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A small bioactive glycoside inhibits epsilon toxin and prevents cell death.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin (Etx) is categorized as the third most lethal bioterrorism agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with no therapeutic counter measures available for humans. Here, we have developed a high-affinity inhibitory compound by synthesizing and evaluating the structure activity relationship (SAR) of a library of diverse glycosides (numbered 1-12). SAR of glycoside-Etx heptamers revealed exceptionally strong H-bond interactions of glycoside-4 with a druggable pocket in the oligomerization and ?-hairpin region of Etx. Analysis of its structure suggested that glycoside-4 might self-aggregate to form a robust micelle-like supra-molecular complex due to its linear side-chain architecture, which was authenticated by fluorescence spectroscopy. Further, this micelle hinders the Etx monomer-monomer interaction required for oligomerization, validated by both surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and immunoblotting. This phenomenon in turn leads to blockage of pore formation. Downstream evaluation revealed that glycoside-4 effectively blocked cell death of Etx-treated cultured primary cells and maintained cellular homeostasis via disrupting oligomerization, blocking pore formation, restoring calcium homeostasis, stabilizing the mitochondrial membrane and impairing high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) translocation from nucleus to cytoplasm. Furthermore, a single dosage of glycoside-4 protected the Etx-challenged mice and restored normal function to multiple organs. This work reports for the first time a potent, nontoxic glycoside with strong ability to occlude toxin lethality, representing it as a bio-arm therapeutic against Etx-based biological threat.

SUBMITTER: Shivappagowdar A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6826021 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A small bioactive glycoside inhibits epsilon toxin and prevents cell death.

Shivappagowdar Abhishek A Pati Soumya S Narayana Chintam C Ayana Rajagopal R Kaushik Himani H Sah Raj R Garg Swati S Khanna Ashish A Kumari Jyoti J Garg Lalit L Sagar Ram R Singh Shailja S

Disease models & mechanisms 20191010 10

<i>Clostridium perfringens</i> epsilon toxin (Etx) is categorized as the third most lethal bioterrorism agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with no therapeutic counter measures available for humans. Here, we have developed a high-affinity inhibitory compound by synthesizing and evaluating the structure activity relationship (SAR) of a library of diverse glycosides (numbered 1-12). SAR of glycoside-Etx heptamers revealed exceptionally strong H-bond interactions of glyco ...[more]

PMID: 31492678

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Project description:UnlabelledClostridium perfringens epsilon toxin (?-toxin) is responsible for a devastating multifocal central nervous system (CNS) white matter disease in ruminant animals. The mechanism by which ?-toxin causes white matter damage is poorly understood. In this study, we sought to determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which ?-toxin causes pathological changes to white matter. In primary CNS cultures, ?-toxin binds to and kills oligodendrocytes but not astrocytes, microglia, or neurons. In cerebellar organotypic culture, ?-toxin induces demyelination, which occurs in a time- and dose-dependent manner, while preserving neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. ?-Toxin specificity for oligodendrocytes was confirmed using enriched glial culture. Sensitivity to ?-toxin is developmentally regulated, as only mature oligodendrocytes are susceptible to ?-toxin; oligodendrocyte progenitor cells are not. ?-Toxin sensitivity is also dependent on oligodendrocyte expression of the proteolipid myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL), as MAL-deficient oligodendrocytes are insensitive to ?-toxin. In addition, ?-toxin binding to white matter follows the spatial and temporal pattern of MAL expression. A neutralizing antibody against ?-toxin inhibits oligodendrocyte death and demyelination. This study provides several novel insights into the action of ?-toxin in the CNS. (i) ?-Toxin causes selective oligodendrocyte death while preserving all other neural elements. (ii) ?-Toxin-mediated oligodendrocyte death is a cell autonomous effect. (iii) The effects of ?-toxin on the oligodendrocyte lineage are restricted to mature oligodendrocytes. (iv) Expression of the developmentally regulated proteolipid MAL is required for the cytotoxic effects. (v) The cytotoxic effects of ?-toxin can be abrogated by an ?-toxin neutralizing antibody.ImportanceOur intestinal tract is host to trillions of microorganisms that play an essential role in health and homeostasis. Disruption of this symbiotic relationship has been implicated in influencing or causing disease in distant organ systems such as the brain. Epsilon toxin (?-toxin)-carrying Clostridium perfringens strains are responsible for a devastating white matter disease in ruminant animals that shares similar features with human multiple sclerosis. In this report, we define the mechanism by which ?-toxin causes white matter disease. We find that ?-toxin specifically targets the myelin-forming cells of the central nervous system (CNS), oligodendrocytes, leading to cell death. The selectivity of ?-toxin for oligodendrocytes is remarkable, as other cells of the CNS are unaffected. Importantly, ?-toxin-induced oligodendrocyte death results in demyelination and is dependent on expression of myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL). These results help complete the mechanistic pathway from bacteria to brain by explaining the specific cellular target of ?-toxin within the CNS.

Project description:Epsilon toxin (ETX), a pore-forming toxin produced by type B and D strains of Clostridium perfringens, mediates severe enterotoxemia in livestock and possibly plays a role in human disease. During enterotoxemia, the nearly inactive ETX prototoxin is produced in the intestines but then must be activated by proteolytic processing. The current study sought to examine ETX prototoxin processing and activation ex vivo using the intestinal contents of a goat, a natural host species for ETX-mediated disease. First, this study showed that the prototoxin has a KEIS N-terminal sequence with a molecular mass of 33,054 Da. When the activation of ETX prototoxin ex vivo by goat small intestinal contents was assessed by SDS-PAGE, the prototoxin was processed in a stepwise fashion into an ~27-kDa band or higher-molecular-mass material that could be toxin oligomers. Purified ETX corresponding to the ~27-kDa band was cytotoxic. When it was biochemically characterized by mass spectrometry, the copresence of three ETX species, each with different C-terminal residues, was identified in the purified ~27-kDa ETX preparation. Cytotoxicity of each of the three ETX species was then demonstrated using recombinant DNA approaches. Serine protease inhibitors blocked the initial proteotoxin processing, while carboxypeptidase inhibitors blocked further processing events. Taken together, this study provides important new insights indicating that, in the intestinal lumen, serine protease (including trypsin and possibly chymotrypsin) initiates the processing of the prototoxin but other proteases, including carboxypeptidases, then process the prototoxin into multiple active and stable species. Importance: Processing and activation by intestinal proteases is a prerequisite for ETX-induced toxicity. Previous studies had characterized the activation of ETX using only arbitrarily chosen amounts of purified trypsin and/or chymotrypsin. Therefore, the current study examined ETX activation ex vivo by natural host intestinal contents. These analyses demonstrated that (i) ETX processing in host intestinal contents occurs in an ordered, stepwise fashion, (ii) processing of prototoxin by host intestinal contents results in higher-molecular-mass material and 3 distinct ~27-kDa ETX species, and (iii) serine proteases, such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, and other proteases, including carboxypeptidases, play a role in the activation of ETX by intestinal contents. These studies provide new insights into the activation and processing of ETX and demonstrate that this process is more complicated than previously appreciated.

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A small bioactive glycoside inhibits epsilon toxin and prevents cell death.

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A small bioactive glycoside inhibits epsilon toxin and prevents cell death.

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