Short communication: Distribution of Porphyromonas gulae fimA genotypes in oral specimens from dogs with mitral regurgitation.

Porphyromonas gulae, a suspected pathogen for periodontal disease in dogs, possesses approximately 41-kDa fimbriae (FimA) that are encoded by the fimA gene. In the present study, the association of fimA genotypes with mitral regurgitation (MR) was investigated. Twenty-five dogs diagnosed with MR (age range 6-13 years old, average 10.8 years) and 32 healthy dogs (8-15 years old, average 10.8 years) were selected at the participating clinics in a consecutive manner during the same time period. Oral swab specimens were collected from the dogs and bacterial DNA was extracted, then polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed using primers specific for each fimA genotype, with the dominant genotype determined. The rate for genotype C dominant specimens was 48.0% in the MR group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (18.8%) (P <0.05). These results suggest that P. gulae fimA genotype C is associated with MR.

Correlation of age with distribution of periodontitis-related bacteria in Japanese dogs.

We analyzed the distribution of 11 periodontitis-related bacterial species in dental plaque collected from 176 Japanese dogs divided into young (less than 2 years of age), middle-aged (2-7 years of age) and elderly (more than 8 years of age) groups using a polymerase chain reaction method. Clinical examination revealed that no dogs in the young group were affected by periodontitis, whereas the rates for gingivitis and periodontitis were high in the middle-aged and elderly groups. In addition, the total numbers of bacterial species in the middle-aged and elderly groups were significantly greater than in the young group. Our findings suggest that age is an important factor associated with the distribution of periodontitis-related bacteria and periodontal conditions in dogs.

Distribution and molecular characterization of Porphyromonas gulae carrying a new fimA genotype.

Porphyromonas gulae is a gram-negative black-pigmented anaerobe which is known to be a pathogen for periodontitis in dogs. Approximately 41kDa filamentous appendages on the cell surface (FimA) encoded by the fimA gene are regarded as important factors associated with periodontitis. The fimA genotype was classified into two major types and strains in type B were shown to be more virulent than those in type A. In the present study, we characterized a strain with a novel fimA genotype and designated it as type C. The putative amino acid sequence was shown to be similar to the genotype IV fimA of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major pathogen of human periodontitis. Analyses using an oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line derived from tongue primary lesions revealed that the type C strain inhibited proliferation and scratch closure more than genotype A and B strains. In addition, experiments using a mouse abscess model demonstrated that the type C strain could induce much higher systemic inflammation when compared with strains of the other genotypes. Furthermore, molecular analyses of oral swab specimens collected from dogs demonstrated that the detection frequencies of P. gulae and the genotype C in the periodontitis group were significantly higher than those in the periodontally healthy group. These results suggest that FimA of P. gulae is diverse with the virulence of genotype C strains the highest and that molecular identification of genotype C P. gulae could be a possible useful marker for identifying dogs at high risk of developing periodontitis.

Diversity of fimbrillin among Porphyromonas gulae clinical isolates from Japanese dogs.

Porphyromonas gulae, a gram-negative black-pigmented anaerobe, is a pathogen for periodontitis in dogs. An approximately 41-kDa fimbrial subunit protein (FimA) encoded by fimA is regarded as associated with periodontitis. In the present study, the fimA genes of 17 P. gulae strains were sequenced, and classified into two major types. The generation of phylogenetic trees based on the deduced amino acid sequence of FimA of P. gulae strains along with sequences from several strains of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major cause of human periodontitis, revealed that the two types of FimA (types A and B) of P. gulae were similar to type I FimA and types II and III FimA of P. gingivalis, respectively. A PCR system for classification was established based on differences in the nucleotide sequences of the fimA genes. Analysis of 115 P. gulae-positive oral swab specimens from dogs revealed that 42.6%, 22.6%, and 26.1% of them contained type A, type B, and both type A and B fimA genes, respectively. Experiments with a mouse abscess model demonstrated that the strains with type B fimA caused significantly greater systemic inflammation than those with type A. These results suggest that the FimA proteins of P. gulae are diverse with two major types and that strains with type B fimA could be more virulent.

Inhibition of membrane-type serine protease 1/matriptase by natural and synthetic protease inhibitors.

Membrane-type serine protease 1 (MT-SP1), identical to matriptase, is a recently identified type II transmembrane serine protease. MT-SP1/matriptase is of considerable interest for the development, homeostasis, and cancer invasion and metastasis of epithelial tissues. The administration of inhibitors for MT-SP1/matriptase may be effective to suppress the development of tumors where the enzyme may be involved. In the present study, we produced a secreted form of recombinant MT-SP1/matriptase (ekMT-SP1s) that can be activated by enterokinase in vitro and investigated the inhibitory ability of various protease inhibitors toward the recombinant enzyme. The enterokinase-treated ekMT-SP1s (active ekMT-SP1s) cleaved various peptidyl-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (MCA) substrates with arginine (or lysine) residue at position P1, and the best substrate was t-butyloxycarbonyl (Boc)-Gln-Ala-Arg-MCA. The specificity for the synthetic and natural substrates of the active ekMT-SP1s was in good agreement with that of the natural enzyme. Endogenous protease inhibitors tested, except for antithrombin III, showed no or little inhibition on the cleavage of Boc-Gln-Ala-Arg-MCA by the active ekMT-SP1s. Aprotinin showed strong inhibitory activity toward the cleavage. Food-derived inhibitors, such as soybean trypsin inhibitor, Bowman-Birk inhibitor, and lima bean trypsin inhibitor inhibited it, while chicken ovomucoid did not. Synthetic inhibitors tested inhibited it, and among them, the inhibitory effect of FOY-305 was strongest. The present findings provide important information for the suppression of cancer invasion and metastasis for which MT-SP1/matriptase is responsible.

Purification and identification of a binding protein for pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor: a novel role of the inhibitor as an anti-granzyme A.

Pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) is a potent trypsin inhibitor that is mainly found in pancreatic juice. PSTI has been shown to bind specifically to a protein, distinct from trypsin, on the surface of dispersed cells obtained from tissues such as small intestine. In the present study, we affinity-purified the binding protein from the 2% (w/v) Triton X-100-soluble fraction of dispersed rat small-intestinal cells using recombinant rat PSTI. Partial N-terminal sequencing of the purified protein gave a sequence that was identical with the sequence of mouse granzyme A (GzmA), a tryptase produced in cytotoxic lymphocytes. We confirmed the formation of an affinity-cross-linked complex between (125)I-labelled PSTI and recombinant rat GzmA (rGzmA). In situ hybridization and immunostaining revealed the existence of GzmA-expressing intraepithelial lymphocytes in the rat small intestine. We concluded that the PSTI-binding protein isolated from the dispersed cells is GzmA that is produced in the lymphocytes of the tissue. The rGzmA hydrolysed the N -alpha-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-lysine thiobenzyl ester (BLT), and the BLT hydrolysis was inhibited by PSTI. Sulphated glycosaminoglycans, such as fucoidan or heparin, showed almost no effect on the inhibition of rGzmA by PSTI, whereas they decreased the inhibition by antithrombin III. In the present paper, we propose a novel role of PSTI as a GzmA inhibitor.