Protective activity of anti-lipoteichoic acid monoclonal antibody in single or combination therapies in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-induced murine sepsis models.

Previously, we generated and screened a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) to identify protective mAbs in mouse infection models. One of these mAbs, ZBIA3H, bound to lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and exerted protective effects in a mouse sepsis model. To reinforce the ability of the mAb to protect against infection, combination therapies with the mAb and antibiotics need to be examined. Therefore, herein, we studied the efficacy of ZBIA3H (in combination or alone) in a mouse sepsis model. ZBIA3H improved the survival rate in the mouse models of sepsis induced by highly virulent or refractory S. aureus (community-acquired MRSA strain MW2, vancomycin-intermediate S. aureus strain Mu3, or vancomycin-resistant S. aureus strain VRS1). Furthermore, ZBIA3H remarkably improved the survival rate in combination with antimicrobial agents (vancomycin, daptomycin, or linezolid) in mouse sepsis models. From these results we conclude that anti-LTA mAb ZBIA3H or its humanized form is a promising mAb individually, or in combination with antibiotics, against clinical refractory infection of S. aureus.

Successful selection of an infection-protective anti-Staphylococcus aureus monoclonal antibody and its protective activity in murine infection models.

Recent clinical trials to develop anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) therapeutic antibodies have met unsuccessful sequels. To develop more effective antibodies against MRSA infection, a panel of mAbs against S. aureus cell wall was generated and then screened for the most protective mAb in mouse infection models. Twenty-two anti-S. aureus IgG mAbs were obtained from mice that had been immunized with alkali-processed, deacetylated cell walls of S. aureus. One of these mAbs, ZBIA5H, exhibited life-saving effects in mouse models of sepsis caused by community-acquired MRSA strain MW2 and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus strain VRS1. It also had a curative effect in a MW2-caused pneumonia model. Curiously, the target of ZBIA5H was considered to be a conformational epitope of either the 1,4-ß-linkage between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine or the peptidoglycan per se. Reactivity of ZBIA5H to S. aureus whole cells or purified peptidoglycan was weaker than that of most of the other mAbs generated in this study. However, the latter mAbs did not have the protective activities against S. aureus that ZBIA5H did. These data indicate that the epitopes that trigger production of high-yield and/or high-affinity antibodies may not be the most suitable epitopes for developing anti-infective antibodies. ZBIA5H or its humanized form may find a future clinical application, and its target epitope may be used for the production of vaccines against S. aureus infection.

Inhibitory effects of ZSTK474, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, on adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of ZSTK474, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA). METHODS: AIA was induced in Lewis rats by subcutaneous administration of Freund's complete adjuvant at the base of the tail on day 0. ZSTK474 was orally administered once daily from day 10. The severity of AIA was assessed by measuring the hind paw volume. The number of lymphocytes in inguinal lymph nodes (ILN) was determined by flow cytometry. The in vitro effects of ZSTK474 on the cell proliferation, and the cytokines and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production were evaluated by BrdU method, ELISA and cytometric beads array. RESULTS: ZSTK474 ameliorated the progression of AIA. The temporary increases in the number of T cells in ILN, which occurred along with the appearance of arthritis, were inhibited in the ZSTK474-treated groups. In vitro studies revealed that ZSTK474 inhibited the production of IFNγ and IL-17 in concanavalin A-activated T cells. In vitro studies further revealed that ZSTK474 inhibited the proliferation and PGE(2) production by fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS). CONCLUSION: ZSTK474 demonstrated prophylactic efficacy in a rat model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through inhibition of T cell and FLS functions. It was suggested that the inhibitors of PI3K have therapeutic potential for RA.

Effectiveness of combined treatment using X-rays and a phosphoinositide 3-kinase inhibitor, ZSTK474, on proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro and in vivo.

ZSTK474 is a novel orally applicable phosphoinositide 3-kinase-specific inhibitor that strongly inhibits cancer cell proliferation. To further explore the antitumor effect of ZSTK474 for future clinical usage, we studied its combined effects with radiation. The proliferation of HeLa cells was inhibited by treatment with X-rays alone or ZSTK474 alone. Combination treatment using X-rays then ZSTK474 given orally for 8 days, starting 24 h post-irradiation, significantly enhanced cell growth inhibition. The combined effect was also observed for clonogenic survival with continuous ZSTK474 treatment. Western blot analysis showed enhanced phosphorylation of Akt and GSK-3ß by X-irradiation, whereas phosphorylation was inhibited by ZSTK474 treatment alone. Treatment with ZSTK474 after X-irradiation also inhibited phosphorylation, and remarkably inhibited xenograft tumor growth. Combined treatment with X-rays and ZSTK474 has greater therapeutic potential than radiation or drug therapy alone, both in vitro and in vivo.

Expression of Ly-6D on the surface of normal and neoplastic mammary epithelial cells of the mouse.

Rat were immunized with mouse mammary epithelial cells and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were obtained to identify antigens stably expressed on the surface of both normal and neoplastic mammary epithelial cells of the mouse. Examination of the reactivities of the MAbs by immunofluorescence staining of tissue sections showed that one of the antibodies, MAb 2A2, reacted with luminal epithelium of the mammary gland and spontaneous mammary carcinomas of SHN mice. Further examination of the tissue lysates by western blot analysis revealed that MAb 2A2 reacts with a 17-kDa antigen expressed in normal mammary epithelial cells and mammary carcinoma cells. The antigen recognized by MAb 2A2 was absent in the lysates of liver, lung, salivary gland, kidney, small intestine, ovary and uterus. After immunoaffinity purification of the MAb 2A2-recognized antigen and determination of its N-terminal amino acid sequence, we identified the antigen as Ly-6D, also known as ThB, which belongs to a family of glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored cell surface proteins. Northern blot analysis further demonstrated that Ly-6D mRNA is expressed in the mammary gland. Based on these observations we concluded that Ly-6D is stably expressed on the surface of both normal and neoplastic mammary epithelial cells of the mouse. Ly-6D will serve as a useful epithelial cell surface marker for the study of mammary gland development, as well as for breast cancer research.

Isolation of an Insulin-Responsive Preadipose Cell Line and a Mammary Tumor Virus-Producing, Dome-Forming Epithelial Cell Line from a Mouse Mammary Tumor: (mouse mammary tumor/mammary tumor virus/dome/preadipocyte).

Two functional tissue culture cell lines, MTD and MTF cell lines, have been isolated from a mouse mammary tumor. MTD cells are epithelial and retain the ability to transport fluid leading to the formation of three-dimensional fluid-filled multicellular structures called "domes" or "hemicysts". Another property of MTD cells is the production of murine mammary tumor virus (MTV). Release of MTV into the culture medium was verified by immunological, electrophoretic and enzymatic analyses. Addition of dexamethasone in the culture medium enhanced both the formation of domes and the production of MTV. Thus, MTD cells retain the morphological and functional properties of the original mammary tumor cells. MTF cells show the fibroblastic morphology in subconfluent cultures. After reaching confluence, however, these cells gradually accumulated triglycerides in the cytoplasm and eventually assumed the morphology of fat cells. This adipose conversion was greatly enhanced by the presence of insulin in the culture medium. The morphological resemblance of adipose-converted MTF cells to the mammary fat cells suggests that the MTF cell line was derived from the mammary fat pad stroma. These functional cell lines will be useful to study cell differentiation as well as cell-to-cell interactions in the mammary gland.