The extracellular loop of the membrane permease VraG interacts with GraS to sense cationic antimicrobial peptides in Staphylococcus aureus

Host defense proteins (HDPs), aka defensins, are a key part of the innate immune system that functions by inserting into the bacterial membranes to form pores to kill invading and colonizing microorganisms. To ensure survival, microorganism such as S. aureus has developed survival strategies to sense and respond to HDPs. One key strategy in S. aureus is a two-component system (TCS) called GraRS coupled to an efflux pump that consists of a membrane permease VraG and an ATPase VraF, analogous to the BceRS-BceAB system of Bacillus subtilis but with distinct differences. While the 9 negatively charged amino acid extracellular loop of the membrane sensor GraS has been shown to be involved in sensing, the major question is how such a small loop can sense diverse HDPs. Mutation analysis in this study divulged that the vraG mutant phenocopied the graS mutant with respect to reduced activation of downstream effector mprF, reduction in surface positive charge and enhanced 2 hr. killing with LL-37 as compared with the parental MRSA strain JE2. In silico analysis revealed VraG contains a single 200-residue extracellular loop (EL) situated between the 7th and 8th transmembrane segments (out of 10). Remarkably, deletion of EL in VraG enhanced mprF expression, augmented surface positive charge and improved survival in LL-37 vs. parent JE2. As the EL of VraG is rich in lysine residues (16%), in contrast to a preponderance of negatively charged aspartic acid residues (3 out of 9) in the EL of GraS, we divulged the role of charge interaction by showing that K380 in the EL of VraG is an important residue that likely interacts with GraS to interfere with GraS-mediated signaling. Bacterial two-hybrid analysis also supported the interaction of EL of VraG with the EL of GraS. Collectively, we demonstrated an interesting facet of efflux pumps whereby the membrane permease disrupts HDP signaling by inhibiting GraS sensing that involves charged residues in the EL of VraG.

Bile Salts Differentially Enhance Resistance of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Host Defense Peptides

During passage through the human gastrointestinal tract, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) is exposed to membrane-damaging bile in the small intestine. We previously reported that EHEC treatment with a physiological bile salt mixture upregulates basRS, encoding a two-component system, and arnBCADTEF, encoding the aminoarabinose lipid A modification pathway (J. V. Kus, A. Gebremedhin, V. Dang, S. L. Tran, A. Serbanescu, and D. Barnett Foster, J Bacteriol 193: 4509-4515, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.00200-11). The present study examined the effect of bile salt mix (BSM) treatment on EHEC resistance to three human gastrointestinal defense peptides-HD-5, HNP-1, and LL-37-as well as the role of basRS and arnT in the respective responses. After BSM treatment, EHEC resistance to HD-5 and HNP-1 was significantly increased in a BSM-, defensin dose-dependent manner. The resistance phenotype was dependent on both basRS and arnT However, the BSM treatment did not alter EHEC resistance to LL-37, even when the ompT gene, encoding an LL-37 cleavage protease, was disrupted. Interestingly, enteropathogenic E. coli, a related pathogen that infects the small intestine, showed a similar BSM-induced resistance phenotype. Using a model of EHEC infection in Galleria mellonella, we found significantly lower survival rates in wax moth larvae infected with BSM-treated wild-type EHEC than in those infected with a BSM-treated basS mutant, suggesting that treatment with a physiological BSM enhances virulence through a basS-mediated pathway. The results of this investigation provide persuasive evidence that bile salts typically encountered during transit through the small intestine can serve as an environmental cue for EHEC, enhancing resistance to several key host defense peptides.

Nanomechanical response of bacterial cells to cationic antimicrobial peptides

The effectiveness of antimicrobial compounds can be easily screened, however their mechanism of action is much more difficult to determine. Many compounds act by compromising the mechanical integrity of the bacterial cell envelope, and our study introduces an AFM-based creep deformation technique to evaluate changes in the time-dependent mechanical properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 bacterial cells upon exposure to two different but structurally related antimicrobial peptides. We observed a distinctive signature for the loss of integrity of the bacterial cell envelope following exposure to the peptides. Measurements performed before and after exposure, as well as time-resolved measurements and those performed at different concentrations, revealed large changes to the viscoelastic parameters that are consistent with differences in the membrane permeabilizing effects of the peptides. The AFM creep deformation measurement provides new, unique insight into the kinetics and mechanism of action of antimicrobial peptides on bacteria.

Plasma hepcidin levels are elevated but responsive to erythropoietin therapy in renal disease

Hepcidin is a critical inhibitor of iron export from macrophages, enterocytes, and hepatocytes. Given that it is filtered and degraded by the kidney, its elevated levels in renal failure have been suggested to play a role in the disordered iron metabolism of uremia, including erythropoietin resistance. Here, we used a novel radioimmunoassay for hepcidin-25, the active form of the hormone, to measure its levels in renal disease. There was a significant diurnal variation of hepcidin and a strong correlation to ferritin levels in normal volunteers. In 44 patients with mild to moderate kidney disease, hepcidin levels were significantly elevated, positively correlated with ferritin but inversely correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate. In 94 stable hemodialysis patients, hepcidin levels were also significantly elevated, but this did not correlate with interleukin-6 levels, suggesting that increased hepcidin was not due to a general inflammatory state. Elevated hepcidin was associated with anemia, but, intriguingly, the erythropoietin dose was negatively correlated with hepcidin, suggesting that erythropoietin suppresses hepcidin levels. This was confirmed in 7 patients when hepcidin levels significantly decreased after initiation of erythropoietin treatment. Our results show that hepcidin is elevated in renal disease and suggest that higher hepcidin levels do not predict increased erythropoietin requirements.

Effect of lactoferrin on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and expression of PR-39 and protegrin-1 genes in weaned piglets

A total of 90 weaned female pigs (Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire) were used in a 15-d growth experiment to investigate the effect of lactoferrin on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and expression of PR-39 and protegrin-1 genes. The pigs were allocated on the basis of BW and litter to 3 dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. There were 3 replicate pens per treatment, and the pigs were grouped with 10 pigs per pen. The dietary treatments were (1) basal diet; (2) basal diet + 20 mg of flavomycin/kg + 110 mg of aureomycin/kg; (3) basal diet + 1.0 g of lactoferrin/kg. Six pigs, randomly selected from each treatment (2 piglets/pen) were slaughtered for intestinal morphology and expression of PR-39 and protegrin-1 genes at the end of the experiment. Supplementation with lactoferrin improved growth performance; it increased ADG by 41.80% (P < 0.01) and efficiency of gain (G:F) by 17.20% (P < 0.05). Intestinal villus height was increased by 15.30% (P < 0.05), and crypt depth was decreased by 9.60% (P < 0.05). Supplemental lactoferrin increased the relative abundance of mRNA for PR-39 and protegrin-1 by 143% (P < 0.01) and 217% (P < 0.01), respectively. The use of lactoferrin as an additive to improve nonspecific immunity and strengthen host defenses would be good a method of defending weaned pigs from infections and weanling stress.

Anti-interleukin 6 receptor antibody tocilizumab reduces the level of serum hepcidin in patients with multicentric Castleman's disease

We report two cases of multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) whose serum hepcidin levels were rapidly down-regulated by administration of tocilizumab, an anti- interleukin 6 (IL-6) receptor antibody. Our results indicate that IL-6-induced hepcidin over-production may be involved in the pathophysiology of microcytic anemia commonly observed in this disease.

In vivo imaging of hepcidin promoter stimulation by iron and inflammation

Hepcidin is an acute-phase response antimicrobial peptide that has emerged as a central regulator of iron absorption. Circulating hepcidin levels have been shown to affect iron uptake, release and storage. Hepcidin is mainly liver-derived and regulated, at least in part, transcriptionally. Hypoxia, erythroid demand, iron content and inflammation each have been shown to influence hepcidin mRNA expression in intact animals. In vitro, regulation of hepcidin by cytokines and by hypoxia is readily demonstrated in primary hepatocytes or in hepatocyte lines, but incubating the same cell lines with iron does not increase transcription of hepcidin. Thus, how iron excess stimulates hepcidin production in hepatocytes remains unknown. In addition, there is no current technique available that can investigate how iron induces hepcidin expression. To provide a better understanding of hepcidin gene expression in response to these regulatory stimuli, we have established a whole animal in vivo bioluminescence imaging assay to measure the activity of hepcidin promoter constructs in the animals' liver after hydrodynamic transfection of hepcidin promoter/luciferase constructs into mice. Transfected hepcidin promoter constructs were shown to respond to both inflammatory and iron stimuli in vivo. This work highlights the ability of this new imaging technique to investigate the key regions of the hepcidin promoter involved in iron induction of hepcidin expression.

Interleukin-6 induces hepcidin expression through STAT3

Iron homeostasis is maintained through meticulous regulation of circulating hepcidin levels. Hepcidin levels that are inappropriately low or high result in iron overload or iron deficiency, respectively. Although hypoxia, erythroid demand, iron, and inflammation are all known to influence hepcidin expression, the mechanisms responsible are not well defined. In this report we show that the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) directly regulates hepcidin through induction and subsequent promoter binding of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). STAT3 is necessary and sufficient for the IL-6 responsiveness of the hepcidin promoter. Our findings provide a mechanism by which hepcidin can be regulated by inflammation or, in the absence of inflammatory stimuli, by alternative mechanisms leading to STAT3 activation.

All-trans retinoic acid-induced expression of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) in human myeloid cells correlates to binding of C/EBPbeta and C/EBPepsilon to the BPI promoter

Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) neutralizes the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide and is of potential clinical use in the treatment of fulminant Gram-negative infections. BPI is a cationic protein with antibacterial activity stored in azurophil (primary) granules of neutrophil granulocytes. However, the absence of BPI in patients with specific granule deficiency indicates a transcriptional control of BPI, which is distinct from that of other azurophil granule proteins. Accordingly, we demonstrate in vivo that the BPI mRNA level peaks, together with mRNA for specific granule proteins, during the myelocytic and metamyelocytic stage of granulocytic maturation. The human promyelocytic cell line NB4 expresses several azurophil granule proteins, but expression of BPI is undetectable. We show that treatment of NB4 cells with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) induces BPI expression at mRNA and at protein level. The induction is dependent on de novo protein synthesis, as judged by sensitivity to cycloheximide. Previous investigations have indicated a potential role of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) transcription factors in the regulation of BPI expression. Here, we show that induction of NB4 cells with ATRA correlates to direct binding of C/EBPbeta and C/EBPepsilon to the proximal BPI promoter, as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift analysis and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The dependency on C/EBPbeta and C/EBPepsilon provides an explanation for delayed BPI mRNA expression, as compared with mRNA of other azurophil granule proteins.

Conformation-activity relationship of a novel peptide antibiotic: Structural characterization of dermaseptin DS 01 in media that mimic the membrane environment

Dermaseptins, small polycationic peptides synthesized by amphibians, exert a lytic action on bacteria, protozoa, yeast, and filamentous fungi at micromolar concentrations, but unlike polylysines, show little hemolytic activity. Dermaseptins S are active only against bacteria and form aggregates at high peptide/lipid ratios, whereas dermaseptins B are active also against fungi and form aggregates at low peptide/lipid ratios. A new dermaseptin, named DS 01, from the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa oreades, showed not only strong antibacterial properties against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria but also antiprotozoan activity in the microM range. An analysis of the sequences of all dermaseptins only shows a common tendency to adopt amphipathic helical conformations but does not hint at significant differences. In order to rationalize the biological differences among dermaseptins, it is necessary to analyze their conformational properties in greater detail. A structural characterization in media that mimic the membrane environment shows that the surface properties of DS 01, as compared to those of dermaseptins S1 and B2, are intermediate, in agreement with its peculiar pharmacological profile. The regular alternation of positive and negative patches on the surface suggests a plausible aggregation mechanism.

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and antibiotics: "in vitro" effects on inflammatory mediators

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging pathogen implicated in an increasing number of severe pulmonary infections and nosocomial sepsis. We evaluated the influence of four different antibiotics on the bacterial count and LPS activity found in broth cultures of S. maltophilia. After 4 h ceftazidime (CTZ) decreased live bacteria but increased endotoxin activity, whilst isepamicin (ISE), tobramycin (TB), and polymyxin B (PB) reduced both of them. We also investigated the influence of the above mentioned antibiotics on the ability of S. maltophilia culture filtrates and S. maltophilia LPS, extracted in our laboratory, to stimulate sepsis mediators such as tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a), interleukin 8 (IL-8), interleukin 10 (IL-10), Nitric Oxide (NO) and as bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) in human whole blood. Our results demonstrated that both single polycationic antibiotics and the combination of two molecules are able to kill bacteria and neutralize released S. maltophilia LPS. Combination between beta-lactams and aminoglycosides is often able to reduce the pro-inflammatory effects of S. maltophilia culture filtrates.

Dietary iron regulates hepatic hepcidin 1 and 2 mRNAs in mice

Recently discovered peptide-hepcidin (Hepc) may be a central player in the communication of iron body stores to the intestinal absorptive cells and thus involved in the maintenance of iron homeostasis. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the level of dietary iron on Hepc gene expression in the liver. OF1 male mice were fed for 3 weeks either control diet (35 mg iron/kg diet), low-iron diet (1 mg iron/kg diet), or high-iron diet (500 mg iron/kg diet), and Hepc 1 and 2 mRNA abundance in the liver was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results clearly showed that Hepc gene expression is upregulated by high dietary iron and downregulated when the dietary iron level is low. Both Hepc 1 and Hepc 2 expression responds coordinately to dietary iron. This work provides additional evidence of the key role of Hepc in the regulation of iron homeostasis.

Involvement of the JNK-like protein of the Aedes albopictus mosquito cell line, C6/36, in phagocytosis, endocytosis and infection of West Nile virus

We recently cloned a c-Jun amino-terminal kinase (JNK) sequence from the C6/36 cell line, derived from the mosquito Aedes albopictus. We showed that SP600125, an inhibitor of JNK proteins, inhibits phagocytosis by C6/36 cells, suggesting that the JNK-like protein regulates phagocytosis. Here, we show that C6/36 cells constitutively express low levels of mRNA encoding the antibacterial peptides, cecropin and defensin, but that these mRNAs were up-regulated upon stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Thus, the C6/36 cells have properties similar to those of mammalian macrophages. To characterize further the functional properties of C6/36 cells, we have assayed the role of the JNK-like protein in phagocytosis, endocytosis, and viral infection. C6/36 cells phagocytosed bacteria and artificial beads, and this was only slightly up-regulated following LPS stimulation, suggesting that newly stimulated JNK-like protein was not necessary for phagocytosis. SP600125 inhibited the acidification of intracellular compartments, including those involved in the endocytic pathway. Pretreatment of C6/36 cells with SP600125 or bafilomycin A1, but not cytochalasin D, inhibited the entry of West Nile virus (WNV), suggesting that WNV is internalized mainly by endocytosis, and that the JNK signalling pathway is important for endocytic entry. These findings indicate that the JNK-like protein regulates basic physiological functions, including phagocytosis and endocytosis and infection of WNV.

Inhibition of neutrophil elastase prevents cathelicidin activation and impairs clearance of bacteria from wounds

The host defense roles of neutrophil elastase in a porcine skin wound chamber model were explored. Analysis of wound fluid by acid-urea polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, Western blot, and bacterial overlay confirmed that the neutrophil-derived protegrins constituted the major stable antimicrobial polypeptide in the wound fluid. The application to the wound of 0.10 and 0.25 mM N-methoxysuccinyl-alanine-alanine-proline-valine (AAPV) chloromethyl ketone, a specific neutrophil elastase inhibitor (NEI), blocked the proteolytic activation of protegrins and diminished the associated antimicrobial activity as detected by radial diffusion assay against Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans or by bacterial gel overlay against S epidermidis and E coli. The application of the related cathepsin G inhibitor (CGI), benzyloxycarbonyl-glycine-leucine-phenylalanine (ZGLF) chloromethyl ketone, had no effect. In wound chambers that received 10(6) colony-forming unit (CFU)/mL of S epidermidis, the presence of NEI significantly decreased the 24-hour clearance of bacteria from the wound compared to wounds treated with CGI or solvent only. Neither inhibitor, at 0.10 or 0.25 mM concentration, affected leukocyte accumulation or degranulation in the wound chambers. The in vitro microbicidal decrement due to NEI was restored by an amount of the specific protegrin (PG-1), which was equivalent to the measured difference of protegrin between control and inhibited chambers. Administration of 1 microg/mL exogenous PG-1 4 hours after chamber preparation was sufficient to normalize in vivo antimicrobial activity. Although pharmacologic NEIs are promising candidates as anti-inflammatory drugs, they may impair host defense in part by inhibiting the activation of cathelicidins by neutrophil elastase.

Horseshoe crab hemocyte-derived antimicrobial polypeptides, tachystatins, with sequence similarity to spider neurotoxins

Antimicrobial peptides, named tachystatins A, B, and C, were identified from hemocytes of the horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus. Tachystatins exhibited a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and fungi. Of these tachystatins, tachystatin C was most effective. Tachystatin A is homologous to tachystatin B, but tachystatin C has no significant sequence similarity to tachystatins A and B. Tachystatins A and B showed sequence similarity to omega-agatoxin-IVA of funnel web spider venom, a potent blocker of voltage-dependent calcium channels. However, they exhibited no blocking activity of the P-type calcium channel in rat Purkinje cells. Tachystatin C also showed sequence similarity to several insecticidal neurotoxins of spider venoms. Tachystatins A, B, and C bound significantly to chitin. A causal relationship was observed between chitin binding activity and antifungal activity. Tachystatins caused morphological changes against a budding yeast, and tachystatin C had a strong cell lysis activity. The septum between mother cell and bud, a chitin-rich region, was stained by fluorescence-labeled tachystatin C, suggesting that the primary recognizing substance on the cell wall is chitin. As horseshoe crab is a close relative of the spider, tachystatins and spider neurotoxins may have evolved from a common ancestral peptide, with adaptive functions.

Novel cathelicidins in horse leukocytes(1)

Cathelicidins are precursors of defense peptides of the innate immunity and are widespread in mammals. Their structure comprises a conserved prepropiece and an antimicrobial domain that is structurally varied both intra- and inter-species. We investigated the complexity of the cathelicidin family in horse by a reverse transcription-PCR-based cloning strategy of myeloid mRNA and by Southern and Western analyses. Three novel cathelicidin sequences were deduced from bone marrow mRNA and designated equine cathelicidins eCATH-1, eCATH-2 and eCATH-3. Putative antimicrobial domains of 26, 27 and 40 residues with no significant sequence homology to other peptides were inferred at the C-terminus of the sequences. Southern analysis of genomic DNA using a probe based on the cathelicidin-conserved propiece revealed a polymorphic DNA region with several hybridization-positive fragments and suggested the presence of additional genes. A null eCATH-1 allele was also demonstrated with a frequency of 0.71 in the horse population analyzed and low amounts of eCATH-1-specific mRNA were found in myeloid cells of gene-positive animals. A Western analysis using antibodies to synthetic eCATH peptides revealed the presence of eCATH-2 and eCATH-3 propeptides, but not of eCATH-1-related polypeptides, in horse neutrophil granules and in the secretions of phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated neutrophils. These results thus suggest that eCATH-2 and eCATH-3 are functional genes, whereas eCATH-1 is unable to encode a polypeptide.