Animal Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the most common cause of E. coli diarrhea in farm animals. ETEC are characterized by the ability to produce two types of virulence factors: adhesins that promote binding to specific enterocyte receptors for intestinal colonization and enterotoxins responsible for fluid secretion. The best-characterized adhesins are expressed in the context of fimbriae, such as the F4 (also designated K88), F5 (K99), F6 (987P), F17, and F18 fimbriae. Once established in the animal small intestine, ETEC produce enterotoxin(s) that lead to diarrhea. The enterotoxins belong to two major classes: heat-labile toxins that consist of one active and five binding subunits (LT), and heat-stable toxins that are small polypeptides (STa, STb, and EAST1). This review describes the disease and pathogenesis of animal ETEC, the corresponding virulence genes and protein products of these bacteria, their regulation and targets in animal hosts, as well as mechanisms of action. Furthermore, vaccines, inhibitors, probiotics, and the identification of potential new targets by genomics are presented in the context of animal ETEC.

[Biochemical recurrence after curative treatment for localized prostate cancer: Performance of choline PET/CT in the assessment of local recurrence]. / Récidive biochimique après traitement curatif d'un adénocarcinome prostatique localisé: intérêt de la TEP à la choline dans l'évaluation de la récidive locale.

OBJECTIVE: To establish 18 fluorocholine-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-PET/CT) performances for the detection of local recurrence in a population of patients with biochemical failure after primary curative treatment for localized prostate carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From February 2011 to February 2014, 55 patients underwent a F-PET/CT for biochemical relapse after primary radical therapy for prostate cancer localized or locally advanced. Primary therapies for prostate cancer were 19 radical prostatectomy, 18 radiotherapy, 13 radiotherapy with hormonal treatment, 3 brachytherapy. The median age was 65 years (50-79). The initial staging was 17 T1, 23 T2 and 15 T3, 52 were N0 and N1 3. The median PSA was 12 (3-127). The Gleason score was less than 7, equal to 7 and greater than 7 at 21, 25 and 9 patients respectively. The average time to recurrence was 69.5 months (8-147) with a median PSA of 2.9 ng/mL (0.48-41). RESULTS: In 42 cases, F-PET/CT showed uptake, suggesting a recurrence, metastatic (6), nodal (26) or local isolated (10). The focal uptake in PET commissioned in 5 cases prostate biopsy, confirming the histological recurrence of prostate cancer in 4 cases. Among the 10 patients with isolated local recurrence, 8 underwent salvage radiotherapy. Of the 13 cases where the (F-PET/CT) showed no recurrence, 7 multiparametric MRI were performed. The MRI showed a local recurrence in 3 patients, the diagnoses were confirmed with prostate biopsy for two of them. CONCLUSION: In our study, for the patients with biochemical relapse of prostate adenocarcinoma localized or locally advanced, (F-PET/CT) was able to detect local recurrence isolated in nearly half the cases but did not show sufficient sensitivity to exclude recurrence local if negative. It does not replace MRI or additional prostate biopsy.

Escherichia coli STb toxin induces apoptosis in intestinal epithelial cell lines.

A previous study conducted in our laboratory demonstrated that cells having internalized Escherichia coli STb toxin display apoptotic-like morphology. We therefore investigated if STb could induce programmed cell death in both a human and an animal intestinal epithelial cell lines. HRT-18 (Human Colon Tumor) and IEC-18 (Rat Ileum Epithelial Cells) cell lines were used. As STb is frequently tested in a rat model, the IEC-18 cell line was most relevant to our work. The cell lines were treated with various amounts of purified STb (nanomole range) for a period of 24 h after which cells were harvested and examined for apoptotic characteristics. Caspase-9, the initiator of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis, and caspase-3, an effector of caspase-9, were both activated following STb intoxication of HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells whereas caspase-8, the initiator caspase of the extrinsic pathway, was not activated. For both cell lines, agarose gel electrophoresis of the cell DNA content reveals laddering of DNA, resulting from DNA fragmentation, a characteristic of apoptosis. Hoechst 33342-stained DNA of STb-treated cell lines, observed using fluorescence microscopy, revealed condensation and fragmentation of the nuclei. Apoptotic indexes calculated from fragmented nuclei of Hoechst 33342-stained DNA for HRT-18 and IEC-18 cells showed an STb dose-dependent response. Overall, these data indicate that STb toxin induces a mitochondrion-mediated caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway.

Cell type-dependent internalization of the Escherichia coli STb enterotoxin.

Previous studies have suggested that internalization of the Escherichia coli STb enterotoxin in human and rat intestinal epithelial cells is involved in STb pathogenesis, but toxin uptake in porcine jejunum epithelium, the in vivo target tissue, still remains elusive. Using flow cytometry, we studied the internalization of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labelled STb in porcine intestinal epithelial IPEC-J2 and murine fibroblast NIH-3T3 cell lines. In contrast to the selective pronase resistance of STb in NIH-3T3 cells at 37 °C, but not at 4 °C, indicative of toxin internalization, most of the toxin was pronase-sensitive at both temperatures in IPEC-J2 cells, indicating reduced uptake, but significant cell surface binding. Actin reorganization is required for STb internalization by NIH-3T3 cells, confirming STb endocytosis in these cells. The toxin receptor, sulfatide, could not explain these internalization differences because both cell lines possessed surface sulfatide and internalized antisulfatide antibodies over time at 37 °C. Inhibition of lipid rafts endocytosis, known to contain sulfatide, with methyl-ß-cyclodextrin or genistein, did not influence toxin uptake by either cell line. STb internalization is therefore differentially regulated depending on the cell type, possibly by factors other than sulfatide. Although a small STb fraction could be internalized by porcine intestinal epithelial cells, our findings suggest the ability of STb to induce, from the cell surface, intracellular signalling leading to fluid secretion in porcine intestinal epithelium.

Immunization with SsEno fails to protect mice against challenge with Streptococcus suis serotype 2.

In our ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine against Streptococcus suis infection, we tested the potential of S. suis enolase (SsEno), a recently described S. suis adhesin with fibronectin-binding activity, as a vaccine candidate in a mouse model of S. suis-induced septicemia and meningitis. Here, we show that SsEno is highly recognized by sera from convalescent pigs and is highly immunogenic in mice. Subcutaneous immunization of mice with SsEno elicited strong immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses. All four IgG subclasses were induced, with IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b representing the highest titers followed by IgG3. However, SsEno-vaccinated and nonvaccinated control groups showed similar mortality rates after challenge infection with the highly virulent S. suis strain 166'. Similar results were obtained upon passive immunization of mice with hyperimmunized rabbit IgG anti-SsEno. We also showed that anti-SsEno antibodies did not increase the ability of mouse phagocytes to kill S. suis in vitro. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that although recombinant SsEno formulated with Quil A triggers a strong antibody response, it does not confer effective protection against infection with S. suis serotype 2 in mice.

Escherichia coli EAST1 toxin toxicity of variants 17-2 and O 42.

EAST1 (EnteroAggregative heat-Stable Toxin 1) is a 4.1kDa toxin that was first detected in the enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) strain 17-2 (O3:H2) isolated from the stools of a Chilean child with diarrhoea. Accordingly, EAST1 is thought to play a role in the pathogenicity of EAEC. The goal of this study was to obtain purified biologically active forms of two EAST1 variants (17-2 and O 42). Purified toxin samples were treated with protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) to ascertain the integrity of the disulfide bridges. Since EAST1 is often compared to STa (heat-Stable Toxin a), both purified EAST1 variants were tested for biological activity using the suckling mouse assay, the reference test for STa. A positive gut to body (G/B) weight ratio was not observed for any of the EAST1 preparations tested, although STa was active. Exposure of the purified toxins to T84 cell monolayers, an epithelial cell line derived from a human colon carcinoma, in modified Ussing flux chambers resulted in a rapidly attained and prolonged increase in short circuit current, a sensitive measure of net ion transport. Responses to 17-2 and O 42 variants were comparable in magnitude and inhibitable by bumetanide and DASU-02, indicating net anion secretion. The results demonstrate that EAST1 toxin stimulates anion secretion by T84 cell monolayers and it is sustained for the duration of toxin exposure.

Inactivation of the pst system reduces the virulence of an avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O78 strain.

Escherichia coli O78 strains are frequently associated with extraintestinal diseases, such as airsacculitis and septicemia, in poultry, livestock, and humans. To understand the influence of the pst operon in the virulence of E. coli, we introduced mutations into the pst genes of the avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) O78:K80 strain chi7122 by allelic exchange. The mutation of pst genes led to the constitutive expression of the Pho regulon. Furthermore, the virulence of APEC strain chi7122 in a chicken infection model was attenuated by inactivation of the Pst system. The pst mutant caused significantly fewer extraintestinal lesions in infected chickens, and bacterial numbers isolated from different tissues after infection were significantly lower for the mutant than for the wild-type strain. Moreover, resistance to the bactericidal effects of rabbit serum and acid shock was impaired in the pst mutant, in contrast to the wild-type strain. In addition, the MIC of polymyxin was twofold lower for the mutant than for the wild-type strain. Although the pst mutant demonstrated an increased susceptibility to rabbit serum, this strain was not killed by chicken serum, suggesting the presence of differences in host innate immune defenses and complement-mediated killing. In APEC O78 strain chi7122, a functional Pst system is required for full virulence and resistance to acid shock and polymyxin. Our results suggest that the mutation of pst genes induces a deregulation of phosphate sensing and changes in the cell surface composition that lead to decreased virulence, indicating the importance of the Pst system for the virulence of pathogenic E. coli strains from different hosts.

Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin b (STb) in vivo internalization within rat intestinal epithelial cells.

Heat-stable enterotoxin b (STb) is a low molecular weight toxin known to bind sulfatide, its receptor. The fate of STb bound to rat intestinal epithelium cells was followed using an anti-toxin gold labeled assay and transmission electron microscopy. The data suggest that STb toxin and the fusion protein maltose binding protein (MBP)-STb were internalized whereas its mutant I41 E-M42R with reduced hydrophobicity did not show internalization. There was a significant difference in the mean of gold particles per field between rat intestine incubated with STb or the fusion protein MBP-STb and the negative control consisting of intestine incubated with PBS alone. No subcellular compartment seems to be particularly aimed by the toxin as gold particles were randomly distributed within the cell.

Binding to sulfatide and enterotoxicity of various Escherichia coli STb mutants.

Binding of the 48 amino acid polypeptide of the mature heat-stable Escherichia coli enterotoxin b (STb) to the functional receptor sulfatide (SFT) constitutes the first step in inducing secretory diarrhoea in the intestinal lumen of animals. The NMR structure of this toxin dictated the choice of amino acids for site-directed mutagenesis to delineate the binding site of STb to SFT. Amino acids facing the solvent either in the loop or the hydrophobic alpha-helix were selected. Seventeen site-specific mutants of STb toxin were produced and purified by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Enterotoxicity of the 17 mutants was determined using a rat loop assay and binding was evaluated using a microtitre plate binding assay. Both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions are important for STb attachment. When mutations (F37K, I41S and M42S) were introduced into the hydrophobic alpha-helix to lessen hydrophobicity, binding activity and enterotoxicity decreased by more than sixfold. The loop defined by C21 and C36 also made specific contributions. Mutants generated at basic residues (K22, K23 and R29) within this region exhibited both reduced binding activities and reduced toxic activities. For all STb mutants constructed and analysed, when binding to SFT was reduced, a reduction in toxicity equivalent or greater was noted, indicating that binding to SFT is a step that precedes the toxic effect observed for STb toxin. Significantly, when the negatively charged D30 was substituted for either alanine or valine, the binding to SFT was about twice that of native STb, whereas the enterotoxicity was reduced by half.

Oligomerization of Escherichia coli enterotoxin b through its C-terminal hydrophobic alpha-helix.

Using a chemical cross-linker and gel electrophoresis or a dot blot overlay assay, we studied protein-protein interaction of STb toxin, a 48-residue amphiphilic polypeptide causing intestinal disorders. For the first time, we report on the oligomerization property of STb. This enterotoxin forms hexamers and heptamers in a temperature-independent fashion in presence or absence of its receptor (sulfatide) anchored in a 50-nm liposome or as a free molecule. Full STb structure integrity is necessary for its oligomerization as this process is not observed under reducing conditions in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol. STb treatment with tetramethylurea (TMU) and different detergents prevented oligomerization. Site-directed mutagenesis decreasing overall STb hydrophobicity in the hydrophobic alpha-helix resulted in the incapacity to form oligomers. Taken together, these data suggest that the C-terminal hydrophobic alpha-helix corresponds to the domain of STb-STb inter-binding where hydrophobic interaction is involved.

Cloning and characterization of the esp region from a dog attaching and effacing Escherichia coli strain 4221 and detection of EspB protein-binding to HEp-2 cells.

The espA, espB and espD genes from enteropathogenic Escherichia coli were previously shown to be essential for triggering the signal transduction in infected host cells. We have cloned and determined the nucleotide sequences of the espA, espB and espD homologues from an E. coli strain (4221) isolated from a dog which manifested the attaching and effacing lesions in the small intestine. This strain is designated as a dog enteropathogenic E. coli. When comparing predicted amino acid sequences to those of the corresponding proteins from enteropathogenic E. coli O127, enterohemorrhagic E. coli serotype O26, enterohemorrhagic E. coli O157 and rabbit enteropathogenic E. coli, the EspADEPEC protein showed the same level of similarity (75% identity) with EspA of enteropathogenic E. coli O127 and rabbit enteropathogenic E. coli. The EspBDEPEC protein showed the highest similarity with the EspB of enteropathogenic E. coli O127 (99% identity). The EspDDEPEC protein showed 88% identity with the EspDEPEC. We constructed and purified a maltose-binding fusion protein containing the product of the entire espBDEPEC gene of the dog enteropathogenic E. coli strain 4221. Purified maltose-binding protein-EspBDEPEC fusion protein was shown to bind efficiently to HEp-2 cells in a localized fashion as shown by immunofluorescence microscopy. In addition, when the dog enteropathogenic E. coli strain 4221 was grown in tissue culture medium (DMEM) supplemented with serum, a secreted 36-kDa protein was identified by immunoblot analysis using a polyclonal antiserum against the maltose-binding protein-EspBDEPEC fusion protein.

Production of Escherichia coli STb enterotoxin is subject to catabolite repression.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli are known to secrete several types of toxins including STb, a heat-stable enterotoxin. STb enterotoxin production was studied in wild-type E. coli strains. Using a quantitative STb-specific inhibition ELISA, the amount of toxin present in the culture supernatant fractions of various E. coli strains was determined. Variation in the production of STb toxin was observed for the wild-type strains. For E. coli strain 82-4247 grown in trypticase soy broth, the toxin was produced after 4 h of growth and was maximal after about 57 h of growth. The amount of toxin in the culture supernatant fraction increased concomitantly with bacterial growth. Using the rat loop assay, the biological activity of STb was retained even after the logarithmic phase of growth when STb production levelled off (i.e. from 24 to 74 h). STb production by E. coli strain 82-4247 varied with the culture medium used. In particular, addition of 1.0% (w/v) compared to 0.1% glucose to Davis minimal medium decreased STb production, whereas addition of 1.0% (w/v) glycerol did not affect STb production. Addition of exogenous cAMP reversed the repressive effect of glucose. Using mutant strains, STb production was shown to be subject to catabolite repression.

Epstein-Barr virus genotypes in NPC biopsies from north Africa.

The genotypes of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) were investigated in North African nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) biopsies, nasopharyngeal chronic inflammation (NCI) biopsies, and saliva of healthy individuals from Algeria and Tunisia where there is an intermediate incidence of NPC. The prevalence of A-type virus in NPC, NCI biopsies and saliva of healthy individuals was found in these regions by means of a PCR assay. Restriction enzyme polymorphism analysis by Southern blotting revealed that all North African EBV variants have a conserved restriction site on BamHI W'-I' and XhoI LMP gene. No additional BamHI enzyme site on the BamHI-F fragment was observed; however, the presence of an extra BamHI site on the BamHI-H fragment giving 2 HI and H2 fragment-like EBV M-ABA strains was found. All EBV strains present in NPC or NCI biopsies at all ages were homogeneous in these polymorphisms and no correlation was observed between the EBV genotypes from NPC patients and clinical stages of the cancer. These characteristics revealed a significant difference between the EBV variants common in Chinese NPC and those in North African NPC.

Fusion of the genes encoding Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin b (STb) and the maltose-binding protein to obtain mature STb enterotoxin.

The heat-stable enterotoxin b gene (estB) of Escherichia coli was fused to the gene for maltose-binding protein (malE). The estB gene was cloned into the pMAL-p vector using PCR. The construct consists of the signal sequence of maltose-binding protein, which directs the export of the fusion protein to the periplasm, and the maltose-binding protein fused to the STb polypeptide. A sequence encoding a factor Xa cleavage site is present between malE and estB. The fused genes are controlled by Ptac, a strong inducible promoter. Following IPTG induction, the recombinant strain expressed a 47 kDa protein, which was easily purified from osmotic shock fluid by using preparative electrophoresis and electroelution. Cleavage of the fusion protein with factor Xa generated the maltose-binding protein (42 kDa) and a polypeptide of approximately 5 kDa, corresponding to the molecular mass of mature STb. A monospecific polyclonal rabbit antiserum raised against purified STb reacted in immunoblot with the fusion protein and the cleaved-off peptide. A positive response was observed when testing the osmotic shock fluid containing the fusion protein in a rat intestinal loop assay. On average, 3-4 mg of MBP-STb protein was recovered per litre of induced recombinant strain.

Antigenic differences among Campylobacter fetus S-layer proteins.

Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of S-layer proteins extracted from Campylobacter fetus strains by using acid glycine buffer showed that the predominant S-layer proteins of different strains had subunit molecular weights in the range of 90,000 to 140,000. Electron microscopy revealed oblique S-layer lattices with a spacing of approximately 5.6 nm (gamma = 75 degrees) on wild-type strains VC1, VC119, VC202, and VC203. Three variants of C. fetus VC119 producing a predominant S-layer subunit protein of different molecular weight (Mr) from that of the parent were also examined. Each variant produced an oblique lattice morphologically indistinguishable from that of the parent. Amino-terminal sequence analysis showed that the S-layer proteins of the VC119 parent and variants were identical up to residue 18 and that this sequence differed from but was related to the first 16 N-terminal residues shared by the S-layer proteins of the three other wild-type C. fetus isolates. Western immunoblot analysis with an antiserum prepared to the VC119 protein and an antiserum prepared to C. fetus 84-40 LP (Z. Pei, R. T. Ellison, R. V. Lewis, and M. J. Blaser, J. Biol. Chem. 263:6416-6420, 1988) showed that strains of C. fetus were capable of producing S-layer proteins with at least four different antigenic specificities. Immunoelectron microscopy with antiserum to the VC119 S-layer protein showed that C. fetus cultures contained cells with immunoreactive oblique S-layer lattices as well as cells with oblique S-layer lattices which did not bind antibody. This suggests that C. fetus S-layer proteins undergo antigenic variation. Thermal denaturation experiments indicated that the antigenicity conferred by the surface-exposed C. fetus S-layer epitopes was unusually resistant to heat, and the thermal stability appeared to be due to the highly organized lattice structure of the S. layer. Protease digestion of purified VC119 S-layer protein revealed a trypsin-, chymotrypsin-, and endoproteinase Glu-C-resistant domain with an apparent Mr of 110,000, which carried the majority of the epitopes of the S-layer protein, and a small enzyme-sensitive domain. The trypsin- and chymotrypsin-resistant polypeptides shared an overlapping sequence which differed from the N-terminal sequence of the intact S-layer protein.

Purification, characterization, and localization of a protein antigen shared by thermophilic campylobacters.

A protein antigen with an apparent molecular weight (Mr) of 31,000 was isolated from 0.2 M glycine hydrochloride (pH 2.2) extracts of a typical human fecal isolate, Campylobacter jejuni VC74. The protein was purified to homogeneity on a preparative scale by immunoaffinity chromatography followed by molecular sieving with a Superose 12 column. Isoelectric focusing under nondenaturing conditions indicated a pI of 9.3, and amino acid composition analysis showed that the protein was unusually rich in lysine, containing 14.9 mol% of this basic amino acid. Cysteine and tryptophan were absent. The protein also contained approximately 35% hydrophobic amino acid residues, and N-terminal amino acid analysis showed that 17 of the first 38 residues were hydrophobic. This amino-terminal sequence to residue 22 was virtually identical to that of an antigenically cross-reactive 31,000-Mr protein isolated from another C. jejuni strain belonging to a different heat-labile serogroup. Western blotting (immunoblotting) of glycine extracts of other C. jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and Campylobacter laridis strains belonging to different thermolabile and thermostable serotypes, as well as Campylobacter fetus, with a rabbit polyclonal antiserum raised against the purified C. jejuni VC74 protein showed that all C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. laridis strains tested contained a 31,000-Mr protein with epitopes which were antigenically cross-reactive with the C. jejuni VC74 protein. The antigenically cross-reactive epitopes of this protein were also readily detected by immunodot blot assay of glycine extracts of C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. laridis with monospecific polyclonal antisera to the 31,000-Mr protein, suggesting that this serological test could be a useful addition to those currently employed in the rapid identification of these important pathogens. Slide agglutination reactions, immunofluorescence assay, and immunogold electron microscopy with antisera to purified 31,000-Mr protein and trypsin treatment of whole cells indicated that the cross-reactive epitopes of the 31,000-Mr protein were not exposed on the cell surface. Cell fractionation analysis and immunogold electron microscopy located the protein on the outer surface of the cytoplasmic membrane. This finding suggests that the 31,000-Mr protein is not a good candidate for inclusion in a monovalent subunit Campylobacter vaccine.

Structural and biochemical analyses of a surface array protein of Campylobacter fetus.

Electron microscopic examination of ultrathin sections and freeze-etched and shadow cast preparations of a bovine prepuce isolate of Campylobacter fetus VC119 showed an S layer with subunits in an apparent linear arrangement. Surface radioiodination, enzyme digestion, low-pH extraction, and Western immunoblotting showed that the layer was composed mainly of one protein which is the predominant protein antigen of C. fetus. This protein was purified to homogeneity by gel filtration, ion-exchange chromatography, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed an apparent molecular weight of 131,000 for this protein with a pI of 6.35, and no carbohydrate could be detected by a variety of techniques. Amino acid composition analysis showed that the protein contained approximately 1,304 residues per molecule, 41.2% of which were hydrophobic and approximately 22% of which were acidic. Cysteine and histidine were absent. Circular dichroism spectra showed that the prominent structure of the S layer protein was a beta-pleated sheet (36%) with aperiodic foldings (31%); a moderate amount of alpha-helix (28%) and a low amount of beta-turn (5%) were also present. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined for the first 18 residues. No sequence homology with other S layer proteins was found.