Characterization of Mycoplasma gallisepticum pyruvate dehydrogenase alpha and beta subunits and their roles in cytoadherence

PLoS One. 2018 Dec 10;13(12):e0208745. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208745. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a causative agent of chronic respiratory disease in chickens, typically causing great economic losses. Cytoadherence is the critical stage for mycoplasma infection, and the associated proteins are important for mycoplasma pathogenesis. Many glycolytic enzymes are localized on the cell surface and can bind the extracellular matrix of host cells. In this study, the M. gallisepticum pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 alpha subunit (PDHA) and beta subunit (PDHB) were expressed in Escherichia coli, and their enzymatic activities were identified based on 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol reduction. When recombinant PDHA (rPDHA) and recombinant PDHB (rPDHB) were mixed at a 1:1 molar ratio, they exhibited strong enzymatic activity. Alone, rPDHA and rPDHB exhibited no or weak enzymatic activity. Further experiments indicated that both PDHA and PDHB were surface-exposed immunogenic proteins of M. gallisepticum. Bactericidal assays showed that the mouse anti-rPDHA and anti-rPDHB sera killed 48.0% and 75.1% of mycoplasmas respectively. A combination of rPDHA and rPDHB antisera had a mean bactericidal rate of 65.2%, indicating that rPDHA and rPDHB were protective antigens, and combining the two sera did not interfere with bactericidal activity. Indirect immunofluorescence and surface display assays showed that both PDHA and PDHB adhered to DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblast cells and adherence was significantly inhibited by antisera against PDHA and PDHB. Adherence inhibition of M. gallisepticum to DF-1 chicken embryo fibroblast cells was 30.2% for mouse anti-rPDHA serum, 45.1% for mouse anti-rPDHB serum and 72.5% for a combination of rPDHA and rPDHB antisera, suggesting that rPDHA and rPDHB antisera may have synergistically interfered with M. gallisepticum cytoadherence. Plasminogen (Plg)-binding assays further demonstrated that both PDHA and PDHB were Plg-binding proteins, which may have contributed to bacterial colonization. Our results clarified the enzymatic activity of M. gallisepticum PDHA and PDHB and demonstrated these compounds as Plg-binding proteins involved in cytoadherence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Adhesion / physiology*
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Chick Embryo
  • Escherichia coli
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum / pathogenicity
  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum / physiology*
  • Pyruvate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide) / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Pyruvate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide)
  • pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 beta subunit
  • pyruvate dehydrogenase E1alpha subunit

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported through grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0500705, http://service.most.gov.cn/), the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest (201303044, http://www.mlr.gov.cn/), and the Shanghai Nature Science Fund (15ZR1449700, http://www.stcsm.gov.cn/).