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Although the identity of the T cells that protect against bacteria in humans remains unknown, it is clear that patients with bacterial infection have reduced numbers of T cells in their blood. Here we have determined whether this T cell loss is a consequence of bacterial antigen-mediated activation-induced cell death (AICD). By flowcytometric analysis, less than 0.3% of freshly isolated T cells from healthy volunteers and patients with severe pneumonia were identified as apoptotic. However, during culture the rate of apoptosis in peripheral blood T cells from patients was 3.0 +/- 0.9%; and increased further in the presence of anti-CD3 (7.4 +/- 2.1%) and decreased when IL-2 was added (4.4 +/- 1.3%). In contrast, no changes were observed in healthy volunteers on addition of anti-CD3. Further, anti-CD3 significantly increased the susceptibility to apoptosis of CD45RO+ T cells, but not CD45RA+ T cells from patients, and the percentage of CD45RO+ T cells in patients was significantly higher than that in healthy volunteers. Flowcytometric analysis revealed the expression level of Fas to be higher in the patients than healthy volunteers. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that bacteria-reactive T cells were more susceptible to AICD and that Fas-FasL pathways of apoptosis were involved. AICD of CD45RO+ T cells, therefore, provides an explanation for the loss of bacteria-reactive T cells during bacterial infection.
Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol 1999
PMID:Involvement of apoptosis in activation-induced cell death of bacteria-reactive human CD45RO+ T cells. 1063 13

Early studies indicated that the Sudan plated lizard, Gerrhosaurus major, did not exhibit a febrile response when challenged with bacterial pyrogen. More recent results indicated that a 14-day antibiotic treatment regime produced a significant decrease (0.5 +/- 0.1 degree C) in the mean selected body temperature (MSBT) for this species (31.3 +/- 0.2-30.8 +/- 0.2 degrees C). The antibiotic treatment results suggested that G. major already had a fever caused by a pre-existing bacterial infection. The current study was designed first to determine if a sub-population of G. major, with a higher mean pre-antibiotic treatment MSBT would exhibit a greater decrease in MSBT after antibiotic treatment. A 14-day antibiotic treatment regime for G. major (N = 7) with MSBTs > or = 31.9 degrees C (mean 32.4 +/- 0.2 degrees C) produced a significant decrease of 1.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C in MSBT to 30.7 +/- 0.3 degrees C. Analysis of the combined antibiotic treatment MSBT data from [13] and the current study demonstrated that the magnitude of the change in MSBT after antibiotic treatment was dependent upon the pre-antibiotic treatment MSBT. These data imply that animals with a greater pre-treatment MSBT and greater MSBT change had a greater magnitude fever. In the second portion of this study the MSBT for individual lizards was measured during separate experiments using both indwelling cloacal thermocouples taped to the tail of the lizard and telemeters implanted into the peritoneal cavity of the lizard. This second study was designed to determine if measurement of Tb using thermocouples induced a stress fever which may have masked a portion of the pyrogen-induced fever. The MSBT measured using indwelling cloacal thermocouples (30.5 +/- 0.3 degrees C) was not significantly greater (T > 0.05) than the MSBT increased using telemeters (31.0 +/- 0.2 degrees C). The results of the experiments from this study demonstrate that the previously reported afebrile state for G. major was the result of animals having pre-existing bacterial infections. G. major does exhibit a febrile response similar to other lizard species.
Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 1999 Nov
PMID:Pre-existing bacterial infections, not stress fever, influenced previous studies which labeled Gerrhosaurus major an afebrile lizard species. 1066 84

Bacterial superantigens (SAgs) are a structurally related group of protein toxins secreted by Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. They are implicated in a range of human pathologies associated with bacterial infection whose symptoms result from SAg-mediated stimulation of a large number (2-20%) of T-cells. At the molecular level, bacterial SAgs bind to major histocompatability class II (MHC-II) molecules and disrupt the normal interaction between MHC-II and T-cell receptors (TCRs). We have determined high-resolution crystal structures of two newly identified streptococcal superantigens, SPE-H and SMEZ-2. Both structures conform to the generic bacterial superantigen folding pattern, comprising an OB-fold N-terminal domain and a beta-grasp C-terminal domain. SPE-H and SMEZ-2 also display very similar zinc-binding sites on the outer concave surfaces of their C-terminal domains. Structural comparisons with other SAgs identify two structural sub-families. Sub-families are related by conserved core residues and demarcated by variable binding surfaces for MHC-II and TCR. SMEZ-2 is most closely related to the streptococcal SAg SPE-C, and together they constitute one structural sub-family. In contrast, SPE-H appears to be a hybrid whose N-terminal domain is most closely related to the SEB sub-family and whose C-terminal domain is most closely related to the SPE-C/SMEZ-2 sub-family. MHC-II binding for both SPE-H and SMEZ-2 is mediated by the zinc ion at their C-terminal face, whereas the generic N-terminal domain MHC-II binding site found on many SAgs appears not to be present. Structural comparisons provide evidence for variations in TCR binding between SPE-H, SMEZ-2 and other members of the SAg family; the extreme potency of SMEZ-2 (active at 10(-15) g ml-1 levels) is likely to be related to its TCR binding properties. The smez gene shows allelic variation that maps onto a considerable proportion of the protein surface. This allelic variation, coupled with the varied binding modes of SAgs to MHC-II and TCR, highlights the pressure on SAgs to avoid host immune defences.
J Mol Biol 2000 May 26
PMID:Conservation and variation in superantigen structure and activity highlighted by the three-dimensional structures of two new superantigens from Streptococcus pyogenes. 1086 Jul 29

Clara cell secretory protein (CCSP) is a 16-kDa homodimeric polypeptide secreted by respiratory epithelial cells in the conducting airways of the lung. To assess the role of CCSP in bacterial inflammation and to discern whether CCSP expression is influenced by bacterial infection, CCSP-deficient [(-/-)] gene-targeted mice and wild-type mice were given Pseudomonas aeruginosa intratracheally. Infiltration by polymorphonuclear cells was significantly increased in the lungs of CCSP(-/-) mice 6 and 24 h after the administration of the bacteria. The number of viable bacteria isolated from the lungs in CCSP(-/-) mice was decreased compared with that in wild-type mice. Concentrations of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were modestly increased after 6 and 24 h, respectively, in CCSP(-/-) mice. The concentration of CCSP protein in lung homogenates decreased for 1-5 days after infection and recovered by 14 days after infection. Likewise, CCSP mRNA and immunostaining for CCSP markedly decreased in respiratory epithelial cells after infection. CCSP deficiency was associated with enhanced pulmonary inflammation and improved killing of bacteria after acute pulmonary infection with P. aeruginosa. The finding that Pseudomonas infection inhibited CCSP expression provides further support for the concept that CCSP plays a role in the modulation of pulmonary inflammation during infection and recovery.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2000 Sep
PMID:Regulation and function of CCSP during pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in vivo. 1095 19

A central feature of Salmonella pathogenicity is the bacterium's ability to enter into non-phagocytic cells. Bacterial internalization is the consequence of cellular responses characterized by Cdc42- and Rac-dependent actin cytoskeleton rearrangements. These responses are triggered by the co-ordinated function of bacterial proteins delivered into the host cell by a specialized protein secretion system termed type III. We report here that SopB, a Salmonella inositol polyphosphatase delivered to the host cell by this secretion system, mediates actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial entry in a Cdc42-dependent manner. SopB exhibits overlapping functions with two other effectors of bacterial entry, the Rho family GTPase exchange factors SopE and SopE2. Thus, Salmonella strains deficient in any one of these proteins can enter into cells at high efficiency, whereas a strain lacking all three effectors is completely defective for entry. Consistent with an important role for inositol phosphate metabolism in Salmonella-induced cellular responses, a catalytically defective mutant of SopB failed to stimulate actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial entry. Furthermore, bacterial infection of intestinal cells resulted in a marked increase in Ins(1,4,5,6)P4, a consumption of InsP5 and the activation of phospholipase C. In agreement with the in vivo findings, purified SopB specifically dephosphorylated InsP5 to Ins(1,4,5,6)P4 in vitro. Surprisingly, the inositol phosphate fluxes induced by Salmonella were not caused exclusively by SopB. We show that the SopB-independent inositol phosphate fluxes are the consequence of the SopE-dependent activation of an endogenous inositol phosphatase. The ability of Salmonella to stimulate Rho GTPases signalling and inositol phosphate metabolism through alternative mechanisms is an example of the remarkable ability of this bacterial pathogen to manipulate host cellular functions.
Mol Microbiol 2001 Jan
PMID:A Salmonella inositol polyphosphatase acts in conjunction with other bacterial effectors to promote host cell actin cytoskeleton rearrangements and bacterial internalization. 1113 47

Reduced terminal sialylation at the surface of airway epithelial cells from patients with cystic fibrosis may predispose them to bacterial infection. To determine whether a lack of chloride transport or misprocessing of mutant cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is critical for the alterations in glycosylation, we studied a normal human tracheal epithelial cell line (9/HTEo(-)) transfected with the regulatory (R) domain of CFTR, which blocks CFTR-mediated chloride transport; DeltaF508 CFTR, which is misprocessed, wild-type CFTR; or empty vector. Reduced cAMP-stimulated chloride transport is seen in the R domain and DeltaF508 transfectants. These two cell lines had consistent, significantly reduced binding of elderberry bark lectin, which recognizes terminal sialic acid in the alpha-2,6 configuration. Binding of other lectins, including Maakia amurensis lectin, which recognizes sialic acid in the alpha-2,3 configuration, was comparable in all cell lines. Because the cell surface change occurred in R domain-transfected cells, which continue to express wild-type CFTR, it cannot be related entirely to misprocessed or overexpressed CFTR. It is associated most closely with reduced CFTR activity.
Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2001 Mar
PMID:Terminal sialylation is altered in airway cells with impaired CFTR-mediated chloride transport. 1115 32

Administration of G-CSF may not always respond in rise of neutrophil counts in different patient population. In order to understand a possible inter-relationship between the G-CSF and GM-CSF induced leukocyte responses and expression levels of receptors for G-CSF (G-CSFr) and GM-CSF (GM-CSFr), the levels of each receptor and CSF were measured in patients with basophilia (8), eosinophilia (14) and bacterial infection showing neutrophilia (12) in comparison with normal healthy adults (12) and children (14). G-CSFr was expressed in neutrophils in the largest amount followed by monocytes, but GM-CSFr was expressed more in monocytes than neutrophils. Lymphocytes and basophils did not express G-CSFr or GM-CSFr. The amount of GM-CSFr in neutrophils was present less in patients with infection than normal control (P = 0.031). The neutrophils expressed more G-CSFr than GM-CSFr. The quantity of G-CSFr in eosinophil showed marked interval change, higher in acute stage. The plasma concentrations of G-CSF in patients with infection were much higher than normal adults or children (117.95 +/- 181.16 pg/ml, P < 0.05). Binding assay with excess amount of CSFs could discriminate the patient who did not show any response to G-CSF or GM-CSF administration. After incubation with excess CSFs, more receptors were blocked in children than in adults (G-CSF P = 0.024, GM-CSF P = 0.006). These results indicate that the amount of CSFr in leukocyte varies in different types of leukocyte, and changes according to the patients' condition even in the same type of leukocyte, and the CSFrs of children bind to CSFs more than those of adults.
Exp Mol Med 2000 Dec 31
PMID:Varying expression levels of colony stimulating factor receptors in disease states and different leukocytes. 1119 Feb 72

Transferrins are iron-binding proteins that are involved in iron storage and resistance to bacterial disease. Previous work has shown that nonsynonymous-to-synonymous-site substitution ratios (d(n)/d(s) ratios) between transferrin genes from some salmonid species were significantly greater than 1.0, providing evidence for positive selection at the transferrin gene. The purpose of the current study was to put these earlier results in a broader evolutionary context by examining variation among 25 previously published transferrin sequences from fish, amphibians, and mammals. The results of the study show that evidence for positive selection at transferrin is limited to salmonids-d(n)/d(s) ratios estimated for nonsalmonid lineages were generally less than 1.0. Within the salmonids, approximately 13% of the transferrin codon sites are estimated to be subject to positive selection, with an estimated d(n)/d(s) ratio of approximately 7. The three- dimensional locations of some of the selected sites were inferred by comparing these sites to homologous sites in the bovine lactoferrin crystallographic structure. The selected sites generally fall on the outside of the molecule, within and near areas that are bound by transferrin-binding proteins from human pathogenic bacteria. The physical locations of sites estimated to be subject to positive selection support previous speculation that competition for iron from pathogenic bacteria could be the source of positive selection.
Mol Biol Evol 2001 Apr
PMID:Molecular evolution of transferrin: evidence for positive selection in salmonids. 1126 16

The plant virus, cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV), has been developed as an expression and presentation system to display antigenic epitopes derived from a number of vaccine targets including infectious disease agents and tumors. These chimeric virus particles (CVPs) could represent a cost-effective and safe alternative to live replicating virus and bacterial vaccines. A number of CVPs have now been generated and their immunogenicity examined in a number of animal species. This review details the humoral and cellular immune responses generated by these CVPs following both parenteral and mucosal delivery and highlights the potential of CVPs to elicit protective immunity from both viral and bacterial infection.
Mol Biotechnol 2001 Jan
PMID:Cowpea mosaic virus as a vaccine carrier of heterologous antigens. 1128 Sep 28

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is postulated to play an important role in the repair of pulmonary epithelium in acute lung injury. To evaluate the role of HGF in bacterial pneumonia, the kinetics of HGF production and the cellular sources of HGF have been examined in the lungs of mice that had been intratracheally challenged with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Neutrophil accumulation in the airway occurred immediately, reached a peak at 36 h, and then progressively declined by 14 d after infection. We found a biphasic pattern of HGF messenger RNA expression and protein synthesis in the lung after bacterial infection. The first peak for HGF production was found at 6 h after infection, and the primary source of HGF was shown to be bronchial epithelial cells. Interestingly, the second peak for HGF production, which was found around 48 to 72 h after infection, was closely associated with the increase in the percentage of alveolar macrophages (AMs) that became positive for myeloperoxidase, indicating phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. The cellular source of the second peak was found to be AMs. Further, murine AMs which phagocytosed apoptotic neutrophils induced higher levels of HGF production in vitro. These results strongly indicate a novel mechanism of HGF production by AMs, which are phagocytosing apoptotic neutrophils, and the pivotal role of AMs in the healing and repair of damaged pulmonary epithelium through the production of HGF.
Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2001 May
PMID:Alveolar macrophages that phagocytose apoptotic neutrophils produce hepatocyte growth factor during bacterial pneumonia in mice. 1135 Aug 31


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