Application of BCG-CWS as a Systemic Adjuvant by Using Nanoparticulation Technology.

The intravesical instillation of live Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for treating bladder cancer is a powerful cancer immunotherapy. The BCG cell wall skeleton (BCG-CWS) is the main component of the adjuvant, leading to the induction of antitumor immunity. However, the use of live BCG and BCG-CWS is currently limited to local administration because of the infectiousness of live BCG and the insolubility of BCG-CWS. We previously developed a water-dispersible nanoparticle (NP) formulation of BCG-CWS (CWS-NP), which could be used to apply BCG components for use as a systemically injected adjuvant for the treatment of cancers other than bladder cancer. In the present study, we examined the possible use of CWS-NP for cancer immunotherapy, when intravenously administered. The CWS-NP was a highly uniform dispersion and showed no aggregation in serum. The intravenously injected CWS-NP accumulated in the spleen and was efficiently taken up by dendritic cells, leading to their maturation. The coadministration of CWS-NP and ovalbumin (OVA) loaded NP resulted in the generation of OVA-specific cytotoxic T cells and inhibited the growth of E.G7-OVA tumors. These results represent the first findings related to the use of systemically injected CWS-NP as an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy.

Strong FtsZ is with the force: mechanisms to constrict bacteria.

FtsZ, the best-known prokaryotic division protein, assembles at midcell with other proteins forming a ring during septation. Widely conserved in bacteria, FtsZ represents the ancestor of tubulin. In the presence of GTP it forms polymers able to associate into multi-stranded flexible structures. FtsZ research is aimed at determining the role of the Z-ring in division, describing the polymerization and potential force-generating mechanisms and evaluating the roles of nucleotide exchange and hydrolysis. Systems to reconstruct the FtsZ ring in vitro have been described and some of its mechanical properties have been reproduced using in silico modeling. We discuss current research in FtsZ, some of the controversies, and finally propose further research needed to complete a model of FtsZ action that reconciles its in vitro properties with its role in division.

Isolation and identification of arabinose mycolates of Cell Wall Skeleton (CWS) derived from Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105).

A unique hydrolysis method using a two-layer solution, consisting of diluted hydrochloric acid and toluene was developed to isolate whole arabinose mycolates from the cell wall skeleton of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105) in order to reveal its pivotal role in enhancing immune responses against tumors.

Morphological study on Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 cell wall skeleton (SMP-105).

Mycobacterial cell wall consists of rigid cell wall skeleton (CWS), a mycoloyl arabinogalactan peptidiglycan complex, in which mycoloyl structure varies by the mycobacterial species diversely, whereas the arabinogalactan peptidoglycan structure is consistent comparatively. The CWS of Mycobacterium bovis BCG has long been expected as a potent adjuvant for immunotherapy of malignant tumor. Although the chemical structure of CWS has been established in the last few decades, the physicochemical properties of CWS having highly amphipathic micelle structure with very long mycoloyl and carbohydrate chains are not unveiled. In this study, the ultrastructure of CWS of M. bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105), suspended in several solvents with different polarity, was investigated with a particle size analyzer, a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and other techniques. As a result, the particle size was about 4.7 to 67.8 microm in physiological saline, but it became smaller and more compact when suspended in hydrophobic solvents. TEM images showed two different morphological forms distinctively: double folded sheet structure in hydrophilic conditions and multilayered rolled sheet structure in hydrophobic conditions. These studies have revealed characteristic surface features of SMP-105, the hydrophobic moiety occupying dominant space and the hydrophilic moiety smaller space, respectively, which may lead to the acceleration of immunological studies on this product.

Separation and molecular characterization of mycolic acid from the cell wall skeleton of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105) and BCG substrains by normal-phase high performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Since mycolic acids, the most characteristic major lipid component in mycobacterial cell envelopes, play pivotal roles in the cell surface-based host immune responses, normal-phase HPLC has been developed to quantify and identify mycolic acids of the cell wall skeleton from Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105).

Activation of Toll-like receptor 2 by a novel preparation of cell wall skeleton from Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo (SMP-105) sufficiently enhances immune responses against tumors.

The cell wall skeleton of Mycobacterium bovis BCG has been investigated as an immunopotentiating adjuvant for immuno-therapy of malignant tumors via Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4. However, due to its high molecular weight, highly complicated lipoglycan structure, and complicated purification and isolation procedure, its exact structure-activity relationship has not been well established. We have newly isolated the cell wall skeleton from M. bovis BCG Tokyo (SMP-105) and examined the binding of SMP-105 with TLR. It was revealed that highly purified SMP-105 activates the nuclear factor-kB promoter in a TLR2-dependent manner, not a TLR4-dependent manner, using a reporter gene assay system. Peritoneal exudated cells of TLR2 and MyD88 knockout mice severely reduced the induction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in the presence of SMP-105, whereas cells from TLR4 knockout mice produced similar levels of cytokines to wild-type mice. Dendritic cells and macrophages accumulated in the draining lymph nodes of treated mice. When mice were administered both SMP-105 and mitomycin C-inactivated Lewis lung carcinoma cells simultaneously, interferon-gamma-producing cells reacting to the tumor were increased distinctly in draining lymph nodes. When C57BL/6 mice, into which splenocytes from OT-I transgenic mice had been transferred, were administered with both SMP-105 and E.G7-OVA, OVA-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) increased markedly. Mice treated with SMP-105 and inactivated Lewis lung carcinoma cells suppressed the growth of implanted tumors. These results suggest that the activation of TLR2 by SMP-105 sufficiently enhanced immune responses, such as the number of interferon-gamma-producing cells and CTL, and prevented the growth of tumors without the contribution of TLR4.

Comprehensive analysis of mycolic acid subclass and molecular species composition of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 cell wall skeleton (SMP-105).

The mycobacterial cell envelope consists of a characteristic cell wall skeleton (CWS), a mycoloyl arabinogalactan peptidoglycan complex, and related hydrophobic components that contribute to the cell surface properties. Since mycolic acids have recently been reported to play crucial roles in host immune response, detailed molecular characterization of mycolic acid subclasses and sub-subclasses of CWS from Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo 172 (SMP-105) was performed. Mycolic acids were liberated by alkali hydrolysis from SMP-105, and their methyl esters were separated by silica gel TLC into three subclasses: alpha-, methoxy-, and keto-mycolates. Each mycolate subclass was further separated by silver nitrate (AgNO(3))-coated silica gel TLC into sub-subclasses. Molecular weights of individual mycolic acid were determined by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. alpha-Mycolates were sub-grouped into cis, cis-dicyclopropanoic (alpha1), and cis-monocyclopropanoic-cis-monoenoic (alpha2) series; methoxy-mycolates were sub-grouped into cis-monocyclopropanoic (m1), trans-monocyclopropanoic (m2), trans-monoenoic (m3), cis-monocyclopropanoic-trans-monoenoic (m4), cis-monoenoic (m5), and cis-monocyclopropanoic-cis-monoenoic (m6) series; and keto-mycolates were sub-grouped into cis-monocyclopropanoic (k1), trans-monocyclopropanoic (k2), trans-monoenoic (k3), cis-monoenoic (k4), and cis-monocyclopropanoic-cis-monoenoic (k5) series. The position of each functional group, including cyclopropane rings and methoxy and keto groups, was determined by analysis of the meromycolates with fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry and FAB mass-mass spectrometry, and the cis/trans ratio of cyclopropane rings and double bonds were determined by NMR analysis of methyl mycolates. Mycolic acid subclass and molecular species composition of SMP-105 showed characteristic features including newly-identified cis-monocyclopropanoic-trans-monoenoic mycolic acid (m4).

Mycobacterium bovis BCG cell wall and lipopolysaccharide induce a novel gene, BIGM103, encoding a 7-TM protein: identification of a new protein family having Zn-transporter and Zn-metalloprotease signatures.

To identify novel genes induced during innate immune activation, we screened a cDNA library prepared from monocytes stimulated with Mycobacterium bovis BCG cell wall. A novel transcript with three-protein coding potential was identified, and the expressed proteins from individual frames showed distinct intracellular localization. Live and heat-killed Mycobacterium, bacterial cell wall, and inflammatory cytokines like TNFalpha were found to be potent inducers of the transcript. Expression of this gene is very low or undetectable in unstimulated monocytes, while a steady expression level was observed during differentiation of monocytes to dendritic cells and macrophages. The entire gene consisted of eight major exons and was localized on chromosome 4q22-q24, spanning approximately 84 kb. The main open reading frame of the transcript encoded a putative seven-transmembrane (TM) protein that showed homology with a number of functionally unknown proteins in the database. Further analysis revealed that all of these proteins have detectable similarity with the ZIP family of metal transporters. In fact, increased accumulation of intracellular Zn(2+) was observed due to the expression of BIGM103 in CHO cells. However, the identified proteins are structurally unique compared to known ZIP members and they also possess the hallmark of Zn-metalloproteases, suggesting a new class of multi-TM protein with dual features. Here we present a collection of these proteins and discuss the functional aspects of BIGM103, based on our results and current findings on two members of the family, Drosophila Catsup and Arabidopsis IAR1.