NetB, a new toxin that is associated with avian necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens

For over 30 years a phospholipase C enzyme called alpha-toxin was thought to be the key virulence factor in necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens. However, using a gene knockout mutant we have recently shown that alpha-toxin is not essential for pathogenesis. We have now discovered a key virulence determinant. A novel toxin (NetB) was identified in a C. perfringens strain isolated from a chicken suffering from necrotic enteritis (NE). The toxin displayed limited amino acid sequence similarity to several pore forming toxins including beta-toxin from C. perfringens (38% identity) and alpha-toxin from Staphylococcus aureus (31% identity). NetB was only identified in C. perfringens type A strains isolated from chickens suffering NE. Both purified native NetB and recombinant NetB displayed cytotoxic activity against the chicken leghorn male hepatoma cell line LMH; inducing cell rounding and lysis. To determine the role of NetB in NE a netB mutant of a virulent C. perfringens chicken isolate was constructed by homologous recombination, and its virulence assessed in a chicken disease model. The netB mutant was unable to cause disease whereas the wild-type parent strain and the netB mutant complemented with a wild-type netB gene caused significant levels of NE. These data show unequivocally that in this isolate a functional NetB toxin is critical for the ability of C. perfringens to cause NE in chickens. This novel toxin is the first definitive virulence factor to be identified in avian C. perfringens strains capable of causing NE. Furthermore, the netB mutant is the first rationally attenuated strain obtained in an NE-causing isolate of C. perfringens; as such it has considerable vaccine potential.     

Quantification of Cell Proliferation and Alpha-Toxin Gene Expression of Clostridium perfringens in the Development of Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler Chickens

Cell proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression of Clostridium perfringens in relation to the development of necrotic enteritis (NE) were investigated. Unlike bacitracin-treated chickens, non-bacitracin-treated birds exhibited typical NE symptoms and reduced growth performance. They also demonstrated increased C. perfringens proliferation and alpha-toxin gene expression that were positively correlated and progressed according to the regression model y = b₀ + b₁X − b₂X². The average C. perfringens count of 5 log₁₀ CFU/g in the ileal digesta appears to be a threshold for developing NE with a lesion score of 2.     

Cloning of Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin gene and extracellular expression in Escherichia coli]

Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is a Gram-positive bacterial pathogen that widely propagets in the soil and the gastrointestinal tract of human and animals. This bacteria causes food poisoning, gas gangrene and other various range of infectious diseases. But there is no standard diagnosis method of C. perfringens. In order to develop a new type of immunoassay for clinical purpose, we studied expression and extracellular secretion of recombinant alpha-toxin having enzyme activity in E. coli expression system. Cloning was carried out after PCR amplification from C. perfringens GAI 94074 which was clinical isolate. Three kinds of fragment were cloned using pET100/D-TOPO vector. These fragments coded for ribosome binding site, signal peptide, and alpha-toxin gene respectively. Recombinant pET100 plasmid transformed into TOP 10 cells and the obtained plasmids were transformed into BL21 (DE3) cells. Then, the transformants were induced expression with IPTG. In conclusion, we successfully cloned, expressed and exteracellular secreted C. perfringens alpha-toxin containing signal peptide. Biologically, the obtained recombinant protein was positive for phospholipase C activity.     

C型产气荚膜梭菌α毒素基因的克隆与表达

利用PCR技术,从C型产气荚膜梭菌染色体基因组中扩增了1．2kb的α毒素基因,将纯化的PCR产物与载体pGEM-T连接,转化至受体菌JM109中,经NcoI／EcoRI和BamHI／EcoRI酶切鉴定及核苷酸序列测定证实,重组质粒pXCPAl中含有α毒素全基因。随后用NcoI／EcoRI酶切质粒pXCPAl,回收α毒素基因片段,插入到事先经同样酶切处理的载体pET-28c中相应酶切位点,构建了表达质粒pETXAl,经NcoI／EcoRI和BamHI／EcoRI酶切鉴定及核苷酸序列测定证实,表达质粒含有α毒素基因且基因序列和阅读框架正确。重组菌株BL21(DE3)(pETXAl)表达产物经ELISA检测和SDS-PAGE分析,重组菌株表达的α毒素蛋白能够被α毒素单抗识别,其表达量占菌体总蛋白相对含量的16．28％。     

Detection by in vitro amplification of the alpha-toxin (phospholipase C) gene from Clostridium perfringens

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with thermostable DNA polymerase from Thermus aquaticus is described for the specific amplification of the phospholipase C (alpha-toxin) gene of Clostridium perfringens. A set of primers selected for their high specificity could detect Cl. perfringens in stools with a detection limit of approximately 5 x 10² bacteria, after bi-amplification. A modified PCR without thermal steps was performed to rapidly amplify, with a yield of 60%, the DNA template. With this PCR method Cl. perfringens alpha-toxin gene could be detected within 2 h. The PCR method detected alpha-toxin positive Cl. perfringens but did not react with phospholipase C-producing Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cl. sordellii and Cl. bifermentans.
The amplified PCR products were screened through ethidium bromide agarose gel electrophoresis or, in only 1 h, with the PhastSystem (Pharmacia). This PCR satisfies the criteria of specificity, sensitivity and rapidity required for a useful tool in epidemiology and for the diagnosis of the pathogen Cl. perfringens as it may be used directly on stool samples.     

Perfringolysin O expression in Clostridium perfringens is independent of the upstream pfoR gene

The pathogenesis of Clostridium perfringens-mediated gas gangrene or clostridial myonecrosis involves the extracellular toxins alpha-toxin and perfringolysin O. Previous studies (T. Shimizu, A. Okabe, J. Minami, and H. Hayashi, Infect. Immun. 59:137-142, 1991) carried out with Escherichia coli suggested that the perfringolysin O structural gene, pfoA, was positively regulated by the product of the upstream pfoR gene. In an attempt to confirm this hypothesis in C. perfringens, a pfoR-pfoA deletion mutant was complemented with isogenic pfoA(+) shuttle plasmids that varied only in their ability to encode an intact pfoR gene. No difference in the ability to produce perfringolysin O was observed for C. perfringens strains carrying these plasmids. In addition, chromosomal pfoR mutants were constructed by homologous recombination in C. perfringens. Again no difference in perfringolysin O activity was observed. Since it was not possible to alter perfringolysin O expression by mutation of pfoR, it was concluded that the pfoR gene product is unlikely to have a role in the regulation of pfoA expression in C. perfringens.     

Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin: characterization and mode of action

Clostridium perfringens type A strains that produce alpha-toxin cause gas gangrene, which is a life-threatening infection with fever, pain, edema, myonecrosis and gas production. Intramuscular injection of the toxin or Bacillus subtilis carrying the alpha-toxin gene causes myonecrosis and produces histopathological features of the disease. Immunization of mice with alpha-toxin or fragments of the toxin prevents gas gangrene caused by C. perfringens. The toxin possesses phospholipase C (PLC), sphingomyelinase (SMase) and biological activities causing hemolysis, lethality and dermonecrosis. These biological activities are closely related to PLC and/or SMase activities. However, there is yet some uncertainty about the biological activities induced by the PLC and SMase activities of alpha-toxin. Based on the isolation and characterization of the gene for alpha-toxin and a comparison of the toxin with enzymes of the PLC family, significant progress has been made in determining the function-structure of alpha-toxin and the mode of action of the toxin. To provide a better understanding of the role of alpha-toxin in tissue damage in gas gangrene, this article summarizes current knowledge of the characteristics and mode of action of alpha-toxin.     

抗A型产气荚膜梭菌α毒素单链抗体基因的克隆和表达

应用RT PCR技术 ,从分泌具有中和活性的抗A型产气荚膜梭菌α毒素单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞中 ,扩增出抗体V_H 和V_L 基因 ,连接成ScFv基因 ,并将其克隆至pGEM T载体中构建了重组质粒pXScFv 2E3。经序列分析证实 ,V_H 和V_L 基因及linker基因拼接正确 ,基因全长为 726bp ,编码 242个氨基酸。随后将其定向克隆于表达载体pHOG21,转化至大肠杆菌XL1 BLUE筛选出表达菌株XL1 BLUE(pHOG 2E3)。经ELISA和SDS PAGE分析表明 ,在20℃用IPTG诱导培养时 ,表达的ScFv蛋白占菌体总蛋白的 25 %。并且ScFv基因表达产物能够中和α毒素的磷酯酶C活性     

A型产气荚膜梭菌α毒素基因表达及其免疫保护作用的初步研究

利用PCR技术,从A型产气荚膜梭菌标准株染色体DNA中扩增出α毒素基因,构建了含α毒素基因的重组菌株BL21(DE3)(pXETA02)。经酶切鉴定和序列测定证实,构建的表达质粒pXETA02含有α毒素基因序列。经SDS-PAGE、Western blot分析和ELISA检测,重组菌株表达的α毒素蛋白能够被α毒素单抗识别。表达优化结果表明,以IPTG为诱导剂诱导α毒素表达的优化条件是:培养基pH 7.5,培养温度37℃,IPTG浓度0.8mmol/L,菌体生长密度OD600达到0.8时加入IPTG,诱导时间5h,此时α毒素蛋白表达量为34.83%。以乳糖为诱导剂诱导α毒素表达的优化条件是:培养基pH7.5、培养温度37℃,乳糖浓度0.1g/L,菌体生长密度OD600达到0.8时加入乳糖,诱导时间5h,α毒素蛋白表达量为23.82%。动物实验结果表明,用重组菌株α毒素蛋白免疫的小鼠可以抵抗1MLD的A型产气荚膜梭菌标准株C57-1毒素攻击。     

Identification of a novel locus that regulates expression of toxin genes in Clostridium perfringens

A novel gene that regulates the alpha-toxin (plc), kappa-toxin (colA), and theta;-toxin (pfoA) genes was identified using toxin-negative mutant strains of Clostridium perfringens. The cloned 3.2-kb fragment contained the virX gene encoding a 51-amino acid polypeptide of unknown function that seemed to be responsible for the activation of toxin genes. The virX knock out mutant of wild-type strain 13 showed a reduced expression of the plc, colA, and pfoA genes, which was complemented by the transformation of the intact virX gene. Deletion and site-directed mutagenesis studies suggested that the virX gene acts as a regulatory RNA rather than as a peptide regulator. The virX locus found in this study might play a part in the signal transduction to regulate toxin production in C. perfringens.     

The first strain of Clostridium perfringens isolated from an avian source has an alpha-toxin with divergent structural and kinetic properties

Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin is a 370-residue, zinc-dependent, phospholipase C that is the key virulence determinant in gas gangrene. It is also implicated in the pathogenesis of sudden death syndrome in young animals and necrotic enteritis in chickens. Previously characterized alpha-toxins from different strains of C. perfringens are almost identical in sequence and biochemical properties. We describe the cloning, nucleotide sequencing, expression, characterization, and crystal structure of alpha-toxin from an avian strain, SWan C. perfringens (SWCP), which has a large degree of sequence variation and altered substrate specificity compared to these strains. The structure of alpha-toxin from strain CER89L43 has been previously reported in open (active site accessible to substrate) and closed (active site obscured by loop movements) conformations. The SWCP structure is in an open-form conformation, with three zinc ions in the active site. This is the first example of an open form of alpha-toxin crystallizing without the addition of divalent cations to the crystallization buffer, indicating that the protein can retain three zinc ions bound in the active site. The topology of the calcium binding site formed by residues 269, 271, 336, and 337, which is essential for membrane binding, is significantly altered in comparison with both the open and closed alpha-toxin structures. We are able to relate these structural changes to the different substrate specificity and membrane binding properties of this divergent alpha-toxin. This will provide essential information when developing an effective vaccine that will protect against C. perfringens infection in a wide range of domestic livestock.     

Genome sequencing and analysis of a type A Clostridium perfringens isolate from a case of bovine clostridial abomasitis

Clostridium perfringens is a common inhabitant of the avian and mammalian gastrointestinal tracts and can behave commensally or pathogenically. Some enteric diseases caused by type A C. perfringens, including bovine clostridial abomasitis, remain poorly understood. To investigate the potential basis of virulence in strains causing this disease, we sequenced the genome of a type A C. perfringens isolate (strain F262) from a case of bovine clostridial abomasitis. The ～3.34 Mbp chromosome of C. perfringens F262 is predicted to contain 3163 protein-coding genes, 76 tRNA genes, and an integrated plasmid sequence, Cfrag (～18 kb). In addition, sequences of two complete circular plasmids, pF262C (4.8 kb) and pF262D (9.1 kb), and two incomplete plasmid fragments, pF262A (48.5 kb) and pF262B (50.0 kb), were identified. Comparison of the chromosome sequence of C. perfringens F262 to complete C. perfringens chromosomes, plasmids and phages revealed 261 unique genes. No novel toxin genes related to previously described clostridial toxins were identified: 60% of the 261 unique genes were hypothetical proteins. There was a two base pair deletion in virS, a gene reported to encode the main sensor kinase involved in virulence gene activation. Despite this frameshift mutation, C. perfringens F262 expressed perfringolysin O, alpha-toxin and the beta2-toxin, suggesting that another regulation system might contribute to the pathogenicity of this strain. Two complete plasmids, pF262C (4.8 kb) and pF262D (9.1 kb), unique to this strain of C. perfringens were identified.     

Weakly beta-haemolytic human intestinal spirochaetes antagonize the haemolytic activity of Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin producer

The production of haemolytic antagonism between weakly beta-haemolytic human intestinal spirochaetes (wbetaHIS) related to human intestinal spirochaetosis and Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin producer was investigated. A reduction of the clostridial haemolytic activity and a distortion of the haemolytic halo of clostridial alpha-toxin surrounded by a small zone of poorly cooperative haemolysis was clearly observed on the level of the spirochaetal growth area when 40 out of 41 wbetaHIS were cultivated in sheep blood agar plates together with Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin producer. This phenomenon of haemolytic antagonism was observed only when wbetaHIS grew 72-96 hours sooner than C. perfringens and after the inoculum of the latter at a distance of 0 to 10 mm from wbetaHIS the plates were anaerobically incubated for an additional 48 hours and the bacteria were used at concentrations ranging from 10(7) to 10(4) CFU/ml. These results were also observed between C. perfringens and weakly beta-haemolytic intestinal spirochaetes related to animal intestinal spirochaetosis including avian strains and Brachyspira (Serpulina) pilosicoli of porcine origin.     

Expression and purification of functional Clostridium perfringens alpha and epsilon toxins in Escherichia coli

The alpha and epsilon toxins are 2 of the 4 major lethal toxins of the pathogen Clostridium perfringens. In this study, the expression of the epsilon toxin (etx) gene of C. perfringens was optimized by replacing rare codons with high-frequency codons, and the optimized gene was synthesized using overlapping PCR. Then, the etx gene or the alpha-toxin gene (cpa) was individually inserted into the pTIG-Trx expression vector with a hexahistidine tag and a thioredoxin (Trx) to facilitate their purification and induce the expression of soluble proteins. The recombinant alpha toxin (rCPA) and epsilon toxin (rETX) were highly expressed as soluble forms in the recipient Escherichia coli BL21 strain, respectively. The rCPA and rETX were purified using Ni(2+)-chelating chromatography and size-exclusion chromatography. And the entire purification process recovered about 40% of each target protein from the starting materials. The purified target toxins formed single band at about 42kDa (rCPA) or 31kDa (rETX) in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and their functional activity was confirmed by bioactivity assays. We have shown that the production of large amounts of soluble and functional proteins by using the pTIG-Trx vector in E. coli is a good alternative for the production of native alpha and epsilon toxins and could also be useful for the production of other toxic proteins with soluble forms.     

表达抗α毒素单链抗体基因工程菌株的构建

将 2种抗A型产气荚膜梭菌α毒素单链抗体 (ScFv)基因ScFv 2E3和ScFv 1A8分别克隆至表达质粒pUC119,pET 2 0b ,pET 2 8a和pHOG2 1中 ,构建了重组质粒 ,分别转化至相应的受体菌JM10 5 ,BL2 1(DE3)和XL1 BLUE中 ,得到表达ScFv的重组菌株。ELISA和SDS PAGE分析检测表明 :经IPTG诱导后所表达的ScFv目的蛋白主要形成了包含体的形式 ,但也有少量ScFv存在于重组菌株的培养上清和胞周质中。经薄层扫描分析 :重组菌株XL1 BLUE (pHOG 2E3)的蛋白表达产物分别占菌体可溶性蛋白的 4% ,重组菌株XL1 BLUE (pHOG 2E3)的蛋白表达产物占菌体总蛋白的相对含量为 2 2 % ,其相对分子量约为 31ku。表达的ScFv蛋白不但具有中和卵磷脂酶的活性 ,而且能够对致死性腹腔攻击α毒素的小鼠产生良好的被动保护作用     

Molecular and cellular basis of microvascular perfusion deficits induced by Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum

Reduced tissue perfusion leading to tissue ischemia is a central component of the pathogenesis of myonecrosis caused by Clostridium perfringens. The C. perfringens alpha-toxin has been shown capable of inducing these changes, but its potential synergy with perfringolysin O (theta-toxin) is less well understood. Similarly, Clostridium septicum is a highly virulent causative agent of spontaneous gas gangrene, but its effect on the microcirculation has not been examined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use intravital microscopy to examine the effects of C. perfringens and C. septicum on the functional microcirculation, coupled with the use of isogenic toxin mutants to elucidate the role of particular toxins in the resultant microvascular perfusion deficits. This study represents the first time this integrated approach has been used in the analysis of the pathological response to clostridial toxins. Culture supernatants from wild-type C. perfringens induced extensive cell death within 30 min, as assessed by in vivo uptake of propidium iodide. Furthermore, significant reductions in capillary perfusion were observed within 60 min. Depletion of either platelets or neutrophils reduced the alteration in perfusion, consistent with a role for these blood-borne cells in obstructing perfusion. In addition, mutation of either the alpha-toxin or perfringolysin O structural genes attenuated the reduction in perfusion, a process that was reversed by genetic complementation. C. septicum also induced a marked reduction in perfusion, with the degree of microvascular compromise correlating with the level of the C. septicum alpha-toxin. Together, these data indicate that as a result of its ability to produce alpha-toxin and perfringolysin O, C. perfringens rapidly induces irreversible cellular injury and a marked reduction in microvascular perfusion. Since C. septicum induces a similar reduction in microvascular perfusion, it is postulated that this function is central to the pathogenesis of clostridial myonecrosis, irrespective of the causative bacterium.