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Helicobacter pylori and Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharides are poorly transferred to recombinant soluble

M D Cunningham1, C Seachord, K Ratcliffe

  • 1Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Seattle, Washington 98121, USA.

Infection and Immunity
|September 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

Helicobacter pylori and Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) bind soluble CD14 (sCD14) but slower than E. coli LPS. This explains their reduced ability to activate monocytes and endothelial cells.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Gram-negative bacteria like Helicobacter pylori and Porphyromonas gingivalis are linked to chronic inflammatory conditions.
  • Their lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) activate human monocytes to produce tumor necrosis factor alpha but not endothelial cells to express E-selectin.
  • Escherichia coli LPS activation pathways involve both membrane-bound and soluble CD14 (sCD14).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the binding and transfer of H. pylori and P. gingivalis LPSs to sCD14.
  • To understand the role of LPS-binding protein (LBP) in this interaction.
  • To elucidate the reasons for differential activation of monocytes and endothelial cells by these LPSs.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized immobilized recombinant sCD14 and human serum or recombinant LPS-binding protein (LBP).
  • Assessed LPS transfer to sCD14 in the presence of serum or LBP.
  • Quantified LPS transfer rates using Michaelis-Menten kinetics and direct binding assays.

Main Results:

  • H. pylori and P. gingivalis LPSs transferred to sCD14 with serum or LBP, but at significantly slower rates than E. coli LPS.
  • Michaelis-Menten kinetics revealed higher K(m) values for H. pylori LPS (6 nM) compared to E. coli LPS (0.1 nM).
  • P. gingivalis LPS required approximately 10-fold more material for half-maximum binding to sCD14 than E. coli LPS, linked to weaker binding to LBP.

Conclusions:

  • The slower transfer rates of H. pylori and P. gingivalis LPSs to sCD14 are attributed to their poor binding to LBP.
  • These findings correlate with the observed lower capacity of these LPSs to activate monocytes compared to E. coli LPS.
  • The ability of H. pylori and P. gingivalis LPSs to bind LBP and transfer to sCD14 indicates that the lack of endothelial cell activation occurs downstream of sCD14 binding.

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