Synthesis and biological activity of phosphoglycolipids from Thermus thermophilus.

An extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus, has very unique glycolipids on the cell surface. The acidic immunostimulatory phosphoglycolipid of T. thermophilus was synthesized for the first time, with newly developed glycosylation methods using 3-nitropyridyl (3NPy) and 4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl (DMT) glycosides as glycosyl donors. The analogues of the phosphoglycolipid, which include a diastereomer possessing the opposite configuration at the diacyl glycerol moiety, were also synthesized. The biological activities of the synthesized compounds were elucidated with cytokine inductions (IL-6 and TNF-α). A synthetic phosphoglycolipid with a natural-type diacyl glycerol configuration showed apparent immunostimulatory activity, whereas its diastereomer did not. The present study revealed that the configuration at the diacyl glycerol moiety of the phosphoglycolipids is important for immunostimulation, suggesting the existence of the particular receptor/recognizing protein that can recognize the stereochemistry of the glycerol part.

Toll-like receptors of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis: prototypes with hybrid functionalities of vertebrate Toll-like receptors.

Key transmembrane proteins in the innate immune system, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), have been suggested to occur in the genome of non-mammalian organisms including invertebrates. However, authentic invertebrate TLRs have been neither structurally nor functionally investigated. In this paper, we originally present the structures, localization, ligand recognition, activities, and inflammatory cytokine production of all TLRs of the ascidian Ciona intestinalis, designated as Ci-TLR1 and Ci-TLR2. The amino acid sequence of Ci-TLR1 and Ci-TLR2 were found to possess unique structural organization with moderate sequence similarity to functionally characterized vertebrate TLRs. ci-tlr1 and ci-tlr2 genes were expressed predominantly in the stomach and intestine as well as in hemocytes. Ci-TLR1 and Ci-TLR2 expressed in HEK293 cells, unlike vertebrate TLRs, were localized to both the plasma membrane and endosomes. Intriguingly, both Ci-TLR1 and Ci-TLR2 stimulate NF-kappaB induction in response to multiple pathogenic ligands such as double-stranded RNA, and bacterial cell wall components that are differentially recognized by respective vertebrate TLRs, revealing that Ci-TLRs recognize broader pathogen-associated molecular patterns than vertebrate TLRs. The Ci-TLR-stimulating pathogenic ligands also induced the expression of Ci-TNFalpha in the intestine and stomach where Ci-TLRs are expressed. These results provide evidence that the TLR-triggered innate immune systems are essentially conserved in ascidians, and that Ci-TLRs possess "hybrid" biological and immunological functions, compared with vertebrate TLRs. Moreover, it is presumed that chordate TLR ancestors also acquired the Ci-TLR-like multiple cellular localization and pathogen-associated molecular pattern recognition.

Lipopolysaccharide interaction with cell surface Toll-like receptor 4-MD-2: higher affinity than that with MD-2 or CD14.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are innate recognition molecules for microbial products, but their direct interactions with corresponding ligands remain unclarified. LPS, a membrane constituent of gram-negative bacteria, is the best-studied TLR ligand and is recognized by TLR4 and MD-2, a molecule associated with the extracellular domain of TLR4. Although TLR4-MD-2 recognizes LPS, little is known about the physical interaction between LPS and TLR4-MD-2. Here, we demonstrate cell surface LPS-TLR4-MD-2 complexes. CD14 greatly enhances the formation of LPS-TLR4-MD-2 complexes, but is not coprecipitated with LPS-TLR4-MD-2 complexes, suggesting a role for CD14 in LPS loading onto TLR4-MD-2 but not in the interaction itself between LPS and TLR4-MD-2. A tentative dissociation constant (Kd) for LPS-TLR4-MD-2 complexes was approximately 3 nM, which is approximately 10-20 times lower than the reported Kd for LPS-MD-2 or LPS-CD14. The presence of detergent disrupts LPS interaction with CD14 but not with TLR4-MD-2. E5531, a lipid A antagonist developed for therapeutic intervention of endotoxin shock, blocks LPS interaction with TLR4-MD-2 at a concentration 100 times lower than that required for blocking LPS interaction with CD14. These results reveal direct LPS interaction with cell surface TLR4-MD-2 that is distinct from that with MD-2 or CD14.

A novel complete reconstitution system for membrane integration of the simplest membrane protein.

A complete reconstitution system for membrane integration of the simplest protein was developed by means of defined factors. A mutant version of Pf3 coat protein, 3L-Pf3 coat, requires neither signal recognition particle/Sec factors nor a membrane potential for its integration into the cytoplasmic membrane of Escherichia coli. Although 3L-Pf3 coat is spontaneously integrated into liposomes composed of phospholipids, diacylglycerol completely blocks such spontaneous integrations at a physiological level. Under the conditions where spontaneous integration does not occur, 3L-Pf3 coat integration was absolutely dependent on a novel integration-stimulating factor. Combination of the PURE system, an in vitro translation system composed of the purified factors involved in translation in E. coli, with liposomes containing the highly purified integration-stimulating factor revealed multiple cycles of 3L-Pf3 coat integration, achieving the complete reconstitution of membrane integration. Based on the function of the factor, we propose that the factor is named MPIase (Membrane Protein Integrase).

Key structures of bacterial peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide triggering the innate immune system of higher animals: chemical synthesis and functional studies.

Chemistry-based investigation is reviewed which led to identification of the active entities responsible for the immunostimulating potencies of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide. Though these glycoconjugates which ubiquitously occur in wide range of bacteria as the essential components of their cell envelopes have long been known to enhance the immunological responses of higher animals, neither the precise chemical structures required nor the mechanism of their action had been [corrected] elucidated until early 1970s. Chemical synthesis of partial structures of peptidoglycan proved N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine to be the minimum structure responsible for the activity and led to later identification of its receptor protein Nod2 present in animal cells. Another active partial structure of peptidoglycan, gamma-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid, and its receptor Nod1 were also identified as well. With regard to lipopolysaccharide, its glycolipid part named lipid A was purified and the structure studied. Chemically synthesized lipid A according to the newly elucidated structure exhibited full activity described for lipopolysaccharide known as endotoxin. Synthetic homogeneous lipid A and its structural analogues and labeled derivatives enabled precise studies of their interaction with receptor proteins and the mechanism of their action. Chemical synthesis of homogeneous partial structures of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide gave unequivocal evidences for the concept that definite small molecular parts of these complex macromolecular bacterial glycoconjugates are specifically recognized by their respective receptors and trigger our defense system now widely recognized as innate immunity.

Key structures of bacterial peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide triggering the innate immune system of higher animals: Chemical synthesis and functional studies".

Chemistry-based investigation is reviewed which led to identification of the active entities responsible for the immunostimulating potencies of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide. Though these glycoconjugates which ubiquitously occur in wide range of bacteria as the essential components of their cell envelopes have long been known to enhance the immunological responses of higher animals, neither the precise chemical structures required nor the mechanism of their action had been elucidated until early 1970s. Chemical synthesis of partial structures of peptidoglycan proved N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine to be the minimum structure responsible for the activity and led to later identification of its receptor protein Nod2 present in animal cells. Another active partial structure of peptidoglycan, g-D-glutamylmeso-diaminopimelic acid, and its receptor Nod1 were also identified as well. With regard to lipopolysaccharide, its glycolipid part named lipid A was purified and the structure studied. Chemically synthesized lipid A according to the newly elucidated structure exhibited full activity described for lipopolysaccharide known as endotoxin. Synthetic homogeneous lipid A and its structural analogues and labeled derivatives enabled precise studies of their interaction with receptor proteins and the mechanism of their action. Chemical synthesis of homogeneous partial structures of peptidoglycan and lipopolysaccharide gave unequivocal evidences for the concept that definite small molecular parts of these complex macromolecular bacterial glycoconjugates are specifically recognized by their respective receptors and trigger our defense system now widely recognized as innate immunity.

Interaction of lipopolysaccharide and phospholipid in mixed membranes: solid-state 31P-NMR spectroscopic and microscopic investigations.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which constitutes the outermost layer of gram-negative bacterial cells as a typical component essential for their life, induces the first line defense system of innate immunity of higher animals. To understand the basic mode of interaction between bacterial LPS and phospholipid cell membranes, distribution patterns were studied by various physical methods of deep rough mutant LPS (ReLPS) of Escherichia coli incorporated in phospholipid bilayers as simple models of cell membranes. Solid-state (31)P-NMR spectroscopic analysis suggested that a substantial part of ReLPS is incorporated into 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine lipid bilayers when multilamellar vesicles were prepared from mixtures of these. In egg L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine (egg-PC)-rich membranes, ReLPS undergoes micellization. In phosphatidylethanolamine-rich membranes, however, micellization was not observed. We studied by microscopic techniques the location of ReLPS in membranes of ReLPS/egg-PC (1:10 M/M) and ReLPS/egg-PC/1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (POPG) (1:9:1 M/M/M). The influence of ReLPS on the physicochemical properties of the membranes was studied as well. Microscopic images of both giant unilamellar vesicles and supported planar lipid bilayers showed that LPS was uniformly incorporated in the egg-PC lipid bilayers. In the egg-PC/POPG (9:1 M/M) lipid bilayers, however, ReLPS is only partially incorporated and becomes a part of the membrane in a form of aggregates (or as mixed aggregates with the lipids) on the bilayer surface. The lipid lateral diffusion coefficient measurements at various molar ratios of ReLPS/egg-PC/POPG indicated that the incorporated ReLPS reduces the diffusion coefficients of the phospholipids in the membrane. The retardation of diffusion became more significant with increasing POPG concentrations in the membrane at high ReLPS/phospholipid ratios. This work demonstrated that the phospholipid composition has critical influence on the distribution of added ReLPS in the respective lipid membranes and also on the morphology and physicochemical property of the resulting membranes. A putative major factor causing these phenomena is reasoned to be the miscibility between ReLPS and individual phospholipid compositions.

Chemical synthesis of peptidoglycan fragments for elucidation of the immunostimulating mechanism.

Partial structures of peptidoglycan were chemically synthesized for elucidation of their precise biological activities. By using an efficient synthetic strategy, mono-, di-, tetra- and octasaccharide fragments of peptidoglycan were synthesized in good yields. The biological activity of synthetic fragments of peptidoglycan was evaluated by induction of TNF-alpha from human monocytes, and TLR2 and NOD2 dependencies by using transfected HEK293 cells, respectively. We revealed that TLR2 was not stimulated by the series of synthetic peptidoglycan partial structures, whereas NOD2 recognizes the partial structures containing the MDP moiety. We also synthesized potent NOD1 agonists, which showed several hundred-fold stronger activity than gamma-D-glutamyl-meso-diaminopimelic acid (iE-DAP). Interaction of PGRPs with synthetic peptidoglycan fragments is also described.

Synthesis of lipid A and its analogues for investigation of the structural basis for their bioactivity.

As a step to elucidate the structural requirements for the endotoxic and antagonistic activity of lipid A derivatives, we have focused, in the present study, on the effects of the acyl moieties and acidic groups at the 1- and 4'- positions. We synthesized a new analogue corresponding to Rubrivivax gelatinosus lipid A, which has a characteristic symmetrical distribution of acyl groups on the two glucosamine residues with shorter acyl groups (decanoyl groups [C(10)] and lauryl groups [C(12)]) than Escherichia coli lipid A. Carboxymethyl analogues in which one of the phosphates was replaced with a carboxymethyl group were also synthesized with different distribution of acyl groups. Biological tests revealed that the distribution of acyl groups strongly affected the bioactivity. The synthetic Ru. gelatinosus type lipid A showed potent antagonistic activity against LPS, whereas its 1-O-carboxymethyl analogue showed weak endotoxic activity. These results demonstrated that when the lipid A has shorter (C(10), C(12)) hexa-acyl groups, the bioactivity of lipid A is easily affected with small structural difference, such as the difference of acidic group or the distribution of acyl groups, and the bioactivity changes from endotoxic to agonistic or vice versa at this structural boundary for the bioactivity. We also designed, based on molecular mechanics calculations, and synthesized lipid A analogues possessing acidic amino acid residues in place of the non-reducing end phosphorylated glucosamine. Definite switching of the endotoxic or antagonistic activity was also observed depending on the difference of the acidic groups (phosphoric acid or carboxylic acid) in the lipid A analogues.

Physicochemical characterization of carboxymethyl lipid A derivatives in relation to biological activity.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria belongs to the most potent activators of the mammalian immune system. Its lipid moiety, lipid A, the 'endotoxic principle' of LPS, carries two negatively charged phosphate groups and six acyl chain residues in a defined asymmetric distribution (corresponding to synthetic compound 506). Tetraacyl lipid A (precursor IVa or synthetic 406), which lacks the two hydroxylated acyl chains, is agonistically completely inactive, but is a strong antagonist to bioactive LPS when administered to the cells before LPS addition. The two negative charges of lipid A, represented by the two phosphate groups, are essential for agonistic as well as for antagonistic activity and no highly active lipid A are known with negative charges other than phosphate groups. We hypothesized that the phosphate groups could be substituted by other negatively charged groups without changing the endotoxic properties of lipid A. To test this hypothesis, we synthesized carboxymethyl (CM) derivatives of hexaacyl lipid A (CM-506 and Bis-CM-506) and of tetraacyl lipid A (Bis-CM-406) and correlated their physicochemical with their endotoxic properties. We found that, similarly to compounds 506 and 406, also for their carboxymethyl derivatives a particular molecular ('endotoxic') conformation and with that, a particular aggregate structure is a prerequisite for high cytokine-inducing capacity and antagonistic activity, respectively. In other parameters such as acyl chain melting behaviour, antibody binding, activity in the Limulus lysate assay, and partially the binding of 3-deoxy-D-manno-oct-2-ulosonic acid transferase, strong deviations from the properties of the phosphorylated compounds were observed. These data allow a better understanding of endotoxic activity and its structural prerequisites.

2JC,H index: a nondestructive NMR method for differentiation of aldohexopyranosyl residues.

A new 2J(C,H) index method is described for identification of aldohexopyranose. This method is based on a fact that 2J(C,H) values reflect the stereochemistry for glycol connectivity. Based on the observed 2J(C,H) values for galactose, glucose, and mannose, 2J(C,H) profiles for other aldohexopyranoses are proposed. A combination of 2J(C,H) values was found to be useful for identification of aldohexopyranosyl residues in glycans. [structure: see text]

Combinational clustering of receptors following stimulation by bacterial products determines lipopolysaccharide responses.

The innate immune system has the capacity to recognize a wide range of pathogens based on conserved PAMPs (pathogen-associated molecular patterns). In the case of bacterial LPS (lipopolysaccharide) recognition, the best studied PAMP, it has been shown that the innate immune system employs at least three cell-surface receptors: CD14, TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) and MD-2 protein. CD14 binds LPS from Enterobacteriaceae and then transfers it to MD-2, leading to TLR4 aggregation and signal transduction. LPS analogues such as lipid IVa seem to act as LPS antagonists in human cells, but exhibit LPS mimetic activity in mouse cells. Although TLR4 has been shown to be involved in this species-specific discrimination, the mechanism by which this is achieved has not been elucidated. The questions that remain are how the innate immune system can discriminate between LPS from different bacteria as well as different LPS analogues, and whether or not the structure of LPS affects its interaction with the CD14-TLR4-MD-2 cluster. Is it possible that the 'shape' of LPS induces the formation of different receptor clusters, and thus a different immune response? In the present study, we demonstrate using biochemical as well as fluorescence-imaging techniques that different LPS analogues trigger the recruitment of different receptors within microdomains. The composition of each receptor cluster as well as the number of TLR4 molecules that are recruited within the cluster seem to determine whether an immune response will be induced or inhibited.

TLR4-mediated inflammatory activation of human coronary artery endothelial cells by LPS.

OBJECTIVE: Blood levels of cytokines are commonly elevated in severe congestive heart failure (CHF) and in coronary artery disease (CAD). While the adverse effects of cytokines on contractile function and myocardial cell integrity are well studied, little is known on whether cardiac cells are only targets or active players in these inflammatory reactions. METHODS AND RESULTS: We tested if human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) may become a source of cytokine and adhesion molecule expression when stimulated with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Analysis of HCAEC supernatants by ELISA identified enhanced secretion of IL-6, IL-8, and MCP-1 while endothelin-1 was not increased. IL-1beta, IL-10, or TNF-alpha were not detectable by ELISA while RT-PCR revealed enhanced mRNA expression of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha but not IL-10. FACS analysis showed an LPS-induced upregulation of ICAM-1, VCAM, and ELAM-1. LFA-1 could not be detected. We further characterized receptors involved in LPS-induced signaling. Our results indicate that activation of HCAEC by LPS requires Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4. Pretreating the cells with the 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl CoA (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor Cerivastatin reduced IL-6 release. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results indicate that activated HCAEC may act as inflammatory cells and thus directly contribute to the progression of CHF and CAD.

Structural basis for endotoxic and antagonistic activities: investigation with novel synthetic lipid A analogs.

Our early work using homogeneous synthetic preparations demonstrated the presence of a lipid A analog which antagonizes endotoxic activities of LPS and lipid A. The first example was a tetraacylated biosynthetic precursor, now known as precursor Ia or lipid IVa, that contains four 3-hydroxytetradecanoyl moieties linked to the bisphosphorylated disaccharide backbone common to the endotoxic hexa-acyl Escherichia coli lipid A. Various compounds with both endotoxic and antagonistic activities have subsequently been reported from either natural or synthetic sources, but little is known about the factors determining the type of the activities of the respective compounds. To approach this issue, we have synthesized a series of lipid A analogs with various numbers and chain lengths of acyl groups on the backbone. Some were prepared by the aid of a novel affinity separation procedure. The phosphate moieties were also synthetically replaced. Biological tests showed that at least three acyl groups are required for antagonistic activity but one or even both of the phosphates can be replaced with other acidic moieties without losing the activity. The effect of Kdo residues linked to lipid A is also briefly discussed. Molecular dynamics calculations reasonably explain possible conformations required for the biological activity.

Ligand-dependent Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-oligomerization is directly linked with TLR4-signaling.

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and MD-2 recognize lipid A, the active moiety of microbial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Little is known about mechanisms for LPS recognition by TLR4/MD-2. We here showed, by using in vitro transfectants, ligand-induced TLR4-oligomerization, which required both membrane CD14 and MD-2. We previously reported that lipid IVa, a lipid A precursor, is agonistic on mouse TLR4/MD-2 but antagonistic on human TLR4/MD-2 and chimeric mouse TLR4/human MD-2. Lipid IVa triggered oligomerization of mouse TLR4/MD-2 but not human TLR4/MD-2 or chimeric mouse TLR4/human MD-2. Further, lipid IVa inhibited lipid A-dependent oligomerization of chimeric mouse TLR4/human MD-2. These results demonstrate that ligand-induced TLR4-oligomerization is directly linked with TLR4-signaling and suggest that MD-2 has an important role in regulating TLR4-oligomerization.

Biological activities of lipopolysaccharides of Proteus spp. and their interactions with polymyxin B and an 18-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein (CAP18)-derived peptide.

The saccharide constituents of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of Proteus spp. vary with the strain and contain unique components about which little is known. The biological activities of LPS and lipid A from S- and R-forms of 10 Proteus strains were examined. LPS from all S-form Proteus strains was lethal to D-(+)-galactosamine (GalN)-loaded, LPS-responsive, C3H/HeN mice, but not to LPS-hypo-responsive C3H/HeJ mice. P. vulgaris 025 LPS evoked strong anaphylactoid reactions in N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine (MDP)-primed C3H/HeJ mice. LPS from S- and R-form Proteus strains induced production of nitric oxide (NO) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) by macrophages isolated from C3H/HeN but not C3H/HeJ mice. Lipid A from Proteus strains also induced NO and TNF production, although lipid A was less potent than LPS. The effects of LPS were mainly dependent on CD14; LPS-induced NO and TNF production in CD14+ J774.1 cells was significantly greater than in CD14-J7.DEF.3 cells. All LPS from Proteus strains, and especially from P. vulgaris 025, exhibited higher anti-complementary activity than LPS from Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Polymyxin B inactivated proteus LPS in a dose-dependent manner, but these LPS preparations were more resistant to polymyxin B than E. coli LPS. CAP18(109-135), a granulocyte-derived peptide, inhibited proteus LPS endotoxicity only when the LPS:CAP18(109-135) ratio was appropriate, which suggests that CAP18(109-135) acts through a different mechanism than polymyxin B. The results indicate that LPS from Proteus spp. are potently endotoxic, but that the toxicity is different from that of LPS from E. coli or Salmonella spp. and even varies among different Proteus strains. The variation in biological activities among proteus LPS may be due to unique components within the respective LPS.

Endotoxic and immunobiological activities of a chemically synthesized lipid A of Helicobacter pylori strain 206-1.

A synthetic lipid A of Helicobacter pylori strain 206-1 (compound HP206-1), which is similar to its natural lipid A, exhibited no or very low endotoxic activities as compared to Escherichia coli-type synthetic lipid A (compound 506). Furthermore, compound HP206-1 as well as its natural lipid A demonstrated no or very low mitogenic responses in murine spleen cell. On the other hand, compound HP206-1 showed a weaker but significant production of interleukin-8 in a gastric cancer cell line, MKN-1, in comparison with compound 506. Furthermore, compound HP206-1 exhibited induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the cytokine production was clearly inhibited by mouse anti-human Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 monoclonal antibody HTA125. Our findings indicate that the chemically synthesized lipid A, mimicking the natural lipid A portion of lipopolysaccharide from H. pylori strain 206-1, has a low endotoxic potency and immunobiological activities, and is recognized by TLR4.

First Total Synthesis of the Re-Type Lipopolysaccharide.

Three sequential efficient glycosylation reactions starting from D-glucosamine were used in the first total synthesis of Escherichia coli Re lipopolysaccharide, which is one of the most simple lipopolysaccharides found on the surface of living bacteria.