Lysostaphin: an antistaphylococcal agent.

Lysostaphin is a zinc metalloenzyme which has a specific lytic action against Staphylococcus aureus. Lysostaphin has activities of three enzymes namely, glycylglycine endopeptidase, endo-beta-N-acetyl glucosamidase and N-acteyl muramyl-L-alanine amidase. Glycylglycine endopeptidase specifically cleaves the glycine-glycine bonds, unique to the interpeptide cross-bridge of the S. aureus cell wall. Due to its unique specificity, lysostaphin could have high potential in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal infections. This review article presents a current understanding of the lysostaphin and its applications in therapeutic agent as a treatment against antibiotic-resistant S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infections, either alone or in combination with other antibiotics.

Depletion of T cell epitopes in lysostaphin mitigates anti-drug antibody response and enhances antibacterial efficacy in vivo.

The enzyme lysostaphin possesses potent anti-staphylococcal activity and represents a promising antibacterial drug candidate; however, its immunogenicity poses a barrier to clinical translation. Here, structure-based biomolecular design enabled widespread depletion of lysostaphin DRB1(∗)0401 restricted T cell epitopes, and resulting deimmunized variants exhibited striking reductions in anti-drug antibody responses upon administration to humanized HLA-transgenic mice. This reduced immunogenicity translated into improved efficacy in the form of protection against repeated challenges with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In contrast, while wild-type lysostaphin was efficacious against the initial MRSA infection, it failed to clear subsequent bacterial challenges that were coincident with escalating anti-drug antibody titers. These results extend the existing deimmunization literature, in which reduced immunogenicity and retained efficacy are assessed independently of each other. By correlating in vivo efficacy with longitudinal measures of anti-drug antibody development, we provide the first direct evidence that T cell epitope depletion manifests enhanced biotherapeutic efficacy.

Immunity to lysostaphin and its therapeutic value for ocular MRSA infections in the rabbit.

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of immunization against lysostaphin on the bactericidal action of lysostaphin in ocular tissue and the possible induction of allergic reactions. METHODS: Rabbits were immunized against lysostaphin by subcutaneous, intranasal, or topical routes. Anti-lysostaphin antibody titers were determined by ELISA and by neutralization of lysostaphin. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was intrastromally or intravitreously injected into rabbit eyes. Eyes were treated either topically with drops of lysostaphin (0.3%) or with a single intravitreous injection (0.1 mL) of lysostaphin (0.1%). At the time of death, corneas or vitreous humors were cultured to determine the number of colony forming units (CFU). RESULTS: Rabbits in keratitis experiments that were immunized subcutaneously, intranasally, or topically had serum antibody titers of 10,240, 187, and 1,867, respectively, and neutralization titers of 8 or less. In both normal and immunized rabbits with keratitis, lysostaphin significantly reduced the log CFU to less than 1 log, whereas the untreated eyes contained more than 10(6) CFU/cornea (P < or = 0.0001). Rabbits that were subcutaneously or topically immunized for endophthalmitis experiments had serum antibody titers of 1636 or 137, respectively, and neutralization titers of 2 or less. A single intravitreous injection of lysostaphin (0.1%) sterilized all eyes of immunized and nonimmune rabbits with endophthalmitis. No adverse effects were observed with the administration of lysostaphin to either normal or immunized rabbit eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Lysostaphin treatment of immunized rabbits was effective in treating S. aureus-infected eyes, despite the presence of anti-lysostaphin antibody. No adverse reactions were produced by administration of lysostaphin to immunized rabbits.

Lysostaphin: immunogenicity of locally administered recombinant protein used in mastitis therapy.

A recombinant bactericidal protein, recombinant lysostaphin (r-lysostaphin), that may be useful as an intramammary therapeutic for Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in dairy cattle, was evaluated for immunogenicity to various hosts. Although immunogenicity could be demonstrated in a variety of other species when administered parenterally, oral administration failed to elicit a significant immunological response. Similarly, intramammary infusion of r-lysostaphin failed to elicit significant serum titers in the bovine until 18-21 infusions were administered (total administered dose of 2-3 g of protein). Antibody titers from dairy cattle which did develop an immune response were predominantly of the IgG1 subclass. Dairy cattle with significant anti-lysostaphin titers showed no deleterious symptoms (anaphylaxis, etc.) upon subsequent infusion, and these titers did not effect the in vitro bacteriostatic activity of r-lysostaphin. Intramammary infusion of r-lysostaphin does not elicit any observable effects on the host animal or on the potential efficacy of the recombinant molecule. Intramammary recombinant proteins may be suitable effective and safe infusion products that provide an alternative to classical antibiotic therapy.

[Detection of recombinant lysostaphin using antibody sandwish enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay].

The double-antibody-sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of rLysostaphin in humans had been developed and established through this study. rLysostaphin of high purity ( > 95 % ) produced in Shanghai Hi-Tech United Bio-Technological Research & Development Co., Ltd (SHUBRD) was used to produce a rabbit anti-rLysostaphin polyclonal antibody. The standard curve of rLysostaphin polyclonal antibody that was constructed showed that the lowest range of detection was found at 0. 98 ng of rLysostaphin/mL, and the curve exhibited linearity preferably from 0. 98 to 500 ng of rLysostaphin/mL. When three serum samples of the same batch were assayed for 6 replicates, and more 3 samples from different batches for 6 replicates, the average intra-assay and inter-assay coefficient variances ( CV) were 6. 4% and 6. 5%, respectively. The relative recovery rate was 98.6% when quantitative standard antigens were added to the serum. The present method for detection of rLysostaphin in serum is specific, highly sensitive, highly precise, and exhibited a low CV and will be helpful in the further study of rLysostaphin pharmacokinetics and holds promise in clinical applications.

Alternative non-immune F(ab')2-mediated immunoglobulin binding to group C and G streptococci.

We tested 140 bacterial strains representing 19 different species for binding of purified radiolabelled F(ab')2 fragments prepared by pepsin digestion of polyclonal and monoclonal human IgG. Both polyclonal and monoclonal F(ab')2 fragments showed positive binding to group C and G streptococci with maximum uptake levels of 50% and 85%. Binding was obtained both with fresh bacteria and with organisms stabilized by heat treatment. F(ab')2 fragments of two human IgG1 myeloma proteins with anti-staphylolysin specificity showed a similar binding pattern. IgG present in normal human serum inhibited the uptake of F(ab')2 fragments, whereas albumin and fibrinogen and purified Fc fragments prepared by papain digestion of polyclonal IgG and monoclonal IgG1 did not show such capacity. Fourteen human myeloma proteins representing IgA, IgM and the four IgG subclasses were tested for inhibiting capacity. Reactivity was noted with at least one myeloma protein within each IgG subclass but not with IgA or with IgM monoclonal proteins. Normal rabbit serum was as inhibitory as normal human serum, whereas dog serum was less reactive. These data demonstrate that group C and G streptococci carry a heat-stable surface component interacting with the F(ab')2 portion of the IgG molecule. The results suggest that the reactive site on the immunoglobulin molecule may reside in the more constant part of the variable domain. This new reactivity is different from the previously known non-immune reaction involving the IgG Fc portion. This alternative non-immune reactivity is analogous to but distinct from the alternative protein A reaction in Staphylococcus aureus.

Studies on prolysostaphin processing and characterization of the lysostaphin immunity factor (Lif) of Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus.

Lysostaphin is an extracellular glycylglycine endopeptidase produced by Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus ATCC1362 that lyses staphylococcal cells by hydrolysing the polyglycine interpeptide bridges of the peptidoglycan. Renewed analysis of the sequence of the lysostaphin gene (lss), and the sequencing of the amino-terminus of purified prolysostaphin and of mature lysostaphin revealed that lysostaphin is organized as a preproprotein of 493 amino acids (aa), with a signal peptide consisting of 36 aa, a propeptide of 211 aa from which 195 aa are organized in 15 tandem repeats of 13 aa length, and a mature protein of 246 aa. Prolysostaphin is processed in the culture supernatant of S. simulans biovar staphylolyticus by an extracellular cysteine protease. Although prolysostaphin was staphylolytically active, the mature lysostaphin was about 4.5-fold more active. The controlled expression in Staphylococcus carnosus of lss and lss with deletions in the prepropeptide region indicated that the tandem repeats of the propeptide are not necessary for protein export or activation of Lss, but keep Lss in a less active state. Intracellularly expressed pro- and mature lysostaphin exert staphylolytic activity in cell-free extracts, but do not affect growth of the corresponding clones. We characterized a lysostaphin immunity factor gene (lif) which is located in the opposite direction to lss. The expression of lif in S. carnosus led to an increase in the serine/glycine ratio of the interpeptide bridges of peptidoglycan from 2 to 35%, suggesting that lysostaphin immunity depends on serine incorporation into the interpeptide bridge. If, in addition to lif, lss is co-expressed the serine/glycine ratio is further increased to 58%, suggesting that Lss selects for optimal serine incorporation. Lif shows similarity to FemA and FemB proteins, which are involved in the biosynthesis of the glycine interpeptide bridge of staphylococcal peptidoglycan. In contrast to that of Lif, the production of FemA and FemB in S. carnosus does not cause lysostaphin immunity. The putative tRNASer gene located downstream of lss had no recognizable influence on lysostaphin immunity. lss and lif are flanked by insertion sequences, suggesting that S. simulans biovar staphylolyticus received lif and lss by horizontal gene transfer.