scholarly journals IgG bearing covalently bound C3b has enhanced bactericidal activity for Escherichia coli 0111.

1985 ◽  
Vol 162 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
K A Joiner ◽  
L F Fries ◽  
M A Schmetz ◽  
M M Frank

The mechanism was sought by which bactericidal IgG for E. coli 0111 (strain 12015) increases the bactericidal efficiency of C5b-9. IgG did not affect the distribution of C3 deposition on the O-Ag capsule and the outer membrane of 12015, suggesting that bactericidal IgG was not directing complement activation to different sites on the bacterial surface. However, one-fifth of the C3 that was deposited in the presence of IgG attached covalently to the antibody molecule. Covalent complexes between purified C3b and IgG were prepared in order to study the role of C3b-IgG in the bactericidal reaction. 8-10-fold less C3b-IgG than IgG was necessary to sensitize 12015 for serum killing. When aggregates were eliminated from the C3b-IgG and IgG preparations by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, C3b-IgG remained three- to fourfold more effective than IgG on a molecule-for-molecule bound basis in mediating the serum bactericidal reaction. These results suggest that formation of C3b-IgG during the serum bactericidal reaction is critical for killing, and have important implications for the development of effective bactericidal vaccines.

2012 ◽  
Vol 80 (10) ◽  
pp. 3399-3409 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Ya Wang ◽  
Shainn-Wei Wang ◽  
Wen-Chun Huang ◽  
Kwang Sik Kim ◽  
Nan-Shan Chang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTEscherichia coliis a common Gram-negative organism that causes bacteremia. Prc, a bacterial periplasmic protease, and its homologues are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of Gram-negative bacterial infections. The present study examined the role of Prc inE. colibacteremia and characterized the ability of theprcmutant of the pathogenicE. colistrain RS218 to cause bacteremia and survive in human serum. Theprcmutant of RS218 exhibited a decreased ability to cause a high level of bacteremia and was more sensitive to serum killing than strain RS218. This sensitivity was due to the mutant's decreased ability to avoid the activation of the antibody-dependent and -independent classical complement cascades as well as its decreased resistance to killing mediated by the membrane attack complex, the end product of complement system activation. The demonstration of Prc in the evasion of classical complement-mediated serum killing of pathogenicE. colimakes this factor a potential target for the development of therapeutic and preventive measures againstE. colibacteremia.


2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 1112-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suely C. F. Sampaio ◽  
Wilson B. Luiz ◽  
Mônica A. M. Vieira ◽  
Rita C. C. Ferreira ◽  
Bruna G. Garcia ◽  
...  

The expression of flagella correlates with different aspects of bacterial pathogenicity, ranging from adherence to host cells to activation of inflammatory responses by the innate immune system. In the present study, we investigated the role of flagella in the adherence of an atypical enteropathogenicEscherichia coli(aEPEC) strain (serotype O51:H40) to human enterocytes. Accordingly, isogenic mutants deficient in flagellin (FliC), the flagellar structural subunit; the flagellar cap protein (FliD); or the MotAB proteins, involved in the control of flagellar motion, were generated and tested for binding to differentiated Caco-2 cells. Binding of the aEPEC strain to enterocytes was significantly impaired in strains with thefliCandfliDgenes deleted, both of which could not form flagella on the bacterial surface. A nonmotile but flagellated MotAB mutant also showed impaired adhesion to Caco-2 cells. In accordance with these observations, adhesion of aEPEC strain 1711-4 to Caco-2 cells was drastically reduced after the treatment of Caco-2 cells with purified FliD. In addition, incubation of aEPEC bacteria with specific anti-FliD serum impaired binding to Caco-2 cells. Finally, incubation of Caco-2 cells with purified FliD, followed by immunolabeling, showed that the protein was specifically bound to the microvillus tips of differentiated Caco-2 cells. The aEPEC FliD or anti-FliD serum also reduced the adherence of prototype typical enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, and enterotoxigenicE. colistrains to Caco-2 cells. In conclusion, our findings further strengthened the role of flagella in the adherence of aEPEC to human enterocytes and disclosed the relevant structural and functional involvement of FliD in the adhesion process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1018
Author(s):  
Hiroaki Yokota

Helicases are nucleic acid-unwinding enzymes that are involved in the maintenance of genome integrity. Several parts of the amino acid sequences of helicases are very similar, and these quite well-conserved amino acid sequences are termed “helicase motifs”. Previous studies by X-ray crystallography and single-molecule measurements have suggested a common underlying mechanism for their function. These studies indicate the role of the helicase motifs in unwinding nucleic acids. In contrast, the sequence and length of the C-terminal amino acids of helicases are highly variable. In this paper, I review past and recent studies that proposed helicase mechanisms and studies that investigated the roles of the C-terminal amino acids on helicase and dimerization activities, primarily on the non-hexermeric Escherichia coli (E. coli) UvrD helicase. Then, I center on my recent study of single-molecule direct visualization of a UvrD mutant lacking the C-terminal 40 amino acids (UvrDΔ40C) used in studies proposing the monomer helicase model. The study demonstrated that multiple UvrDΔ40C molecules jointly participated in DNA unwinding, presumably by forming an oligomer. Thus, the single-molecule observation addressed how the C-terminal amino acids affect the number of helicases bound to DNA, oligomerization, and unwinding activity, which can be applied to other helicases.


Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liang ◽  
Zhen-Jie Wang ◽  
Guang Ye ◽  
Xue-You Tang ◽  
Yuan-Yuan Zhang ◽  
...  

Lactoferrin (Lf) is a conserved iron-binding glycoprotein with antimicrobial activity, which is present in secretions that recover mucosal sites regarded as portals of invaded pathogens. Although numerous studies have focused on exogenous Lf, little is known about its expression of endogenous Lf upon bacterial infection. In this study, we investigated the distribution of Lf in mice intestine during Escherichia coli (E. coli) K88 infection. PCR and immunohistology staining showed that mRNA levels of Lf significantly increased in duodenum, ileum and colon, but extremely decreased in jejunum at 8 h and 24 h after infection. Meanwhile, endogenous Lf was mostly located in the lamina propria of intestine villi, while Lf receptor (LfR) was in the crypts. It suggested that endogenous Lf-LfR interaction might not be implicated in the antibacterial process. In addition, it was interesting to find that the infiltration of neutrophils into intestine tissues was changed similarly to Lf expression. It indicated that the variations of Lf expression were rather due to an equilibrium between the recruitment of neutrophils and degranulation of activated neutrophils. Thus, this new knowledge will pave the way to a more effective understanding of the role of Lf in intestinal mucosal immunity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 454 (3) ◽  
pp. 585-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Sá-Pessoa ◽  
Sandra Paiva ◽  
David Ribas ◽  
Inês Jesus Silva ◽  
Sandra Cristina Viegas ◽  
...  

In the present paper we describe a new carboxylic acid transporter in Escherichia coli encoded by the gene yaaH. In contrast to what had been described for other YaaH family members, the E. coli transporter is highly specific for acetic acid (a monocarboxylate) and for succinic acid (a dicarboxylate), with affinity constants at pH 6.0 of 1.24±0.13 mM for acetic acid and 1.18±0.10 mM for succinic acid. In glucose-grown cells the ΔyaaH mutant is compromised for the uptake of both labelled acetic and succinic acids. YaaH, together with ActP, described previously as an acetate transporter, affect the use of acetic acid as sole carbon and energy source. Both genes have to be deleted simultaneously to abolish acetate transport. The uptake of acetate and succinate was restored when yaaH was expressed in trans in ΔyaaH ΔactP cells. We also demonstrate the critical role of YaaH amino acid residues Leu131 and Ala164 on the enhanced ability to transport lactate. Owing to its functional role in acetate and succinate uptake we propose its assignment as SatP: the Succinate–Acetate Transporter Protein.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kayhan Ilbeigi ◽  
Mahdi Askari Badouei ◽  
Hossein Vaezi ◽  
Hassan Zaheri ◽  
Sina Aghasharif ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The emergence of colistin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae from human and animal sources is one of the major public health concerns as colistin is the last-resort antibiotic for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. We aimed to determine the prevalence of the prototype widespread colistin resistance genes (mcr-1 and mcr-2) among commensal and pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from food-producing and companion animals in Iran. Results A total of 607 E. coli isolates which were previously collected from different animal sources between 2008 and 2016 used to uncover the possible presence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance genes (mcr-1 and mcr-2) by PCR. Overall, our results could not confirm the presence of any mcr-1 or mcr-2 positive E. coli among the studied isolates. It is concluded that despite the important role of food-producing animals in transferring the antibiotic resistance, they were not the main source for carriage of mcr-1 and mcr-2 in Iran until 2016. This study suggests that the other mcr variants (mcr-3 to mcr-9) might be responsible for conferring colistin resistance in animal isolates in Iran. The possible linkage between pig farming industry and high level of mcr carriage in some countries needs to be clarified in future prospective studies.


2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1377-1383 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. L. STEVENSON ◽  
S. R. COOK ◽  
S. J. BACH ◽  
T. A. McALLISTER

To evaluate the potential of using electrolyzed oxidizing (EO) water for controlling Escherichia coli O157:H7 in water for livestock, the effects of water source, electrolyte concentration, dilution, storage conditions, and bacterial or fecal load on the oxidative reduction potential (ORP) and bactericidal activity of EO water were investigated. Anode and combined (7:3 anode:cathode, vol/vol) EO waters reduced the pH and increased the ORP of deionized water, whereas cathode EO water increased pH and lowered ORP. Minimum concentrations (vol/vol) of anode and combined EO waters required to kill 104 CFU/ml planktonic suspensions of E. coli O157:H7 strain H4420 were 0.5 and 2.0%, respectively. Cathode EO water did not inhibit H4420 at concentrations up to 16% (vol/vol). Higher concentrations of anode or combined EO water were required to elevate the ORP of irrigation or chlorinated tap water compared with that of deionized water. Addition of feces to EO water products (0.5% anode or 2.0% combined, vol/vol) significantly reduced (P < 0.001) their ORP values to <700 mV in all water types. A relationship between ORP and bactericidal activity of EO water was observed. The dilute EO waters retained the capacity to eliminate a 104 CFU/ml inoculation of E. coli O157:H7 H4420 for at least 70 h regardless of exposure to UV light or storage temperature (4 versus 24°C). At 95 h and beyond, UV exposure reduced ORP, significantly more so (P < 0.05) in open than in closed containers. Bactericidal activity of EO products (anode or combined) was lost in samples in which ORP value had fallen to ≤848 mV. When stored in the dark, the diluted EO waters retained an ORP of >848 mV and bactericidal efficacy for at least 125 h; with refrigeration (4°C), these conditions were retained for at least 180 h. Results suggest that EO water may be an effective means by which to control E. coli O157:H7 in livestock water with low organic matter content.


2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R. Hunter

Escherichia coli has had a central place in water microbiology for decades as an indicator of faecal pollution. It is only relatively recently that the role of E. coli as pathogen, rather than indicator, in drinking water has begun to be stressed. Interest in the role of E. coli as a cause of diarrhoeal disease has increased because of the emergence of E. coli O157:H7 and other enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, due to the severity of the related disease. There are enterotoxigenic, enteropathogenic, enterohaemorrhagic, enteroinvasive, enteroaggregative and diffusely adherent strains of E. coli. Each type of E. coli causes diarrhoeal disease through different mechanisms and each causes a different clinical presentation. Several of the types cause diarrhoea by the elaboration of one or more toxins, others by some other form of direct damage to epithelial cells. This paper discusses each of these types in turn and also describes their epidemiology, with particular reference to whether they are waterborne or not.


2001 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
KAZUE TAKEUCHI ◽  
JOSEPH F. FRANK

Viability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 cells on lettuce leaves after 200 mg/liter (200 ppm) chlorine treatment and the role of lettuce leaf structures in protecting cells from chlorine inactivation were evaluated by confocal scanning microscopy (CSLM). Lettuce samples (2 by 2 cm) were inoculated by immersing in a suspension containing 109 CFU/ml of E. coli O157: H7 for 24 ± 1 h at 4°C. Rinsed samples were treated with 200 mg/liter (200 ppm) chlorine for 5 min at 22°C. Viability of E. coli O157:H7 cells was evaluated by CSLM observation of samples stained with Sytox green (dead cell stain) and Alexa 594 conjugated antibody against E. coli O157:H7. Quantitative microscopic observations of viability were made at intact leaf surface, stomata, and damaged tissue. Most E. coli O157:H7 cells (68.3 ± 16.2%) that had penetrated 30 to 40 μm from the damaged tissue surface remained viable after chlorine treatment. Cells on the surface survived least (25.2 ± 15.8% survival), while cells that penetrated 0 to 10 μm from the damaged tissue surface or entered stomata showed intermediate survival (50.8 ± 13.5 and 45.6 ± 9.7% survival, respectively). Viability was associated with the depth at which E. coli O157:H7 cells were in the stomata. Although cells on the leaf surface were mostly inactivated, some viable cells were observed in cracks of cuticle and on the trichome. These results demonstrate the importance of lettuce leaf structures in the protection of E. coli O157:H7 cells from chlorine inactivation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (17) ◽  
pp. 6326-6334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergei Korshunov ◽  
James A. Imlay

ABSTRACT Many gram-negative bacteria harbor a copper/zinc-containing superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) in their periplasms. In pathogenic bacteria, one role of this enzyme may be to protect periplasmic biomolecules from superoxide that is released by host phagocytic cells. However, the enzyme is also present in many nonpathogens and/or free-living bacteria, including Escherichia coli. In this study we were able to detect superoxide being released into the medium from growing cultures of E. coli. Exponential-phase cells do not normally synthesize CuZnSOD, which is specifically induced in stationary phase. However, the engineered expression of CuZnSOD in growing cells eliminated superoxide release, confirming that this superoxide was formed within the periplasm. The rate of periplasmic superoxide production was surprisingly high and approximated the estimated rate of cytoplasmic superoxide formation when both were normalized to the volume of the compartment. The rate increased in proportion to oxygen concentration, suggesting that the superoxide is generated by the adventitious oxidation of an electron carrier. Mutations that eliminated menaquinone synthesis eradicated the superoxide formation, while mutations in genes encoding respiratory complexes affected it only insofar as they are likely to affect the redox state of menaquinone. We infer that the adventitious autoxidation of dihydromenaquinone in the cytoplasmic membrane releases a steady flux of superoxide into the periplasm of E. coli. This endogenous superoxide may create oxidative stress in that compartment and be a primary substrate of CuZnSOD.


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