scholarly journals Mutants of Type II Heat-Labile Enterotoxin LT-IIa with Altered Ganglioside-Binding Activities and Diminished Toxicity Are Potent Mucosal Adjuvants

2006 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 621-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham F. Nawar ◽  
Sergio Arce ◽  
Michael W. Russell ◽  
Terry D. Connell

ABSTRACT The structure and function LT-IIa, a type II heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli, are closely related to the structures and functions of cholera toxin and LT-I, the type I heat-labile enterotoxins of Vibrio cholerae and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, respectively. While LT-IIa is a potent systemic and mucosal adjuvant, recent studies demonstrated that mutant LT-IIa(T34I), which exhibits no detectable binding activity as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with gangliosides GD1b, GD1a, and GM1 is a very poor adjuvant. To evaluate whether other mutant LT-IIa enterotoxins that also exhibit diminished ganglioside-binding activities have greater adjuvant activities, BALB/c mice were immunized by the intranasal route with the surface adhesin protein AgI/II of Streptococcus mutans alone or in combination with LT-IIa, LT-IIa(T14S), LT-IIa(T14I), or LT-IIa(T14D). All three mutant enterotoxins potentiated strong mucosal immune responses that were equivalent to the response promulgated by wt LT-IIa. All three mutant enterotoxins augmented the systemic immune responses that correlated with their ganglioside-binding activities. Only LT-IIa and LT-IIa(T14S), however, enhanced expression of major histocompatibility complex class II and the costimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, and CD86 on splenic dendritic cells. LT-IIa(T14I) and LT-IIa(T14D) had extremely diminished toxicities in a mouse Y1 adrenal cell bioassay and reduced abilities to induce the accumulation of intracellular cyclic AMP in a macrophage cell line.

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1330-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham F. Nawar ◽  
Sergio Arce ◽  
Michael W. Russell ◽  
Terry D. Connell

ABSTRACT LT-IIa and LT-IIb, the type II heat-labile enterotoxins of Escherichia coli, are closely related in structure and function to cholera toxin and LT-I, the type I heat-labile enterotoxins of Vibrio cholerae and E. coli, respectively. Recent studies from our group demonstrated that LT-IIa and LT-IIb are potent systemic and mucosal adjuvants. To determine whether binding of LT-IIa and LT-IIb to their specific ganglioside receptors is essential for adjuvant activity, LT-IIa and LT-IIb enterotoxins were compared with their respective single-point substitution mutants which have no detectable binding activity for their major ganglioside receptors [e.g., LT-IIa(T34I) and LT-IIb(T13I)]. Both mutant enterotoxins exhibited an extremely low capacity for intoxicating mouse Y1 adrenal cells and for inducing production of cyclic AMP in a macrophage cell line. BALB/c female mice were immunized by the intranasal route with the surface adhesin protein AgI/II of Streptococcus mutans alone or in combination with LT-IIa, LT-IIa(T34I), LT-IIb, or LT-IIb(T13I). Both LT-IIa and LT-IIb potentiated strong mucosal and systemic immune responses against AgI/II. Of the two mutant enterotoxins, only LT-IIb(T13I) had the capacity to strongly potentiate mucosal anti-AgI/II and systemic anti-AgI/II antibody responses. Upon boosting with AgI/II, however, both LT-IIa(T34I) and LT-IIb(T13I) enhanced humoral memory responses to AgI/II. Flow cytometry demonstrated that LT-IIa(T34I) had no affinity for cervical lymph node lymphocytes. In contrast, LT-IIb(T13I) retained binding activity for T cells, B cells, and macrophages, indicating that this immunostimulatory mutant enterotoxin interacts with one or more unknown lymphoid cell receptors.


2016 ◽  
Vol 473 (21) ◽  
pp. 3923-3936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dani Zalem ◽  
João P. Ribeiro ◽  
Annabelle Varrot ◽  
Michael Lebens ◽  
Anne Imberty ◽  
...  

The structurally related AB5-type heat-labile enterotoxins of Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae are classified into two major types. The type I group includes cholera toxin (CT) and E. coli LT-I, whereas the type II subfamily comprises LT-IIa, LT-IIb and LT-IIc. The carbohydrate-binding specificities of LT-IIa, LT-IIb and LT-IIc are distinctive from those of cholera toxin and E. coli LT-I. Whereas CT and LT-I bind primarily to the GM1 ganglioside, LT-IIa binds to gangliosides GD1a, GD1b and GM1, LT-IIb binds to the GD1a and GT1b gangliosides, and LT-IIc binds to GM1, GM2, GM3 and GD1a. These previous studies of the binding properties of type II B-subunits have been focused on ganglio core chain gangliosides. To further define the carbohydrate binding specificity of LT-IIb B-subunits, we have investigated its binding to a collection of gangliosides and non-acid glycosphingolipids with different core chains. A high-affinity binding of LT-IIb B-subunits to gangliosides with a neolacto core chain, such as Neu5Gcα3- and Neu5Acα3-neolactohexaosylceramide, and Neu5Gcα3- and Neu5Acα3-neolactooctaosylceramide was detected. An LT-IIb-binding ganglioside was isolated from human small intestine and characterized as Neu5Acα3-neolactohexaosylceramide. The crystal structure of the B-subunit of LT-IIb with the pentasaccharide moiety of Neu5Acα3-neolactotetraosylceramide (Neu5Ac-nLT: Neu5Acα3Galβ4GlcNAcβ3Galβ4Glc) was determined providing the first information for a sialic-binding site in this subfamily, with clear differences from that of CT and LT-I.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 281-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Martin ◽  
Daniel J. Metzger ◽  
Suzanne M. Michalek ◽  
Terry D. Connell ◽  
Michael W. Russell

ABSTRACT Cholera toxin (CT) and the heat-labile enterotoxin ofEscherichia coli (LT-I) are members of the serogroup I heat-labile enterotoxins (HLT) and can serve as systemic and mucosal adjuvants. However, information is lacking with respect to the structurally related but antigenically distinct serogroup II HLT, LT-IIa and LT-IIb, which have different binding specificities for ganglioside receptors. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of LT-IIa and LT-IIb as mucosal adjuvants in comparison to the prototypical type I HLT, CT. BALB/c mice were immunized by the intranasal (i.n.) route with the surface protein adhesin AgI/II ofStreptococcus mutans alone or supplemented with an adjuvant amount of CT, LT-IIa, or LT-IIb. Antigen-specific antibody responses in saliva, vaginal wash, and plasma were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mice given AgI/II with LT-IIa or LT-IIb by the i.n. route had significantly higher mucosal and systemic antibody responses than mice immunized with AgI/II alone. Anti-AgI/II immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibody activity in saliva and vaginal secretions of mice given AgI/II with LT-IIa or LT-IIb was statistically similar in magnitude to that seen in mice given AgI/II and CT. LT-IIb significantly enhanced the number of AgI/II-specific antibody-secreting cells in the draining superficial cervical lymph nodes compared to LT-IIa and CT. LT-IIb and CT induced significantly higher plasma anti-AgI/II IgG titers compared to LT-IIa. When LT-IIb was used as adjuvant, the proportion of plasma IgG2a relative to IgG1 anti-AgI/II antibody was elevated in contrast to the predominance of IgG1 antibodies promoted by AgI/II alone or when CT or LT-IIa was used. In vitro stimulation of AgI/II-specific cells from the superficial lymph nodes and spleen revealed that LT-IIa and LT-IIb induced secretion of interleukin-4 and significantly higher levels of gamma interferon compared to CT. These results demonstrate that the type II HLT LT-IIa and LT-IIb exhibit potent and distinct adjuvant properties for stimulating immune responses to a noncoupled protein immunogen after mucosal immunization.


2010 ◽  
Vol 78 (11) ◽  
pp. 4705-4713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hesham F. Nawar ◽  
Natalie D. King-Lyons ◽  
John C. Hu ◽  
Raymond C. Pasek ◽  
Terry D. Connell

ABSTRACT Two families of bacterial heat-labile enterotoxins (HLTs) have been described: the type I HLTs are comprised of cholera toxin (CT) of Vibrio cholerae, LT-I of Escherichia coli, and several related HLTs; the type II HLTs are comprised of LT-IIa and LT-IIb. Herein, we report LT-IIc, a new type II HLT encoded from an enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strain isolated from an avian host. Using a mouse Y1 adrenal cell bioassay, LT-IIc was shown to be less cytotoxic than CT, LT-IIa, or LT-IIb. Cytotoxicity of LT-IIc was partially neutralized by antisera recognizing LT-IIa or LT-IIb but not by anti-CT antiserum. Genes encoding putative A polypeptide and B polypeptides of LT-IIc were arranged in an operon which was flanked by potential prophage sequences. Analysis of the nucleotide and predicted amino acid sequences demonstrated that the A polypeptide of LT-IIc has moderate homology to the A polypeptides of CT and LT-I and high homology to the A polypeptides of LT-IIa and LT-IIb. The B polypeptide of LT-IIc exhibited no significant homology to the B polypeptides of CT and LT-I and only moderate homology to the B polypeptides of LT-IIa and LT-IIb. The binding pattern of LT-IIc for gangliosides was distinctive from that of either LT-IIa or LT-IIb. The data suggest that other types of the type II HLT subfamily are circulating in the environment and that host specificity of type II HLT is likely governed by changes in the B polypeptide which mediate binding to receptors.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 2163-2170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory M. Glenn ◽  
Christina P. Villar ◽  
David C. Flyer ◽  
A. Louis Bourgeois ◽  
Robin McKenzie ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Transcutaneous immunization allows safe delivery of native heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) from Escherichia coli via application of a simple patch. Physical disruption of the stratum corneum can improve the efficiency of delivery. In the current study, the stratum corneum was disrupted using an electrocardiogram prep pad prior to patch application. The effects were quantified using transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and were correlated with the immune responses. Sixty adults received 50 μg of LT from three lots of LT (20 adults per group) administered in a patch on days 0 and 21. The immunizations were well tolerated. There were no differences in the anti-LT immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers between the three LT lots; the seroconversion rate was 100%, and the mean anti-LT IgG titer was 12,185 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay units (EU) (a 24-fold increase). TEWL measurements obtained at the time of the second immunization were found to correlate with the day 42 individual increases in the anti-LT IgG titer (r = 0.59, P < 0.001). In a comparative assessment of the immune responses, sera after an LT+ ST+ (E2447A) oral ETEC challenge, which induced moderate to severe diarrhea in 81% of the recipients, had anti-LT IgG titers of 3,245 EU (a 10.8-fold increase). Similarly, the anti-LT IgG titer after administration of an oral cholera toxin B subunit-containing cholera vaccine, which cross-reacts with LT and protects against LT and LT/heat-stable toxin ETEC disease in the field, was 6,741 EU (a 3.3-fold increase). This study confirmed that a well-tolerated regimen for stratum corneum disruption before vaccine patch application results in robust immunity comparable to natural immunity and vaccine-induced immunity and that the magnitude of stratum corneum disruption correlates with the immune response.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1641
Author(s):  
Emily E. S. Brettschneider ◽  
Masaki Terabe

Glioblastoma is an aggressive and deadly cancer, but to date, immunotherapies have failed to make significant strides in improving prognoses for glioblastoma patients. One of the current challenges to developing immunological interventions for glioblastoma is our incomplete understanding of the numerous immunoregulatory mechanisms at play in the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment. We propose that Natural Killer T (NKT) cells, which are unconventional T lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens presented by CD1d molecules, may play a key immunoregulatory role in glioblastoma. For example, evidence suggests that the activation of type I NKT cells can facilitate anti-glioblastoma immune responses. On the other hand, type II NKT cells are known to play an immunosuppressive role in other cancers, as well as to cross-regulate type I NKT cell activity, although their specific role in glioblastoma remains largely unclear. This review provides a summary of our current understanding of NKT cells in the immunoregulation of glioblastoma as well as highlights the involvement of NKT cells in other cancers and central nervous system diseases.


2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 1703-1710 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Formichella ◽  
Laura Romberg ◽  
Christian Bolz ◽  
Michael Vieth ◽  
Michael Geppert ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHelicobacter pyloricolonizes half of the world's population, and infection can lead to ulcers, gastric cancer, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Serology is the only test applicable for large-scale, population-based screening, but current tests are hampered by a lack of sensitivity and/or specificity. Also, no serologic test allows the differentiation of type I and type II strains, which is important for predicting the clinical outcome.H. pylorivirulence factors have been associated with disease, but direct assessment of virulence factors requires invasive methods to obtain gastric biopsy specimens. Our work aimed at the development of a highly sensitive and specific, noninvasive serologic test to detect immune responses to importantH. pylorivirulence factors. This line immunoassay system (recomLine) is based on recombinant proteins. For this assay, six highly immunogenic virulence factors (CagA, VacA, GroEL, gGT, HcpC, and UreA) were expressed inEscherichia coli, purified, and immobilized to nitrocellulose membranes to detect serological immune responses in patient's sera. For the validation of the line assay, a cohort of 500 patients was screened, of which 290 (58.0%) wereH. pylorinegative and 210 (42.0%) were positive by histology. The assay showed sensitivity and specificity of 97.6% and 96.2%, respectively, compared to histology. In direct comparison to lysate blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), therecomLine assay had increased discriminatory power. For the assessment of individual risk for gastrointestinal disease, the test must be validated in a larger and defined patient cohort. Taking the data together, therecomLine assay provides a valuable tool for the diagnosis ofH. pyloriinfection.


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