Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

RK2::Mu plasmids and transposon Tn5-Mob were used to mobilize the Legionella pneumophila chromosome. Plate matings between L. pneumophila donors that contained RK2::Mu plasmids and auxotrophic recipients yielded recombinants at frequencies ranging from 10(-6) to 10(-7) per recipient for the markers tested. The presence of a Mu insertion in the chromosome of donors that harbored RK2::Mu plasmids increased the frequency of chromosome transfer of certain selected markers as compared with strains that contained RK2::Mu alone. Cotransfer experiments with Mu-containing donors and a thymidine and tryptophan auxotroph failed to reveal any linkage between the thy and trp loci in L. pneumophila. A strain that contained a chromosomal Tn5-Mob insertion and helper plasmid pRK24.4 transferred chromosomal markers at frequencies of 10(-7) per recipient. These findings suggest that RK2::Mu plasmids and Tn5-Mob may be useful for genetic mapping experiments with L. pneumophila.
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PMID:Chromosome mobilization of Legionella pneumophila with RK2::Mu and Tn5-Mob. 132 83

Legionellae have been found to be highly susceptible to a variety of biological products, which increases the difficulty of growing these microorganisms. We developed a hypotonic medium in which Legionella pneumophila and other legionellae grow well and multiply rapidly from small inocula. Several amino acids, mainly nonessential ones, inhibited the growth of legionellae at high concentrations (200-1,000 micrograms/ml). We describe a unique biological phenomenon of specific inhibition of growth of L. pneumophila by the plant growth hormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) and the closely related indole-3-propionic acid (IPA). The inhibition of growth was probably due to interference with the biosynthesis of L-tryptophan by the phytohormone or IPA. Other bacteria were found to be 50 to 100-fold more resistant to these agents. These findings may explain the peculiar ecology of legionellae. Bacterial susceptibility towards IPA (less than or equal to 5 micrograms/ml) may serve as a specific marker for the presence of legionellae.
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PMID:Phytohormones as specific inhibitors of Legionella pneumophila growth. 234 83

Attempts to isolate auxotrophic mutants of Legionella pneumophila have been hampered by the complex nutritional composition of the media used to cultivate this organism. We developed a semidefined medium, designated CAA, to facilitate the isolation and characterization of Legionella auxotrophs. Unlike previously described chemically defined media for this organism, L. pneumophila formed colonies on CAA agar. Using this medium, we isolated several independent tryptophan auxotrophs of strain Philadelphia-1 after ethyl methanesulfonate mutagenesis and penicillin enrichment. Trimethoprim selection was used to isolate several independent thymidine-requiring mutants of the same strain. The thymidine auxotrophs exhibited a marked decrease in viability when they were deprived of thymidine. The results of monocyte infection experiments with both the tryptophan and thymidine auxotrophs indicated that the thymidine auxotrophs were incapable of intracellular survival or multiplication. In contrast, the tryptophan auxotrophs grew well in monocyte cultures. The isolation of additional auxotrophic mutants will facilitate the study of the nutritional requirements of L. pneumophila for growth in human mononuclear phagocytes.
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PMID:Isolation and characterization of auxotrophic mutants of Legionella pneumophila that fail to multiply in human monocytes. 337 16

The enzyme activities of four strains of Legionella pneumophilia were investigated by using the API ZYM system (API System S.A., F-38390 Montalieu Vercieu, France) and synthetic substrates. Aminopeptidases were detected specifically against L-alanine, L-arginine, L-aspartic acid, L-cystine, L-glutaminic acid, glycine, L-histidine, L-isoleucine, L-leucine, L-lysine, L-methionine, L-phenylalanine, L-tryptophan, L-tyrosine, and L-valine. Furthermore, the bacteria possesses esterase activity splitting propionate, butyrate, caproate, caprylate, and caprate, but not laurate, myristate, palmitate, and stearate, esters. The enzymes studies were inhibited partially by aprotinin. No inhibition of phosphatase (pH range, 5.4 to 8.5) or of phosphoamidase was observed. Activities of arylsulfatase, chymotrypsin, trypsin, and glycosidases could not be detected.
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PMID:Enzymatic profile of Legionella pneumophilia. 616 35

Flagella were isolated from virulent Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1, 2, and 3. Antiserum made against purified serogroups 1 flagellin agglutinated live, flagellated serogroups 1, 2, and 3 but not heat-killed or nonflagellated bacteria. A single line of identity was seen in immunodiffusion slides between the flagella isolated from the three serogroups and antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroups 1, 2, and 3. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining showed that antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroup 1 organisms reacted with flagella on serogroup 1, 2, and 3 bacteria. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining was also showed that antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroup 1 L. pneumophila did not react with the serogroup-specific cell surface antigen, thus demonstrating that the flagella- and the serogroup-specific antigen are separate antigens. The amino acid content of the flagella from the three serogroups was essentially the same, with aspartate, glutamate, alanine, and threonine comprising 41% of the total. Thirty-five percent of the amino acids were hydrophobic, and there were not detectable amounts of cysteine, tryptophan, or tyrosine.
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PMID:Immunological and biochemical relationships among flagella isolated from Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1, 2, and 3. 679 82

Thioglycolate-elicited murine macrophages from genetically susceptible A/J mice activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and infected with Legionella pneumophila in vitro evince marked inhibition of intracellular growth of this bacterium. The mechanism of inhibition by LPS-activated macrophages in terms of replication of this intracellular pathogen is unclear. LPS activation of murine macrophages induced a downshift in transferrin receptor (TfR) expression and reduction in cellular iron content, and this was correlated with augmented intracellular growth of Legionella in the cells. When LPS-stimulated macrophages were first saturated with iron, partial reversion of L. pneumophila growth restriction was observed. However, an excess of exogenous L-tryptophan (Trp) did not reverse this growth inhibition, nor did supplementation of the macrophage culture medium with both iron and Trp. The antilegionella activity of the macrophages induced by LPS activation was independent of reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI), since the scavengers catalase, superoxide dismutase, mannitol, and thiourea had no effect on growth restriction. Likewise, notwithstanding the ability of LPS-activated macrophages to synthesize reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI), which was inhibited by L-arginine analogs NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and L-aminoguanidine), as well as by incubation in arginine-free medium, their ability to inhibit the intracellular replication of L. pneumophila was not affected. Thus, we conclude that LPS-activated macrophages inhibit the intracellular growth of L. pneumophila partially by iron-dependent, Trp-independent, and ROI- and RNI-independent mechanisms. We also suggest that additional unknown mechanisms are involved, since complete reversion was not obtained.
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PMID:LPS inhibits the intracellular growth of Legionella pneumophila in thioglycolate elicited murine peritoneal macrophages by iron-dependent, tryptophan-independent, oxygen-independent, and arginine-independent mechanisms. 782 75

A/J mouse macrophages infected with Legionella pneumophila and treated with gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) in vitro developed potent antimicrobial activity. This antilegionella activity was independent of the macrophage capacity to generate reactive oxygen intermediates, since the oxygen radical scavengers catalase, superoxide dismutase, mannitol, and thiourea had no effect on the antilegionella activity of IFN-gamma-activated macrophages. Likewise, whereas the ability of IFN-gamma-activated macrophages to synthesize reactive nitrogen intermediates was markedly inhibited by the L-arginine (Arg) analogs, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine and L-aminoguanidine, as well as by incubation in L-Arg-free medium, their ability to inhibit the intracellular growth of L. pneumophila remained intact. The intracellular growth of L. pneumophila in A/J macrophages was inhibited by the iron(III) chelator desferrioxamine and reversed by Fe-transferrin as well as by ferric salts. Additionally, IFN-gamma-activated macrophages incorporated 28% less 59Fe(III) compared with nonactivated cells. Nonetheless, only partial blocking of growth restriction was observed when IFN-gamma-stimulated macrophages were saturated with iron(III). Indole-propionic acid, which appears to inhibit the biosynthesis of L-tryptophan (L-Trp), was an L-Trp-reversible growth inhibitor of L. pneumophila in macrophages, implying that the intracellular replication of this pathogen is also L-Trp dependent. However, an excess of exogenous L-Trp did not reverse the growth inhibition due to IFN-gamma, though a small synergistic effect was observed when the culture medium was supplemented with both iron(III) and L-Trp. We conclude that IFN-gamma-activated macrophages inhibit the intracellular proliferation of L. pneumophila by reactive oxygen intermediate- and reactive nitrogen intermediate-independent mechanisms and just partially by nutritionally dependent mechanisms. We also suggest that additional mechanisms, still unclear, may be involved, since complete reversion was never obtained and since at higher concentrations of IFN-gamma, iron(III) did not induce any significant reversion in the L. pneumophila growth inhibition.
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PMID:Inhibition of Legionella pneumophila growth by gamma interferon in permissive A/J mouse macrophages: role of reactive oxygen species, nitric oxide, tryptophan, and iron(III). 803 89

Lgt1 is one of the glucosyltransferases produced by the Gram-negative bacterium Legionella pneumophila. This enzyme modifies eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) at serine 53, which leads to inhibition of protein synthesis and death of target cells. Here we studied the region of eEF1A, which is essential for substrate recognition by Lgt1. We report that the decapeptide (50)GKGSFKYAWV(59) of eEF1A is efficiently modified by Lgt1. This peptide covers the loop of the helix-loop-helix region formed by helices A* and A' of eEF1A and is part of the first turn of helix A'. Substitution of either serine 53, phenylalanine 54, tyrosine 56, or tryptophan 58 by alanine abolished or severely decreased glucosylation. Lgt1 modified the decapeptide (50)GKGSFKYAWV(59) with a higher glucosylation rate than full-length eEF1A purified from yeast, suggesting that a specific conformation of eEF1A is the preferred substrate of Lgt1. A GenBank search on the basis of the substrate decapeptide for similar peptide sequences retrieved heat shock protein 70 subfamily B suppressor 1 (Hbs1) as a target for glucosylation by Lgt1. Recombinant Hbs1 and the corresponding fragment ((303)GKASFAYAWV(312)) were gluco syl a ted by Lgt1. NMR studies with the gluco syl a ted eEF1A-derived decapeptide identified an alpha-anomeric structure of the glucose-serine 53 bond and characterize Lgt1 as a retaining glucosyltransferase.
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PMID:Region of elongation factor 1A1 involved in substrate recognition by Legionella pneumophila glucosyltransferase Lgt1: identification of Lgt1 as a retaining glucosyltransferase. 1947 83

Legionella pneumophila is the principal etiologic agent of Legionnaires' disease. We found that the growth of L. pneumophila was markedly inhibited by its own cell lysate and the inhibitory effect was abolished by heat-treatment of the lysate. The genomic library of L. pneumophila was constructed in Escherichia coli and screened to determine the gene involved in the growth inhibition. A clone harboring the gene encoding anthranilate synthase (TrpE), which is involved in tryptophan biosynthesis, exhibited an inhibitory effect on the growth of L. pneumophila. Anthranilic acid exogenously added also exhibited antibacterial activity against L. pneumophila. A series of single-gene-knockout mutants of L. pneumophila lacking tryptophan synthesis genes were constructed and assessed for their susceptibility to anthranilic acid. Although the growth of mutants deficient in anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase (TrpD) and N-(5'-phosphoribosyl)anthranilate isomerase (TrpF) was not affected by exogenous anthranilic acid, the indole-3-glycerophosphate synthase (TrpC) deficient mutant exhibited an increased susceptibility compared with the parent strain. These observations strongly indicate that 1-(2-carboxyphenylamino)-1'-deoxyribulose-5'-phosphate (CPADR-5'-P), which is an intermediate of tryptophan synthesis from anthranilic acid, is responsible for the growth inhibition of L. pneumophila.
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PMID:Growth inhibitory effects of anthranilic acid and its derivatives against Legionella pneumophila. 2234 75

The bacterial dinucleotide second messenger c-di-GMP has emerged as a central molecule in regulating bacterial behavior, including motility and biofilm formation. Proteins for the synthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP and effectors for its signal transmission are widely used in the bacterial domain. Previous work established the GGDEF-EAL domain-containing receptor LapD as a central switch in Pseudomonas fluorescens cell adhesion. LapD senses c-di-GMP inside the cytosol and relays this signal to the outside by the differential recruitment of the periplasmic protease LapG. Here we identify the core components of an orthologous system in Legionella pneumophila. Despite only moderate sequence conservation at the protein level, key features concerning the regulation of LapG are retained. The output domain of the LapD-like receptor from L. pneumophila, CdgS9, binds the LapG ortholog involving a strictly conserved surface tryptophan residue. While the endogenous substrate for L. pneumophila LapG is unknown, the enzyme processed the corresponding P. fluorescens substrate, indicating a common catalytic mechanism and substrate recognition. Crystal structures of L. pneumophila LapG provide the first atomic models of bacterial proteases of the DUF920 family and reveal a conserved calcium-binding site important for LapG function.
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PMID:Structural characterization of a conserved, calcium-dependent periplasmic protease from Legionella pneumophila. 2270 6


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