Passive immunization to outer membrane proteins MLP and PAL does not protect mice from sepsis

Multiple older studies report that immunoglobulin directed to rough mutant bacteria, such as E. coli J5, provides broad protection against challenge with heterologous strains of Gram-negative bacteria. This protection was initially believed to occur through binding of immunoglobulin to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in attempting to develop clinically-effective anti-LPS monoclonal antibodies without success, and no study has shown that IgG from this antiserum binds LPS. Identification of the protective mechanism would facilitate development of broadly protective human monoclonal antibodies for treating sepsis. IgG from this antiserum binds 2 bacterial outer membrane proteins: murein lipoprotein (MLP) and peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL). Both of these outer membrane proteins are highly conserved, have lipid domains that are anchored in the bacterial membrane, are shed from bacteria in blebs together with LPS, and activate cells through Toll-like receptor 2. Our goal in the current work was to determine if passive immunization directed to MLP and PAL protects mice from Gram-negative sepsis. Neither monoclonal nor polyclonal IgG directed to MLP or PAL conferred survival protection in 3 different models of sepsis: cecal ligation and puncture, an infected burn model, and an infected fibrin clot model mimicking peritonitis. Our results are not supportive of the hypothesis that either anti-MLP or anti-PAL IgG are the protective antibodies in the previously described anti-rough mutant bacterial antisera. These studies suggest that a different mechanism of protection is involved.