Virus-like particle-display of the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-stable toxoid STh-A14T elicits neutralizing antibodies in mice.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) causes diarrhoea by secreting enterotoxins into the small intestine. Human ETEC strains may secrete any combination of three enterotoxins: the heat-labile toxin (LT) and the heat-stable toxins (ST), of which there are two variants, called human ST (STh) and porcine ST (STp). Strains expressing STh, either alone or in combination with LT and/or STp, are among the four most important diarrhoea-causing pathogens affecting children in low- and middle-income countries. ST is therefore an attractive target for ETEC vaccine development. To produce a safe ST-based vaccine, several challenges must be solved. ST must be rendered immunogenic and non-toxic, and antibodies elicited by an ST vaccine should neutralize ST but not cross-react with the endogenous ligands uroguanylin and guanylin. Virus-like particles (VLPs) tend to be highly immunogenic and are increasingly being used as carriers for presenting heterologous antigens in new vaccines. In this study, we have coupled native STh and the STh-A14T toxoid to the coat protein of Acinetobacter phage AP205 by using the SpyCatcher system and immunized mice with these VLPs without the use of adjuvants. We found that both STs were efficiently coupled to the VLP, that both the STh and STh-A14T VLPs were immunogenic in mice, and that the resulting serum antibodies could completely neutralize the toxic activities of native STh. The serum antibodies showed a high degree of immunological cross-reaction to STp, while there was little or no unwanted cross-reaction to uroguanylin and guanylin. Moreover, compared to native STh, the STh-A14T mutation did not seem to negatively impact the immunogenicity of the construct or the neutralizing ability of the resulting sera. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that VLPs are suitable carriers for making STs immunogenic, and that the STh-A14T-coupled AP205 VLP represents a promising ETEC vaccine candidate.

Palmitic acid induces guanylin gene expression through the Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB pathway in rat macrophages.

Recently, we showed that double-transgenic rats overexpressing guanylin (Gn), a bioactive peptide, and its receptor, guanylyl cyclase-C (GC-C), specifically in macrophages demonstrate an antiobesity phenotype and low-expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the mesenteric fat even when fed a high-fat diet. Here, we examined the levels and mechanism of Gn and GC-C transcription following saturated fatty acid and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an activator of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), exposure by using the NR8383 macrophage cell line. In addition, the levels of guanylin and cGMP were increased by addition of either palmitic acid or LPS. Next, we investigated the interaction of the gene transcription and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) by using an NF-κB inhibitor and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. We showed that palmitic acid induced Gn gene expression via TLR4 and NF-κB. Moreover, we demonstrated that NF-κB binding to the Gn promoter was responsible for the induction of gene transcription by palmitic acid or LPS. Our results indicate that saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid activate Gn gene expression via the NF-κB pathway, raising the possibility that the activated Gn-GC-C system may contribute to the inhibition of high-fat diet-induced proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages.

Immunizations with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Heat-Stable Toxin Conjugates Engender Toxin-Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice That Also Cross-React with Guanylin and Uroguanylin.

Infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of childhood diarrhea in low- and middle-income countries, as well as of diarrhea among travelers to these countries. In children, ETEC strains secreting the heat-stable toxin (ST) are the most pathogenic, and there are ongoing efforts to develop vaccines that target ST. One important challenge for ST vaccine development is to construct immunogens that do not elicit antibodies that cross-react with guanylin and uroguanylin, which are endogenous peptides involved in regulating the activity of the guanylate cyclase-C (GC-C) receptor. We immunized mice with both human ST (STh) and porcine ST (STp) chemically coupled to bovine serum albumin, and the resulting sera neutralized the toxic activities of both STh and STp. This suggests that a vaccine based on either ST variant can confer cross-protection. However, several anti-STh and anti-STp sera cross-reacted with the endogenous peptides, suggesting that the ST sequence must be altered to reduce the risk of unwanted cross-reactivity. Epitope mapping of four monoclonal anti-STh and six anti-STp antibodies, all of which neutralized both STh and STp, revealed that most epitopes appear to have at least one amino acid residue shared with guanylin or uroguanylin. Despite this, only one monoclonal antibody displayed demonstrable cross-reactivity to the endogenous peptides, suggesting that targeted mutations of a limited number of ST residues may be sufficient to obtain a safe ST-based vaccine.

Neutralizing Anti-Heat-Stable Toxin (STa) Antibodies Derived from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Toxoid Fusions with STa Proteins Containing N12S, L9A/N12S, or N12S/A14T Mutations Show Little Cross-Reactivity with Guanylin or Uroguanylin.

Heat-stable toxin (STa)-producing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are a top cause of moderate-to-severe diarrhea in children from developing countries and a common cause of travelers' diarrhea. Recent progress in using STa toxoids and toxoid fusions to induce neutralizing anti-STa antibodies has accelerated ETEC vaccine development. However, concern remains regarding whether the derived anti-STa antibodies cross-react with STa-like guanylin and uroguanylin, two guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) ligands regulating fluid and electrolyte transportation in human intestinal and renal epithelial cells. To further divert STa from guanylin and uroguanylin structurally and antigenically and to eliminate anti-STa antibody cross-reactivity with guanylin and uroguanylin, we mutated STa at the 9th (leucine), 12th (asparagine), and 14th (alanine) residues for the double and triple mutants STaL9A/N12S, STaL9A/A14H, STaN12S/A14T, and STaL9A/N12S/A14H We then fused each STa mutant (three copies) to a monomeric heat-labile toxin (LT) mutant (mnLTR192G/L211A) for the toxoid fusions 3×STaL9A/N12S-mnLTR192G/L211A, 3×STaL9A/A14H-mnLTR192G/L211A, 3×STaN12S/A14T-mnLTR192G/L211A, and 3×STaL9A/N12S/A14H-mnLTR192G/L211A; examined each fusion for anti-STa immunogenicity; and assessed the derived antibodies for in vitro neutralization activity against STa toxicity and for cross-reactivity with guanylin and uroguanylin. Mice subcutaneously immunized with each fusion protein developed anti-STa antibodies, and the antibodies derived from 3×STaN12S-mnLTR192G/L211A, 3×STaL9A/N12S-mnLTR192G/L211A, or 3×STaN12S/A14T-mnLTR192G/L211A prevented STa from the stimulation of intracellular cGMP in T-84 cells. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) showed that guanylin and uroguanylin hardly blocked the binding of anti-STa antibodies to the coated STa-ovalbumin conjugate. These results indicated that antibodies derived from 3×STaN12S-mnLTR192G/L211A, 3×STaL9A/N12S-mnLTR192G/L211A, or 3×STaN12S/A14T-mnLTR192G/L211A neutralized STa and had little cross-reactivity with guanylin and uroguanylin, suggesting that these toxoid fusions are suitable antigens for ETEC vaccines.IMPORTANCE Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are a leading cause of children's diarrhea and travelers' diarrhea. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine against ETEC diarrhea. One key challenge is to identify safe antigens to induce antibodies neutralizing the key STa without cross-reacting with guanylin and uroguanylin, two important ligands controlling homeostasis in human intestinal and renal epithelial cells. In this study, we generated nontoxic fusion antigens that induced antibodies that neutralize STa enterotoxicity in vitro and do not cross-react with guanylin or uroguanylin. These fusions have become the preferred antigens for the development of ETEC vaccines to potentially prevent the deaths of hundreds of thousands of young children and hundreds of millions of diarrheal cases each year.

Characterization of immunological cross-reactivity between enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-stable toxin and human guanylin and uroguanylin.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) expressing the heat-stable toxin (ST) (human-type [STh] and porcine-type [STp] variants) is among the five most important enteric pathogens in young children living in low- and middle-income countries. ST mediates diarrheal disease through activation of the guanylate cyclase C (GC-C) receptor and is an attractive vaccine target with the potential to confer protection against a wide range of ETEC strains. However, immunological cross-reactivity to the endogenous GC-C ligands guanylin and uroguanylin is a major concern because of the similarities to ST in amino acid sequence, structure, and function. We have investigated the presence of similar epitopes on STh, STp, guanylin, and uroguanylin by analyzing these peptides in eight distinct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). A fraction (27%) of a polyclonal anti-STh antibody and an anti-STh monoclonal antibody (MAb) cross-reacted with uroguanylin, the latter with a 73-fold-lower affinity. In contrast, none of the antibodies raised against STp, one polyclonal antibody and three MAbs, cross-reacted with the endogenous peptides. Antibodies raised against guanylin and uroguanylin showed partial cross-reactivity with the ST peptides. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that immunological cross-reactions between ST and the endogenous peptides can occur. However, the partial nature and low affinity of the observed cross-reactions suggest that the risk of adverse effects from a future ST vaccine may be low. Furthermore, our results suggest that this risk may be reduced or eliminated by basing an ST immunogen on STp or a selectively mutated variant of STh.

Guanylate cyclase C deficiency causes severe inflammation in a murine model of spontaneous colitis.

BACKGROUND: Guanylate Cyclase C (GC-C; Gucy2c) is a transmembrane receptor expressed in intestinal epithelial cells. Activation of GC-C by its secreted ligand guanylin stimulates intestinal fluid secretion. Familial mutations in GC-C cause chronic diarrheal disease or constipation and are associated with intestinal inflammation and infection. Here, we investigated the impact of GC-C activity on mucosal immune responses. METHODS: We utilized intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide to elicit a systemic cytokine challenge and then measured pro-inflammatory gene expression in colonic mucosa. GC-C(+/+) and GC-C(-/-) mice were bred with interleukin (IL)-10 deficient animals and colonic inflammation were assessed. Immune cell influx and cytokine/chemokine expression was measured in the colon of wildtype, IL-10(-/-), GC-C(+/+)IL-10(-/-) and GC-C(-/-)IL-10(-/-) mice. GC-C and guanylin production were examined in the colon of these animals and in a cytokine-treated colon epithelial cell line. RESULTS: Relative to GC-C(+/+) animals, intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide injection into GC-C(-/-) mice increased proinflammatory gene expression in both whole colon tissue and in partially purified colonocyte isolations. Spontaneous colitis in GC-C(-/-)IL-10(-/-) animals was significantly more severe relative to GC-C(+/+)IL-10(-/-) mice. Unlike GC-C(+/+)IL-10(-/-) controls, colon pathology in GC-C(-/-)IL-10(-/-) animals was apparent at an early age and was characterized by severely altered mucosal architecture, crypt abscesses, and hyperplastic subepithelial lesions. F4/80 and myeloperoxidase positive cells as well as proinflammatory gene expression were elevated in GC-C(-/-)IL-10(-/-) mucosa relative to control animals. Guanylin was diminished early in colitis in vivo and tumor necrosis factor α suppressed guanylin mRNA and protein in intestinal goblet cell-like HT29-18-N2 cells. CONCLUSIONS: The GC-C signaling pathway blunts colonic mucosal inflammation that is initiated by systemic cytokine burst or loss of mucosal immune cell immunosuppression. These data as well as the apparent intestinal inflammation in human GC-C mutant kindred underscore the importance of GC-C in regulating the response to injury and inflammation within the gut.

Depletion of proBNP1-108 in patients with heart failure prevents cross-reactivity with natriuretic peptides.

BACKGROUND: After synthesis by cardiomyocytes, precursor proBNP1-108 is cleaved into NT-proBNP and BNP. Recently, cross-reactivity between these assays was discussed. The aim of this study was to characterize the cross-reactivities, through a new biochemical innovative approach consisting in the total depletion of the circulating proBNP1-108 in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: This prospective study included 180 patients with chronic HF. BNP and NT-proBNP were dosed with commercial kits. ProBNP1-108 was determined using an ELISA research assay specific to the precursor. ProBNP1-108 depletion was performed by immunocapture with a specific antibody targeting exclusively the ProBNP1-108 hinge region. ProBNP1-108, BNP and NT-proBNP levels were determined before and after depletion using this process in HF patients. RESULTS: Mean age was 74.34 +/-12.5 y, and 69% of patients were males. NYHA classes II and III were the most frequent (32% and 45% respectively). Before depletion, ProBNP1-108, NT-proBNP and BNP levels were 316.8+/-265.9 pg/ml; 6,054.0+/-11,539 pg/ml and 684.3+/-82.1 pg/ml respectively, and were closely correlated with NHYA classes. After immuno-depletion, proBNP1-108 was decreased in mean by 96% (p<0.0001), BNP by 53% (p<0.0001) and NT-proBNP by 5%. The relationship between BNP or NT-proBNP and NHYA classes remained unchanged. CONCLUSION: Current BNP and NT-proBNP assays measured as well proBNP molecule. This cross reactivity percentage has been controversial. Thanks to the removal of circulating proBNP1-108 with our immunodepletion process, we are now able to assess the remaining "true" BNP and NT-proBNP molecules and further evaluate their clinical relevance.

Effects of Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin and guanylin on the barrier integrity of intestinal epithelial T84 cells.

Tight junctions contribute to the formation and establishment of intestinal epithelial barriers against microbial infections. However, a variety of enteric pathogens have developed strategies to adhere to and invade epithelial cells and disrupt epithelial integrity. The aim of this study was to ascertain if enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin (STa) can cause deterioration of epithelial barrier integrity. Since STa shows amino acid similarity to guanylin, we evaluated the effects of both of these molecules on T84 epithelial cells. T84 epithelial monolayers were grown on 24-well Transwell filters and barrier integrity was assayed by measurement of transepithelial electrical resistance (TER). Macromolecular permeability of the monolayers was determined by measuring the paracellular passage of FITC-labeled dextran 4000 from apical to basolateral compartments of the Transwell filter culture. Treatment of T84 monolayers with either ST or guanylin did not increase paracellular permeability to FITC-dextran. However, although guanylin, which is a physiological guanylate cyclase activator, did not change TER in polarized T84 monolayers, ST did elicit a reduction in TER within 2h, at concentrations above 4µM. These data suggest that STa causes not only induction of water secretion but also intestinal barrier dysfunction.

A role for natriuretic peptide in lipopolysaccharide-induced fever in Pekin ducks (Anas platyrhynchos): is natriuretic peptide an endogenous antipyretic in birds?

The febrile mechanism in all vertebrates involves endogenous molecules which mediate and attenuate the fever response. This mechanism is considered phylogenetically conserved, and the molecules are thought to be analogous in different species. The above notion is supported by evidence which show avian and mammalian fevers to have similar mediators. There is, however, a paucity of information regarding the modulators of the avian febrile response. Natriuretic peptides were shown to modulate mammalian fevers and, although natriuretic peptides are also present in birds, they have never been investigated in the context of fever. We induced fever in Pekin ducks with lipopolysaccharide and, at the same time, treated the animals with natriuretic peptide antiserum at a dose that effectively inhibited the known renal actions of endogenously secreted natriuretic peptide. We compared fever responses after ducks received either the antiserum or an appropriate control along with the lipopolysaccharide. The antiserum did not attenuate the fever responses of ducks. Our results differ from the results of a study in rats, which demonstrated natriuretic peptides to be potently antipyretic. This molecule seems to be antipyretic in mammals but not in ducks. We suggest a species variation regarding the ability of natriuretic peptides to modulate fever.

The antifertility effects of DNA vaccine-induced immune responses against uroguanylin.

Previously we found that uroguanylin displayed a specific expression pattern in the uteri during pregnancy. In this study, the effect of uroguanylin in early pregnancy was studied by DNA vaccine, RT-PCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that (1) the anti-rUfl antibodies could be elicited in the mice after immunization by recombinant plasmid pCR3.1-rUfl; (2) the birth rate of the female mice immunized by pCR3.1-rUfl was significantly reduced (p<0.01); (3) anti-rUfl antibodies could bind with uroguanylin in the uteri of the non-pregnant mice immunized by pCR3.1-rUfl; (4) in the non-mated experiments, in the uteri of normal, pCR3.1- and pCR3.1-rUfl-immunized mice, expression of p53 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was not detected, Bax was expressed, and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFbeta1) expression was very little; (5) in the mated experiments, p53, Bax, VEGF and TGFbeta1 were expressed in the uteri of saline- and pCR3.1-immunized mice that were pregnant. However, their expression was significantly decreased in the uteri of the non-pregnant mice immunized by pCR3.1-rUfl on the 9th day of pregnancy (p<0.01). The results indicate that the immunization by pCR3.1-rUfl has antifertility effect.