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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2002, p. 784-788, Vol. 9, No. 4
1071-412X/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.4.784-788.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Sagami Research Laboratories, Wakamoto Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Ohimachi, Ashigarakami-gun, Kanagawa 258-0018,1 Department of Internal Medicine 4, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya, Hyogo 663-8501, Japan2
Received 30 November 2001/ Returned for modification 11 March 2002/ Accepted 7 May 2002
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To develop a diagnostic test for H. pylori infection with higher specificity and reproductivity, we previously reported three new MAbs (21G2, 41A5, and 82B9) that recognize the same fecal H. pylori antigen, partial characterization of the cellular and fecal antigen, and development of a new single-step EIA that uses one kind of MAb, 21G2, for the detection of fecal H. pylori antigen (17). The developed EIA was able to detect 41 H. pylori isolates and fecal samples from seven H. pylori-positive human subjects. Other members of the Helicobacter species, major bacteria in feces, and fecal samples from six H. pylori-negative human subjects gave negative results. The antigen was characterized as follows. (i) The molecular masses of the cellular antigen and the fecal antigen were the same, 260 kDa. (ii) The antigen was labile to sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and heat treatment. (iii) The structure of the antigen was considered to be composed of more than one epitope, such as a homodimer or homotetramer, because the sandwich EIA consisting of one kind of MAb could detect the antigen. For the purpose of contributing to the elucidation of the H. pylori antigen profile in human feces and establishing the basic aspects of the newly developed EIA that uses one kind of MAb, we intended to clarify one of the human fecal antigens originating from H. pylori.
In the present paper, we describe both the identification of the antigen purified by immuoaffinity chromatography with the MAb 21G2 as a ligand and the specificity of the MAbs for the antigen.
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Antigen extraction from H. pylori cells. H. pylori ATCC 43504 was cultured on brain heart infusion (BHI) agar (Difco) plates containing 5% horse blood in a microaerobic environment (Anaero Pack Helico system; Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc.) for 4 days at 37°C. The bacterial cells were harvested, washed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), suspended in PBS containing 0.5% formalin, and then stored overnight at 4°C. The bacterial cells were washed three times in PBS and disrupted by sonication with a Biom'c model 7250 (output 3, 50% duty cycle for 10 min; Seiko Instruments and Electronics, Ltd.). The soluble fraction containing the antigen was obtained by ultracentifugation at 90,000 x g for 30 min.
Antigen extraction and partial purification from human fecal samples. Two human fecal samples (165 g from subject A and 92 g from subject B) were used. A fecal sample was suspended in fourfold volumes of PBS, and the supernatant was obtained by centrifugation at 10,000 x g for 30 min and then ultracentrifugation at 90,000 x g for 30 min. (NH4)2SO4 was added to the supernatant to a concentration of 40% saturation, and the mixture was centrifuged at 8,000 x g for 30 min. (NH4)2SO4 was further added to the resultant supernatant to a concentration of 80% saturation, and the mixture was centrifuged at 8,000 x g for 30 min. The precipitate contained the antigen, and it was dissolved in 10 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and dialyzed against the same buffer. The dialysate was applied to a column of CM-Sephadex C50 (1 by 2.5 cm) equilibrated with the same buffer. The column was washed with the buffer, and the antigen was eluted with PBS. The antigenicity-positive fractions in the eluate were pooled (partially purified antigen).
Affinity chromatography on MAb 21G2 column. Fifty milligrams of MAb 21G2 was immobilized on 3 g of CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B according to the procedures indicated by the manufacturer (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech). The soluble fraction from H. pylori (5 ml, 4 mg of protein/ml) or the partially purified antigen from human feces was applied to a column of MAb 21G2-immobilized Sepharose 4B (2 by 3 cm) equilibrated with PBS for 2 h at room temperature. The column was washed with PBS, and the antigen was eluted with 0.2 M glycine-HCl buffer (pH 3.0). Each fraction was neutralized with 1 M Tris, and the fractions containing the antigen were pooled and concentrated by dehydration with polyethylene glycol 20000 (Wako Pure Chemical Co.).
Identification of antigen. The purity and subunit molecular weight of the antigen were estimated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) (4 to 20% gradient) (9). A low-molecular-mass-SDS calibration kit (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech) was used for molecular mass standards. Proteins were visualized by staining the gel with silver stain (Kanto Chemicals Co., Inc.). The molecular weight of the native antigen was estimated by Sephacryl-S300RH gel filtration column chromatography (1.5 by 140 cm, 0.1 M phosphate buffer [pH 6.5]) with molecular mass calibration kits from Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. The amino-terminal amino acid sequence was determined by automated Edman sequencing with the HP G1005A protein sequencing system (Hewlett-Packard Company). UV and visible spectra (220 to 600 nm) were recorded by a spectrophotometer (U-3210; Hitachi).
Assays. Antigenicity detection by a direct sandwich EIA with MAb 21G2 was performed as described previously (17). Briefly, plastic 96-well EIA microtiter plates (Coster) were coated with MAb 21G2 (5 µg of protein/ml in PBS) overnight at 4°C. After blocking nonspecific binding sites with 250 µl of PBS containing 1% skim milk (Difco) (blocking buffer) for 1 h at 4°C, 50 µl of samples and 50 µl of peroxidase-conjugated MAb 21G2 were added to each well of the plates, and the plates were incubated for 1 h at 25°C. After the plates were washed five times with 250 µl of PBS containing 0.05% Tween 20 (washing buffer), 100 µl of substrate solution containing 3, 3', 5, 5'-tetramethylbenzidine and H2O2 (TMB 1 component Microwell peroxidase substrate; BioFX Laboratories) was added. The reaction was stopped after 10 min by adding 50 µl of 1 N H2SO4, and the absorbance was measured on a microplate reader (model 550; Bio-Rad Laboratories) at dual wavelengths (450 and 630 nm). Direct sandwich EIAs with the single MAb (41A5 or 82B9) were developed and performed as described above.
Immunoblotting (Western blotting) was performed as described previously (10). For dot blotting, 2 µl of samples was dotted on a nitrocellulose membrane. The samples denatured by heat treatment (100°C, 5 min) in the presence of 1% SDS were also used. The membrane was blocked with 4% (wt/vol) Block Ace (Snow Brand Milk Products Co., Ltd.) for 1 h at room temperature, washed in washing buffer, and incubated in the MAb solution (50 µg/ml in Block Ace). The membrane was then washed in washing buffer, incubated with peroxidase-conjugated antimouse immunoglobulin G (Cappel; dilution, 1:800 in Block Ace) for 1 h at room temperature, and the peroxidase activity was developed in substrate solution (0.6 mM 3, 3'-diaminobenzidine and 4 mM H2O2 in PBS).
Catalase activity was determined at 25°C by the spectrophotometric method of Beers and Sizer (2) with a molar absorption coefficient of 43.48 liters/mol/cm at 240 nm (7). Protein concentration was determined with a bicinchoninc acid protein assay reagent (Pierce Chemical Co.) with bovine serum albumin as a standard.
Cross-reactivity with other catalases. Human erythrocyte catalase and bovine liver catalase were obtained from Sigma and Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, respectively. Cell extract containing catalase of other bacteria was prepared from the following catalase-positive type cultures: H. pylori ATCC 43504, Helicobacter felis ATCC 49179, Helicobacter hepaticus ATCC 51448, Helicobacter mustelae ATCC 43772, Helicobacter cinaedi ATCC 35683, Campylobacter jejuni ATCC 29428, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Helicobacter species and C. jejuni were cultured on BHI agar plates containing 5% horse blood in a microaerobic environment for 4 days. E. coli was cultured aerobically on BHI agar plates for 3 days. All cultures were done at 37°C. Bacterial cells were harvested, washed in PBS, suspended in PBS containing 0.5% formalin, and then incubated overnight at 4°C. The bacterial cells were washed three times in PBS and disrupted by sonication as described above. The cell extract containing catalase was obtained by ultracentrifugation at 90,000 x g for 30 min. Reactivity of the MAbs 21G2, 41A5, and 82B9 with other catalases was tested in the direct sandwich EIAs with the single MAb.
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FIG. 1. Purification of H. pylori cellular antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography with MAb 21G2 as a ligand. (A) Five milliliters of the soluble fraction (20 mg of protein) from H. pylori ATCC 43504 cells was loaded onto an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with PBS, and then the antigen was eluted with 0.2 M glycine-HCl buffer (pH 3.0). Fractions of 10 ml were collected. The arrow indicates the start of elution. , antigenicity (dilution, 1:2,000); , protein; , catalase activity. (B) Ten microliters of the eluate fractions was mixed with an equal volume of sample buffer. The samples were boiled for 5 min and electrophoresed on an SDS-polyacrylamide gel (4 to 20% gradient), and then the gel was visualized with silver stain. M, marker proteins for molecular weight determination (phosphorylase b, 94,000; bovine serum albumin, 67,000; ovalbumin, 43,000; carbonic anhydrase, 30,000; soybean trypsin inhibitor, 20,100; and -lactalbumin, 14,400).
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Purification of human fecal antigen from two H. pylori-positive subjects. By comparing the reactivity of the ultracentrifugal fecal supernatant with that of the H. pylori cell extract in the EIA, as described previously (17), the relative amount of the antigen in feces was estimated to be extremely low (ca. 5 x 10-5). Therefore, the partial purification by ammonium sulfate precipitation and cation-exchange chromatography on the CM-Sephadex column was performed before the immunoaffinity chromatography. The cation-exchange chromatography was chosen because the isoelectric point of the H. pylori catalase is relatively high (pI = 9.0 to 9.3) (7). The antigenicity was adsorbed on a CM-Sephadex column and eluted with PBS, indicating that the fecal antigen was cationic (data not shown). Elution profiles on the immunoaffinity column are shown in Fig. 2. The antigenicity was detected in the eluate fractions, and both peak fractions of the antigenicity showed catalase activity. SDS-PAGE of the purified human fecal antigen from subject A showed a single band (59 kDa), and five amino acids from the amino terminus of the purified antigen were determined to be Met-Val-Asn-Lys-Asp, which are identical to the reported sequence of H. pylori catalase. The facts described above show the existence of intact catalase originating from H. pylori in fecal samples from human subjects infected with H. pylori.
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FIG. 2. Purification of H. pylori fecal antigen from subject A (A) and subject B (B) by immunoaffinity chromatography with MAb 21G2. Six milliliters of partially purified fecal antigen (2.4 mg of protein and 1 mg of protein for panels A and B, respectively) was loaded onto an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with PBS, and the antigen was eluted with 0.2 M glycine-HCl buffer (pH 3.0). Fractions of 10 ml were collected. The arrows indicate the start of elution. , antigenicity (1:10 dilution for panel A and no dilution for panel B); , catalase activity.
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View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 1. Reactivity of MAbs in single-step direct sandwich EIA with other bacterial catalases
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3, but lost its activity after exposure to pH 2 (1). However, it is well known that the pH in the stomach could rise to more than 3 while sleeping or during and after eating. When the release of H. pylori happened under such conditions, H pylori should be delivered into the duodenum and finally excreted in the stool, retaining the active form of catalase. Therefore, we consider that the above in vitro studies describing the larger quantity and higher stability of H. pylori catalase are consistent with this conclusion. Catalase is a ubiquitous enzyme found in eukaryotic and most prokaryotic organisms. Odenbreit et al. reported that H. pylori KatA, a catalase gene (katA) product, is highly homologous to catalases in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes (14). In addition, Klotz et al. reported that the alignment of 74 catalase sequences, including 29 bacterial (including H. pylori), 8 fungal, 7 animal, and 30 plant sequences, revealed a core region of approximately 360 amino acids with significant sequence similarity among all catalases (8). We previously showed no cross-reactivity of MAb 21G2 with other bacteria (H. hepaticus, H. felis, H. mustelae, H. cinaedi, C. jejuni, Bacteroides vulgatus, E. coli, Bifidobacterium breve, and Bifidobacterium infantis) (17). These bacteria, except for B. vulgatus and the two Bifidobacterium species, are catalase positive. In this study, we confirmed the high specificity of the MAbs (21G2, 41A5, and 82B9). The EIAs using the MAbs showed no cross-reactivity with other catalases (human erythrocytes and bovine liver) or bacterial cell extracts containing catalase (H. hepaticus, H. felis, H. mustelae, H. cinaedi, C. jejuni, and E. coli) (Table 1). Newell et al. reported the production of an anti-H. pylori catalase MAb, CP30, which could react with the subunit of the catalase (D. G. Newell, P. Nuijten, A. R. Stacey, and S. L. Hazell, abstract from Microb. Ecol. Health Dis. 4(Suppl.):S120, 1991), and the MAb was used for immunoblotting analysis of the H. pylori catalase in other reports (13, 15). Thus, the target epitope of the MAb CP30 is considered to be on the primary sequence; however, the specificity of the MAb has not been shown. The high specificity of the MAbs (21G2, 41A5, and 82B9) for H. pylori catalase, which may refer to the properties of recognizing a conformational epitope with a homotetramer structure of H. pylori catalase, could be emphasized.
For several pathogenic bacteria, catalase is involved in the defense mechanisms against in vivo killing by polymorphonuclear granulocytes. H. pylori catalase activity was also shown to apparently be essential for the survival of H. pylori at the phagocytes' cell surface (16). H. pylori catalase-deficient mutants occurred spontaneously in vitro (13, 21); however, there has been no report on the isolation of catalase-deficient strains clinically (21). Moreover, a vaccine study indicates that H. pylori catalase is a highly effective antigen, suggesting that it may be essential in vivo (15). The findings suggest that H. pylori catalase is necessary for H. pylori infection. Therefore, the EIA that used the well-characterized MAbs with high specificity for native H. pylori catalase would be a useful diagnostic test for H. pylori infection. A clinical study for the evaluation of the EIA that used the MAb 21G2 is in progress and will be reported elsewhere.
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