Purification and characterization of a tryptic peptide of Borrelia burgdorferi flagellin, which reduces cross-reactivity in immunoblots and ELISA.

In man the early immune response in Lyme disease is primarily directed against the endoflagellin antigen. Isolated flagellar protein of Borrelia burgdorferi suggests itself as a suitable test antigen. However, cross-reactivity between flagellins of B. burgdorferi, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella typhimurium was demonstrated by immunoblotting and ELISA with polyclonal rabbit-hyperimmune-sera. Tryptic cleavage of recombinant B. burgdorferi 41 kDa flagellin, expressed in E. coli, produced a peptide fragment which was recognized exclusively by antisera to Borrelia species. This peptide was designated as the 14 kDa fragment due to its migratory behaviour in SDS-PAGE. The fragment is part of the variable region of the flagellin, as proven by amino acid sequencing. The flagellin peptide was employed as an antigen in ELISA and immunoblot assays, testing the polyclonal sera mentioned above. The specificity was superior to that obtained with the intact recombinant flagellin.     

Characterizing the flagellar filament and the role of motility in bacterial prey-penetration by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus

The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus swims rapidly by rotation of a single, polar flagellum comprised of a helical filament of flagellin monomers, contained within a membrane sheath and powered by a basal motor complex. Bdellovibrio collides with, enters and replicates within bacterial prey, a process previously suggested to firstly require flagellar motility and then flagellar shedding upon prey entry. Here we show that flagella are not always shed upon prey entry and we study the six fliC flagellin genes of B. bacteriovorus, finding them all conserved and expressed in genome strain HD100 and the widely studied lab strain 109J. Individual inactivation of five of the fliC genes gave mutant Bdellovibrio that still made flagella, and which were motile and predatory. Inactivation of the sixth fliC gene abolished normal flagellar synthesis and motility, but a disordered flagellar sheath was still seen. We find that this non-motile mutant was still able to predate when directly applied to lawns of YFP-labelled prey bacteria, showing that flagellar motility is not essential for prey entry but important for efficient encounters with prey in liquid environments.     

日本血吸虫(中国大陆株)谷胱甘肽转移酶编码区基因的体外扩增、克隆及在原核细胞的高效表达

为表达、获取日本血吸早谷胱甘肽转移酶（ＳｊＧＳＴ）基因工程重组蛋白,以日本血吸虫（中国大陆株）ｃＤＮＡ为模板,设计、合成特定寡核苷酸引物,ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ法扩增ＧＳＴ编码基因序列,将扩增产物连接ｐＧＥＭ－Ｔ克隆载体,再亚克隆到真、原核表达质粒ｐＢＫ－ＣＭＶ中,转染大肠杆菌ＸＬ１－ｂｌｕｅ,经ＩＰＴＧ诱导后用ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ分析表达效果。结果 ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ法特异性扩增出日本血吸虫ＧＳＴ编码区基因片段,其     

淋球菌nspA和大肠杆菌ltB融合基因的构建、表达及鉴定

通过基因工程的方法构建奈瑟氏淋球菌表面蛋白A(Neisseria gonorrhoeae surface protein A,nspA)和大肠杆菌不耐热肠毒素B亚单位(B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin,ltB)融合基因的原核表达载体,对其进行表达与鉴定,为后续融合蛋白LTB-NspA的生物活性分析及其作为淋球菌粘膜免疫疫苗的研究奠定基础.用PCR法从标准菌株分别扩增出nspA、ltB基因,用重组PCR法通过接头将ltB与nspA融合,将其插入pET-30a中,转入BL21中表达.经测序、SDS-PAGE和Western blot分析,证实成功构建了1tB-nspA融合基因的原核表达载体,并在BL21中表达.ltB-nspA融合基因的成功表达,为进一步研究其生物活性及淋球菌粘膜免疫疫苗的研究奠定了一定基础.     

Expressed and cryptic flagellin genes in the H44 and H55 type strains of Escherichia coli

Bacterial H antigens are specified by flagellin molecules, which constitute the flagellar filament. Escherichia coli 781-55 and E2987-73 are the type strains for H44 and H55 antigens, respectively. Unlike E. coli K-12, they possess two flagellin genes, fliC and fllA, on their chromosomes. However, they are monophasic, expressing exclusively the fllA genes, which specify the type antigens. In this study, the flagellin genes were cloned from these strains and their structure and expression were analyzed. It was found that the fliC genes encode apparently intact flagellin subunits but possess inefficient sigma28-dependent promoters, which may result in these genes being silent. The chromosomal locations of the fllA genes are approximately, but not exactly, identical with that of the phase-2 flagellin gene, fljB, of diphasic Salmonella strains. However, unlike the Salmonella fljB gene, the invertible H segment and the fljA gene responsible for the control of flagellar phase variation are both absent from the fllA loci. The fllA genes are highly homologous to the E. coli fliC gene but distantly related to the Salmonella fljB gene. These results suggest a hypothesis that the fllA genes may have emerged by an intra-species lateral transfer of the fliC gene. This hypothesis is further supported by the observation that the fllA genes are flanked by several IS elements and located within cryptic prophage elements.     

Identification of EPEC and non-EPEC serotypes in the EPEC O serogroups by PCR-RFLP analysis of the fliC gene

Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of the flagellin gene (fliC) was performed in 233 strains of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) O serogroups for determining their flagellar antigen (H) status. The serological detection of flagellin is the basis for the H-codes typing system in E. coli. Thus, it is impossible to serotype nonmotile bacteria (i.e. to assign H-codes). Twenty-eight fliC restriction patterns were obtained for motile (H2, H4, H6, H7, H8, H9, H10, H11, H12, H18, H21, H27, H32, H34, H35, H40 and H51) and nonmotile serotypes (H(-)). Each motile serotype was characterized by one or two fliC specific restriction patterns. The only exception was serogroup O128ab, where a common restriction pattern was found for serotypes O128ab:H2 and O128ab:H35, even after digestion with RsaI, AluI and Sau3AI endonucleases. These two serotypes were, however, discriminated by single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of RsaI restriction fragments. Nonmotile strains showed fliC restriction patterns identical to some known H serotypes. The PCR-RFLP analysis of fliC gene proved to be a useful method for identifying the H variants in motile and nonmotile EPEC O serogroups.     

Comparative analysis of flagellin sequences from Escherichia coli strains possessing serologically distinct flagellar filaments with a shared complex surface pattern.

Escherichia coli morphotype E flagellar filaments have a characteristic surface pattern of short-pitch loops when examined by electron microscopy. Seven of the 50 known E. coli H (flagellar antigen) serotypes (H1, H7, H12, H23, H45, H49, and H51) produce morphotype E filaments. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify flagellin structural (fliC) genes from E. coli strains producing morphotype E flagellar filaments and from strains with flagellar filaments representing other morphotypes. A single DNA fragment was obtained from each strain, and the size of the amplified DNA correlated with the molecular mass of the corresponding flagellin protein. This finding and hybridization data suggest that these bacteria are monophasic. fliC genes from three E. coli serotypes (H1, H7, and H12) possessing morphotype E flagellar filaments were sequenced in order to assess the contribution of conserved flagellin primary sequence to the characteristic filament architecture. The H1 and H12 fliC sequences were identical in length (1,788 bp), while the H7 fliC sequence was shorter (1,755 bp). The deduced molecular masses of the FliC proteins were 60,857 Da (H1), 59,722 Da (H7), and 60,978 Da (H12). The H1, H7, and H12 flagellins demonstrated 98 to 99% identity over the amino-terminal region (190 amino acid residues) and 89% (H7) to 99% (H1 and H12) identity in the carboxy-terminal region (100 amino acid residues). The complete primary amino acid sequences for H1 and H12 flagellins differed by only 10 amino acids, accounting for previously reported serological cross-reactions. However, the central region of H7 flagellin had only 38% identity with H1 and H12 flagellins.The characteristic morphology of morphotype E flagellar filaments is therefore not dependent on a highly conserved primary sequence within the exposed central region. Comparison of morphotype E E. coli flagellins with those from E. coli K-12, Serratia marcescens, and several Salmonella serovars supported the established concept of highly conserved terminal regions flanking a variable central region.     

Sequence invariance of the antigen-coding central region of the phase 1 flagellar filament gene (fliC) among strains of Salmonella typhimurium.

Previous studies of the phase 1 flagellar filament protein (flagellin) in strains of five serovars of Salmonella indicated that the central region of the fliC gene encoding the antigenic part of the protein is hypervariable both between and within serovars. To explore the possible use of this variation as a source of information on the phylogenetic relationships of closely related strains, we used the polymerase chain reaction technique to sequence part of the central region of the phase 1 flagellar genes of seven strains of Salmonella typhimurium that were known to differ in chromosomal genotype, as indexed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis. We found that the nucleotide sequences of the central region were identical in all seven strains and determined that both the previously published sequence of the fliC gene in S. typhimurium LT2 and a report of a marked difference in the amino acid sequence of the phase 1 flagellins of two isolates of this serovar are erroneous. Our finding that the fliC gene is not evolving by sequence drift at an unusually rapid rate is compatible with a model that invokes lateral transfer and recombination of the flagellin genes as a major evolutionary process generating new serovars (antigen combinations) of salmonellae.     

人精子膜蛋白片段在沙门氏菌中的表达——一种制备抗生育疫苗的途径

合成编码一种人精子膜蛋白ＹＷＫ－Ⅱ胞外区的一段多肽片段的双链寡核苷酸链,ＨＳＤ－２ａ。用平端连接的方法将其插入到沙门氏菌鞭毛基因ｆｌｉＣ（ｄ）的抗原表位ＩＶ高变区ＥｃｏＲＶ位点,构建了重组质粒ｐＬＳ４０８－Ｈ１。重组基因在鞭毛负性ａｒｏＡ基因缺失的无致病性沙门氏菌Ｓ．ｄｕｂｌｉｎ ＳＬ５９２８疫苗菌株中表达。经ＥＬＩＳＡ、电镜免疫胶体金法检测,表明ＨＳＤ－２ａ编码的多肽片段成功地在沙门氏菌鞭毛表面     

Segment IV of a Salmonella flagellin gene specifies flagellar antigen epitopes

Each of the two mutants isolated from a fliC (= hag, flagellin-deficient) Escherichia coli strain made motile by a plasmid carrying the fliC gene of Salmonella muenchen by selection for motility in the presence of anti-d (Salmonella flagellar antigen) serum had both lost and gained one or more subfactors of the wild-type antigen. In one mutant codon 246 was GAC (alanine) instead of GCC (asparagine); the other had a deletion of 105 base pairs, explicable by a 10bp direct repeat, starting at bases 782 and 887. The in vitro removal of a 48bp EcoRV(631)/EcoRV(679) fragment produced plasmid pLS408, which was found to lack a subfactor of wild-type antigen d but able to confer motility on flagellin-negative Salmonella sp. (and used for insertion of epitope-specifying oligonucleotides at its EcoRV site). Immunoblotting with absorbed and unabsorbed sera from rabbits immunized with E. coli with wild-type or mutated antigen d showed that the fusion proteins specified by lambda gt11 with the N-terminal part of gene lacZ joined to a restriction fragment coding for residues 145-391 of flagellin gave the same pattern of parent-specific and mutant-specific reactions as the flagellate bacteria. Four out of five similarly selected mutants had the same 105 bp deletion as the first-isolated mutant; the fifth had a 72 bp deletion made possible by a 7-base pair direct repeat, starting at positions 649 and 721. All these changes in serological character without loss of function affected segment IV, specifying residues 182 to 308 of the total of 505, where there is little homology between different flagellar-antigen alleles.     

奥利亚罗非鱼促性腺激素释放激素cDNA的原核表达及其免疫原性研究

促性腺激素释放激素(gonadotropin-releasinghormone,GnRH)是下丘脑分泌产生的神经激素,对脊椎动物生殖的调控起重要作用。为研究GnRH对奥利亚罗非鱼性腺发育的作用,构建了GnRHcDNA的原核表达载体并进行融合表达。利用RT-PCR方法从丘脑中扩增出长约400bp的目的序列GnRH基因,克隆至T载体中,经酶切鉴定和序列测定分析确认序列的正确性后将此片段克隆到表达载体pMAL-c2x中构建重组表达质粒pMAL-GnRH,并在大肠杆菌TB1中获得了高表达,目的蛋白约占菌体总蛋白的41.6%。菌体经溶菌酶裂解,制备无细胞抽提液,Amylose-sepharose柱层析后得到分子量为56kD单一条带的目的蛋白。目的蛋白经FactorXa酶切裂解,Amylose-sepharose过柱纯化后得到纯化的GnRH前体蛋白。以80μg/只的剂量4次免疫ICR小鼠,免疫小鼠可以检测到特异性针对GnRH前体蛋白的血清抗体应答,免疫组抗体水平显著高于空白组(P<0.05),且加强免疫第5周后抗体效价为0.707±0.320,达到高峰值,说明表达产物具有免疫原性,可以刺激机体产生免疫应答。     

Neurturin基因克隆及在大肠杆菌中表达

Ｎｅｕｒｔｕｒｉｎ（ Ｎ Ｔ Ｎ）是最近发现的一种与胶质细胞源性神经营养因子（ Ｇ Ｄ Ｎ Ｆ）相关的神经营养因子．利用 Ｐ Ｃ Ｒ 方法以染色体 Ｄ Ｎ Ａ 为模板,扩增获得了编码人 Ｎ Ｔ Ｎ 成熟蛋白的基因,将其克隆于 ｐ Ｕ Ｃ１９ 质粒,进行序列分析,结果与文献报道一致．将基因重组于硫氧还蛋白融合表达载体ｐ Ｔｈｉｏ Ｈｉｓ 系统,在宿主菌 Ｔｏｐ１０ 中获得了高效、稳定表达,表达的ｈ Ｎ Ｔ Ｎ 占菌体总蛋白 ２０％ 左右．这为进一步的基础研究与临床应用奠定了基础．     

A linear plasmid truncation induces unidirectional flagellar phase change in H:z66 positive Salmonella Typhi

The process by which bacteria regulate flagellar expression is known as phase variation and in Salmonella enterica this process permits the expression of one of two flagellin genes, fliC or fljB, at any one time. Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi) is normally not capable of phase variation of flagellar antigen expression as isolates only harbour the fliC gene (H:d) and lacks an equivalent fljB locus. However, some S. Typhi isolates, exclusively from Indonesia, harbour an fljB equivalent encoded on linear plasmid, pBSSB1 that drives the expression of a novel flagellin named H:z66. H:z66+S. Typhi isolates were stimulated to change flagellar phase and genetically analysed for the mechanism of variation. The phase change was demonstrated to be unidirectional, reverting to expression from the resident chromosomal fliC gene. DNA sequencing demonstrated that pBSSB1 linear DNA was still detectable but that these derivatives had undergone deletion and were lacking fljA(z66) (encoding a flagellar repressor) and fljB(z66). The deletion end-point was found to involve one of the plasmid termini and a palindromic repeat sequence within fljB(z66), distinct to that found at the terminus of pBSSB1. These data demonstrate that, like some Streptomyces linear elements, at least one of the terminal inverted repeats of pBSSB1 is non-essential, but that a palindromic repeat sequence may be necessary for replication.     

Expression of bioactive recombinant GSLL-39, a variant of human antimicrobial peptide LL-37, in Escherichia coli

The human cationic antimicrobial peptide hCAP-18/LL-37 is the unique cathelicidin identified in human to date. It has broad spectrum of antimicrobial activities and LPS-neutralizing activity and is involved in angiogenesis. Both purified and synthetic LL-37 or its derivatives were used in the study on LL-37. However, production of LL-37 in Escherichia coli has not been established. In this study, its precursor instead of the mature peptide was adopted for expression to avoid the lethal effect of recombinant LL-37 on host cells. A thrombin recognition site was introduced between the cathelin-like domain and LL-37 domain by overlap PCR to construct fragment encoding modified precursor (mhCAP-18) to facilitate the final release of the recombinant peptide. Then mhCAP-18 was fused in-frame to thioredoxin gene under the control of inducible T7 promoter to construct expression vector pET-mhCAP-18. The soluble form fusion protein was expressed in E. coli and purified by Chelating Sepharose column chromatography. Thrombin digestion of the fusion protein yielded recombinant GSLL-39, which was then purified by cation-exchange chromatography. Recombinant GSLL-39, which has two extra residues on its N-terminus when compared with its native counterpart, showed similar antimicrobial activities against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.