Anti-Salmonella Activity Modulation of Mastoparan V1-A Wasp Venom Toxin-Using Protease Inhibitors, and Its Efficient Production via an Escherichia coli Secretion System.

A previous study highlighted that mastoparan V1 (MP-V1), a mastoparan from the venom of the social wasp Vespula vulgaris, is a potent antimicrobial peptide against Salmonella infection, which causes enteric diseases. However, there exist some limits for its practical application due to the loss of its activity in an increased bacterial density and the difficulty of its efficient production. In this study, we first modulated successfully the antimicrobial activity of synthetic MP-V1 against an increased Salmonella population using protease inhibitors, and developed an Escherichia coli secretion system efficiently producing active MP-V1. The protease inhibitors used, except pepstatin A, significantly increased the antimicrobial activity of the synthetic MP-V1 at minimum inhibitory concentrations (determined against 106 cfu/mL of population) against an increased population (108 cfu/mL) of three different Salmonella serotypes, Gallinarum, Typhimurium and Enteritidis. Meanwhile, the E. coli strain harboring OmpA SS::MP-V1 was identified to successfully secrete active MP-V1 into cell-free supernatant, whose antimicrobial activity disappeared in the increased population (108 cfu/mL) of Salmonella Typhimurium recovered by adding a protease inhibitor cocktail. Therefore, it has been concluded that our challenge using the E. coli secretion system with the protease inhibitors is an attractive strategy for practical application of peptide toxins, such as MP-V1.

Molecular cloning and expression in Pichia pastoris of a hypoallergenic antigen 5.

Stings by insects from the Hymenoptera order can cause life-threatening allergic reactions and impair life quality. Immunotherapy with venom extracts is the most extensively employed treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality, but purified and safer allergy vaccines are needed. Antigen 5 is an important allergen of vespid venoms. We previously reported that Antigen 5 from Polybia scutellaris (Poly s 5) is likely to be a hypoallergenic variant. On the basis of such findings, this work deals with the recombinant expression and purification of Poly s 5 in Pichia pastoris. In order to overcome non-native glycosylation of the recombinant protein, it was necessary to delete a glycosylation site. On the other hand, different strategies were attempted to obtain a satisfactory yield of the protein; moreover, the influence of the methanol concentration in the expression medium was investigated and found to be crucial. Mass spectrometry, N-terminal sequencing, and IgG-binding inhibition assays were performed. Results allowed us to confirm the immunological equivalence between the recombinant and the natural proteins. In conclusion, a novel protocol for the recombinant expression of Poly s 5 in P. pastoris was designed thus bringing about a high yield of the protein useful for clinical and scientific purposes.

Molecular cloning of the precursor polypeptide of mastoparan B and its putative processing enzyme, dipeptidyl peptidase IV, from the black-bellied hornet, Vespa basalis.

Mastoparan B, a cationic toxin, is the major peptide component in the venom of Vespa basalis. Molecular cloning of its cDNA fragment revealed that this toxin was initially synthesized as a precursor polypeptide, containing an N-terminal signal sequence, a prosequence, the mature toxin, and an appendix glycine at C-terminus. Sequence alignment between precursors of mastoparan B and melittin from honeybee venom showed a significant conservation in prosequence. Alternate positions existing in both prosequences were either proline or alanine known as the potential cleaving sites for dipeptidyl peptidase IV. Subsequently, a putative dipeptidyl peptidase IV cDNA fragment was cloned from Vespa basalis venom gland. The prosequence may possibly be removed via sequential liberation of dipeptides during the processing of mastoparan B.

Bacterial fermentation of recombinant major wasp allergen Antigen 5 using oxygen limiting growth conditions improves yield and quality of inclusion bodies.

A process for bacterial expression and purification of the recombinant major wasp allergen Antigen 5 (Ves v 5) was developed to produce protein for diagnostic and therapeutic applications for type 1 allergic diseases. Special attention was focused on medium selection, fermentation conditions, and efficient refolding procedures. A soy based medium was used for fermentation to avoid peptone from animal origin. Animal-derived peptone required the use of isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) for the induction of expression. In the case of soy peptone, a constitutive expression was observed, suggesting the presence of a component that mimics IPTG. Batch cultivation at reduced stirrer speed caused a reduced biomass due to oxygen limitation. However, subsequent purification and processing of inclusion bodies yielded significantly higher amount of product. Furthermore, the protein composition of the inclusion bodies differed. Inclusion bodies were denatured and subjected to diafiltration. Detailed monitoring of diafiltration enabled the determination of the transition point. Final purification was conducted using cation-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Purified recombinant Ves v 5 was analyzed by RP-HPLC, CD-spectroscopy, SDS-PAGE, and quantification ELISA. Up to 15 mg highly purified Ves v 5 per litre bioreactor volume were obtained, with endotoxin concentrations less than 20 EU mg(-1) protein and high comparability to the natural counterpart. Analytical results confirm the suitability of the recombinant protein for diagnostic and clinical applications. The results clearly demonstrate that not only biomass, but especially growth conditions play a key role in the production of recombinant Ves v 5. This has an influence on inclusion body formation, which in turn influences the renaturation rate and absolute product yield. This might also be true for other recombinant proteins that accumulate as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli.

Expression of yellow jacket and wasp venom Ag5 allergens in bacteria and in yeast.

Antigen 5 (Ag5), of unknown biological function, is one of the major venom allergens of vespids and fire ants. We have compared the expression of Ag5 in bacteria and in yeast. Recombinant Ag5 from bacteria formed an insoluble intracellular product, which was not properly folded, but that produced in Pichia pastoris was secreted to the extracellular medium. Immunochemical characterizations showed the secreted Ag5 to have the native structure of the natural protein. This is of interest since the B cell epitopes of Ag5 are mainly of the discontinuous type. These studies were made with Ag5s from yellow jacket (Vespula vulgaris) and paper wasp (Polistes annularis), and with hybrid Ag5 molecules that contained partial sequences of these two species. In vitro allergenicity studies with sera from yellow jacket-sensitive patients showed that some of these hybrid molecules had a greatly reduced allergenicity but retained the immunogenicity of the natural allergen. This could be of importance for immunotherapy of this type of allergy.

Toxins produced by arthropod parasites: salivary gland proteins of human body lice and venom proteins of chelonine wasps.

A review is presented of our ongoing research projects on the protein components of the saliva of human body lice and of the non-paralyzing venom of wasps in the subfamily Cheloninae. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacryamide gel electrophoretic analysis of lice salivary gland proteins showed a predominance of high and intermediate mol. wt proteins. Immunoblotting with a low titer polyclonal antiserum to lice salivary proteins indicated that some, but not all, of the predominant high mol. wt salivary gland proteins are injected into the host during feeding. The venom of a Chelonus sp. wasp contains a chitinase, and a 33,000 mol. wt protein with a primary structure composed mostly of a series of 12 tandem repeats of a 14-residue sequence. The N-terminus of this protein and its homologs in a related species of Ascogaster share a conserved adjacent pair of acidic residues. Epitope mapping/immunoprecipitation experiments now in progress will provide information on which linear motifs are on the surface of the protein, and will thereby provide information on the tertiary structure of the protein.

Murine T and B cell responses to natural and recombinant hornet venom allergen Dol m 5.02 and its recombinant fragments.

White-face hornet venom allergen, Dol m 5.02, is a protein of 204 amino acid residues. This protein and its overlapping fragments, of 53-114 residues in size, containing the N-terminal, middle, and C-terminal regions of the molecule, can be expressed in high yield in bacteria by using the plasmid vector pQE12. Natural (n) and recombinant (r) Dol m 5.02s and the r-fragments are about equally immunogenic for IgG Ab response in BALB/c mice. n-Dol m 5.02 induces mainly murine IgG Abs specific for its discontinuous B cell epitopes and, to a lesser extent, Abs specific for its continuous epitopes. r-Dol m 5.02 and the r-fragments induce only Abs specific for continuous B cell epitopes that are common with those of the n-protein. Abs specific for the discontinuous epitopes show higher affinity than those specific for the continuous epitopes. r-Dol m 5.02 and the r-fragments are as efficient as n-Dol m 5.02 in inducing murine T cell responses specific for the n-protein. The differences in the immunogenicity of n- and r-proteins or r-peptide fragments for B and T cell responses are related to their conformations, inasmuch as only the n-protein is cross-linked by four disulfide bonds. These findings are relevant to the potential use of r-fragments as immunotherapeutic reagents in humans.

Regulatory mediators in the venom of Chelonus sp.: their biosynthesis and subsequent processing in homologous and heterologous systems.

Following titration of the contents of the venom gland reservoir, the rate of biosynthesis of venom proteins was sufficiently rapid over the next 6-24 hrs to restore their titer to the level initially synthesized during early adulthood. There was no evidence of processing of smaller molecular weight components from much larger forms. Although most proteins were stable in young host embryos, two specific processing products of a 32.5 kDa venom protein were found in such hosts. The natural injection of venom proteins into either very old embryos or young embryos subsequently held at 4 degrees C for six days resulted in rapid degradation to biologically inactive forms. These data are the first report of direct examination of the biosynthesis of wasp venom proteins and the first analysis of the processing of specific hymenopteran venom proteins in target tissues.

cDNA cloning and primary structure of a white-face hornet venom allergen, antigen 5.

A major allergen of white-face hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) venom is antigen 5 (also designated Dol m V). We have determined the primary structures of two forms of this protein by cDNA and protein sequencings. These two forms with 204 and 205 amino acid residues differ in 23% of their sequences but they are antigenically similar. Both forms have sequence similarity with a pathogenesis-related protein of tobacco leaf. In a 130-residue overlap of these proteins, 35-39 residues were identical. Hornet antigen 5 cDNAs were isolated from an expression library in lambda gt11 phage using antibody probes. Several of the cDNAs were not full length, but the fusion fragments expressed were immunoreactive. These results suggest that antigenic determinants of the sequential type are distributed throughout the entire molecule of antigen 5. After subcloning, antigen 5 was also expressed in pKK233-2 plasmid.