Population variation in anti-S. aureus IgG isotypes influences surface protein A mediated immune subversion.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogen which causes life-threatening infection, the incidence of which rises during adult life. This, together with the emergence of drug-resistant strains and the expansion of more susceptible elderly populations, represents the rationale for the ongoing development of S. aureus vaccines targeting adult populations. Humoral responses to S. aureus naturally develop early in life, influence susceptibility to infection, and potentially influence the effect of vaccination. Despite this, the nature of pre-existing anti-S. aureus antibodies in healthy adult populations is not fully characterised. METHODS: Immunoglobulin levels against S. aureus surface antigens were measured by a filter membrane enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using fixed ΔSpA S. aureus as an antigen in serum samples obtained from three clinical cohorts comprising 133 healthy adult volunteers from 19 to 65 years of age. Functional capacity of antibody was also assessed, using antibody-mediated attachment of FITC-stained S. aureus to differentiated HL-60 cells. RESULTS: Wide variation in the concentrations of immunoglobulins recognising S. aureus surface antigens was observed among individuals in all three cohorts. There was a decline of anti-S. aureus IgG1 with age, and a similar trend was observed in IgM, but not in IgA or other IgG sub-classes. Antibody mediated bacterial attachment to cells was associated with IgG1 and IgG3 concentrations in serum. The presence of SpA on the bacterial cell surface reduced antibody-mediated binding of bacteria to phagocytes in serum with low, but not high, levels of naturally occurring anti-S. aureus IgG3 antibodies. CONCLUSIONS: Naturally acquired immunoglobulin responses to S. aureus are heterogeneous in populations and their concentrations alter during adulthood. Elevated IgG1 or IgG3 titres against S. aureus enhance S. aureus recognition by phagocytosis and may be correlates of natural protection and/or vaccine efficacy in adult populations.

ANSID: A Solid-Phase Proteomic Approach for Identification and Relative Quantification of Aromatic Nitration Sites.

Nitration of tyrosine and other aromatic amino acid residues in proteins occurs in the setting of inflammatory, neurodegenerative, and cardiovascular diseases-importantly, this modification has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse diseases and the physiological process of aging. To understand the biological consequences of aromatic nitration in both health and disease, it is critical to molecularly identify the proteins that undergo nitration, specify their cognate modification sites and quantify their extent of nitration. To date, unbiased identification of nitrated proteins has often involved painstaking 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by Western Blotting with an anti-nitrotyrosine antibody for detection. Apart from being relatively slow and laborious, this method suffers from limited coverage, the potential for false-positive identifications, and failure to reveal specific amino acid modification sites. To overcome these shortcomings, we have developed a solid-phase, chemical-capture approach for unbiased and high-throughput discovery of nitrotyrosine and nitrotryptophan sites in proteins. Utilizing this method, we have successfully identified several endogenously nitrated proteins in rat brain and a total of 244 nitrated peptides from 145 proteins following in vitro exposure of rat brain homogenates to the nitrating agent peroxynitrite (1 mM). As expected, Tyr residues constituted the great majority of peroxynitrite-mediated protein nitration sites; however, we were surprised to discover several brain proteins that contain nitrated Trp residues. By incorporating a stable-isotope labeling step, this new Aromatic Nitration Site IDentification (ANSID) method was also adapted for relative quantification of nitration site abundances in proteins. Application of the ANSID method offers great potential to advance our understanding of the role of protein nitration in disease pathogenesis and normal physiology.