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C D Deal

Publications and source records attributed to C D Deal.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Human immunization with Pgh 3-2 gonococcal pilus results in cross-reactive antibody to the cyanogen bromide fragment-2 of pilin.

In 1983, a gonococcal pilus vaccine failed to show protection in a large, placebo-controlled, double-blind field trial. The epitopic response to this vaccine was investigated in a random subgroup of 20 vaccine recipients. Using Western blot analysis of the immunizing pilus and its cyanogen bromide (CNBr) fragments, IgG antibody to pilin was detected before immunization in all individuals. Preexistent antibody to the CNBr-2 and CNBr-3 fragments of pilin was detected in 65% and 5% of individuals, respectively. Pilus immunization resulted in a vigorous response to the CNBr-2 fragment in 100% of the individuals tested; only 33% developed antibody to the CNBr-3 fragment. Absorptions of postimmunization sera with different gonococcal strains resulted in either complete or partial removal of antibody to the CNBr-2 fragment. In the context of an unsuccessful vaccine trial, these results suggest that antibody to the CNBr-2 fragment of pilin may not be protective.

Adult↗

Lacto- and ganglio-series glycolipids are adhesion receptors for Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

The role of glycolipids as adhesion receptors for Neisseria gonorrhoeae is examined. Serum-resistant isolates, piliated and nonpiliated isogenic variants, as well as gonococci deficient in lipooligosaccharide and protein II, bind specifically to terminal and internal GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc and GalNAc beta 1-4Gal beta 1-4Gcl sequences in lacto- and ganglio-series glycolipids, respectively, as measured by overlaying glycolipid chromatograms with 125I-labeled organisms. The binding activity was not affected by changing the growth conditions of the organism, as the gonococci bound to both classes of glycolipids when grown anaerobically, microaerophilically on agar or in broth, or under iron-limited conditions. The gonococci do not bind to lacto-sylceramide (Gal beta 1-4Glc beta 1-1Cer) derived from lacto-N-triaosylceramide or from asialo-GM2 by treatment with N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase, or to other neutral glycolipids tested. Although N. gonorrhoeae bound weakly to some gangliosides on thin-layer chromatograms, including sialylparagloboside and GM1, in solid phase assays the gonococci bound with high avidity to the sequence GalNAc beta 1-4Gal beta 1-4Glc, with moderate avidity to the sequence GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc, and not at all to gangliosides. Interestingly, the 4.8-kDa component of gonococcal lipooligosaccharide, which contains lacto-N-neotetraose (Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc beta 1-3Gal beta 1-4Glc), strongly inhibits gonococcal-specific agglutination of human erythrocytes and inhibits the binding of labeled organisms to human paragloboside and lacto-N-triaosylceramide on thin-layer chromatograms. Possibly, this binding specificity explains why gonococci autoagglutinate in vitro.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Complete amino acid sequence of fetal bovine serum acetylcholinesterase and its comparison in various regions with other cholinesterases.

The complete amino acid sequence of a mammalian acetylcholinesterase from fetal bovine serum (FBS AChE) is presented. This enzyme has a high degree of sequence identity with other cholinesterases, liver carboxyesterases, esterase-6, lysophospholipase, and thyroglobulin. The locations of 191 amino acids in 10 regions of the FBS enzyme were compared with corresponding sequences of Torpedo, human, and Drosophila AChEs and human serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE). In one region there is a marked difference in both the number of amino acids and their sequence between mammalian AChE and other AChEs and the human serum BChE. The amino acid sequence of FBS AChE showed overall homologies of 90% with human AChE, 60% with T. california AChE, 50% with human serum BChE, and 39% with Drosophila AChE in these regions.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Biochemical purification and crystallographic characterization of the fiber-forming protein pilin from Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Pilus fibers are long protein filaments on many pathogenic bacteria that participate in attachment to host cells. Although the self-assembling protein pilin is the major structural component of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilus fiber, several other proteins co-purified with pilin through the repeated solubilization-reassociation steps of the biochemical purification. Pilin solubilized in the nondenaturing detergent n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside remained an aggregate of about 100 kDa at pH 9.5, but was reduced to a 40-kDa dimer at pH 10.5, suggesting that assembly involves electrostatic interactions of lysine, tyrosine, or other side chains with high pKa values. Pilin dimers and aggregates of higher molecular mass were partially stable even in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and beta-mercaptoethanol. Removal of pilus-associated proteins and stabilization of pilin multimers permitted the reproducible crystallization of pilin. Three-dimensional needle- and plate-shaped crystals of purified N. gonorrhoeae pilin (strain MS11 variant C30) grew from 36 to 40% polyethylene glycol 400, pH 8.0-9.0, in space group C222, with cell dimensions a = 126.4, b = 121.2, c = 26.7 A and Vm = 2.84 A3/dalton for one molecule per asymmetric unit. The best crystals diffracted to 2.4 A resolution using synchrotron radiation, were stable to x-ray damage, and appear suitable for determination of the atomic structure. This approach of stabilizing and crystallizing an intermediate assembly state may be useful for other fiber-forming proteins, which have previously not been successfully crystallized in forms that diffract to atomic resolution.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

Studies on the topography of the catalytic site of acetylcholinesterase using polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies.

Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were generated against a synthetic peptide (25 amino acid residues) corresponding to the amino acid sequence surrounding the active site serine of Torpedo californica acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Prior to immunization, the peptide was either coupled to bovine serum albumin or encapsulated into liposomes containing lipid A as an adjuvant. To determine whether this region of AChE is located on the surface of the enzyme and thus accessible for binding to antibodies, or located in a pocket and thus not accessible to antibodies, the immunoreactivity of the antibodies was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoprecipitation, Western blots, and competition ELISA. The polyclonal antibody and several of the monoclonal antibodies failed to react with either Torpedo or fetal bovine serum AChE in their native conformations, but showed significant cross-reactivity with the denatured enzymes. Human serum butyrylcholinesterase, which has a high degree of amino acid sequence homology with these AChEs, failed to react with the same antibodies in either native form or denatured form. Chymotrypsin also failed to react with the monoclonal antibodies in either form. Eighteen octapeptides spanning the entire sequence of this region were synthesized on polyethylene pins, and epitopes of representative monoclonal antibodies were determined by ELISA. The reactivity of peptides suggest that a portion of the 25 mer peptide in AChE containing the active site serine is the primary epitope. It is not exposed on the surface of the enzyme and is most likely sequestered in a pocket-like conformation in the native enzyme.

Acetylcholinesterase↗

Pilin independent binding of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to immobilized glycolipids.

The adherence process in pathogenesis involves the attachment of bacteria to structures present on eukaryotic cell surfaces. To investigate components necessary for this interaction, we have characterized the binding of N. gonorrhoeae to eukaryotic glycolipids immobilized on thin layer chromatograms. The gonococci specifically bind to a subset of glycolipids consisting of lactosylceramide, gangliotriosylceramide, and gangliotetraosylceramide. This binding was identified in both piliated and nonpiliated cells, and is postulated to be mediated by a nonpilin lectin-like adhesin protein.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

Solubilization, isolation, and immunochemical characterization of the major outer membrane protein from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.

Solubilization of the major outer membrane protein of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides, and subsequent isolation, has been achieved by both non-detergent- and detergent-based methods. The protein was differentially solubilized from other outer membrane proteins in 5 M guanidine thiocyanate which was exchanged by dialysis for 7 M urea. The urea-soluble protein was purified to homogeneity by a combination of DEAE-Sephadex chromatography and preparative electrophoretic techniques. Similar to the peptidoglycan-associated proteins of other Gram-negative bacteria, the protein was also purified by differential temperature extraction of the outer membrane in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) followed by preparative SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Immunochemical analysis of the proteins isolated by the two techniques established the immunochemical identity and homogeneity of each preparation. Immunoblots of SDS-polyacrylamide gels revealed that antibody directed against the major outer membrane protein reacted with the three high molecular weight aggregates present in the outer membrane which we have previously shown to be composed of the major outer membrane protein and three nonidentical small molecular weight proteins.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Physical and chemical characterization of the major outer membrane protein of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.

The characterization of the major outer membrane protein of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides is described. Molecular weight estimations using Ferguson plots derived from sodium dodecyl sulfate and urea-polyacrylamide gels were 39,500 and 32,200, respectively, in good agreement with the value of 33,800 obtained from amino acid compositional studies. NH2-terminal amino acid determinations of the major outer membrane protein revealed a blocked NH2 terminus. Gas chromatography of the acid-hydrolyzed protein confirmed the presence of fatty acid covalently associated with the protein presumably through an amino linkage. Peptide mapping of tryptic and chymotryptic digestions of the protein led to the identification of one peptide in each digest containing fatty acid. Digestion of the fatty acid-containing peptide with pronase resulted in the fatty acid together with L-alanine becoming extractable into hexane. We conclude that the major outer membrane protein of R. sphaeroides is a proteolipid containing at least 1 mol of fatty acid/mol of protein in amide linkage to the NH2-terminal L-alanine of the protein.

Amino Acids↗

Immunochemical relationship of the major outer membrane protein of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides 2.4.1 to proteins of other photosynthetic bacteria.

Immunoblots of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels derived from outer membrane preparations of various strains of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides revealed polypeptides which cross-reacted with antibody directed against the major outer membrane protein of R. sphaeroides 2.4.1. Immunochemical quantitation of the major outer membrane protein of strain 2.4.1 showed approximately 5.5 x 10(4) molecules per cell whether cells were grown chemoheterotrophically or photoheterotrophically. Rhodospirillum rubrum outer membranes contained a cross-reactive protein, whereas the outer membranes derived from Rhodopseudomonas capsulata and Paracoccus denitrificans showed no cross-reaction with the antibody prepared against the major outer membrane protein from R. sphaeroides 2.4.1.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

In vivo intermembrane transfer of phospholipids in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides.

The kinetics of accumulation of phospholipids into the intracytoplasmic membrane of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides have been examined. We have previously demonstrated that accumulation of phospholipids in the intracytoplasmic membrane is discontinuous with respect to the cell cycle. In this study we demonstrated a sevenfold increase in the rate of phospholipid incorporation into the intracytoplasmic membrane concurrent with the onset of cell division. Pulse-chase labeling studies revealed that the increase in the rate of phospholipid accumulation into the intracytoplasmic membrane results from the transfer of phospholipid from a site other than the intracytoplasmic membrane, and that the transfer of phospholipid, rather than synthesis of phospholipid, is most likely subject to cell cycle-specific regulation. The rates of synthesis of the individual phospholipid species (phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyglycerol, and an unknown phospholipid) remained constant with respect to one another throughout the cell cycle. Similarly, each of these phospholipid species appeared to be transferred simultaneously to the intracytoplasmic membrane. We also present preliminary kinetic evidence which suggested that phosphatidylethanolamine may be converted to phosphatidycholine within the intracytoplasmic membrane.

Bacterial Chromatophores↗