A comparison of the three-dimensional structures of human lactoferrin in its iron free and iron saturated forms

Serine protease PrtA from Streptococcus pneumoniae plays a role in the killing of S. pneumoniae by apolactoferrin

It is known that apolactoferrin, the iron-free form of human lactoferrin, can kill many species of bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. Lactoferricin, an N-terminal peptide of apolactoferrin, and fragments of it are even more bactericidal than apolactoferrin. In this study we found that apolactoferrin must be cleaved by a serine protease in order for it to kill pneumococci. The serine protease inhibitors were able to block killing by apolactoferrin but did not block killing by a lactoferrin-derived peptide. Thus, the killing of pneumococci by apolactoferrin appears to require a protease to release a lactoferricin-like peptide(s). Incubation of apolactoferrin with growing pneumococci resulted in a 12-kDa reduction in its molecular mass, of which about 7 to 8 kDa of the reduction was protease dependent. Capsular type 2 and 19F strains with mutations in the gene encoding the major cell wall-associated serine protease, prtA, lost much of their ability to degrade apolactoferrin and were relatively resistant to killing by apolactoferrin (P < 0.001). Recombinant PrtA was also able to cleave apolactoferrin, reducing its mass by about 8 kDa, and greatly enhance the killing activity of the solution containing the apolactoferrin and its cleavage products. Mass spectroscopy revealed that PrtA makes a major cut between amino acids 78 and 79 of human lactoferrin, removing the N-terminal end of the molecule (about 8.6 kDa). The simplest interpretation of these data is that the mechanism by which apolactoferrin kills Streptococcus pneumoniae requires the release of a lactoferricin-like peptide(s) and that it is this peptide(s), and not the intact apolactoferrin, which kills pneumococci.

Structure of a complex of human lactoferrin N-lobe with pneumococcal surface protein a provides insight into microbial defense mechanism

Human lactoferrin, a component of the innate immune system, kills a wide variety of microorganisms including the Gram positive bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) efficiently inhibits this bactericidal action. The crystal structure of a complex of the lactoferrin-binding domain of PspA with the N-lobe of human lactoferrin reveals direct and specific interactions between the negatively charged surface of PspA helices and the highly cationic lactoferricin moiety of lactoferrin. Binding of PspA blocks surface accessibility of this bactericidal peptide preventing it from penetrating the bacterial membrane. Results of site-directed mutagenesis, in vitro protein binding assays and isothermal titration calorimetry measurements corroborate that the specific electrostatic interactions observed in the crystal structure represent major associations between PspA and lactoferrin. The structure provides a snapshot of the protective mechanism utilized by pathogens against the host's first line of defense. PspA represents a major virulence factor and a promising vaccine candidate. Insights from the structure of the complex have implications for designing therapeutic strategies for treatment and prevention of pneumococcal diseases that remain a major public health problem worldwide.

A connection rule for alpha-carbon coarse-grained elastic network models using chemical bond information

A sparser but more efficient connection rule (called a bond-cutoff method) for a simplified alpha-carbon coarse-grained elastic network model is presented. One of conventional connection rules for elastic network models is the distance-cutoff method, where virtual springs connect an alpha-carbon with all neighbor alpha-carbons within predefined distance-cutoff value. However, though the maximum interaction distance between alpha-carbons is reported as 7 angstroms, this cutoff value can make the elastic network unstable in many cases of protein structures. Thus, a larger cutoff value (>11 angstroms) is often used to establish a stable elastic network model in previous researches. To overcome this problem, a connection rule for backbone model is proposed, which satisfies the minimum condition to stabilize an elastic network. Based on the backbone connections, each type of chemical interactions is considered and added to the elastic network model: disulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds, and salt-bridges. In addition, the van der Waals forces between alpha-carbons are modeled by using the distance-cutoff method. With the proposed connection rule, one can make an elastic network model with less than 7 angstroms distance cutoff, which can reveal protein flexibility more sharply. Moreover, the normal modes from the new elastic network model can reflect conformational changes of a given protein better than ones by the distance-cutoff method. This method can save the computational cost when calculating normal modes of a given protein structure, because it can reduce the total number of connections. As a validation, six example proteins are tested. Computational times and the overlap values between the conformational change and infinitesimal motion calculated by normal mode analysis are presented. Those animations are also available at UMass Morph Server (http://biomechanics.ecs.umass.edu/umms.html).

Iron transport systems in Neisseria meningitidis

Acquisition of iron and iron complexes has long been recognized as a major determinant in the pathogenesis of Neisseria meningitidis. In this review, high-affinity iron uptake systems, which allow meningococci to utilize the human host proteins transferrin, lactoferrin, hemoglobin, and haptoglobin-hemoglobin as sources of essential iron, are described. Classic features of bacterial iron transport systems, such as regulation by the iron-responsive repressor Fur and TonB-dependent transport activity, are discussed, as well as more specific features of meningococcal iron transport. Our current understanding of how N. meningitidis acquires iron from the human host and the vaccine potentials of various components of these iron transport systems are also reviewed.

Expression, purification, and characterization of equine lactoferrin in Pichia pastoris

Lactoferrin is an 80kDa iron-binding glycoprotein. It is secreted by exocrine glands. Many functions such as iron sequestering, anti-bacterial activity, regulation of gene expression, and immunomodulation are attributed to it. In the present study, we report the production of recombinant equine lactoferrin (ELF) in the methylotropic yeast Pichia pastoris using pPIC9K vector. The recombinant protein was purified by one-step affinity chromatography using heparin-Sepharose column. The purified protein has a molecular weight of 80kDa and reacted with antibody raised against the native equine lactoferrin. Its N-terminal sequence was identical to that of the native ELF. The iron-binding behavior and circular dichroism studies of the purified protein indicate that it has folded properly. The recombinant protein appears to be hyperglycosylated by the host strain, GS115. This is the first heterologous expression of equine lactoferrin and also the first report of intact lactoferrin expression using P. pastoris system. An yield of 40mg/l obtained in shake-flask cultures with this system, which is higher than the reported values for other systems.

Does human lactoferrin in the milk of transgenic mice deliver iron to suckling neonates?

Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein abundantly present in human milk, and has been postulated both to increase and to decrease intestinal iron absorption. To examine this problem, the interaction of milk iron with pup hemoglobin was studied in controls and in transgenic mice overexpressing human lactoferrin in their milk (2 lines expressing 12 mg/mL and 4 mg/mL, respectively). At day 14 of gestation, pregnant mice were switched from a diet of commercial chow containing iron at 300 mg/kg to diets containing 5, 15, or 50mg iron/kg; controls continued on chow. Nontransgenic pups were cross-fostered to transgenic dams to ensure that any results found in the pups were the effect of milk components. The hemoglobin level in the blood of 10-day-old suckling neonates was measured and calculated as total hemoglobin per pup. The total hemoglobin levels were lower in the pups receiving milk high in human lactoferrin, but the difference reached significance (P < 0.02) only at the highest level of dietary iron. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that lactoferrin functions as an intestinal iron scavenger, at least at high doses.