29 (cf. reference above).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Analogs of human epidermal growth factor which partially inhibit the growth factor-dependent protein-tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Three site-directed mutants of human epidermal growth factor, Leu-26----Gly, Leu-47----Ala, and Ile-23----Thr, were examined for their ability to stimulate the protein-tyrosine kinase activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor. The receptor binding affinities of the mutant growth factors were 20- to 50-fold lower, as compared to wild-type growth factor. At saturating concentrations of growth factor, the velocities of the phosphorylation of exogenously added substrate and receptor autophosphorylation were significantly lower with the mutant analogs, suggesting a partial 'uncoupling' of signal transduction. The mutant analogs were shown to compete directly with the binding of wild-type, resulting in a decrease in growth factor-stimulated kinase activity.

Cloning of authentic human epidermal growth factor as a bacterial secretory protein and its initial structure-function analysis by site-directed mutagenesis.

A synthetic chimeric gene, coding for the human epidermal growth factor fused to the signal peptide of Escherichia coli alkaline phosphatase, was cloned into E. coli under the transcriptional control of the trp-lac (tac) promoter. Following induction with isopropylthiogalactoside, the secretion of the correctly processed protein product into the bacterial periplasm was detected and quantitated by its specific binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor. The purified protein was identical to authentic human epidermal growth factor in size, amino acid composition, primary sequence, receptor binding, and stimulation of receptor protein-tyrosine kinase activity. Based on interspecies homologies, structural considerations, and reported studies with peptide fragments, structure-function analysis was initiated with alterations of targeted amino acid residues by oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis. The receptor binding affinity of each mutant, relative to the wild type, was measured by both radioreceptor competition and receptor tyrosine kinase stimulation assays. In general, the values obtained by the two methods were in agreement for each species of epidermal growth factor and followed the order: wild type greater than Glu24----Gly greater than Asp27----Gly much greater than Pro7----Thr greater than Tyr29----Gly greater than Leu47----His. The relatively low values obtained with the last two mutants suggest that Tyr29 and Leu47 may be important for the biological activity of human epidermal growth factor.