• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.621-629
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• 2022

Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) typically contain multiple immunogenic molecules that include antigenic proteins, making them good candidates for vaccine development. In animal models, vaccination with OMVs has been shown to confer protective immune responses against many bacterial diseases. It is possible to genetically introduce heterologous protein antigens to the bacterial host that can then be produced and relocated to reside within the OMVs by means of the host secretion mechanisms. Accordingly, in this study we sought to develop a novel platform for recombinant OMV (rOMV) production in the widely used bacterial expression host species, Escherichia coli. Three different lipoprotein signal peptides including their Lol signals and tether sequences-from Neisseria meningitidis fHbp, Leptospira interrogans LipL32, and Campylobactor jejuni JlpA-were combined upstream to the GFPmut2 model protein, resulting in three recombinant plasmids. Pilot expression studies showed that the fusion between fHbp and GFPmut2 was the only promising construct; therefore, we used this construct for large-scale expression. After inducing recombinant protein expression, the nanovesicles were harvested from cell-free culture media by ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that the obtained rOMVs were closed, circular single-membrane particles, 20-200 nm in size. Western blotting confirmed the presence of GFPmut2 in the isolated vesicles. Collectively, although this is a non-optimized, proof-of-concept study, it demonstrates the feasibility of this platform in directing target proteins into the vesicles for OMV-based vaccine development.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1519-1528
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• 2017

Foodborne contamination and salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) are a significant threat to human health and poultry enterprises. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), which are naturally secreted by gram-negative bacteria, could be a good vaccine option because they have many biologically active substances, including lipopolysaccharides (LPS), outer membrane proteins (OMPs), and phospholipids, as well as periplasmic components. In the present study, we purified OMVs derived from S. Enteritidis and analyzed their characteristics through silver staining and sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In total, 108 proteins were identified in S. Enteritidis OMVs through liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis, and OMPs, periplasmic proteins, and extracellular proteins (49.9% of total proteins) were found to be enriched in the OMVs compared with bacterial cells. Furthermore, native OMVs used in immunizations by either the intranasal route or the intraperitoneal route could elicit significant humoral and mucosal immune responses and provide strong protective efficiency against a lethal dose (~100-fold $LD_{50}$) of the wild-type S. Enteritidis infection. These results indicated that S. Enteritidis OMVs might be an ideal vaccine strategy for preventing S. Enteritidis diseases.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.278-286
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• 2022

Live bacterial vector vaccines are one of the most promising vaccine types and have the advantages of low cost, flexibility, and good safety. Meanwhile, protein secretion systems have been reported as useful tools to facilitate the release of heterologous antigen proteins from bacterial vectors. The twin-arginine translocation (Tat) system is an important protein export system that transports fully folded proteins in a signal peptide-dependent manner. In this study, we constructed a live vector vaccine using an engineered commensal Escherichia coli strain in which amiA and amiC genes were deleted, resulting in a leaky outer membrane that allows the release of periplasmic proteins to the extracellular environment. The protective antigen proteins SLY, enolase, and Sbp against Streptococcus suis were targeted to the Tat pathway by fusing a Tat signal peptide. Our results showed that by exploiting the Tat pathway and the outer membrane-defective E. coli strain, the antigen proteins were successfully secreted. The strains secreting the antigen proteins were used to vaccinate mice. After S. suis challenge, the vaccinated group showed significantly higher survival and milder clinical symptoms compared with the vector group. Further analysis showed that the mice in the vaccinated group had lower burdens of bacteria load and slighter pathological changes. Our study reports a novel live bacterial vector vaccine that uses the Tat system and provides a new alternative for developing S. suis vaccine.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2001.05a
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• pp.140-140
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• 2001

Porins are major outer membrane proteins which produce non-specific aqueous channels across the membrane that permit the diffusion into the bacterial cells of hydrophilic compounds including sugars, amino acids, and antibiotics. In some gram-negative organisms, antibiotic resistance can be induced by mutational loss of channel that causes a decrease in outer membrane permeability. (omitted)

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.144-150
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• 1997

We developed a simple and efficient method to prepare a Pseudomonas vaccine of outer membrane (OM) proteins free from lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A three step purification process including extraction, ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation effectively removed LPS from the OM protein fraction. Approximately 2 mg of the OM proteins was obtained from 1 g of wet cell. LPS contaminant in the vaccine preparation was less than 0.003% (w/w) of protein and protease activity was not detectable. To achieve a wide range of protection, OM proteins prepared from four attenuated P. aeruginosa strains were mixed in equal amounts and used as a vaccine, which elicited in rabbits a high titer of antibody reactive to all of the seven Fisher types. The antisera from the immunized rabbit had a strong reactivity to vaccine proteins larger than 25 kDa. In a burned mouse infection model, immunization with the vaccine significantly enhanced bacterial clearance in the Pseudomonas infected skin. The vaccination also provided mice an excellent protection against Pseudomonas infection (11, 16). Data on antigenicity, mutagenicity, acute, subacute toxicity and pharmacological tests confirmed the safety of the vaccine (1, 3, 10, 12, 17). These data demonstrate that this method can be applied to manufacture a bacterial vaccine of OM proteins with safety and prophylactic efficacy at a practical low cost.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.845-851
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• 2008

TolC is an outer membrane porin protein and an essential component of drug efflux and type-I secretion systems in Gram-negative bacteria. TolC comprises a periplasmic $\alpha$-helical barrel domain and a membrane-embedded $\beta$-barrel domain. TdeA, a functional and structural homolog of TolC, is required for toxin and drug export in the pathogenic oral bacterium Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Here, we report the expression of the periplasmic domain of TdeA as a soluble protein by substitution of the membrane-embedded domain with short linkers, which enabled us to purify the protein in the absence of detergent. We confirmed the structural integrity of the TdeA periplasmic domain by size-exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and electron microscopy, which together showed that the periplasmic domain of the TolC protein family fold correctly on its own. We further demonstrated that the periplasmic domain of TdeA interacts with peptidoglycans of the bacterial cell wall, which supports the idea that completely folded TolC family proteins traverse the peptidoglycan layer to interact with inner membrane transporters.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 2001

Catechol and 4-chlorobenzoate (4CBA) which are produced from the biodegradation of a variety of aromatic and chloroaromatics have been recognized as toxic to living organisms. In this study, the toxic effects of catechol and 4-chlorobenzoate on gram-positive and -negative bacteria were examined in terms of survival, morphology, change in fatty acids and membrane protein composition. The survival rate of the organisms during treatment for 6 h was decreased, as the concentration of each aromatic was increased. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas cells treated with catechol and 4CBA at concentrations causing a significant decrease in their viability, showed destructive openings in their cell envelopes. Bacills subtilis treated with the aromatics were reduced in cell size and Staphylococcus aureus cells displayed irregular rod shapes with wrinkled surfaces. The bacterial cells treated with 20 mM catechol showed increases in unsaturated fatty acids, but several saturated fatty acids were decreased. In the E. coli cells treated with 20 mM catechol, inner membrane proteins of 150 kDa and 105 kDa were decreased. But several kinds of the inner and outer membrane proteins were increased. In B. subtilis treated with 20 mM catechol, several kinds of proteins were increased or decreased in membrane proteins.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.2-9
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• 2016

Purpose: Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythia have been implicated as the major etiologic agents of periodontal disease. These two bacteria are frequently isolated together from the periodontal lesion, and it has been suggested that their interaction may increase each one's virulence potential. The purpose of this study was to identify proteins on the surface of these organisms that are involved in interbacterial binding. Methods: Biotin labeling of surface proteins of P. gingivalis and T. forsythia and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was performed to identify surface proteins involved in the coaggregating activity between P. gingivalis and T. forsythia. Results: It was found that three major T. forsythia proteins sized 161, 100, and 62 kDa were involved in binding to P. gingivalis, and P. gingivalis proteins sized 35, 32, and 26 kDa were involved in binding to T. forsythia cells. Conclusions: LC-MS/MS analysis identified one T. forsythia surface protein (TonB-linked outer membrane protein) involved in interbacterial binding to P. gingivalis. However, the nature of other T. forsythia and P. gingivalis surface proteins identified by biotin labeling could not be determined. Further analysis of these proteins will help elucidate the molecular mechanisms that mediate coaggregation between P. gingivalis and T. forsythia.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.444-450
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• 2003

In order to develop an effective means to treat P. aeruginosa infections, we have purified P. aeruginosa outer membrane proteins (OMPs)-specific human IgG antibody. In this study, we investigated the protective activity of the purified anti-OMPs IgC against P. aeruginosa infection in a rabbit endophthalmitis model. Rabbits were inoculated by an intravitreal injection with P. aeruginosa, and treated with a single dose of 1 mg anti-P. aeruginosa OMPs IgG. All the control rabbits predominantly developed edematous responses and opacity in the eyes, but the rabbits treated with the antibody showed only very limited degree of edema. Aliquots of the vitreous humor were extracted and analyzed for the number of viable bacteria and endotoxin level. The results showed that the anti-OMPs IgC significantly reduced the bacterial count compared with the control group, and that the endotoxin level of the vitreous from the IgG-treated rabbits was more than 70-fold lower 6 h after the administration than the control animals. These data suggested that the anti-P. aeruginosa OMPs IgG is effective in inhibiting the bacterial growth and thereby in reducing endotoxin levels in the vitreous, warranting further development of the anti-P. aeruginosa OMPs IgG as a therapeutic means for treating Pseudomonas endophthalmitis.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.60 no.3
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• pp.398-406
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• 2022

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is the outermost layer of cellular environment in which numerous biophysical and biochemical processes are in action sustaining viability. Advances in cell engineering enable modification of bacterial genetic information that subsequently alters membrane physiology to adapt bacteria to specific purposes. Surface display of a functional molecule on the outer membranes is one of strategies that directs host cells to respond to a specific extracellular matter or stimulus. While intracellular expression of a functional peptide or protein fused to a membrane-anchoring motif is commonly practiced for surface display, the method is not readily applicable to exogenous or large proteins inexpressible in bacteria. Chemical conjugation at reactive groups naturally occurring on the membrane might be an alternative, but often compromises fitness due to non-specific modification of essential components. Herein, we demonstrated two distinct approaches that enable site-specific decoration of the outer membrane with a fluorescent agent in Escherichia coli. An unnatural amino acid genetically incorporated in a surface-exposed peptide could act as a chemoselective handle for bioorthogonal dye labeling. A surface-displayed α-helical domain originating from a part of a selected heterodimeric coiled-coil complex could recruit and anchor a green fluorescent protein tagged with a complementary α-helical domain to the membrane surface in a site- and hetero-specific manner. These methods hold a promise as on-demand tools to confer new functionalities on the bacterial membranes.