Chlamydia trachomatis,Chlamydial Heat Shock Protein 60 and Anti-Chlamydial Antibodies in Women with Epithelial Ovarian Tumors

OBJECTIVE: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) infection has been suggested to promote epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) development. This study sought to explore the presence of C. trachomatis DNA and chlamydial heat shock protein 60 (chsp60) in ovarian tissue, as well as anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies in plasma, in relation to subtypes of EOC. METHODS: This cross-sectional cohort consisted of 69 women who underwent surgery due to suspected ovarian pathology. Ovarian tissue and corresponding blood samples were collected at the time of diagnosis. In ovarian tumor tissue, p53, p16, Ki67 and chsp60 were analyzed immunohistochemically, and PCR was used to detect C. trachomatis DNA. Plasma C. trachomatis IgG and cHSP60 IgG were analyzed with a commercial MIF-test and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS: Eight out of 69 women had C. trachomatis DNA in their ovarian tissue, all were invasive ovarian cancer cases (16.7% of invasive EOC). The prevalence of the chsp60 protein, C. trachomatis IgG and cHSP60 IgG in HGSC, compared to other ovarian tumors, was 56.0% vs. 37.2% P = .13, 15.4% vs. 9.3% P = .46 and 63.6% vs. 45.5% P = .33 respectively. None of the markers of C. trachomatis infection were associated with p53, p16 or Ki67. CONCLUSIONS: C. trachomatis was detected in invasive ovarian cancer, supporting a possible role in carcinogenesis of EOC. However, there were no statistically significant associations of chsp60 in ovarian tissue, or plasma anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies, with any of the subtypes of ovarian tumors.     

Expression and Targeting of Secreted Proteins from Chlamydia trachomatis

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that replicates in a vacuole termed the inclusion. Many of the interactions of chlamydiae with the host cell are dependent upon bacterial protein synthesis and presumably exposure of these proteins to the cytosol. Because of the dearth of genetic tools for chlamydiae, previous studies examining secreted proteins required the use of heterologous bacterial systems. Recent advances in genetic manipulation of chlamydia now allow for transformation of the bacteria with plasmids. We describe here a shuttle vector system, pBOMB4, that permits expression of recombinant proteins under constitutive or conditional promoter control. We show that the inclusion membrane protein IncD is secreted in a type III-dependent manner from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and also secreted from C. trachomatis in infected cells where it localizes appropriately to the inclusion membrane. IncD truncated of the first 30 amino acids containing the secretion signal is no longer secreted and is retained by the bacteria. Cytosolic exposure of secreted proteins can be confirmed by using CyaA, GSK, or microinjection assays. A protein predicted to be retained within the bacteria, NrdB is indeed localized to the chlamydia. In addition, we have shown that the chlamydial effector protein, CPAF, which is secreted into the host cell cytosol by a Sec-dependent pathway, also accesses the cytosol when expressed from this system. These assays should prove useful to assess the secretion of other chlamydial proteins that are potentially exposed to the cytosol of the host cell.     

Chlamydia trachomatis CT229 Subverts Rab GTPase-Dependent CCV Trafficking Pathways to Promote Chlamydial Infection

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Chlamydia trachomatis Infection Induces Replication of Latent HHV-6

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) exists in latent form either as a nuclear episome or integrated into human chromosomes in more than 90% of healthy individuals without causing clinical symptoms. Immunosuppression and stress conditions can reactivate HHV-6 replication, associated with clinical complications and even death. We have previously shown that co-infection of Chlamydia trachomatis and HHV-6 promotes chlamydial persistence and increases viral uptake in an in vitro cell culture model. Here we investigated C. trachomatis-induced HHV-6 activation in cell lines and fresh blood samples from patients having Chromosomally integrated HHV-6 (CiHHV-6). We observed activation of latent HHV-6 DNA replication in CiHHV-6 cell lines and fresh blood cells without formation of viral particles. Interestingly, we detected HHV-6 DNA in blood as well as cervical swabs from C. trachomatis-infected women. Low virus titers correlated with high C. trachomatis load and vice versa, demonstrating a potentially significant interaction of these pathogens in blood cells and in the cervix of infected patients. Our data suggest a thus far underestimated interference of HHV-6 and C. trachomatis with a likely impact on the disease outcome as consequence of co-infection.     

Identification of Chlamydia trachomatis Outer Membrane Complex Proteins by Differential Proteomics

The extracellular chlamydial infectious particle, or elementary body (EB), is enveloped by an intra- and intermolecular cysteine cross-linked protein shell called the chlamydial outer membrane complex (COMC). A few abundant proteins, including the major outer membrane protein and cysteine-rich proteins (OmcA and OmcB), constitute the overwhelming majority of COMC proteins. The identification of less-abundant COMC proteins has been complicated by limitations of proteomic methodologies and the contamination of COMC fractions with abundant EB proteins. Here, we used parallel liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analyses of Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 434/Bu EB, COMC, and Sarkosyl-soluble EB fractions to identify proteins enriched or depleted from COMC. All well-described COMC proteins were specifically enriched in the COMC fraction. In contrast, multiple COMC-associated proteins found in previous studies were strongly enriched in the Sarkosyl-soluble fraction, suggesting that these proteins are not COMC components or are not stably associated with COMC. Importantly, we also identified novel proteins enriched in COMC. The list of COMC proteins identified in this study has provided reliable information for further understanding chlamydial protein secretion systems and modeling COMC and EB structures.Bacteria in the phylum Chlamydiae are characterized by their complex intracellular developmental cycles. Chlamydiae must assume at least two functionally distinct morphotypes, the intracellular, replicative reticulate body (RB) and the extracellular, infectious elementary body (EB), to replicate and be transmitted to new hosts (50). The divergence of distinct RB and EB forms may have been driven by the different pressures these pathogens face inside host cells during replication and outside host cells during transmission. For example, the outer membrane of EB contains a poorly immunogenic truncated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (14, 30) and immunodominant epitopes of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) vary substantially among closely related chlamydial strains (13). EB also lack detectable peptidoglycan (2, 20, 60), although functional murein biosynthetic enzymes (2, 5, 16, 21, 32, 43, 45, 46) are expressed in RB during productive and persistent infection (44). To compensate for the loss of murein, EB are enveloped by a protein P-layer, which lends osmotic stability to the infectious particle (29).Attempts to identify components of the P-layer and outer membrane proteins of Chlamydia were advanced by the observation that these layers can be separated from many soluble EB proteins using the detergent N-lauroyl sarcosine (Sarkosyl). Caldwell et al. dubbed the Sarkosyl-insoluble fraction the chlamydial outer membrane complex (COMC) and noted that purified COMC maintained the shape of intact EB and contained a complete outer membrane, and they reported that a single outer membrane protein, MOMP, accounted for more than 60% of total COMC protein content (15). Other studies revealed that the COMC is stabilized by extensive disulfide bonds between MOMP monomers (26, 27, 53) and between MOMP and two abundant cysteine-rich COMC components (26, 28). Other studies revealed that the COMC is stabilized by extensive disulfide bonds between MOMP monomers (18, 29, 52) and the EB surface (3, 19, 47, 67). More recent data suggest that not all EB outer membrane (OM) proteins are disulfide cross-linked to the COMC. For example, polymorphic membrane protein D localizes to the surface of EB but can be extracted from intact EB with gentle detergents in the absence of reducing agents (17, 61). Thus, not all COMC proteins are exposed on the EB surface, nor are all EB OM proteins components of the COMC.Beyond these well-described and abundant COMC components, other studies have indicated that additional proteins localize to the EB surface and/or COMC of Chlamydia trachomatis (7, 28, 36, 51, 57, 64, 67, 70). However, confirming that specific proteins localize to the COMC or OM of EB can be challenging due to factors such as the contamination of EB preparations with RB proteins and technical limitations of proteomic and surface-labeling protein identification methods (29, 56).Here, we used differential proteomics to identify proteins specifically enriched in the COMC. Isolated COMC were dissolved in 8 M urea, and the extracted proteins were digested with trypsin. The resulting peptides were analyzed by high-sensitivity liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify low-abundance proteins. Sarkosyl-soluble fractions and whole EB were analyzed in parallel with COMC, and protein assignments were compared among three replicate runs of each fraction. In total, peptides from 329 L2 proteins were identified. The differential analysis of protein abundance indicated the enrichment of 17 proteins in the COMC. Our results define the cadre of low-abundance COMC proteins, provide a starting point for the identification of surface-exposed EB proteins, and identify EB proteins that are likely to be recognized by innate immunity receptors and/or capable of eliciting neutralizing antibodies in vivo. Finally, our findings and data from other recent studies permit the refinement of existing models of EB and COMC structure.     

The Relationship between Active Trachoma and Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis Infection before and after Mass Antibiotic Treatment

BackgroundTrachoma is a blinding disease, initiated in early childhood by repeated conjunctival infection with the obligate intracellular bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. The population prevalence of the clinical signs of active trachoma; ‘‘follicular conjunctivitis” (TF) and/or ‘‘intense papillary inflammation” (TI), guide programmatic decisions regarding the initiation and cessation of mass drug administration (MDA). However, the persistence of TF following resolution of infection at both the individual and population level raises concerns over the suitability of this clinical sign as a marker for C. trachomatis infection.Conclusions/SignificancePrior to MDA, TF is a good indicator of the community prevalence of C. trachomatis infection. Following MDA, the prevalence of TF tends to overestimate the underlying infection prevalence. In order to prevent unnecessary additional rounds of MDA and to accurately ascertain when elimination goals have been reached, a cost-effective test for C. trachomatis that can be administered in low-resource settings remains desirable.     

用多抗原肽(MAP)免疫制备单克隆抗体的研究

目前制备单克隆抗体杂交瘤细胞株的传统方法是用纯度很高的天然蛋白作为抗原来免疫动物。此方法虽然成功率很高,但提取和纯化作为抗原用的高纯蛋白确非常困难,在某些情况下甚至是不可能的。为了克服以上不足,近年来发展起用合成多肽作为抗原制备单克隆抗体^[1,2]。这个技术的难点是用合成多肽作为抗原来免疫动物不易获得与天然蛋白呈特异反应的抗体^[3-5]。近年来国外科学家发明了一种称为“多抗原肽”(Multiple antigenic peptide, MAP)物质用作抗原^[6,7]。它是一个由赖氨酸核和多个由同一多肽分子构成的具有免疫原性的大分子。这个大分子的多肽部分组成丁造成动物免疫应答的多个相同抗原决定簇．而赖氨酸核部分只起连接多肽的作用,它本身没有免疫原性。实验证明多抗原肽和佐剂配合使用会引起动物强烈的免疫应答。本文介绍的是从Calpain [EC 3.4.22.17] 28kDa 小亚基上选取的一段氪基酸序列 AAQYNPEPPP-PRTH(氨基酸从73到86)与赖氨酸核偶联形成多抗原肽来制备单克隆抗体。Calpain的水解蛋白活性依附于钙离子浓度。它有两种异构酶：在μmol/L钙离子浓度下被激活的称为“μ-calpain．而在mmol/L钙离子浓度下被激活的称为m-calpain。这两种异构酶都由两个亚基组成。其大亚基的分子量为80kDa,它包括酶的活性区和与钙离子结合区。两种酶的大亚基氨基酸序列各不相同。其小亚基的分子量为28 kDa,这两种酶具有完全相同的小亚基氨基酸序列。有关Calpain的详细资料可参阅文献[8]。     

Neutralization of Chlamydia psittaci with Monoclonal Antibodies

Neutralization of Chlamydia (C.) psittaci avian strain P-1041 was examined in vitro using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Of the 10 MAbs used, 6 were found to exhibit neutralizing capability. These include 3 against major outer membrane protein (MOMP), 1 against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and 2 against other protein molecules [90 kilodalton (kDa) and 90/50 kDa]. Most neutralizing MAbs were dependent on complement for efficient neutralization, while a strain-specific MAb (2B5) against the 90 kDa protein displayed a different requirement for complement and neutralized the infectivity of the P-1041 at high concentrations without complement. By competitive inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (competitive inhibition ELISA), all 3 neutralizing anti-MOMP MAbs were demonstrated to recognize different epitopes found in very close proximity to each other on the outer membrane.     

Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women with urogenital symptoms.

Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from 30 to 100 women attending a family physician''s office with dysuria, frequency or vaginal discharge, compared with 2 of 30 asymptomatic women. Multiple infections were common: C. trachomatis coexisted with Gardnerella vaginalis, Candida albicans, Trichomonas vaginalis or a bacterial cause of urinary tract infection in 15 patients. C. trachomatis was isolated alone from 15 symptomatic women. The source of the positive culture was not always the site of symptoms. C. trachomatis was isolated from both the cervix and the urine of 9 patients, either simultaneously or sequentially. The probability of finding a chlamydial infection was 30% in young women with vaginal discharge alone, 33% in those with dysuria and frequency alone and 53% in those with abdominal or pelvic pain in addition to lower urogenital tract symptoms.     

The Easiest Children to Reach Are Most Likely to Be Infected with Ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in Trachoma Endemic Areas of Niger

Background

Control programs for trachoma use mass antibiotic distributions to treat ocular Chlamydia trachomatis in an effort to eliminate this disease worldwide. To determine whether children infected with ocular Chlamydia are more likely to present later for examination than those who are uninfected, we compare the order of presentation for examination of children 0–5 years, and the presence of ocular Chlamydia by PCR in 4 villages in Niger where trachoma is endemic.

Methods

We conducted a cluster-randomized, controlled trial where 48 randomly selected villages in Niger are divided into 4 study arms of different mass treatment strategies. In a substudy of the main trial, we randomly selected 1 village from each of the 4 study arms (4 total villages) and we evaluated the odds of ocular Chlamydia versus the rank order of presentation for examination and laboratory assessment before treatment was offered.

Findings

We found the odds of harboring ocular Chlamydia dropped by more than 70% from the first child examined to the last child examined (OR 0.27, 95% CI 0.13–0.59, P = 0.001) in the 4 randomly selected villages. We found the odds of active trachoma dropped by 80% from the first child examined to the last child examined (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.10–0.4, P<0.0001) in the 48 villages in the main trial.

Interpretation

This study demonstrates that even if the WHO recommended 80% treatment coverage is not reached in certain settings, children 0–5 years with the greatest probability of ocular Chlamydia have higher odds of receiving attention because they are the first to present. These results suggest there may be diminishing returns when using scarce resources to track down the last few children in a mass treatment program.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00792922","term_id":"NCT00792922"}}NCT00792922     

Antibodies Specific for Carbamylated Proteins Precede the Onset of Clinical Symptoms in Mice with Collagen Induced Arthritis

Objective

The immune response to post-translationally modified antigens is a key characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. Carbamylation is such a posttranslational modification. Recently, we demonstrated that autoantibodies recognizing carbamylated proteins are present in sera of rheumatoid arthritis. The molecular mechanisms underlying the break of tolerance and hence the induction of anti-CarP antibody responses are unknown as well as their appearance in mouse models for systemic arthritis. Therefore we analyzed their appearance in the mouse collagen-induced arthritis model.

Methods

collagen induced arthritis was induced by immunization with type II collagen in complete Freund''s adjuvant. Arthritis severity was monitored by clinical scoring and anti-CarP antibody levels were determined by ELISA.

Results

Anti-CarP antibodies were detectable in mice with collagen induced arthritis. We did not detect ACPA in mice with collagen induced arthritis. The specificity of the antibodies for carbamylated proteins was confirmed by inhibition assays and immunoblotting. Injection with complete Freund''s adjuvant without type II collagen could also induce anti-CarP antibodies, however, in mice with arthritis, the anti-CarP antibody response was stronger and developed more rapidly. The onset of collagen induced arthritis was preceded by an increase of anti-CarP IgG2a levels in the serum.

Conclusion

In mice with collagen induced arthritis we did not observe an immune response against citrullinated antigens, but we did observe an immune response against carbamylated antigens. This anti-CarP response already appeared before disease onset, indicating that collagen induced arthritis can be used as an in vivo model to study anti-CarP antibodies. Our data also indicate that the tolerance to carbamylated proteins, in contrast to the response to citrullinated proteins, is easily broken and that arthritis boosts the immune response against these proteins. The anti-CarP response in mice with CIA can be used as a model for immune responses to post-translationally modified proteins.     

Occurrence of Antibodies to Group Specific Chlamydia Antigen in Cattle in Various Areas of Finland

The occurrence of group specific complement fixing antibodies was studied in 361 cattle sera from 36 herds in 6 areas in Finland. Sixty-two (17.2%) were positive. The antibody frequency increased significantly from the south to the north and the frequency was significantly higher in forest than in field pastures. The reasons for the differences are discussed. The tick, Ixodes ricinus, perhaps has no significant epidemiological role in chlamydial epidemiology in Finland.     

Characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis antigens with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies

We used monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to examine the antigenic specificity and biologic function of several Chlamydia trachomatis antigens. Thirteen distinct MAbs to eight C. trachomatis antigens were produced. Six MAbs reacted with unique epitopes on the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and two of these had neutralizing activity. MAbs were produced to each of the chlamydial antigens with molecular masses of 10, 29, 32, 57, 60, 70, and 75 kilodaltons (kDa). These MAbs showed species and genus specificity in an immunoblot assay. None of the MAbs had neutralizing activity. The epitopes recognized on MOMP, 29-, and 10-kDa (presumably lipopolysaccharide) antigens were surface exposed. MAbs to the 75-kDa, 57-kDa, and MOMP antigens were used for immunoaffinity purification of these antigens to produce monospecific antisera in mice. With polyclonal sera, we found that the 75-kDa antigen was also immunoaccessible and that antibody to MOMP and 75-kDa antigens neutralized C. trachomatis infectivity. We conclude that, in addition to MOMP and lipopolysaccharide, antigens with molecular masses of 75 and 29 kDa are surface exposed. Antibodies to MOMP and 75-kDa antigens can neutralize the organism in vitro.     

Flow cytometric analysis of Chlamydia trachomatis interaction with L cells

Immunofluorescent staining and flow cytometric analysis have been investigated as means of studying the early stages of in vitro infection of Chlamydia trachomatis. The lymphogranuloma venereum strain of C. trachomatis was grown in vitro in L cells, fixed in p-formaldehyde, stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated monoclonal antibody to the chlamydial major outer membrane protein, and analyzed flow cytometrically. Infected cells stained 50-100 times more intensely than uninfected cells, and they could easily be discriminated by flow analysis. The number of infected cells and the fluorescence intensity of individual cells were proportional to the multiplicity of infection. The attachment of purified elementary bodies to L cells could be analyzed by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. Cells exposed to 0.26 inclusion-forming units/cell could be discriminated from an unexposed population. Flow analysis of purified elementary bodies was possible after fluorescent staining with the aid of a laser-based cytometer and gating on low volume.     

Specific RNA-Binding Antibodies with a Four-Amino-Acid Code

Numerous large non-coding RNAs are rapidly being discovered, and many of them have been shown to play vital roles in gene expression, gene regulation, and human diseases. Given their often structured nature, specific recognition with an antibody fragment becomes feasible and may help define the structure and function of these non-coding RNAs. As demonstrated for protein antigens, specific antibodies may aid in RNA crystal structure elucidation or the development of diagnostic tools and therapeutic drugs targeting disease-causing RNAs. Recent success and limitation of RNA antibody development has made it imperative to generate an effective antibody library specifically targeting RNA molecules. Adopting the reduced chemical diversity design and further restricting the interface diversity to tyrosines, serines, glycines, and arginines only, we have constructed a RNA-targeting Fab library. Phage display selection and downstream characterization showed that this library yielded high-affinity Fabs for all three RNA targets tested. Using a quantitative specificity assay, we found that these Fabs are highly specific, possibly due to the alternate codon design we used to avoid consecutive arginines in the Fab interface. In addition, the effectiveness of the minimal Fab library may challenge our view of the protein–RNA binding interface and provide a unique solution for future design of RNA-binding proteins.