• Shinichi Miyairi, Kazuhiro Tateda, Etsu T Fuse, Chihiro Ueda, Hiroaki Saito, Tohru Takabatake, Yoshikazu Ishii, Manabu Horikawa, Masaji Ishiguro, Theodore J Standiford, and Keizo Yamaguchi.
• Laboratory of Bio-organic Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, Nihon University, Chiba 274-8555, Japan.
• J. Med. Microbiol. 2006 Oct 1; 55 (Pt 10): 1381-7.

AbstractQuorum-sensing systems have been reported to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of several bacterial infections. Recent data have demonstrated that Pseudomonas N-3-oxododecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (3-oxo-C12-homoserine lactone, 3-oxo-C12-HSL), but not N-butanoyl-L-homoserine lactone (C4-HSL), induces apoptosis in macrophages and neutrophils. In the present study, the effects of active immunization with 3-oxo-C12-HSL-carrier protein conjugate on acute P. aeruginosa lung infection in mice were investigated. Immunization with 3-oxo-C12-HSL-BSA conjugate (subcutaneous, four times, at 2-week intervals) elaborated significant amounts of specific antibody in serum. Control and immunized mice were intranasally challenged with approximately 3 x 10(6) c.f.u. P. aeruginosa PAO1, and survival was then compared. All control mice died by day 2 post bacterial challenge, while 36 % of immunized mice survived to day 4 (P<0.05). Interestingly, bacterial numbers in the lungs did not differ between control and immunized groups, whereas the levels of pulmonary tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha in the immunized mice were significantly lower than those of control mice (P<0.05). Furthermore, the extractable 3-oxo-C12-HSL levels in serum and lung homogenate were also significantly diminished in the immunized mice. Immune serum completely rescued reduction of cell viability by 3-oxo-C12-HSL-mediated apoptosis in macrophages in vitro. These results demonstrated that specific antibody to 3-oxo-C12-HSL plays a protective role in acute P. aeruginosa infection, probably through blocking of host inflammatory responses, without altering lung bacterial burden. The present data identify a promising potential vaccine strategy targeting bacterial quorum-sensing molecules, including autoinducers.

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