scholarly journals Involvement of a 43-kilodalton outer membrane protein in beta-lactam resistance of Shigella dysenteriae.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2302-2304 ◽  
Author(s):  
A K Kar ◽  
A S Ghosh ◽  
K Chauhan ◽  
J Ahamed ◽  
J Basu ◽  
...  

A beta-lactam-sensitive strain (C152) of Shigella dysenteriae showed two major outer membrane proteins (OMPs) with M(r)s of 43,000 and 38,000, while the clinical isolate M2 lacked the 43,000-Mr OMP, which acted as a channel for beta-lactam antibiotics. Permeability of beta-lactams across the outer membrane (OM) of M2 was lower than that across the OM of C152. Mutants deficient in the 43-kDa OMP could be selected in vitro from strain C152 in the presence of cefoxitin. All beta-lactam-resistant strains were sensitive to imipenem.

2001 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saul Burdman ◽  
Gabriella Dulguerova ◽  
Yaacov Okon ◽  
Edouard Jurkevitch

The major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of the nitrogen-fixing rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd was purified and isolated by gel filtration, and antiserum against this protein was obtained. A screening of the binding of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of A. brasilense to membrane-immobilized root extracts of various plant species revealed different affinities for the MOMP, with a stronger adhesion to extracts of cereals in comparison with legumes and tomatoes. Moreover, this protein was shown to bind to roots of different cereal seedlings in an in vitro adhesion assay. Incubation of A. brasilense cells with MOMP-antiserum led to fast agglutination, indicating that the MOMP is a surface-exposed protein. Cells incubated with Fab fragments obtained from purified MOMP-antiserum immunoglobulin G exhibited significant inhibition of bacterial aggregation as compared with controls. Bacteria preincubated with Fab fragments showed weaker adhesion to corn roots in comparison to controls without Fab fragments. These findings suggest that the A. brasilense MOMP acts as an adhesin involved in root adsorption and cell aggregation of this bacterium.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 2353-2363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie D. Cope ◽  
Robert P. Love ◽  
Sarah E. Guinn ◽  
Andrei Gilep ◽  
Sergei Usanov ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Haemophilus influenzae can utilize different protein-bound forms of heme for growth in vitro. A previous study from this laboratory indicated that nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) strain N182 expressed three outer membrane proteins, designated HgbA, HgbB, and HgbC, that bound hemoglobin or hemoglobin-haptoglobin and were encoded by open reading frames (ORFs) that contained a CCAA nucleotide repeat. Testing of mutants expressing the HgbA, HgbB, and HgbC proteins individually revealed that expression of any one of these proteins was sufficient to allow wild-type growth with hemoglobin. In contrast, mutants that expressed only HgbA or HgbC grew significantly better with hemoglobin-haptoglobin than did a mutant expressing only HgbB. Construction of an isogenic hgbA hgbB hgbC mutant revealed that the absence of these three gene products did not affect the ability of NTHI N182 to utilize hemoglobin as a source of heme, although this mutant was severely impaired in its ability to utilize hemoglobin-haptoglobin. The introduction of atonB mutation into this triple mutant eliminated its ability to utilize hemoglobin, indicating that the pathway for hemoglobin utilization in the absence of HgbA, HgbB, and HgbC involved a TonB-dependent process. Inactivation in this triple mutant of thehxuC gene, which encodes a predicted TonB-dependent outer membrane protein previously shown to be involved in the utilization of free heme, resulted in loss of the ability to utilize hemoglobin. The results of this study reinforce the redundant nature of the heme acquisition systems expressed by H. influenzae.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (33) ◽  
pp. E4794-E4800 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn M. Costello ◽  
Ashlee M. Plummer ◽  
Patrick J. Fleming ◽  
Karen G. Fleming

Outer membrane protein (OMP) biogenesis is critical to bacterial physiology because the cellular envelope is vital to bacterial pathogenesis and antibiotic resistance. The process of OMP biogenesis has been studied in vivo, and each of its components has been studied in isolation in vitro. This work integrates parameters and observations from both in vivo and in vitro experiments into a holistic computational model termed “Outer Membrane Protein Biogenesis Model” (OMPBioM). We use OMPBioM to assess OMP biogenesis mathematically in a global manner. Using deterministic and stochastic methods, we are able to simulate OMP biogenesis under varying genetic conditions, each of which successfully replicates experimental observations. We observe that OMPs have a prolonged lifetime in the periplasm where an unfolded OMP makes, on average, hundreds of short-lived interactions with chaperones before folding into its native state. We find that some periplasmic chaperones function primarily as quality-control factors; this function complements the folding catalysis function of other chaperones. Additionally, the effective rate for the β-barrel assembly machinery complex necessary for physiological folding was found to be higher than has currently been observed in vitro. Overall, we find a finely tuned balance between thermodynamic and kinetic parameters maximizes OMP folding flux and minimizes aggregation and unnecessary degradation. In sum, OMPBioM provides a global view of OMP biogenesis that yields unique insights into this essential pathway.


Microbiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 156 (5) ◽  
pp. 1415-1423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham Arhin ◽  
Cliff Boucher

Outer membrane proteins of the Gram-negative organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa play a significant role in membrane permeability, antibiotic resistance, nutrient uptake, and virulence in the infection site. In this study, we show that the P. aeruginosa outer membrane protein OprQ, a member of the OprD superfamily, is involved in the binding of human fibronectin (Fn). Some members of the OprD subfamily have been reported to be important in the uptake of nutrients from the environment. Comparison of wild-type and mutant strains of P. aeruginosa revealed that inactivation of the oprQ gene does not reduce the growth rate. Although it does not appear to be involved in nutrient uptake, an increased doubling time was reproducibly observed with the loss of OprQ in P. aeruginosa. Utilizing an oprQ–xylE transcriptional fusion, we determined that the PA2760 gene, encoding OprQ, was upregulated under conditions of decreased iron and magnesium. This upregulation appears to occur in early exponential phase. Insertional inactivation of PA2760 in the P. aeruginosa wild-type background did not produce a significant increase in resistance to any antibiotic tested, a phenotype that is typical of OprD family members. Interestingly, the in trans expression of OprQ in the ΔoprQ PAO1 mutant resulted in increased sensitivity to certain antibiotics. These findings suggest that OprQ is under dual regulation with other P. aeruginosa genes. Intact P. aeruginosa cells are capable of binding human Fn. We found that loss of OprQ resulted in a reduction of binding to plasmatic Fn in vitro. Finally, we present a discussion of the possible role of the P. aeruginosa outer membrane protein OprQ in adhesion to epithelial cells, thereby increasing colonization and subsequently enhancing lung destruction by P. aeruginosa.


2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
GRAŻYNA SZYMAŃSKA ◽  
MAGDALENA SZEMRAJ ◽  
ELIGIA M. SZEWCZYK

The activity of beta-lactam antibiotics (oxacillin, cloxacillin, cephalotin), vancomycin, gentamicin and rifampicin applied in vitro individually and in combination against 37 nosocomial methicillin-resistant strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) was assessed to demonstrate the heterogeneity of this group of bacteria and estimate the chance of the efficacy of such therapy. The strains belonged to four species: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus cohnii, Staphylococcus hominis. They originated from a hospital environment and from the skin of medical staff of the intensive care unit of a paediatric ward at a university hospital. All strains were methicillin-resistant, according to CLSI standards, but individual strains differed in MIC(ox) values. Susceptibility to other tested antibiotics was also characteristic for the species. The increased susceptibility to antibiotics in combinations, tested by calculating the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index, concerned 26 out of 37 investigated strains and it was a feature of a particular species. Combinations of vancomycin and cephalotin against S. epidermidis and oxacillin with vancomycin were significant, as well as cephalotin and rifampicin in growth inhibition of multiresistant S. haemolyticus strains.


Microbiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 151 (9) ◽  
pp. 2975-2986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bisweswar Nandi ◽  
Ranjan K. Nandy ◽  
Amit Sarkar ◽  
Asoke C. Ghose

The outer-membrane protein OmpW of Vibrio cholerae was studied with respect to its structure, functional properties and regulation of expression. On SDS-PAGE, the membrane-associated form of OmpW protein (solubilized by either 0·1 % or 2 % SDS at 25 °C) migrated as a monomer of 19 kDa that changed to 21 kDa on boiling. The protein was hyperexpressed in Escherichia coli in the histidine-tagged form and the purified His6-OmpW (heated or unheated) migrated as a 23 kDa protein on SDS-PAGE. Circular dichroism and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic analyses of the recombinant protein showed the presence of β-structures (∼40 %) with minor amounts (8–15 %) of α-helix. These results were consistent with those obtained by computational analysis of the sequence data of the protein using the secondary structure prediction program Jnet. The recombinant protein did not exhibit any porin-like property in a liposome-swelling assay. An antiserum to the purified protein induced a moderate level (66·6 % and 33·3 % at 1 : 50 and 1 : 100 dilutions, respectively) of passive protection against live vibrio challenge in a suckling mouse model. OmpW-deficient mutants of V. cholerae strains were generated by insertion mutagenesis. In a competitive assay in mice, the intestinal colonization activities of these mutants were found to be either only marginally diminished (for O1 strains) or 10-fold less (for an O139 strain) as compared to those of the corresponding wild-type strains. The OmpW protein was expressed in vivo as well as in vitro in liquid culture medium devoid of glucose. Interestingly, the glucose-dependent regulation of OmpW expression was less prominent in a ToxR− mutant of V. cholerae. Further, the expression of OmpW protein was found to be dependent on in vitro cultural conditions such as temperature, salinity, and availability of nutrients or oxygen. These results suggest that the modulation of OmpW expression by environmental factors may be linked to the adaptive response of the organism under stress conditions.


1980 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 709-717
Author(s):  
Marilyn R. Loeb ◽  
David H. Smith

The outer membrane protein composition of 50 disease isolates of Haemophilus influenzae has been determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. All strains, including 28 strains of serotype b , one strain each of serotypes a, c, d, e , and f , and 17 untypable strains, had an outer membrane protein composition typical of gram-negative bacteria, i.e., these membranes contained two to three dozen proteins with four to six proteins accounting for most of their protein content. Variation in the mobility of these major outer membrane proteins from strain to strain was common but not universal; the observed patterns provided useful data and new insight into the epidemiology of type b disease. The basic findings can be summarized as follows: (i) All 50 strains possessed three proteins (one minor and two major) each having identical mobilities. The other proteins, both major and minor, varied in mobility. (ii) All type b strains possessed a fourth (major) protein of identical mobility. (iii) The 28 type b strains, on the basis of the mobility of the six major outer membrane proteins, could be divided into eight subtypes. Of all the other strains examined, both typable and untypable, only the serotype a strain belonged to one of these subtypes. (iv) The untypable strains showed considerable variation in the mobilities of their major outer membrane proteins. Of these 17 strains, 13 had an additional major outer membrane protein not present in encapsulated strains. (v) The outer membrane protein composition of a single strain remained unchanged after many passages on solid media, but varied with the growth phase. (vi) The outer membrane protein composition of isolates obtained from nine patients during an epidemic of type b meningitis varied, indicating that a single strain was not responsible for the epidemic. At least five different strains were responsible for these nine cases. (vii) Identical outer membrane protein compositions were observed in the following: in a type b strain and a mutant of this strain deficient in capsule production, indicating that the level of capsule synthesis is not obviously related to outer membrane protein composition; in type b strains isolated from different anatomic sites of patients acutely ill with meningitis, indicating that the strain associated with bacteremia is the same as that isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid; in type b strains isolated from siblings who contracted meningitis at about the same time, indicating infection with the same strain; and in type b strains isolated from the initial and repeat infection of a single patient, suggesting that reinfection was due to the same strain.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (10) ◽  
pp. 5679-5689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qijing Zhang ◽  
Jerrel C. Meitzler ◽  
Shouxiong Huang ◽  
Teresa Morishita

ABSTRACT The major outer membrane protein (MOMP), a putative porin and a multifunction surface protein of Campylobacter jejuni, may play an important role in the adaptation of the organism to various host environments. To begin to dissect the biological functions and antigenic features of this protein, the gene (designatedcmp) encoding MOMP was identified and characterized from 22 strains of C. jejuni and one strain of C. coli. It was shown that the single-copy cmp locus encoded a protein with characteristics of bacterial outer membrane proteins. Prediction from deduced amino acid sequences suggested that each MOMP subunit consisted of 18 β-strands connected by short periplasmic turns and long irregular external loops. Alignment of the amino acid sequences of MOMP from different strains indicated that there were seven localized variable regions dispersed among highly conserved sequences. The variable regions were located in the putative external loop structures, while the predicted β-strands were formed by conserved sequences. The sequence homology of cmp appeared to reflect the phylogenetic proximity of C. jejuni strains, since strains with identical cmp sequences had indistinguishable or closely related macrorestriction fragment patterns. Using recombinant MOMP and antibodies recognizing linear or conformational epitopes of the protein, it was demonstrated that the surface-exposed epitopes of MOMP were predominantly conformational in nature. These findings are instrumental in the design of MOMP-based diagnostic tools and vaccines.


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