Copurification of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona hemolysin and sphingomyelinase C

Abstract

The hemolytic and sphingomyelinase C activities of supernatants of cultures of Leptospira interrogans serovar pomona tended to copurify when isoelectric fractionation was carried out. Both activities focused primarily at pH 8.1. Considered in conjunction with other circumstantial evidence, the results led to the conclusion that sphingomyelinase C is responsible for hemolysis.

Hemolytic activity of Borrelia burgdorferi

“…Both pathogenic Leptospira interrogans and free-living L. biflexa are beta-hemolytic (1,9,23). Leptospiral hemolysins have been identified as the enzymes phospholipase A in L. biflexa and L. interrogans (8,12) and sphingomyelinase C in L. interrogans (6,10,25,33). In the genus Serpula, the spirochete which causes swine dysentery, Serpula hyodysenteriae (formerly classified as Treponema hyodysenteriae [28]), is strongly beta-hemolytic when grown on blood agar under anaerobic conditions (16).…”

Molecular analysis of a sphingomyelinase C gene from Leptospira interrogans serovar hardjo

“…Hemolysins are involved in the pathogenesis of infections by Escherichia coli (16), Staphylococcus aureus (5), Listeria monocytogenes (7,26), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (4) and have been claimed to be important in leptospiral infections (2,35,38,39). Hemolysis by leptospirae is caused by phospholipases (38); both phospholipase A and sphingomyelinase C activities have been demonstrated (3,6). Whereas pathogenic L. interrogans and nonpathogenic Leptospira biflexa strains have phospholipase A activity, sphingomyelinase C activity has only been demonstrated in strains of L. interrogans.…”

Localization and characterization of C-type lectin-like family of proteins in Leptospira interrogans

“…Chronic or latent infections are found primarily in chronic ocular infection and meningitis. Autoimmunity in horses with recurrent uveitis has been described (Kalsow, 1998 Hemolytic activity is elicited by sphingomyelinases in different serovars (Ballum, Hardjo, Pomona and Tarassovi) but the significance is still undefined (Bernheimer, 1986;del Real, 1989;Segers, 1992). Serovar Canicola has shown to possess phospholipase C activity (Yanagihara, 1982).…”

“…Virulence factors for Leptospira are still unclear. Studies have shown lipopolysaccharide Nahori, 2005), cytotoxins (Vihn, 1986), hemolysins (Bernheimer, 1986) and outer membrane proteins are important in the pathology of disease. Of particular interest is the ability of outer membrane proteins endostatins are endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis and tumor growth; they do not share the same fold structure as the CTLDs (O'Reilly, 1997; Zelensky, 2005).…”

“…Leptospirosis ranges in severity from a mild disease with few clinical signs to a severe infection resulting in death through organ failure . Infection occurs when the bacteria are exposed to mucous membranes or The same host can serve as both the maintenance host and accidental host depending on serovar (Bernheimer, 1986) and outer membrane proteins ) are important in the pathology of disease. Of particular interest is the ability of outer membrane proteins to bind extracellular matrix and other host proteins to cause disease or evade the immune response.…”