scholarly journals Substrate specificity of the pyrophosphohydrolase LpxH determines the asymmetry of Bordetella pertussis lipid A

2019 ◽  
Vol 294 (20) ◽  
pp. 7982-7989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesús Arenas ◽  
Elder Pupo ◽  
Eline de Jonge ◽  
Jesús Pérez-Ortega ◽  
Joerg Schaarschmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chain Length ◽  
Bordetella Pertussis ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Whooping Cough ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Biosynthesis Pathway ◽  
Hydrophobic Moiety ◽  
Chain Length Specificity ◽  
Lipid A Biosynthesis ◽  
The Asymmetry

Lipopolysaccharides are anchored to the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria by a hydrophobic moiety known as lipid A, which potently activates the host innate immune response. Lipid A of Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, displays unusual structural asymmetry with respect to the length of the acyl chains at the 3 and 3′ positions, which are 3OH-C10 and 3OH-C14 chains, respectively. Both chains are attached by the acyltransferase LpxA, the first enzyme in the lipid A biosynthesis pathway, which, in B. pertussis, has limited chain length specificity. However, this only partially explains the strict asymmetry of lipid A. In attempts to modulate the endotoxicity of B. pertussis lipid A, here we expressed the gene encoding LpxA from Neisseria meningitidis, which specifically attaches 3OH-C12 chains, in B. pertussis. This expression was lethal, suggesting that one of the downstream enzymes in the lipid A biosynthesis pathway in B. pertussis cannot handle precursors with a 3OH-C12 chain. We considered that the UDP-diacylglucosamine pyrophosphohydrolase LpxH could be responsible for this defect as well as for the asymmetry of B. pertussis lipid A. Expression of meningococcal LpxH in B. pertussis indeed resulted in new symmetric lipid A species with 3OH-C10 or 3OH-C14 chains at both the 3 and 3′ positions, as revealed by MS analysis. Furthermore, co-expression of meningococcal lpxH and lpxA resulted in viable cells that incorporated 3OH-C12 chains in B. pertussis lipid A. We conclude that the asymmetry of B. pertussis lipid A is determined by the acyl chain length specificity of LpxH.

scholarly journals Shortening the Lipid A Acyl Chains of Bordetella pertussis Enables Depletion of Lipopolysaccharide Endotoxic Activity

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 594
Author(s):  
Jesús Arenas ◽  
Elder Pupo ◽  
Coen Phielix ◽  
Dionne David ◽  
Afshin Zariri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bordetella Pertussis ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Whooping Cough ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
In Vitro Assays ◽  
Whole Cell ◽  
Whole Cells ◽  
Acyl Chain Length ◽  
Acyl Chains

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Whole-cell vaccines, which were introduced in the fifties of the previous century and proved to be effective, showed considerable reactogenicity and were replaced by subunit vaccines around the turn of the century. However, there is a considerable increase in the number of cases in industrialized countries. A possible strategy to improve vaccine-induced protection is the development of new, non-toxic, whole-cell pertussis vaccines. The reactogenicity of whole-cell pertussis vaccines is, to a large extent, derived from the lipid A moiety of the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of the bacteria. Here, we engineered B. pertussis strains with altered lipid A structures by expressing genes for the acyltransferases LpxA, LpxD, and LpxL from other bacteria resulting in altered acyl-chain length at various positions. Whole cells and extracted LPS from the strains with shorter acyl chains showed reduced or no activation of the human Toll-like receptor 4 in HEK-Blue reporter cells, whilst a longer acyl chain increased activation. Pyrogenicity studies in rabbits confirmed the in vitro assays. These findings pave the way for the development of a new generation of whole-cell pertussis vaccines with acceptable side effects.

scholarly journals Bordetella pertussis Lipid A Glucosamine Modification Confers Resistance to Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides and Increases Resistance to Outer Membrane Perturbation

2014 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 4931-4934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nita R. Shah ◽  
Robert E. W. Hancock ◽  
Rachel C. Fernandez
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Outer Membrane ◽  
Bordetella Pertussis ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Whooping Cough ◽  
Human Immune System ◽  
Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Membrane Perturbation

ABSTRACTBordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough, has many strategies for evading the human immune system. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an important Gram-negative bacterial surface structure that activates the immune system via Toll-like receptor 4 and enables susceptibility to cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs). We show modification of the lipid A region of LPS with glucosamine increased resistance to numerous CAMPs, including LL-37. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this glucosamine modification increased resistance to outer membrane perturbation.

Altered acyl chain length specificity of Rhizopus delemar lipase through mutagenesis and molecular modeling

Lipids ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert R. Klein ◽  
Gregory King ◽  
Robert A. Moreau ◽  
Michael J. Haas
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Modeling ◽  
Chain Length ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Rhizopus Delemar ◽  
Acyl Chain Length ◽  
Chain Length Specificity ◽  
Rhizopus Delemar Lipase

Investigation on the acyl chain length specificity of lipase by gas chromatography assay

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 3039-3045
Author(s):  
Peng Wu ◽  
Qi Li ◽  
Yin-Jun Zhang ◽  
Zhao Wang ◽  
Jian-Yong Zheng
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Chain Length ◽  
Acyl Chain ◽  
Acyl Chain Length ◽  
Chain Length Specificity

scholarly journals Bordetella pertussis Naturally Occurring Isolates with Altered Lipooligosaccharide Structure Fail To Fully Mature Human Dendritic Cells

2014 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolanda Brummelman ◽  
Rosanne E. Veerman ◽  
Hendrik Jan Hamstra ◽  
Anna J. M. Deuss ◽  
Tim J. Schuijt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Dendritic Cells ◽  
Bordetella Pertussis ◽  
Lipid A ◽  
Whooping Cough ◽  
Human Monocyte ◽  
Innate Immune ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Immune Recognition ◽  
Content Type

Bordetella pertussisis a Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of whooping cough. Despite high vaccination coverage, outbreaks are being increasingly reported worldwide. Possible explanations include adaptation of this pathogen, which may interfere with recognition by the innate immune system. Here, we describe innate immune recognition and responses to differentB. pertussisclinical isolates. By using HEK-Blue cells transfected with different pattern recognition receptors, we found that 3 out of 19 clinical isolates failed to activate Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). These findings were confirmed by using the monocytic MM6 cell line. Although incubation with high concentrations of these 3 strains resulted in significant activation of the MM6 cells, it was found to occur mainly through interaction with TLR2 and not through TLR4. When using live bacteria, these 3 strains also failed to activate TLR4 on HEK-Blue cells, and activation of MM6 cells or human monocyte-derived dendritic cells was significantly lower than activation induced by the other 16 strains. Mass spectrum analysis of the lipid A moieties from these 3 strains indicated an altered structure of this molecule. Gene sequence analysis revealed mutations in genes involved in lipid A synthesis. Findings from this study indicate thatB. pertussisisolates that do not activate TLR4 occur naturally and that this phenotype may give this bacterium an advantage in tempering the innate immune response and establishing infection. Knowledge on the strategies used by this pathogen in evading the host immune response is essential for the improvement of current vaccines or for the development of new ones.

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