Pleiotropic effects of the lpxM mutation in Yersinia pestis resulting in modification of the biosynthesis of major immunoreactive antigens

Plague Vaccine Development: Current Research and Future Trends

Plague is one of the world’s most lethal human diseases caused by Yersinia pestis, a Gram-negative bacterium. Despite overwhelming studies for many years worldwide, there is no safe and effective vaccine against this fatal disease. Inhalation of Y. pestis bacilli causes pneumonic plague, a fast growing and deadly dangerous disease. F1/LcrV-based vaccines failed to provide adequate protection in African green monkey model in spite of providing protection in mice and cynomolgus macaques. There is still no explanation for this inconsistent efficacy, and scientists leg behind to search reliable correlate assays for immune protection. These paucities are the main barriers to improve the effectiveness of plague vaccine. In the present scenario, one has to pay special attention to elicit strong cellular immune response in developing a next-generation vaccine against plague. Here, we review the scientific contributions and existing progress in developing subunit vaccines, the role of molecular adjuvants; DNA vaccines; live delivery platforms; and attenuated vaccines developed to counteract virulent strains of Y. pestis.

Protective Immunity Elicited by Oral Immunization of Mice with Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Braun Lipoprotein (Lpp) and Acetyltransferase (MsbB) Mutants

We evaluated the extent of attenuation and immunogenicity of the ΔlppAB and ΔlppAB ΔmsbB mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium when delivered to mice by the oral route. These mutants were deleted either for the Braun lipoprotein genes (lppA and lppB) or in combination with the msbB gene, which encodes an acetyltransferase required for lipid A modification of lipopolysaccharide. Both the mutants were attenuated (100% animal survival) and triggered robust innate and adaptive immune responses. Comparable levels of IgG and its isotypes were produced in mice infected with wild-type (WT) S. typhimurium or its aforementioned mutant strains. The ΔlppAB ΔmsbB mutant-immunized animals resulted in the production of higher levels of fecal IgA and serum cytokines during later stages of vaccination (adaptive response). A significant production of interleukin-6 from T-cells was also noted in the ΔlppAB ΔmsbB mutant-immunized mice when compared to that of the ΔlppAB mutant. On the other hand, IL-17A production was significantly more in the serum of ΔlppAB mutant-immunized mice (innate response) with a stronger splenic T-cell proliferative and tumor-necrosis factor-α production. Based on 2-dimensional gel analysis, alterations in the levels of several proteins were observed in both the mutant strains when compared to that in WT S. typhimurium and could be associated with the higher immunogenicity of the mutants. Finally, both ΔlppAB and ΔlppAB ΔmsbB mutants provided complete protection to immunized mice against a lethal oral challenge dose of WT S. typhimurium. Thus, these mutants may serve as excellent vaccine candidates and also provide a platform for delivering heterologous antigens.

Immunisation of two rodent species with new live-attenuated mutants of Yersinia pestis CO92 induces protective long-term humoral- and cell-mediated immunity against pneumonic plague

We showed recently that the live-attenuated Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail and Δlpp ΔmsbB::ailL2 mutants of Yersinia pestis CO92 provided short-term protection to mice against developing subsequent lethal pneumonic plague. These mutants were either deleted for genes encoding Braun lipoprotein (Lpp), an acetyltransferase (MsbB) and the attachment invasion locus (Ail) (Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail) or contained a modified version of the ail gene with diminished virulence (Δlpp ΔmsbB::ailL2). Here, long-term immune responses were first examined after intramuscular immunisation of mice with the above-mentioned mutants, as well as the newly constructed Δlpp ΔmsbB Δpla mutant, deleted for the plasminogen-activator protease (pla) gene instead of ail. Y. pestis-specific IgG levels peaked between day 35 and 56 in the mutant-immunised mice and were sustained until the last tested day 112. Splenic memory B cells peaked earlier (day 42) before declining in the Δlpp ΔmsbB::ailL2 mutant-immunised mice while being sustained for 63 days in the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail and Δlpp ΔmsbB Δpla mutant-immunised mice. Splenic CD4⁺ T cells increased in all immunised mice by day 42 with differential cytokine production among the immunised groups. On day 120, immunised mice were exposed intranasally to wild-type (WT) CO92, and 80–100% survived pneumonic challenge. Mice immunised with the above-mentioned three mutants had increased innate as well as CD4⁺ responses immediately after WT CO92 exposure, and coupled with sustained antibody production, indicated the role of both arms of the immune response in protection. Likewise, rats vaccinated with either Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail or the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δpla mutant also developed long-term humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to provide 100% protection against developing pneumonic plague. On the basis of the attenuated phenotype, the Δlpp ΔmsbB Δail mutant was recently excluded from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention select agent list.

Structure-guided enzymology of the lipid A acyltransferase LpxM reveals a dual activity mechanism

Gram-negative bacteria possess a characteristic outer membrane, of which the lipid A constituent elicits a strong host immune response through the Toll-like receptor 4 complex, and acts as a component of the permeability barrier to prevent uptake of bactericidal compounds. Lipid A species comprise the bulk of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane and are produced through a multistep biosynthetic pathway conserved in most Gram-negative bacteria. The final steps in this pathway involve the secondary acylation of lipid A precursors. These are catalyzed by members of a superfamily of enzymes known as lysophospholipid acyltransferases (LPLATs), which are present in all domains of life and play important roles in diverse biological processes. To date, characterization of this clinically important class of enzymes has been limited by a lack of structural information and the availability of only low-throughput biochemical assays. In this work, we present the structure of the bacterial LPLAT protein LpxM, and we describe a high-throughput, label-free mass spectrometric assay to characterize acyltransferase enzymatic activity. Using our structure and assay, we identify an LPLAT thioesterase activity, and we provide experimental evidence to support an ordered-binding and "reset" mechanistic model for LpxM function. This work enables the interrogation of other bacterial acyltransferases' structure-mechanism relationships, and the assay described herein provides a foundation for quantitatively characterizing the enzymology of any number of clinically relevant LPLAT proteins.

Assessment of Live Plague Vaccine Candidates

Since its creation in the early twentieth century, live plague vaccine EV has been successfully applied to millions of people without severe complications. This vaccine has been proven to elicit protection against both bubonic and pneumonic plague, and it is still in use in populations at risk mainly in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Despite extensive efforts in developing subunit vaccines, there is a reviving interest in creation of a precisely attenuated strain of Yersinia pestis superior to the EV that can serve as a live plague vaccine with improved characteristics. Here we summarize decades of experience of the Russian anti-plague research in developing a standard protocol for early-stage evaluation of safety and immunogenicity of live plague vaccines. This protocol allows step-by-step comparison of the novel test candidates with the EV vaccine by using subcutaneous immunization and bubonic plague infection models in two animal species, e.g., guinea pigs and mice.

Biosynthetically engineered lipopolysaccharide as vaccine adjuvant

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a dominant component of the Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane, is a strong activator of the innate immune system, and thereby an important determinant in the adaptive immune response following bacterial infection. This adjuvant activity can be harnessed following immunization with bacteria-derived vaccines that naturally contain LPS, and when LPS or molecules derived from it are added to purified vaccine antigens. However, the downside of the strong biological activity of LPS is its ability to contribute to vaccine reactogenicity. Modification of the LPS structure allows triggering of a proper immune response needed in a vaccine against a particular pathogen while at the same time lowering its toxicity. Extensive modifications to the basic structure are possible by using our current knowledge of bacterial genes involved in LPS biosynthesis and modification. This review focuses on biosynthetic engineering of the structure of LPS and implications of these modifications for generation of safe adjuvants.

Recognition of lipid A variants by the TLR4-MD-2 receptor complex

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a component of the outer membrane of almost all Gram-negative bacteria and consists of lipid A, core sugars, and O-antigen. LPS is recognized by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and MD-2 on host innate immune cells and can signal to activate the transcription factor NFκB, leading to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines that initiate and shape the adaptive immune response. Most of what is known about how LPS is recognized by the TLR4-MD-2 receptor complex on animal cells has been studied using Escherichia coli lipid A, which is a strong agonist of TLR4 signaling. Recent work from several groups, including our own, has shown that several important pathogenic bacteria can modify their LPS or lipid A molecules in ways that significantly alter TLR4 signaling to NFκB. Thus, it has been hypothesized that expression of lipid A variants is one mechanism by which pathogens modulate or evade the host immune response. Additionally, several key differences in the amino acid sequences of human and mouse TLR4-MD-2 receptors have been shown to alter the ability to recognize these variations in lipid A, suggesting a host-specific effect on the immune response to these pathogens. In this review, we provide an overview of lipid A variants from several human pathogens, how the basic structure of lipid A is recognized by mouse and human TLR4-MD-2 receptor complexes, as well as how alteration of this pattern affects its recognition by TLR4 and impacts the downstream immune response.

Pathogenicity of Yersinia pestis synthesis of 1-dephosphorylated lipid A

Synthesis of Escherichia coli LpxL, which transfers a secondary laurate chain to the 2' position of lipid A, in Yersinia pestis produced bisphosphoryl hexa-acylated lipid A at 37°C, leading to significant attenuation of virulence. Our previous observations also indicated that strain χ10015(pCD1Ap) (ΔlpxP32::P(lpxL) lpxL) stimulated a strong inflammatory reaction but sickened mice before recovery and retained virulence via intranasal (i.n.) infection. The development of live, attenuated Y. pestis vaccines may be facilitated by detoxification of its lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Heterologous expression of the lipid A 1-phosphatase, LpxE, from Francisella tularensis in Y. pestis yields predominantly 1-dephosphorylated lipid A, as confirmed by mass spectrometry. Results indicated that expression of LpxE on top of LpxL provided no significant reduction in virulence of Y. pestis in mice when it was administered i.n. but actually reduced the 50% lethal dose (LD(50)) by 3 orders of magnitude when the strain was administered subcutaneously (s.c.). Additionally, LpxE synthesis in wild-type Y. pestis KIM6+(pCD1Ap) led to slight attenuation by s.c. inoculation but no virulence change by i.n. inoculation in mice. In contrast to Salmonella enterica, expression of LpxE does not attenuate the virulence of Y. pestis.

Deletion of the Braun lipoprotein-encoding gene and altering the function of lipopolysaccharide attenuate the plague bacterium

Braun (murein) lipoprotein (Lpp) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are major components of the outer membranes of Enterobacteriaceae family members that are capable of triggering inflammatory immune responses by activating Toll-like receptors 2 and 4, respectively. Expanding on earlier studies that demonstrated a role played by Lpp in Yersinia pestis virulence in mouse models of bubonic and pneumonic plague, we characterized an msbB in-frame deletion mutant incapable of producing an acyltransferase that is responsible for the addition of lauric acid to the lipid A moiety of LPS, as well as a Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant of the highly virulent Y. pestis CO92 strain. Although the ΔmsbB single mutant was minimally attenuated, the Δlpp single mutant and the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant were significantly more attenuated than the isogenic wild-type (WT) bacterium in bubonic and pneumonic animal models (mouse and rat) of plague. These data correlated with greatly reduced survivability of the aforementioned mutants in murine macrophages. Furthermore, the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant was grossly compromised in its ability to disseminate to distal organs in mice and in evoking cytokines/chemokines in infected animal tissues. Importantly, mice that survived challenge with the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant, but not the Δlpp or ΔmsbB single mutant, in a pneumonic plague model were significantly protected against a subsequent lethal WT CO92 rechallenge. These data were substantiated by the fact that the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant maintained an immunogenicity comparable to that of the WT strain and induced long-lasting T-cell responses against heat-killed WT CO92 antigens. Taken together, the data indicate that deletion of the msbB gene augmented the attenuation of the Δlpp mutant by crippling the spread of the double mutant to the peripheral organs of animals and by inducing cytokine/chemokine responses. Thus, the Δlpp ΔmsbB double mutant could provide a new live-attenuated background vaccine candidate strain, and this should be explored in the future.

Plague vaccines: current developments and future perspectives

Despite many decades of intensive studies of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, there is no safe and efficient vaccine against this devastating disease. A recently developed F1/V subunit vaccine candidate, which relies mainly on humoral immunity, showed promising results in animal studies; however, its efficacy in humans still has to be carefully evaluated. In addition, those developing next-generation plague vaccines need to pay particular attention to the importance of eliciting cell-mediated immunity. In this review, we analyzed the current progress in developing subunit, DNA and live carrier platforms of delivery by bacterial and viral vectors, as well as approaches for controlled attenuation of virulent strains of Y. pestis.

Lipopolysaccharide of Yersinia pestis, the Cause of Plague: Structure, Genetics, Biological Properties

The present review summarizes data pertaining to the composition and structure of the carbohydrate moiety (core oligosaccharide) and lipid component (lipid A) of the various forms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), one of the major pathogenicity factors ofYersinia pestis, the cause of plague. The review addresses the functions and the biological significance of genes for the biosynthesis of LPS, as well as the biological properties of LPS in strains from various intraspecies groups ofY. pestis and their mutants, including the contribution of LPS to the resistance of bacteria to factors of the innate immunity of both insect-vectors and mammal-hosts. Special attention is paid to temperature-dependent variations in the LPS structure, their genetic control and roles in the pathogenesis of plague. The evolutionary aspect is considered based on a comparison of the structure and genetics of the LPS ofY. pestis and other enteric bacteria, including otherYersinia species. The prospects of development of live plague vaccines created on the basis ofY. pestis strains with the genetically modified LPS are discussed.

Bacteriophage-resistant mutants in Yersinia pestis: identification of phage receptors and attenuation for mice

Background

Bacteriophages specific for Yersinia pestis are routinely used for plague diagnostics and could be an alternative to antibiotics in case of drug-resistant plague. A major concern of bacteriophage therapy is the emergence of phage-resistant mutants. The use of phage cocktails can overcome this problem but only if the phages exploit different receptors. Some phage-resistant mutants lose virulence and therefore should not complicate bacteriophage therapy.

Methodology/Principal Findings

The purpose of this work was to identify Y. pestis phage receptors using site-directed mutagenesis and trans-complementation and to determine potential attenuation of phage-resistant mutants for mice. Six receptors for eight phages were found in different parts of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inner and outer core. The receptor for R phage was localized beyond the LPS core. Most spontaneous and defined phage-resistant mutants of Y. pestis were attenuated, showing increase in LD₅₀ and time to death. The loss of different LPS core biosynthesis enzymes resulted in the reduction of Y. pestis virulence and there was a correlation between the degree of core truncation and the impact on virulence. The yrbH and waaA mutants completely lost their virulence.

Conclusions/Significance

We identified Y. pestis receptors for eight bacteriophages. Nine phages together use at least seven different Y. pestis receptors that makes some of them promising for formulation of plague therapeutic cocktails. Most phage-resistant Y. pestis mutants become attenuated and thus should not pose a serious problem for bacteriophage therapy of plague. LPS is a critical virulence factor of Y. pestis.

Progress on plague vaccine development

Yersinia pestis (YP), the gram-negative plague bacterium, has shaped human history unlike any other pathogen known to mankind. YP (transmitted by the bite of an infected flea) diverged only recently from the related enteric pathogen Yersinia pseudotuberculosis but causes radically different diseases. Three forms of plague exist in humans: bubonic (swollen lymph nodes or bubos), septicemic (spread of YP through the lymphatics or bloodstream from the bubos to other organs), and contagious, pneumonic plague which can be communicated via YP-charged respiratory droplets resulting in person-person transmission and rapid death if left untreated (50-90% mortality). Despite the potential threat of weaponized YP being employed in bioterrorism and YP infections remaining prevalent in endemic regions of the world where rodent populations are high (including the four corner regions of the USA), an efficacious vaccine that confers immunoprotection has yet to be developed. This review article will describe the current vaccine candidates being evaluated in various model systems and provide an overall summary on the progress of this important endeavor.

A live attenuated strain of Yersinia pestis KIM as a vaccine against plague

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, is a potential weapon of bioterrorism. Y. pestis evades the innate immune system by synthesizing tetra-acylated lipid A with poor Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-stimulating activity at 37°C, whereas hexa-acylated lipid A, a potent TLR4 agonist, is made at lower temperatures. Synthesis of Escherichia coli LpxL, which transfers the secondary laurate chain to the 2'-position of lipid A, in Y. pestis results in production of hexa-acylated lipid A at 37°C, leading to significant attenuation of virulence. Previously, we described a Y. pestis vaccine strain in which crp expression is under the control of the arabinose-regulated araC P(BAD) promoter, resulting in a 4-5 log reduction in virulence. To reduce the virulence of the crp promoter mutant further, we introduced E. coli lpxL into the Y. pestis chromosome. The χ10030(pCD1Ap) (ΔlpxP32::P(lpxL)lpxL ΔP(crp21)::TT araC P(BAD)crp) construct likewise produced hexa-acylated lipid A at 37°C and was significantly more attenuated than strains harboring each individual mutation. The LD(50) of the mutant in mice, when administered subcutaneously or intranasally was >10(7)-times and >10(4)-times greater than wild type, respectively. Mice immunized subcutaneously with a single dose of the mutant were completely protected against a subcutaneous challenge of 3.6×10(7) wild-type Y. pestis and significantly protected (80% survival) against a pulmonary challenge of 1.2×10(4) live cells. Intranasal immunization also provided significant protection against challenges by both routes. This mutant is an immunogenic, highly attenuated live Y. pestis construct that merits further development as a vaccine candidate.

Prospects for new plague vaccines

The potential application of Yersinia pestis for bioterrorism emphasizes the urgent need to develop more effective vaccines against airborne infection. The current status of plague vaccines has been reviewed. The present emphasis is on subunit vaccines based on the F1 and LcrV antigens. These provide good protection in animal models but may not protect against F1 strains with modifications to the type III secretion system. The duration of protection against pneumonic infection is also uncertain. Other strategies under investigation include defined live-attenuated vaccines, DNA vaccines, mucosal delivery systems and heterologous immunization. The live-attenuated strain Y. pestis EV NIIEG protects against aerosol challenge in animal models and, with further modification to reduce residual virulence and to optimize respiratory protection, it could provide a shortcut to improved vaccines. The regulatory problems inherent in licensing vaccines for which efficacy data are unavailable and their possible solutions are discussed herein.