No description available.

No description available.

<p>Apoptosis plays a key role in the regulation and development of healthy multicellular organisms throughout their lifetimes. The mitochondria play a key role in this cellular process, as it contains proapoptotic factors, which once released into the cytosol of the cell, results in the death of the cell. The Bcl-2 family of proteins play a key role in apoptosis, acting as the gateway between life and death of the cell. Proteins such as tBid and Bax act to permeabilize the mitochondrial outer membrane (MOM), releasing the proapoptotic factors into the cell’s cytosol. The interactions between these proteins and the mitochondrial outer membrane have yet to be fully understood. The lipid composition and cholesterol content of the membrane effectively inhibit or promote pore formation by Bax. Specifically, the addition of cholesterol into the membrane inhibits pore formation. This thesis attempts to further understand the effects cholesterol has on the structure of the MOM, and link those changes to the inhibited activity of Bax pore formation. MOM-like lipid bilayers were studied under varying temperatures and with the addition of cholesterol using x-ray reflectivity. Increasing temperatures from 10°C to 30°C resulted in bilayer thinning, as did decreasing cholesterol concentrations below 30%. From 10°C to 20°C, bilayer thickness showed a bell shaped profile, and changed to a linear decrease above about 20°C. This may assist Bax in pore formation, as it has also been observed to cause bilayer thinning. Increasing Cholesterol concentrations up to 30% resulted in little variation in bilayer thickness though hindrance of Bax pore formation is observed at content levels as low as 8%. Thus it is unlikely that bilayer thickening by cholesterol causes the inhibition of Bax pore formation. In addition, cholesterol was observed to increase the electron density of the core of the bilayer at concentration levels above 25%.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

PagP is an integral outer membrane enzyme that transfers a palmitoyl group from a phospholipid to lipid A and the polar headgroup of phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Palmitoyl-lipid A and palmitoyl-PG (PPG) have been implicated in resistance to host immune defenses. PagP proteins are diverse, the E. coli PagP belongs to the major clade of PagP homologs and palmitoylates lipid A regiospecifically at the 2-position, whereas P. aeruginosa PagP belongs to the minor clade of PagP homologs and instead palmitoylates lipid A regiospecifically at the 3’-position. Our objective was to understand how PagP has been adapted in nature to interact with multiple lipid substrates and products. We investigated the structure-function relationships of key major clade homologs, to show that Bordetella PagP palmitoylates lipid A at the 3’-position and employs surface residue T29 in its palmitoyltransferase reaction. Legionella PagP palmitoylates lipid A at the 2-position and was confirmed to select a palmitate chain from a pool including iso-methyl branched phospholipids characteristic of this species. PagP is usually encoded as a single copy on the chromosome in most bacteria, but two copies of pagP are found in endophytic bacteria. These duplicated PagP homologs from the major clade branch into two subclades, namely chromosomal and plasmid-based PagP homologs. The chromosomal PagP homologs exhibit interacting periplasmic D61 and H67 residues, which are naturally mutated in plasmid-based PagP homologs, and are associated with a conformational change in the -barrel that determines its ability to palmitoylate PG. Chromosomal PagPs can convert PPG to bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP) and lysophosphatidylglycerol (LPG) through a periplasmic active site controlled by the invariant Y87 residue of E. coli PagP. Plasmid-based PagP homologs appear to have been adapted instead as monofunctional lipid A palmitoyltransferases. These results points to a common ancestor for PagP proteins. Knowledge gained from these studies can be applied to protein engineering. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

BACKGROUND: Vibrio cholerae and Enterotoxigenic E. Coli (ETEC) are enteropathogens that are global causes of cholera and traveler’s diarrhea which are responsible for millions of diarrhea cases every year. ETEC and cholera are primarily found in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, particularly in nations with inadequate sanitation systems or little access to clean water. Infants and children are most vulnerable to these diseases, as severe infections can lead to stunting and death. The incidence of cholera and ETEC diarrhea have increased, due in part to changing weather patterns. At present, robust animal models for studies of ETEC colonization are lacking to study colonization and bottlenecks. The only licensed vaccines against cholera in endemic countries are killed whole cells, however, new live attenuated oral cholera vaccines (OCV) are in development and offer significant advantages. PanChol is a live attenuated OCV entering phase I trials. SPECIFIC AIMS: To propel studies of ETEC pathogenesis, I attempted to create a suckling mouse model of this globally important pathogen. To accomplish this goal, I constructed barcoded ETEC libraries that enabled me to determine founding population sizes along with intestinal ETEC burdens. To better understand PanChol, a new live attenuated OCV, I studied the shedding of the vaccine in the first 3 human volunteers to ingest this novel agent. METHODS: Triparental mating of donor strains MFDλpir pJMP1039 and MFDλpir pSM1 with recipient ETEC strains enabled construction of barcoded libraries. Neonatal CD-1 and C57BL/6 mice were infected with 104-107 CFU of wild-type ETEC to develop an infant mouse model. Founding population sizes of ETEC strains were compared via sequencing and STAMPR analysis while CFU burdens were determined via plating. Shedding of PanChol was done through enumeration of serial dilutions of fecal samples. Serotyping of shed PanChol was carried out using anti-Ogawa and anti-Inaba antisera. RESULTS: There were marked differences in ETEC small intestinal colonization in different mouse strains. Outbred CD-1 suckling mice only colonized with a 107 dose. In contrast, colonization of ETEC was approximately 106 CFU/small intestine at inocula sizes of 105 or greater in C57BL/6 mice. Laboratory studies using simulated bottlenecks made by serial dilutions established that the barcoded libraries accurately reflect founding population sizes up to 105 CFU. There was no difference in founding population sizes at the same inoculum size between WT ETEC and a hypervesiculation ∆mlaE mutant, though the founding population size increased with increasing input. PanChol retained the Hikojima serotype and shedding occurred in all volunteers with maximum colonization occurring 3 days post administration of 106 CFU. CONCLUSIONS: C57BL/6 P5 mice can serve as a new model to study ETEC intestinal colonization. Hypervesiculating ETEC did not produce a difference in founding population or colonization at the same input as WT ETEC strains. PanChol shows great promise as a viable OCV with shedding at 106 input and no serotype reversion.

Brucella abortus is a zoonotic agent that primarily infects cattle and causes brucellosis. B. abortus strain RB51 is a live, attenuated vaccine licensed for cattle. However, there is no available vaccine to prevent human brucellosis. Outer membrane vesicles have been tested as potential vaccines to prevent diseases caused by bacterial species. OMV are constantly released from Gram-negative bacteria. They are comprised principally of the outer membrane components and periplasmic proteins from the bacterial cell envelope. The research in this thesis examined the adjuvant property of non-replicative, metabolically active irradiated strain RB51 and the protective ability of OMV derived from strain RB51. Irradiated B. abortus strain RB51 was assessed for its ability to act as an adjuvant to induce protection against malaria. It was found that irradiated B. abortus strain RB51 administered along with fasciclin related adhesive protein (FRAP) to mice induced a protective immune response and a significant decrease in parasitemia after challenge with Plasmodium berghei. Strain RB51 and strain RB51 over-producing Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD) were used to produce OMV. Western blotting and SDS-PAGE gel staining confirmed the presence of OMV and the over-production of Cu/Zn SOD. OMV were delivered to mice using an intraperitoneal route and, in some cases, with aluminum hydroxide adjuvant. The immune response was assessed by antibody isotyping with respect to OMV and measuring splenic clearance (i.e. protection) from a B. abortus strain 2308 challenge. The results demonstrate that OMV from B. abortus strain RB51 or strain RB51 over producing Cu/Zn SOD produced a Th1 polarized immune response as measured by specific OMV antibodies and cytokines but no statistically significant protection was observed. / Master of Science

La protéine BamB est une lipoprotéine de membrane externe appartenant au complexe BAM (β-Barrel Assembly Machinery) et impliquée dans l’assemblage des protéines de membrane externe (PME), la sensibilité aux antibiotiques, le contrôle de l’expression des trois systèmes de sécrétion de type III (T3SS) et la virulence de Salmonella. Chez E. coli, au sein du complexe BAM, elle interagit directement avec la protéine BamA. De plus, chez cette bactérie, BamB présente une activité sérine-thréonine kinase. Afin de mieux caractériser le rôle de BamB, nos objectifs ont été d’étudier (1) l’impact de l’altération de l’interaction de BamB avec le complexe BAM ou de sa séquestration dans le cytoplasme sur l’ensemble des rôles décrits de BamB et (2) l’activité kinase putative de BamB chez Salmonella. Nos résultats montrent que certains rôles de BamB sont dissociables entre eux et que l’interaction BamA/BamB n’est pas requise pour le rôle de BamB dans le contrôle de l’expression des T3SS, la virulence de Salmonella et l’assemblage des PME à la membrane externe. Aucune activité kinase ni aucune activité cytoplasmique de la protéine n’a pu être formellement démontrée. / BamB is an outer-membrane lipoprotein belonging to the BAM complex (β-Barrel Assembly Machinery). In Salmonella, it is involved in the assembly of outer membrane proteins (OMP), in antibiotic susceptibility, in the transcriptional control of the three Type-Three-Secretion-Systems (T3SS) related genes and also in virulence. In E. coli, BamB interacts directly with the BamA protein. Moreover, BamB has been shown to have a serine-threonin kinase activity in this bacterium. In order to better characterize the roles of the BamB protein, our purposes were to study (1) the impact of the alteration of the interaction of BamB with the BAM complex or of its cytoplasmic sequestration and (2) its putative kinase activity in Salmonella. Our results show that some of the BamB roles are dissociable and that the BamA/BamB interaction is not required for T3SS expression, Salmonella virulence or OMP assembly in the outer membrane. Currently, neither a kinase activity nor a cytoplasmic activity has been clearly demonstrated for this protein.

The Gram-negative bacterium Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans is primarily associatedwith aggressive forms of periodontal disease. Additionally, it has occasionally been found to causemetastatic infections in non-oral sites. This requires the ability to evade the bactericidal activity ofthe complement system of the humoral immune system. Outer membrane proteins, namely,Omp100 and OmpA have been connected to normal human serum resistance for several bacteriaspecies. The objective of this study was to investigate if serum-resistant ompA mutants can beobtained, and to detect changes in OMP expression. We used A. actinomycetemcomitansserotype a strain D7SS and D7SS ompA knockouts. The strains were incubated in 50 % NHS.This resulted in a substantial decrease of survival among D7SS ompA knockouts. D7SS ompAknockouts were exposed to 50 % NHS once more to confirm stable serum resistance. 13 out of14 tested clones showed growth, indicating that serum resistant ompA mutants could begenerated. SDS-PAGE gel of extracted outer membrane vesicles revealed an additional proteinband of approximately 34 kDa in at least 4 of 5 tested serum resistant ompA mutants. This proteinband has been analyzed in the laboratory, and according to LC-MS/MS it contains an OmpAhomologue, which has been named OmpA2. We conclude that OmpA2 expression might be amajor mechanism for serum survival in A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype a strain D7SS ompAknockouts.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum and A. marginale are the etiologic agents of bovine anaplasmosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis, respectively. As obligate intracellular pathogens, binding and entry of host cells is a prerequisite for survival. The molecular events associated with these processes are poorly understood. Identifying the adhesins mediating binding, delineating their key functional domains, and determining the molecular determinants to which they bind not only benefits better understanding of Anaplasma spp. pathobiology, but could also benefit the development of novel approaches for protecting against infection. We previously demonstrated that A. phagocytophilum outer membrane protein A (ApOmpA) is critical for bacterial binding and entry host through recognition of α2,3-sialic acid and α1,3-fucose of its receptors, including 6-sulfo-sLex. In this study, we determined that two amino acids, G61 and K64, within its binding domain (ApOmpA59-74), are essential for ApOmpA function. We also confirmed the ability of ApOmpA to act as an adhesin and invasin as it conferred adhesiveness and invasiveness to inert beads. We next extended our studies to A. marginale as it also expresses OmpA (AmOmpA) and its role in infection has not been studied. Molecular models of ApOmpA and AmOmpA were nearly identical, especially in the ApOmpA binding domain and its counterpart in AmOmpA. Antisera raised against AmOmpA or its putative binding domain inhibit A. marginale infection. AmOmpA G55 and K58 are contributory and K59 is essential for AmOmpA to bind to host cells. AmOmpA binding is dependent on α2,3-sialic acid and α1,3-fucose. Coating inert beads with AmOmpA conferred the ability to bind to and be taken up by host cells, confirming that it acts as an adhesin and invasin. 6-sulfo-sLex is dispensable for AmOmpA binding and A. marginale infection. ApOmpA works cooperatively with Asp14 (14-kDa A. phagocytophilum surface protein) to promote optimal infection of host cells. We found that Asp14 is conserved across A. phagocytophilum strains and in A. marginale and confirmed the ability of Asp14 to act as an adhesin and invasin as it conferred adhesiveness and invasiveness to inert beads. Collectively, this work advances our understanding of A. phagocytophilum and A. marginale adhesion and invasion of host cells.

A Periodontite Agressiva (PA), que atualmente pertence ao grupo das Periodontites estágios 3 e 4, distingue-se dos demais tipos de doença periodontal por seu início precoce, agregação familiar dos casos e por afetar pacientes sistemicamente saudáveis. Além disso, pode ser subclassificada em duas formas, localizada (PAL) e generalizada (PAG), em função de sua extensão. Muitas vezes, os depósitos de biofilme bacteriano são desproporcionais à quantidade de destruição óssea e perda de inserção que o paciente apresenta, independente da subclassificação. O microrganismo mais relacionado à etiopatogênese da doença é o Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), incluindo os seus principais sorotipos a, b e c, amplamente estudados. Associado a estas condições, A. actinomycetemcomitans apresenta alguns fatores de virulência como uma leucotoxina, principalmente ligada ao sorotipo b - clone JP2 (que é altamente leucotóxico) e proteínas de membrana externa (OMPs), especialmente Omp29. A resposta de imunoglobulina G (IgG) sérica contra este patógeno foi anteriormente associada à ambas as formas de PA, porém, são escassos os estudos que avaliaram longitudinalmente a resposta sérica frente a variáveis como estas. Dessa maneira, o objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar a resposta sérica, de 27 pacientes com PA e 10 pacientes periodontalmente saudáveis, contra Omp29 e sorotipos de A. actinomycetemcomitans, através de um ensaio ELISA, correlacionando com o número de cópias de JP2 (obtidos por qPCR em tempo real) e parâmetros clínicos, a partir de dados anteriormente coletados por nosso grupo. Todos os dados foram obtidos antes do início do tratamento e um ano após seu término. O tratamento consistiu de orientações de higiene bucal, tratamento mecânico e antibioticoterapia. Os dados resultantes do estudo mostraram que em ambas as formas de PA houve uma redução significativa na profundidade clínica de sondagem (PCS)(p<0,001), nível clínico de inserção (NCI)(p<0,001) e na resposta sérica contra Omp29 e sorotipo c de A. actinomycetemcomitans(p>0,005). Após 1 ano, os valores de densidade óptica (D.O.) normalizados para Omp29 e sorotipos de A. actinomycetemcomitans, bem como o número de cópias do clone JP2 tornaram-se similares aos níveis encontrados nos controles. A redução no número de cópias do clone JP2 foi correlacionada com redução da PCS em PAL(r=0.80,p=0.0042) e valores de D.O. normalizados de Omp29 em PAG(r=0.66,p=0.005). O estudo concluiu que o tratamento periodontal foi eficaz em alterar a resposta sérica contra Omp29 e sorotipos de A. actinomycetemcomitans, além de reduzir o número de cópias do clone JP2 e melhorar os parâmetros clínicos. / Aggressive Periodontitis (AP), which currently belongs to the group of Periodontites stages 3 and 4, is distinguished from other types of periodontal disease due to its early onset, familial aggregation of cases and to affect systemically healthy patients. In addition, it can be sub classified into two forms, localized (PAL) and generalized (PAG), depending on its extent. Often, bacterial biofilm deposits are disproportionate to the amount of bone destruction and loss of insertion that the patient presents, regardless of sub classification. The most important microorganism related to the etiopathogenesis of the disease is Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans), including its main serotypes a, b and c, widely studied. Associated with these conditions, A. actinomycetemcomitans presents some virulence factors such as leukotoxin, mainly linked to serotype b - clone JP2 (which is highly leukotoxic) and outer membrane proteins (Omp\'s), especially Omp29. Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) response against this pathogen was previously associated with both forms of BP; however, there are few studies that longitudinally evaluated the serum response to variables such as these. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the serum response of 27 patients with AP and 10 periodontally healthy patients against Omp29 and A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes by an ELISA, correlating with the number of copies of JP2 (obtained by qPCR in real time) and clinical parameters, from data previously collected by our group. All data were obtained prior to initiation of treatment and one year after its completion. The treatment consisted of oral hygiene guidelines, mechanical treatment and antibiotic therapy. Data from the study showed that in both forms of BP there was a significant reduction in clinical depth of sampling (PCS) (p<0,001),, clinical level of insertion (NCI)(p<0,001) and serum response against Omp29 and serotype c of A. actinomycetemcomitans(p>0,005). After 1 year, normalized optical density (O.D.) values for Omp29 and A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes, as well as the number of copies of clone JP2 became similar to the levels found in the controls. The reduction in copy number of clone JP2 was correlated with reduction of PCS in PAL(r=0.80,p=0.0042) and O.D. normalized from Omp29 to PAG(r=0.66,p=0.005). The study concluded that periodontal treatment was effective in altering the serum response against Omp29 and A. actinomycetemcomitans serotypes, in addition to reducing the number of copies of clone JP2 and improving clinical parameters.