Masanori Kai

Multidrug Resistant Mycobacterium leprae from Patients with Leprosy

ABSTRACT Sequences of the folP1, rpoB, and gyrA genes were analyzed for 88 isolates ofMycobacterium leprae from leprosy patients in Japan, Haiti, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Thirteen isolates (14.8%) showed representative mutations in more than two genes, suggesting the emergence of multidrug-resistant M. leprae.

Immune Response against a Cross-Reactive Epitope on the Heat Shock Protein 60 Homologue of Helicobacter pylori

ABSTRACT We previously established a monoclonal antibody (MAb), designated H9, which reacts with the heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) homologue ofHelicobacter pylori as well as with other bacterial and human HSP60s. To determine the importance of a cross-reactive epitope on H. pylori HSP60 in H. pyloriimmunopathogenesis, we performed (i) mapping of an epitope on H. pylori HSP60 recognized by the H9 MAb, (ii) analysis of immunoglobulin G responses of patients with or without H. pylori infection to its epitope region, and (iii) studies of the protective effect of immunization with its epitope region onH. pylori infection in mice. The epitope recognized by the H9 MAb was mapped to the sequence of amino acids 189 to 203 (VEGMQFDRGYLSPYF) on the H. pylori HSP60 molecule. It was confirmed that the synthesized peptide designated pH9 was recognized by the H9 MAb. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analysis showed that patients with H. pylori infection (n = 349) had significantly lower titers of pH9 antibody than did uninfected patients (n = 200) (P < 0.001), but this was not the case with purified H. pylori HSP60 recombinant Escherichia coli GroEL, or recombinant human HSP60. In C57BL/6 mice immunized with the pH9 peptide with Freunds complete adjuvant (FCA), the number of H. pylori organisms colonizing the stomach was significantly lower than that in mice immunized with pCont plus FCA (P < 0.0001) or FCA only (P < 0.005). The results suggest that the immune response to the cross-reactive epitope (pH9 region) on H. pylori HSP60 is unique and might be associated with protection against H. pylori infection.

Growth inhibition of Clostridium difficile by intestinal flora of infant faeces in continuous flow culture

Growth of Clostridium difficile was inhibited more strongly in continuous flow (CF) culture with C. difficile-negative faeces of infants than with C. difficile-positive faeces. Culture of faecal flora of infants yielded a greater variety of bacterial species in C. difficile-negative than in C. difficile-positive faeces. In the mixed CF culture of C. difficile with Enterococcus avium, Bacteroides distasonis, Eubacterium lentum, C. ramosum, C. perfringens and either Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from C. difficile-negative faeces, inhibition of growth of C. difficile was demonstrated when the pH of the culture medium was decreased. Amino-acid analysis of CF cultures showed considerable utilisation of aspartic acid, serine, threonine, arginine and asparagine. A marked increase in concentrations of citrulline and ornithine was found in the culture that inhibited growth of C. difficile. The addition of citrulline and ornithine into a Gifu anaerobic medium (GAM) broth produced no inhibition of growth of C. difficile. The addition of the mixture of the depleted amino acids (aspartic acid, serine, threonine, arginine and asparagine) to the culture filtrate or adjustment of the pH of the culture filtrate induced considerable growth of C. difficile. These results suggest that the inhibition of growth of C. difficile may be due to consumption of amino acids by intestinal flora, and not to the presence of inhibitors produced by the intestinal flora.

Induction of secretion of interleukin-8 from human gastric epithelial cells by heat-shock protein 60 homologue of Helicobacter pylori

Escherichia coli cells expressing fusion proteins consisting of beta-galactosidase and bacterial heat-shock protein (HSP) 60 of E. coli, Yersinia enterocolitica or Helicobacter pylori were constructed, and designated as HY1, HY2 or HY3, respectively. Fusion proteins prepared from HY2 and HY3 induced secretion of interleukin-8 (IL-8) from human gastric epithelial KATOIII cell cultures. On the other hand, the parent strain (E. coli pop2136), PEX (pop2136 transformed by vector) and fusion protein prepared from HY1 did not induce IL-8 secretion from KATOIII cells. Other human gastric (MKN45) and non-gastric cell lines (Int 407 and A549) did not secrete IL-8 following treatment with these proteins. These results indicate that H. pylori HSP60 induces IL-8 secretion from human gastric cells and the levels of IL-8 differ among the various gastric cell lines, suggesting that HSP60 might be an important virulence factor associated with chronic gastric inflammation following H. pylori infection in man.

Cloning, sequencing, and transcriptional analysis of the dnaK heat shock operon of Listeria monocytogenes

Abstract The complete dnaK operon of Listeria monocytogenes was isolated by chromosome walking using the previously cloned dnaK gene as a probe. Molecular analysis of the locus identified 6 genes in the order hrcA, grpE, dnaK, dnaJ, orf35, and orf29. Primer extension analysis revealed 3 transcription start sites—S1, S2, and S3—upstream of the hrcA, grpE, and dnaJ, respectively. The transcription from S1 was heat inducible. Analysis of the sequences revealed the consensus promoter sequences of gram-positive bacteria, P1 and P2 upstream of the hrcA and dnaJ, respectively. The hrcA gene and a regulatory sequence, designated CIRCE (controlling inverted repeat of chaperone expression), play a role in the regulation of expression of the dnaK locus in response to heat shock in several gram-positive bacteria. Their presence upstream of the dnaK locus in L monocytogenes suggested a similar regulatory mechanism for the transcription initiated at the promoter, P1. Northern blot analysis led to the detection of 4 mRNA species of 4.9 kb, 3.6 kb, 3.6 kb, and 1.2 kb; the first 2 species were heat inducible. The current results indicate that 4 distinct transcripts directed by 3 promoters are involved in the expression of the dnaK operon of L. monocytogenes.

Identification and Characterization of the Genes Involved in Glycosylation Pathways of Mycobacterial Glycopeptidolipid Biosynthesis

Glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) are major components present on the outer layers of the cell walls of several nontuberculous mycobacteria. GPLs are antigenic molecules and have variant oligosaccharides in mycobacteria such as Mycobacterium avium. In this study, we identified four genes (gtf1, gtf2, gtf3, and gtf4) in the genome of Mycobacterium smegmatis. These genes were independently inactivated by homologous recombination in M. smegmatis, and the structures of GPLs from each gene disruptant were analyzed. Thin-layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry analyses revealed that the mutants Deltagtf1 and Deltagtf2 accumulated the fatty acyl-tetrapeptide core having O-methyl-rhamnose and 6-deoxy-talose as sugar residues, respectively. The mutant Deltagtf4 possessed the same GPLs as the wild type, whereas the mutant Deltagtf3 lacked two minor GPLs, consisting of 3-O-methyl-rhamnose attached to O-methyl-rhamnose of the fatty acyl-tetrapeptide core. These results indicate that the gtf1 and gtf2 genes are responsible for the early glycosylation steps of GPL biosynthesis and the gtf3 gene is involved in transferring a rhamnose residue not to 6-deoxy-talose but to an O-methyl-rhamnose residue. Moreover, a complementation experiment showed that M. avium gtfA and gtfB, which are deduced glycosyltransferase genes of GPL biosynthesis, restore complete GPL production in the mutants Deltagtf1 and Deltagtf2, respectively. Our findings propose that both M. smegmatis and M. avium have the common glycosylation pathway in the early steps of GPL biosynthesis but differ at the later stages.

Analysis of Drug-Resistant Strains of Mycobacterium leprae in an Endemic Area of Vietnam

BACKGROUND Multidrug therapy has effectively reduced the number of leprosy cases in the world. However, the rate of reduction has decelerated over the years, giving early detection of Mycobacterium leprae and epidemiological study of relapse renewed relevance in attempts to eliminate the disease. METHODS A molecular epidemiological survey for drug-resistant M. leprae was conducted in the central and highland regions of Vietnam. A total of 423 samples taken from patients, including 83 patients with new cases, 321 patients receiving treatment, and 19 patients with relapse, were studied for detection of M. leprae with mutations relating to drug resistance by sequencing the drug resistance determining region of the folP1, rpoB, and gyrA genes, which are responsible for dapsone, rifampicin, and ofloxacin resistance, respectively. RESULTS Nineteen mutations were found in the folP1 gene samples, and no mutations relating to drug resistance were found in either the rpoB or gyrA genes. Samples from patients with relapse showed folP1 mutation rates as high as 57%, and the mutation rates in samples from new and recent cases were <10%. Patients with relapse who had histories of treatment with dapsone monotherapy showed high mutation rates (78%), compared with patients with relapse who had previously only received multidrug therapy (33%). CONCLUSIONS Our study indicated high rates of dapsone resistance in patients with relapse, compared with patients with new and recent cases of leprosy. Moreover, it was observed that many of the patients with relapse who had dapsone-resistant mutations had histories of treatment with dapsone monotherapy.

Effect of Bacterial Flora on Postimmunization Gastritis following Oral Vaccination of Mice with Helicobacter pylori Heat Shock Protein 60

ABSTRACT In order to assess the efficacy of oral Helicobacter pylori heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) as a vaccine, protection against H. pylori infection in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) C57BL/6 and germfree (GF) IQI mice was examined. Prophylactic oral vaccination of these two strains of mice with either H. pylori HSP60 or Escherichia coli GroEL inhibited H. pylori colonization by 90 to 95% at 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.). However, these mice were only partially protected because bacterial loads increased in all animals at 10 weeks p.i. Anti-H. pylori HSP60 immunoglobulin G was detected in serum at 3 weeks p.i. in mice vaccinated with either H. pylori HSP60 or GroEL. Significant increases in the gastritis scores were observed only in SPF mice immunized with H. pylori HSP60. These results indicate that oral vaccination with H. pylori HSP60 has partial protective effects on subsequent H. pylori infection but also induces postimmunization gastritis. However, GF mice immunized with H. pylori HSP60 did not suffer from severe gastritis. Therefore, the presence of bacterial flora appears to contribute to the induction of postimmunization gastritis.

Identification of trehalose dimycolate (cord factor) in Mycobacterium leprae.

Glycolipids of Mycobacterium leprae obtained from armadillo tissue nodules infected with the bacteria were analyzed. Mass spectrometric analysis of the glycolipids indicated the presence of trehalose 6,6′‐dimycolate (TDM) together with trehalose 6‐monomycolate (TMM) and phenolic glycolipid‐I (PGL‐I). The analysis showed that M. leprae‐derived TDM and TMM possessed both α‐ and keto‐mycolates centering at C78 in the former and at C81 or 83 in the latter subclasses, respectively. For the first time, MALDI‐TOF mass analyses showed the presence of TDM in M. leprae.

Real-time PCR and high resolution melt analysis for rapid detection of Mycobacterium leprae drug resistance mutations and strain types

ABSTRACT Drug resistance surveillance and strain typing of Mycobacterium leprae are necessary to investigate ongoing transmission of leprosy in regions of endemicity. To enable wider implementation of these molecular analyses, novel real-time PCR–high-resolution melt (RT-PCR-HRM) assays without allele-specific primers or probes and post-PCR sample handling were developed. For the detection of mutations within drug resistance-determining regions (DRDRs) of folP1, rpoB, and gyrA, targets for dapsone, rifampin, and fluoroquinolones, real-time PCR-HRM assays were developed. Wild-type and drug-resistant mouse footpad-derived strains that included three folP1, two rpoB, and one gyrA mutation types in a reference panel were tested. RT-PCR-HRM correctly distinguished the wild type from the mutant strains. In addition, RT-PCR-HRM analyses aided in recognizing samples with mixed or minor alleles and also a mislabeled sample. When tested in 121 sequence-characterized clinical strains, HRM identified all the folP1 mutants representing two mutation types, including one not within the reference panel. The false positives (<5%) could be attributed to low DNA concentration or PCR inhibition. A second set of RT-PCR-HRM assays for identification of three previously reported single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have been used for strain typing were developed and validated in 22 reference and 25 clinical strains. Real-time PCR-HRM is a sensitive, simple, rapid, and high-throughput tool for routine screening known DRDR mutants in new and relapsed cases, SNP typing, and detection of minor mutant alleles in the wild-type background at lower costs than current methods and with the potential for quality control in leprosy investigations.