Sachio Ogata

Induction of Yersinia enterocolitica Stress Proteins by Phagocytosis with Macrophage

Yersinia enterocolitica is a facultative intracellular pathogen which invades to epithelial cells and survives in phagocytes. Since the internal environment of phagocytes should be stressful conditions for the phagocytosed Yersinia, the bacteria should respond to protect themselves from otherwise lethal results. We analyzed the stress‐induced proteins which possibly contribute to survival of Yersinia within the phagocytes. Y. enterocolitica was radiolabeled during the growth in macrophage‐like J774‐1 cells, and the bacterial proteins were analyzed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis. At least 16 proteins were selectively induced in response to phagocytosis, and several out of 16 proteins were also induced by heat shock at 42 C or oxidative stresses in vitro. Of those, two major stress proteins were identified to be homologues of DnaK and CRPA by immunoblotting analysis. These results have indicated that Y. enterocolitica exhibits a global stress response to the hostile environment in the phagocytosed macrophage.

Yersinia enterocolitica immunodominant 60 kDa antigen, common to a broad range of bacteria, is a heat-shock protein.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the Yersinia enterocolitica immunodominant 60 kDa antigen, termed cross-reacting protein antigen (CRPA), were obtained by fusion of spleen cells from mice immunized with CRPA with murine myeloma cells. The reactivities of the mAbs were examined by Western blotting against extracts of Y. enterocolitica and 23 other species of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Cross-reactions were recognized with a wide range of bacteria, but not with Gram-positive cocci. The reactivities were different for each mAb, suggesting that both species-specific and multiple cross-reactive epitopes were present on the CRPA molecule. CRPA was produced under heat-shock conditions in Y. enterocolitica and was shown to correspond immunologically to the GroEL protein in Escherichia coli, a protein involved in the morphogenesis of coliphage. In addition to CRPA, at least nine other major heat-shock proteins were detected by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of extracts of heat-shocked Y. enterocolitica.

Detection and characterization of antibodies to bacterial heat-shock protein 60 in sera of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

The enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with bacterial heat‐shock protein 60 (HSP60) purified from Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye) revealed that the antibodies directed against YeHSP60 existed in sera of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). To characterize the epitope specificity of the antibodies in patients, the epitope mapping of HSP60 by means of the antibodies was performed. The results have suggested that the epitope recognized with anti‐HSP60 antibodies in PBC relates to the amino acid sequence of YeHSP60 molecule as follows: DLGQA‐KRVVINKDTTIIIDGVGDEAAIQGRLAQIRQQIEEATSDYDKEK.

Purification of Cross‐Reacting Protein Antigen Shared by Yersinia enterocolitica and Other Gram‐Negative Bacteria with Monoclonal Antibody

A monoclonal antibody against the Yersinia enterocolitica 60‐kilodalton (kDa) antigen, designated cross‐reacting protein antigen (CRPA), was obtained by cell fusion. The CRPA common to gram‐negative bacteria was purified from Y. enterocolitica by the affinity chromatography with the monoclonal antibody (IgGl) thus obtained. The purified CRPA showed a single band of 60 kDa in SDS‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE), and reacted with rabbit antisera against Y. enterocolitica, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Shigella sonnei in Western blot analysis. The monoclonal antibody, however, reacted with a 60 kDa peptide from Y. enterocolitica, but not with the antigens from other gram‐negative bacteria such as V. cholerae, E. coli, S. sonnei, Salmonella enteritidis, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and P. aeruginosa. The results suggested that both species‐specific and cross‐reactive epitopes were present on a CRPA molecule.

Cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of immunodominant heat-shock protein of Yersinia enterocolitica.

Yersinia enterocolitica, a highly antigenic 60-kDa protein, designated cross-reacting protein antigen (CRPA), is a member of the chaperonin-60 family of molecular chaperones. The gene encoding CRPA was cloned, expressed and sequenced. A partial library from Y. enterocolitica 0:3 genomic DNA was constructed in vector pUC19 and was screened by the immunoreactivity to monoclonal antibody 1A4, which has specificity for a species-specific epitope on the CRPA molecule. The crpA gene region consists of a putative two-cistron operon encoding proteins of 549 and 97 amino acids. The operon structure was led by a consensus heat-shock promoter sequence. Homology searches using the derived amino acid sequence have revealed that CRPA is 88.2% identical to GroEL of Escherichia coli. CRPB, another protein encoded by the operon, shows extensive sequence homology, 91.8% identical to GroES of E. coli which is a member of chaperonin-10.

Epitope homology between bacterial heat shock protein and self‐proteins in the host cell

Mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) showing distinct reactivity against the 60‐kilodalton (kDa) antigen heat shock protein of Yersinia enterocolitica, designated cross‐reacting protein antigen (CRPA), have previously been established. The reactivities of these MAbs (5C3 and 3C8) against mouse and human host cells were studied by Western blotting and flow cytometric analysis. The results indicated that epitopes on the bacterial 60‐kDa heat shock protein are present on various molecules in mouse spleen cells and human B cells. An epitope recognized by MAb 5C3 was expressed on the mouse and human host cell surface, and an epitope recognized by MAb 3C8 was also expressed on the human host cell surface.

Studies on the relationship between adhesive activity and haemagglutination by Helicobacter pylori.

The adhesion of Helicobacter pylori to gastric carcinoma cells (MKN45, KatoIII and MKN28) and Intestine-407 cells was tested by flow cytometric analysis. The mean adhesion rates of H. pylori strains to MKN45, KatoIII and Intestine-407 cells were 90.5, 42.7 and 15.1%, respectively. There was no statistical correlation between the adhesion rates to MKN45 cells and haemagglutination (HA) activity of H. pylori strains, although H. pylori strains with high HA activity with human type O erythrocytes tended to adhere effectively to MKN45 cells. No correlation between adhesion and production of vacuolating toxin was observed.

Protective Effect of Colostrum in Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection Induced in Infant Mice

The immunological responses and mechanism of maternal immunity in Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection of mice were investigated. ICR female mice, 4 weeks old, and infant mice, 2 to 4 days old, were infected with M. pneumoniae. Anti‐M. pneumoniae antibodies in serum and colostrum were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. The specific IgG antibody production persisted for 9 months or longer in both the young and infant mice. These infected mice were protected from rechallenge with M. pneumoniae. In addition, the infected dams conferred passive immunity on their offspring. The infant mice born to uninfected normal dams were protected from the challenge with M. pneumoniae when fed by infected foster dams. Conversely, the infant mice born to infected dams were not protected from the challenge with M. pneumoniae when the infants were fed by uninfected dams. The specific IgG antibody appeared in serum of infant mice inoculated orally with M. pneumoniae‐infected mouse serum and the infants were protected from challenge with M. pneumoniae, while the infants given protein A‐absorbed serum were not protected from the challenge. These results suggest that one of the factors involved in the resistance of infant mice to M. pneumoniae infection is the specific IgG antibody present in the colostrum rather than the result of transplacental transfer.

Flow cytometric analysis for adhesion of Vibrio cholerae to human intestinal epithelial cell

The adhesion of Vibrio cholerae O1 strains to human intestinal epithelial cell, Intestine 407, was analyzed by flow cytometer. According to positive percentages of Intestine 407 cells adhered by V. cholerae, two groups of V. cholerae strains were classified as follows: more adhesive (more than 50%), less adhesive (less than 50%) strains. In addition, the fluorescence intensity after attachment of V. cholerae was directly correlated to the number of the microorganisms. It was concluded that flow cytometry is a useful and objective method for analyzing adhesion of V. cholerae to cultured cells.

Analysis of the Epitopes Recognized by Mouse Monoclonal Antibodies Directed to Yersinia enterocolitica Heat‐Shock Protein 60

To determine amino acid sequences of the epitopes recognized by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 3C8 and 5C3 directed against Yersinia enterocolitica heat‐shock protein (HSP60), a dot blot analysis was perfomed using synthesized peptides of Y. enterocolitica HSP60 such as peptides p316‐342, p327‐359, p340‐366, p316‐326, p316‐321, p319‐323, and p321‐326 which represent positions of amino acids in Y. enterocolitica HSP60. The dot blot analysis revealed that 5C3 mAb reacted with p316‐342, p316‐326 and p321‐326, and 3C8 mAb p316‐342 and p316‐326. These results indicate that the epitopes recognized by the mAbs were associated with eleven amino acids, Asp Leu Gly Gln Ala Lys Arg Val Val Ile Asn, of p316‐326. The sequence homology between p316‐326 of Y. enterocolitica HSP60 and the rest of the HSP60 family suggests that the five amino acids of Lys, Arg, Val, Ile and Asn, which are highly conserved in the HSP60 family, might be related with the epitope recognized by 3C8. In contrast, it was also demonstrated that three amino acids of Leu, Gly and Val, which are not well conserved in the HSP60 family, might be related to the epitope recognized by 5C3.