Effect of streptolysin S on liposomes Influence of membrane lipid composition on toxin action

The effect of the bacterial cytolytic toxin, streptolysin S, on liposomes composed of various phospholipids was investigated. Large unilamellar vesicles containing [¹⁴C]sucrose were prepared by reverse-phase evaporation, and membrane damage produced by the toxin was measured by following the release of labeled marker. The net charge of the liposomes had little or no effect on their susceptibility to steptolysin S and the toxin was about equally effective on liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol. Experiments with liposomes composed of synthetic phospholipids showed that the ability of the toxin to produce membrane damage depended on the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acyl chains. The order of sensitivity was C18 : 2 phosphatidylcholine > C18 : 1 phosphatidylcholine > C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine = C16 : 0 phosphatidylcholine. Liposomes containing the latter two phospholipids were virtually unaffected by streptolysin S, and experiments with C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine suggested that toxin activity does not bind to liposomes composed of phospholipids with saturated fatty acyl chains. The inclusion of 40 mol% cholesterol in C16 : 0 phosphatidylcholine and C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine liposomes made these vesicles sensitive to streptolysin S. Egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes, which were unaffected at 0°C and 4°C became susceptible to the toxin at these temperatures when cholesterol was included. Liposomes composed of C14 : 0 phosphatidylcholine were unaffected by streptolysin S at temperatures below the chain-melting transition temperature (23°C) of this phospholipid, but became increasingly susceptible above this temperature. The results suggest that the fluidity of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains in the membrane is important in streptolysin S action.     

链球菌溶血素“O”纯化的研究

乙型链球菌３２１７２ 株接种于含有月示蛋白胨的牛肉水培养基中培养。得到含有溶血素“Ｏ”的培养液，其溶血效价２５６ ＩＵ／ｍ ｌ。比活为１１．６ ＩＵ／ｍ ｇ 蛋白。经过超滤除去９５％ 的非目的蛋白，所得超滤截留液的溶血效价为２０４８ ＩＵ／ｍ ｌ，比活为３３５．７ ＩＵ／ｍ ｇ 蛋白。在此基础上用离子交换柱层析纯化，所得活性峰溶血效价为８１９２ ＩＵ／ｍ ｌ，比活为４３１１．５ ＩＵ／ｍ ｇ 蛋白。通过以上两步的分级纯化，溶血素“Ｏ”的比活提高了３７１ 倍。此纯化蛋白在ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ电泳中呈现一条染色带。     

Effect of streptolysin S on liposomes. Influence of membrane lipid composition on toxin action

The effect of the bacterial cytolytic toxin, streptolysin S, on liposomes composed of various phospholipids was investigated. Large unilamellar vesicles containing [14C]sucrose were prepared by reverse-phase evaporation, and membrane damage produced by the toxin was measured by following the release of labeled marker. The net charge of the liposomes had little or no effect on their susceptibility to steptolysin S and the toxin was about equally effective on liposomes composed of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol. Experiments with liposomes composed of synthetic phospholipids showed that the ability of the toxin to produce membrane damage depended on the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acyl chains. The order of sensitivity was C18 : 2 phosphatidylcholine greater than C18: I phosphatidylcholine greater than C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine = C16 : 0 phosphatidylcholine. Liposomes containing the latter two phospholipids were virtually unaffected by streptolysin S, and experiments with C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine suggested that toxin activity does not bind to liposomes composed of phospholipids with saturated fatty acyl chains. The inclusion of 40 mol% cholesterol in C16 : 0 phosphatidylcholine and C18 : 0 phosphatidylcholine liposomes made these vesicles sensitive to streptolysin S. Egg phosphatidylcholine liposomes, which were unaffected at 0 degrees C and 4 degrees C became susceptible to the toxin at these temperatures when cholesterol was included. Liposomes composed of C14 : 0 phosphatidylcholine were unaffected by streptolysin S at temperatures below the chain-melting transition temperature (23 degrees C) of this phospholipid, but became increasingly susceptible above this temperature. The results suggest that the fluidity of the phospholipid hydrocarbon chains in the membrane is important in streptolysin S action.     

Approximate dimensions of membrane lesions produced by streptolysin S and streptolysin O

Membrane lesions produced by the streptococcal membranolysins streptolysin S and streptolysin O were investigated. Escape of labeled marker molecules of various sizes from resealed sheep erythrocyte ghosts treated with the toxins for 30 min allowed estimation of the sizes of the primary channels formed. Streptolysin S formed lesions ranging in size up to 45 A in diameter, and even high toxin concentrations did not result in larger channels. The lesions produced by streptolysin O exceeded 128 A in diameter. Kinetics experiments demonstrated that the primary streptolysin O lesions were formed rapidly (1-2 min), but release of marker molecules from streptolysin S-treated vesicles began only after a 5-15-min lag period. Label release from large unilamellar liposomes treated with streptolysin S suggested that membrane fluidity does not affect the size of the streptolysin S lesions.     

Purification of oligonucleotides with streptolysin S inducer activity and de Novo synthesis of the hemolysin

The oligoribonucleotide fraction containing the Streptolysin S inducer activity from the RNase digest of yeast RNA (active fraction; A. W. Bernheimer and M. J. Rodbart, 1948, J. Exp. Med., 80, 149–168) was purified by the oligo(dC)-cellulose affinity chromatography based on its high guanine content. A 20-fold purification of the inducer activity over that of AF the active fraction, and approximately 2000-fold over that of yeast RNA has been obtained. The purification oligonucleotide was found to contain several molecular species with 7–10 nucleotide residues, all apparently with inducer activity. Streptolysin S induced with this oligonucleotide preparation and gel filtered has a specific activity comparable to the highest value reported previously. Incorporation of amino acids into streptolysin S was observed upon induction with the purified oligonucleotide and paralleled the increase in the hemolysin activity. This and experiments with chloramphenicol indicated that streptolysin was synthesized de novo on stimulation with the oligonucleotide inducer. The pattern of amino acid incorporation was in good agreement with the amino acid composition of purified streptolysin reported earlier. No incorporation of glucose or mannose was observed.     

Purification and characterization of streptolysin O from Streptococcus pyogenes.

1. Streptolysin O, an exotoxin produced by group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, has been purified from Streptococcus pyogenes culture supernatants. 2. The isolation and purification procedure involved ammonium sulphate and polyethylene glycol precipitations, and ion-exchange chromatographies on CM-Sepharose and Mono Q. 3. The proposed procedure introduces two ion-exchange chromatography steps making the purification process simpler and, especially, more reproducible than other described protocols. 4. The purified streptolysin O was hemolytically active, had a specific activity of 415,000 HU/mg, an optimum pH of 7.0, a relative molecular mass of 60,100 and an isoelectric pH of 7.5.     

Purification and characteristics of a protective factor from Bacillus anthracis toxin

It was found that during filtration of a sterile toxic cultural supernatant (TCS) obtained by 24 hour cultivation of the vaccinal strain through a column packed with porous glass or silochrome not only oedematic (OF) and lethal (LF), but also protective (PF) factors of toxin are adsorbed on the column. Elution of adsorbed antigens allowed for rapid concentration and purification of biologically active components of toxin from large volumes of TCS under conditions of limited proteolysis. The experimental results suggest that in 24 hour TCS and PF exists as large (87 kD) molecules as well as low molecular weight fragments whose molecular mass is of the order of 17-18 kD. The PF preparations whose molecular mass is below 68 kD possess a weak biological activity.     

Enhancement of streptolysin O activity and intrinsic cytotoxic effects of the group A streptococcal toxin, NAD-glycohydrolase

Streptolysin O (SLO) is a cholesterol-dependent cytolysin produced by the important human pathogen, group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes or GAS). In addition to its cytolytic activity, SLO mediates the translocation of GAS NAD-glycohydrolase (NADase) into human epithelial cells in vitro. Production of both NADase and SLO is associated with augmented host cell injury beyond that produced by SLO alone, but the mechanism of enhanced cytotoxicity is not known. We have now shown that expression of NADase together with SLO dramatically enhanced the lytic activity of GAS culture supernatants for erythrocytes but had no effect on SLO-mediated poration of synthetic cholesterol-rich liposomes. This result revealed a previously unknown contribution of NADase to the cytolytic activity associated with GAS production of SLO. Purified recombinant SLO bound NADase in vitro, supporting a specific, physical interaction of the two proteins. Exposure of human keratinocytes to wild-type GAS, but not to a NADase-deficient mutant strain, resulted in profound depletion of cellular NAD+ and ATP. Furthermore, expression of recombinant GAS NADase in yeast, in the absence of SLO, induced growth arrest, depletion of NAD+ and ATP, and cell death. These findings have provided evidence that the augmentation of SLO-mediated cytotoxicity by NADase is a consequence of depletion of host cell energy stores through the enzymatic action of NADase. Together, the results have provided mechanistic insight into the cytotoxic effects of a unique bipartite bacterial toxin.     

Age-dependent characteristics of immune cytolysis of mouse cells with cytogenetic changes induced by streptolysin O

It has been determined that streptolysin-O induces cytogenetic alterations in the cell culture of murine kidneys in all the mice examined, the most pronounced alterations being noted in the cells of newborn and, especially, old mice. The injection of syngeneic lymphocytes from newborn and sexually mature mice of the middle age group has led to a considerable decrease in the number of cells with altered chromosome number in cultures. The lymphocytes from old mice have no antimutagenic activity.     

The role of protease in streptolysin S formation

Production of streptolysin S by streptococci was found to be inhibited by treatment with protease inhibitors, tosylphenylalanine chloromethyl ketone (TPCK), tosyllysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK), or phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (PMSF), even in the presence of the inducer oligonucleotides. Other protease inhibitors, antipain, leupeptin, or pepstatin were found to have little or no effect. Trypsin reversed the effect of TPCK or TLCK. The reversal was dependent upon the amount of added trypsin and the incubation time at 37 degrees C, suggesting that a protease activity was involved in the hemolysin formation. The effect of trypsin was not observed if chloramphenicol was also added, suggesting that a precursor of streptolysin S was processed as it was synthesized and released into medium as the active hemolysin, by the concerted action of a protease and inducer oligonucleotides. Experiments with the subcellular fractions of streptococci indicated that the streptolysin precursor was localized in the insoluble fraction and the "processing" protease in the supernatant fraction.     

Action of streptolysin S, the group D hemolysin, and phospholipase C on whole cells and spheroplasts

Davie, Joseph M. (Indiana University, Bloomington), and Thomas D. Brock. Action of streptolysin S, the group D hemolysin, and phospholipase C on whole cells and spheroplasts. J. Bacteriol. 91:595-600. 1966.-The effect of streptolysin S, the group D hemolysin, and phospholipase C (the alpha toxin of Clostridium perfringens) on whole cells and spheroplasts or protoplasts of three strains of streptococci and Micrococcus lysodeikticus was tested. Viability, C(14)-glycine uptake, and lysis were measured. The group D hemolysin and phospholipase C were active against whole bacteria; streptolysin S was not. All three substances were active on spheroplasts. A partially resistant mutant derived from a strain sensitive to the group D hemolysin was also partially resistant to streptolysin S and phospholipase C. Antimycin A protected spheroplasts from streptolysin S but not from the group D hemolysin.