Choriogonadotropin-like antigen in a strain of Streptococcus faecalis and a strain of Staphylococcus simulans: detection, identification, and characterization

Abstract

The presence of choriogonadotropinand a-subunit-like materials in two species of bacteria identified as Staphylococcus simulans and Streptococcus faecalis have been demonstrated by the indirect fluorescein-labeled and the indirect peroxidase-labeled immunocytochemical techniques, utilizing antiserum for human choriogonadotropin, for its a and ,8-subunits and the fl-subunit COOHterminal peptide. The bacteria were originally isolated from the urine of two patients with advanced forms of cancer. Chromatography done on the watersoluble extract of acetone powder preparations of the bacterial cultures revealed the presence of a material similar to the complete trophoblastic hormone and to its fl-subunit in the culture media of S. simulans, and to the fl-subunit in the media of S. faecalis. No free a-subunit was detectable. Furthermore, the choriogonadotropin-like factor demonstrated biological activity in in vivo assay systems. From the present results, it can be concluded that some species of "cancerassociated" bacteria can synthesize a human trophoblastic hormone-like glycoprotein with physicochemical properties similar to those of the human trophoblastic hormone that is biologically active and that is either released complete or as one of its subunits in the culture media. 487 on July 31, 2020 by guest http://iai.asm.org/ Downloaded from

Expression of human choriogonadotropin-like material in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species

“…Finally, the reported demonstration of in vitro and in vivo hormonal activities by the bacterial factors is of great biological importance, since this type of biological activity requires more than chemical analogy. In the case of hCG (3,26), the isolated subunits are totally devoid of biological FIG. 7.…”

Antibodies to bacterial vaccines demonstrating specificity for human choriogonadotropin (hCG) and immunochemical detection of hCG-like factor in subcellular bacterial fractions

“…This appears unlikely, inasmuch as the two subunits of hCG are made by separate genes (8,14), and because specific enzymes are needed to add the sugar moieties. Thus, an unlikely series of recombination events would have to occur for the bacteria to express biologically active hCG (4,18).…”

“…Bacteria exist that express a human choriogonadotropin (hCG)-like material with in vitro and in vivo biological activity similar to that of the human trophoblastic hormone (1, 3-5, 7, 10, 18). Because the hCG-like material has been demonstrated on the surface of whole bacterial cells (1,(3)(4)(5)22), an investigation was done to determine whether immunization of rabbits with vaccines prepared with hCGproducing bacteria elicit antibodies with specificity for the hCG epitopes. We also attempted to determine the anatomical locus of the hCG-like material by separating subcellular fractions while preserving the cell structures that have shown hCG-like material by immunoelectron microscopy (22).…”

“…MATERIALS AND METHODS Staphylococcus haemolyticus RUl (1) (previously described as Staphylococcus simulans [4]) (Fig. 1), which was originally isolated from a patient with metastatic cancer of unknown origin, and Streptococcus bovis AV46, a cell wall-deficient variant (by cultural and electron microscopic morphologic characteristics) (11, 13) isolated from the blood of a patient with a fever of unknown origin and with a possible brain abscess, were killed with 0.5% phenol or with 1% formalin and used as immunogens in New Zealand White rabbits.…”

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and Related Peptides: Candidate Anti-Inflammatory Therapy in Early Stages of Sepsis

“…It mimics LH actions in the menstrual cycle (50), but the specific function of pituitary hCG is not well understood (48). Multiple primary malignant cells such as those from colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer also secrete hCG (46,(51)(52)(53)(54). This is considered to be a sign of poor prognosis, possibly because the free b-subunits prevent apoptosis of malignant cells, thereby enhancing the malignant cell growth (50).…”