Transmission of leptospirosis occurs through contact of mucous membranes and abraded skin with freshwater contaminated by pathogenic Leptospira spp. Exposure to physiological osmolarity induces leptospires to express high levels of the Lig surface proteins containing imperfect immunoglobulin-like repeats that are shared or differ between LigA and LigB. We report that osmotic induction of Lig is accompanied by 1.6-to 2.5-fold increases in leptospiral adhesion to immobilized extracellular matrix and plasma proteins, including collagens I and IV, laminin, and especially fibronectin and fibrinogen. Recombinant LigA-unique and LigBunique repeat proteins bind to these same host ligands. We found that the avidity of LigB in binding fibronectin is comparable to that of the Staphylococcus aureus FnBPA D repeats. Both LigA-and LigB-unique repeats interact with the amino-terminal fibrin-and gelatin-binding domains of fibronectin, which are also recognized by fibronectin-binding proteins mediating the adhesion of other microbial pathogens. In contrast, repeats common to both LigA and LigB do not bind these host proteins, and nonrepeat sequences in the carboxyterminal domain of LigB show only weak interaction with fibronectin and fibrinogen. A functional role for the binding activity of LigA and LigB is suggested by the ability of the recombinants to inhibit leptospiral adhesion to fibronectin by 28% and 21%, respectively. The binding of LigA and LigB to multiple ligands present in different tissues suggests that these adhesins may be involved in the initial colonization and dissemination stages of leptospirosis. The characterization of the Lig adhesin function should aid the design of Lig-based vaccines and serodiagnostic tests.

The pathogenic spirochete Leptospira interrogans disseminates throughout its hosts via the bloodstream, then invades and colonizes a variety of host tissues. Infectious leptospires are resistant to killing by their hosts' alternative pathway of complement-mediated killing, and interact with various host extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The LenA outer surface protein (formerly called LfhA and Lsa24) was previously shown to bind the host ECM component laminin and the complement regulators factor H and factor H-related protein-1. We now demonstrate that infectious L. interrogans contain five additional paralogs of lenA, which we designated lenB, lenC, lenD, lenE and lenF. All six genes encode domains predicted to bear structural and functional similarities with mammalian endostatins. Sequence analyses of genes from seven infectious L. interrogans serovars indicated development of sequence diversity through recombination and intragenic duplication. LenB was found to bind human factor H, and all of the newly-described Len proteins bound laminin. In addition, LenB, LenC, LenD, LenE and LenF all exhibited affinities for fibronectin, a distinct host extracellular matrix protein. These characteristics suggest that Len proteins together facilitate invasion and colonization of host tissues, and protect against host immune responses during mammalian infection.

The tripeptide glutathione (GSH) is used by cells to detoxify hydroperoxides, produced during oxidative stress, and is consumed in the process. Previous studies have indicated that cells can be protected against oxidative stress by extracellular GSH through its degradation catalyzed by the exoenzyme gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (gamma GT) and its de novo synthesis within the cytosol. We hypothesized that gamma GT would be increased as part of the adaptation of cells to oxidative stress. We examined whether oxidative stress could increase gamma GT activity, protein, and mRNA in a lung epithelial cell line (L2). Cultures were subjected to H2O2-mediated toxicity by 15 min of exposure to the redox cycling quinone, menadione. Menadione (50 microM) caused an initial decrease (27 +/- 9% of baseline after 15 min) in intracellular GSH, followed by resynthesis to levels significantly higher than baseline (335 +/- 40% after 24 h, P < 0.001). This elevation was prevented by acivicin, a gamma GT inhibitor. Menadione also caused a dose-dependent increase in gamma GT enzymatic activity (715 +/- 125% of control at 24 h after 15 min of exposure to 100 microM menadione, P < 0.001) that was prevented by actinomycin D. Western blot analysis indicated increased levels of gamma GT protein with increasing menadione. A concentration-dependent increase in gamma GT-mRNA was also observed. Previous investigation has demonstrated that an increase in gamma GT activity enhances the capacity of cells to utilize extracellular GSH. The findings presented here are consistent with a role for gamma GT in cellular adaptation to oxidative stress.

The leptospiral LigA protein consists of 13 bacterial immunoglobulin-like (Big) domains and is the only purified recombinant subunit vaccine that has been demonstrated to protect against lethal challenge by a clinical isolate of Leptospira interrogans in the hamster model of leptospirosis. We determined the minimum number and location of LigA domains required for immunoprotection. Immunization with domains 11 and 12 was found to be required but insufficient for protection. Inclusion of a third domain, either 10 or 13, was required for 100% survival after intraperitoneal challenge with Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni strain Fiocruz L1-130. As in previous studies, survivors had renal colonization; here, we quantitated the leptospiral burden by qPCR to be 1.2×103 to 8×105 copies of leptospiral DNA per microgram of kidney DNA. Although renal histopathology in survivors revealed tubulointerstitial changes indicating an inflammatory response to the infection, blood chemistry analysis indicated that renal function was normal. These studies define the Big domains of LigA that account for its vaccine efficacy and highlight the need for additional strategies to achieve sterilizing immunity to protect the mammalian host from leptospiral infection and its consequences.