title: Recombinant bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein rBPI21 protects against pneumococcal disease.
abstract: Bactericidal/permeability-increasing (BPI) protein has been shown to play an important role in innate immunity to gram-negative bacteria, by direct microbicidal as well as endotoxin-neutralizing action. Here we examined potential interactions between a recombinant 21-kDa bioactive fragment of BPI, rBPI21, and the gram-positive pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae. rBPI21 bound to pneumococci and pneumolysin (Ply) in a direct and specific fashion. We observed an enhanced inflammatory response in mouse macrophages when rBPI21 was combined with killed pneumococci or supernatant from overnight growth of pneumococci. In addition, rBPI21 augmented the proapoptotic activity of Ply+ (but not Ply-) pneumococci in TLR4-defective murine macrophages (known to be defective also in their apoptotic response to pneumolysin) in a tumor necrosis factor alpha-dependent manner. rBPI21 also enhanced the association of pneumococci with murine macrophages. In a model of invasive pneumococcal disease in TLR4-defective mice, the intranasal administration of rBPI21 following intranasal inoculation of Ply+ pneumococci both enhanced upper respiratory tract cell apoptosis and prolonged survival. We have thus discovered a novel interaction between pneumococcus and rBPI21, a potent antimicrobial peptide previously considered to target only gram-negative bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Srivastava
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Casey
authors.forename: Nathaniel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Ofer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology; D013301:Streptolysins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4 / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001798:Blood Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013301:Streptolysins; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; C021623:bactericidal permeability increasing protein; C032290:plY protein, Streptococcus pneumoniae