Genome Report: Identification and Validation of Antigenic Proteins from Pajaroellobacter abortibovis Using De Novo Genome Sequence Assembly and Reverse Vaccinology.

Epizootic bovine abortion (EBA), or "foothill abortion," is the leading cause of beef cattle abortion in California and has also been reported in Nevada and Oregon. In the 1970s, the soft-shelled tick Ornithodoros coriaceus, or "pajaroello tick," was confirmed as the disease-transmitting vector. In 2005, a novel Deltaproteobacterium was discovered as the etiologic agent of EBA (aoEBA), recently named Pajaroellobacter abortibovis This organism cannot be grown in culture using traditional microbiological techniques; it can only be grown in experimentally-infected severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The objectives of this study were to perform a de novo genome assembly for P. abortibovis and identify and validate potential antigenic proteins as candidates for future recombinant vaccine development. DNA and RNA were extracted from spleen tissue collected from experimentally-infected SCID mice following exposure to P. abortibovis This combination of mouse and bacterial DNA was sequenced and aligned to the mouse genome. Mouse sequences were subtracted from the sequence pool and the remaining sequences were de novo assembled at 50x coverage into a 1.82 Mbp complete closed circular Deltaproteobacterial genome containing 2250 putative protein-coding sequences. Phylogenetic analysis of P. abortibovis predicts that this bacterium is most closely related to the organisms of the order Myxococcales, referred to as Myxobacteria. In silico prediction of vaccine candidates was performed using a reverse vaccinology approach resulting in the identification and ranking of the top 10 candidate proteins that are likely to be antigenic. Immunologic testing of these candidate proteins confirmed antigenicity of seven of the nine expressed protein candidates using serum from P. abortibovis immunized mice.

Phagocytosis and oxidative-burst response of planktonic Staphylococcus epidermidis RP62A and its non-slime-producing variant in human neutrophils.

The ability of bacterial organisms to produce an extracellular polysaccharide matrix known as slime has been associated with increased virulence and delayed infections in various prosthetic implants. Within a biofilm, this slime may protect the embedded bacteria from host defense mechanisms, especially phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. To determine whether planktonic Staphylococcus epidermidis is protected in a similar way, a novel flow cytometric assay was performed, measuring ingestion and adherence during phagocytosis and the production of superoxide during oxidative burst. Hydrophobicity was determined by hydrophobic interaction chromatography. Slime-producing S. epidermidis RP62A and its phenotypic variant, non-slime-producing RP62A-NA, were compared. The results showed increased phagocytosis of RP62A at 2, 5, 10, and 30 min; increased adherence of RP62A at 30 s and 30 min; and increased superoxide production of RP62A after 2 min. Decreased hydrophobicity of RP62A over RP62A-NA was correlated with a hydrophilic slime coat. The data argue that the host aggressively combats slime-producing S. epidermidis. This biological phenomenon is potentially important during bacteremia to prevent further adhesion, accumulation, and the genesis of a bacterial biofilm on implants or tissue surfaces.

Modification of immune response by coats of Myxococcus xanthus myxospores.

Treatment with coats of M. xanthus myxospores produced a marked modificatory effect on humoral response, depending on the inoculation model. Also we observed that the percentage of adherent phagocytes and phagocytic index were enhanced after treatment. These results were similar to the effect obtained by M. xanthus myxospores. Data showed that the immune response modifier properties of M. xanthus myxospores are principally present in the coats.

Purification and properties of Myxococcus xanthus cell surface antigen 1604.

A cell surface antigen complex from Zwittergent-solubilized Myxococcus xanthus has been purified by immunoaffinity chromatography with monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1604 and by subsequent gel filtration. We propose that the cell surface antigen (CSA) 1604 complex participates in intercellular interactions. The apparent total molecular mass of the CSA 1604 complex is 200 kilodaltons (kDa), as determined by gel filtration and by electrophoresis and Western immunoblot probing with MAb 1604. The antigen epitope recognized by MAb 1604 is on a 51-kDa polypeptide. The CSA complex also contains 14% neutral carbohydrate and a 23-kDa polypeptide that lacks the 1604 epitope. The carbohydrate is most likely part of a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) associated with the CSA, because an MAb recognizing an O antigen epitope from the LPS of M. xanthus also reacted with CSA 1604 on Western immunoblots. Thus, the 200-kDa CSA complex consists of 97 +/- 6 kDa of protein and many associated LPS molecules. The LPS evidently produces the multiplicity of bands observed on Western immunoblots between 100 and 200 kDa. The association with LPS may contribute to the negative charge of the CSA 1604 complex, which has a pI of 4.3. The CSA was clustered on the surface of intact M. xanthus cells after labeling with MAb 1604 and immunogold. Furthermore, fractionation studies indicated that cells grown on a plastic surface had 50% of their total CSA 1604 in the cytosol, 39% in the membrane fraction, and 8% in the periplasm. Saturable binding studies with 125I-MAb 1604 indicated that there were 2,400 CSA 1604 sites per cell. The Kd for MAb 1604 binding to the cell was 9 nM.

Role of Myxococcus xanthus cell surface antigen 1604 in development.

The inhibition of development of Myxococcus xanthus by monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1604 has been further investigated with two MAbs produced against the affinity-purified cell surface antigen (CSA) 1604. Both of these second-generation MAbs, 4070 and 4054, reacted with the same band at 150 kilodaltons (kDa) on Western immunoblots of lysed and reduced cells. This band was also identified by MAb 1604. However, the affinity-purified CSA was a complex of the two proteins (51 and 23 kDa) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) that the 150-kDa material comprised. One of the three MAbs, 4070, reacted with LPS on Western immunoblots. Another MAb, 4054, reacted with the 23-kDa protein, and MAb 1604 reacted with the 51-kDa protein found in the CSA complex. Competitive binding studies verified that MAbs 4054 and 1604 identified different epitopes, and MAb 4070 probably reacted with a third epitope of the CSA 1604 complex. MAb 4054 blocked development, although not as thoroughly as MAb 1604 did, when added at 60 micrograms/ml to cells undergoing submerged development. In contrast, MAb 4070 prevented sporulation in submerged development and induced the cells to reaggregate in rings around the initial aggregation centers. A mutant strain of M. xanthus that is deficient in the epitope for MAb 1604 retained the epitope for MAb 4054. The affinity-purified antigen 1604, when added to cells at greater than or equal to 550 ng/ml, altered the appearance of the fruiting bodies and at higher concentrations prevented fruiting body formation. The CSA 1604 moiety responsible for this inhibitory effect is apparently a peptide constituent and not the LPS.

Characterization of lipopolysaccharide from Myxococcus xanthus by use of monoclonal antibodies.

Lipopolysaccharide is a major constituent of the cell surface of the gram-negative procaryote Myxococcus xanthus. We have purified lipopolysaccharide from M. xanthus and have shown by silver staining that the lipopolysaccharide contains a heterogeneous population of molecules which migrate as a broad low-molecular-mass band (approximately 5 kilodaltons) and as a stepladder of about 30 higher-molecular-mass bands (15- to 70-kilodalton range). The broad band consists of lipopolysaccharide molecules with just lipid A and core regions. The stepladder bands contain lipopolysaccharide molecules with lipid A, core regions, and various numbers of O-antigen units. Monoclonal antibodies generated against the cell surface of developing M. xanthus cells (J. S. Gill and M. Dworkin, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:4505-4508, 1987) were used to help characterize the lipopolysaccharide molecules. Five monoclonal antibodies bound to carbohydrate epitopes on the stepladder but not to the broad band, indicating that these monoclonal antibodies recognize carbohydrates on the O antigen of the lipopolysaccharide molecules. Four of these five monoclonal antibodies bound to doublet bands in the stepladder, while the other monoclonal antibody bound to singlet bands in the stepladder. One monoclonal antibody bound to a carbohydrate epitope on both the broad band and the stepladder, indicating that it bound to the core of the lipopolysaccharide.

Isolation of cell surface antigen mutants of Myxococcus xanthus by use of monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with affinities for molecules on the cell surface of the procaryote Myxococcus xanthus were used in a screening strategy for the isolation of mutants lacking particular cell surface molecules. From a large library of independent mutants created by Tn5 transposon mutagenesis, mutants were isolated which lacked reactivities with MAb 1604 (a MAb specific for a cell surface protein) and MAbs 2600, 1733, 1514, 1412, and 783 (MAbs specific for carbohydrate epitopes on the O antigen of lipopolysaccharide [LPS]). The defect in antibody recognition was shown by genetic crosses and DNA hybridization experiments to be caused by the Tn5 transposon acting as a mutation at a single locus. Quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays showed that particular mutant strains had no detectable affinity for the specific MAb probe. LPS mutants were resistant to myxophage Mx8, and this provided a selection method for isolating a large number of new LPS mutants. A class of Mx8-resistant mutants lacked reactivity with MAb 1514 and therefore was defective in the O antigen of LPS. A class of Mx1-resistant mutants lacked reactivity with MAb 2254, a MAb specific for a carbohydrate epitope on the core of LPS. A comparison of MAb binding to different mutant strains revealed a principle for mapping epitopes and showed that MAbs 1514 and 2254 recognize side-chain carbohydrates rather than backbone carbohydrates within the LPS molecule.

Isolation of additional monoclonal antibodies directed against cell surface antigens of Myxococcus xanthus cells undergoing submerged development.

Thirteen additional monoclonal antibodies directed against cell surface antigens of Myxococcus xanthus cells undergoing submerged development were isolated and partially characterized. As measured by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, 10 of these antibodies recognized antigens common to both vegetatively growing cells and cells undergoing submerged development; 3 antibodies recognized antigens specific to developing cells. Five antigens were revealed as single bands on Western blots (immunoblots), and one produced multiple, diffuse bands characteristic of lipopolysaccharide.

Cloning of the gene for myxobacterial hemagglutinin and isolation and analysis of structural gene mutations.

Myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA) is a major developmentally induced protein that accumulates during the period of cellular aggregation in the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus. It has been shown that this lectin is targeted to the cell surface and periplasmic space of developmental cells, suggesting that it may play a role in cell-cell recognition or agglutination. We have cloned the structural gene for MBHA by using synthetic deoxyoligonucleotides containing sequences deduced from the amino acid sequence of MBHA and have used the cloned gene to construct strains of M. xanthus that cannot synthesize MBHA. We found that although the MBHA-deficient strains are delayed in their developmental time course, they are otherwise able to aggregate and sporulate normally. Our results suggest that MBHA may function to increase the efficiency of fruiting-body formation but is not a critical component of cellular aggregation.

Inhibition of development in Myxococcus xanthus by monoclonal antibody 1604.

Monoclonal antibody (mAb) 1604 is directed against a cell surface antigen of Myxococcus xanthus. Purified antibody 1604 inhibited development of M. xanthus under conditions of submerged culture procedure otherwise leading to fruiting body formation. Intact molecules of mAb 1604, as well as its Fab fragments, inhibited developmental aggregation, autolysis, fruiting body formation, and sporulation. The addition of relatively small amounts of antibody every 4 hr was much more effective than a single large dose given at the onset of development. The inhibitory action of mAb 1604 on development was reversible after prolonged incubation of the antibody with cells; this was probably due to proteolytic degradation of the antibody. The effect of mAb 1604 on submerged bacterial development was neutralized by affinity-purified 1604 cell surface antigen. Another antibody, mAb 2788, directed against an M. xanthus cell surface antigen, did not block development. These data suggest that 1604 cell surface antigens is involved in contact-mediated cell interactions in M. xanthus.

Cell surface antigens during submerged development of Myxococcus xanthus examined with monoclonal antibodies.

Eighteen monoclonal antibodies directed against cell surface antigens of Myxococcus xanthus were followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Three of the monoclonal antibodies were specifically directed against antigens present only on cells undergoing fruiting body development. These cell surface antigens became detectable by the early preaggregation stage (2 to 4 h) of development and increased until early aggregation (9 to 10 h), after which the concentrations of two of the cell surface antigens remained constant and the concentration of the third decreased. The remaining 15 monoclonal antibodies recognized cell surface antigens that were shared by vegetative and developing cells. Based on their relative concentrations during development, these shared antigens can be grouped into three classes. In the first class antigen concentration remained constant, in the second it decreased, and in the third it increased. Western blots of cell surface antigens were probed with monoclonal antibodies. Five monoclonal antibodies reacted with material in distinct bands, five monoclonal antibodies reacted with multiple, diffuse bands, and eight monoclonal antibodies were not reactive in Western blots.

Immunomodulation by myxospores of Myxococcus xanthus.

Glycerol-induced myxospores of Myxococcus xanthus caused non-specific modulation of humoral and cellular immune responses in laboratory animals. The number of cells which formed specific haemolysins in spleens of mice immunized with sheep erythrocytes was increased when 0.5 X 10(8) myxospores were inoculated 2 d after the erythrocytes, and decreased when myxospores were injected 2 d before or at the same time as the erythrocytes. Both the IgG primary response and the secondary response to erythrocytes were decreased in rabbits after pretreatment with 2 X 10(8) myxospores per rabbit. Delayed-type hypersensitivity to sheep erythrocytes was also suppressed in mice after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 0.3 X 10(8) myxospores. One day after i.p. injection of myxospores, neither an inflammatory response nor bone marrow cell depletion was observed in mice. These results support the idea that M. xanthus myxospores possess diverse immunomodulation properties apparently due to factors different from the classical LPS of Gram-negative bacteria.

Monoclonal antibodies against cell-surface antigens of developing cells of Myxococcus xanthus.

Monoclonal antibodies (MCA) have been developed against cell surface antigens (CSA) of Myxococcus xanthus undergoing fruiting body formation. Three of these antibodies are directed against CSA which increase during development, six against CSA which decrease and three against CSA which show no change during development. Western-type immunoblots have been done to determine the molecular weights of the CSA to which the various MCA bind. Various applications of these MCA to the study of myxobacterial cell interactions are discussed.

Presence of antigen sensitized leukocytes in carp (Cyprinus carpio L) following bath immunization against Flexibacter columnaris.

Bath immunization of carp (Cyprinus carpio L) resulted in protection of fish at natural challenge. Stimulation of leukocytes derived from thymus, spleen, anterior kidney and mid-kidney of fish immunized with Flexibacter columnaris bacterin revealed the presence of antigen sensitized cells in all lymphoid tissues except the anterior kidney. After 28 days a response was obtained in thymus and spleen leukocyte cultures.

Purification and characterization of myxobacterial hemagglutinin, a development-specific lectin of Myxococcus xanthus.

Myxococcus xanthus is a Gram-negative bacterium that has a complex life cycle which includes cellular aggregation and sporulation. During the period of cellular aggregation, a lectin-like protein called myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA) is synthesized. A four-step purification procedure for MBHA is described. It consists of chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, CM-cellulose, and hydroxyapatite, followed by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-30. This procedure gives good yields of MBHA (40-50%) free of contaminating proteins. The purified protein has been partially characterized. It exists as a monomer in solution with an apparent Mr = 28,000 and an isoelectric point of 8.3. The amino acid composition of MBHA has been determined. It shows a very high content of glycine (19%) as well as aromatic amino acids (9%); it has a low percentage of charged amino acids. No detectable carbohydrate was found in a large sample (50 micrograms) of MBHA. The far-ultraviolet CD spectrum of MBHA indicates a secondary structure which contains very little alpha-helix, 50 +/- 10% beta-sheet, and 50 +/- 10% random coil. MBHA comprises 1-2% of soluble protein of M. xanthus at the time of cellular aggregation. The fact that it is a lectin suggests that it may play a role in cell-cell recognition or adhesion.

Localization of myxobacterial hemagglutinin in the periplasmic space and on the cell surface of Myxococcus xanthus during developmental aggregation.

During the period of developmental aggregation which precedes fruiting body formation, the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus produces a large amount of a lectin called myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA). Sequential cell washing, osmotic shock, and disruption of developmental cells showed that as much as 90% of the total hemagglutinating activity can be recovered in the wash and shock fractions. Analysis of the wash and shock fluids by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that these fractions are enriched in MBHA. MBHA was detected on the surface of developmental cells but not vegetative cells by immunofluorescent staining procedures. The fluorescence was localized in distinct patches which were usually located at one or both of the cell poles, although patches of fluorescence could also be seen at additional sites as well. The presence of MBHA on the cell surface was also detected by electron microscopy of developmental cells stained with ferritin-conjugated antibody. Most of the cells showed distinct patches of ferritin staining at one or both of the cell poles; nonpolar staining, which was also observed, was always accompanied by membrane protuberances. The amino acid sequence of the NH2 terminus of MBHA was determined and found to be extremely hydrophobic, suggesting that it may function as a nonprocessed signal for transmembrane transport. The site-specific localization of MBHA at the cell poles suggests that it may function in end-to-end cellular interactions during aggregation.

Binding properties of myxobacterial hemagglutinin.

The nature of the receptor for myxobacterial hemagglutinin (MBHA) on the outer surface of Myxococcus xanthus was investigated by studying the binding of 125I-MBHA to vegetative and developmental cells. The amount of binding and hence the number of binding sites/cell appeared to increase 4-fold during development to 2.1 X 10(4) sites/cell. Furthermore, the apparent association constant (Ka) for MBHA increased 3-fold to 3 X 10(7) M-1. Fetuin, a glycoprotein which binds MBHA, blocked the binding of 125I-MBHA to vegetative cells but not developmental cells. Thus, the MBHA binding sites from developmental cells clearly differ from the vegetative binding sites. The Ka for MBHA binding to sheep erythrocytes (3.5 X 10(6) M-1) was an order of magnitude lower than that of developmental M. xanthus cells. The erythrocyte binding sites are also much more sensitive to concanavalin A inhibition than the M. xanthus sites.

The function of fimbriae in Myxococcus xanthus. I. Purification and properties of M. xanthus fimbriae.

Myxococcus xanthus fimbriae have been purified and characterized as part of a study of the function of fimbriae in this prokaryote. Myxococcus xanthus produced two types of fimbriae, termed flaccid (F) and rigid (R) on the basis of electron microscopy. F and R fimbriae differed slightly in their response to pH and freeze-thaw regimes but were similar in their resistance to hydrolytic enzymes, amino acid composition, molecular weight, carbohydrate content, and antigenic determinants. Although the precise relationship between F and R fimbriae is unknown, the possibility is considered that F fimbriae might represent a "contracted" form of the R type. Studies designed to determine fimbriae function in M. xanthus are described in an accompanying report.

Glucan common to the microcyst walls of cyst-forming bacteria.

Chemical analysis indicated that D-glucose is tha major neutral monosaccharide present in the microcysts of a range of gram-negative bacteria. Varying amounts of other neutral sugars were found. The glucose was mainly present as a glucan that could be extracted from microcysts of representative strains with alkali or mild acid treatment. The glucan could be identified as an alpha-1,3-linked polymer on the basis of (i) periodate resistance of the extracted polymer and the material present in microcysts; (ii) lectin agglutination of the microcysts; (iii) lectin precipitation of the extracted glucans; and (iv) susceptibility of the glucan either in the walls or after extraction to a specific alpha-1,3-glucanase from Aspergillus nidulans, yielding glucose as the sole hydrolysis product. The galactosamine found in microcysts of Myxococcus xanthus by other workers is clearly a component of another polymer, distinct from the glucan. The presence of an alpha 1,3-linked glucan, common to microcyst walls of various bacterial genera, probably contributes to the rigidity of the walls of these forms and, inter alia, to their resistance to ultrasonic treatment. Preliminary experiments indicate that the gulcan is discarded on germination of the microcysts rather than being broken down by specific enzymes.