Administration of M. leprae Hsp65 Interferes with the Murine Lupus Progression

The heat shock protein [Hsp] family guides several steps during protein synthesis, are abundant in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and are highly conserved during evolution. The Hsp60 family is involved in assembly and transport of proteins, and is expressed at very high levels during autoimmunity or autoinflammatory phenomena. Here, the pathophysiological role of the wild type [WT] and the point mutated K409A recombinant Hsp65 of M. leprae in an animal model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [SLE] was evaluated in vivo using the genetically homogeneous [NZBxNZW]F1 mice. Anti-DNA and anti-Hsp65 antibodies responsiveness was individually measured during the animal's life span, and the mean survival time [MST] was determined. The treatment with WT abbreviates the MST in 46%, when compared to non-treated mice [p<0.001]. An increase in the IgG2a/IgG1 anti-DNA antibodies ratio was also observed in animals injected with the WT Hsp65. Incubation of BALB/c macrophages with F1 serum from WT treated mice resulted in acute cell necrosis; treatment of these cells with serum from K409A treated mice did not cause any toxic effect. Moreover, the involvement of WT correlates with age and is dose-dependent. Our data suggest that Hsp65 may be a central molecule intervening in the progression of the SLE, and that the point mutated K409A recombinant immunogenic molecule, that counteracts the deleterious effect of WT, may act mitigating and delaying the development of SLE in treated mice. This study gives new insights into the general biological role of Hsp and the significant impact of environmental factors during the pathogenesis of this autoimmune process

A Mycobacterium leprae Hsp65 Mutant as a Candidate for Mitigating Lupus Aggravation in Mice

Hsp60 is an abundant and highly conserved family of intracellular molecules. Increased levels of this family of proteins have been observed in the extracellular compartment in chronic inflammation. Administration of M. leprae Hsp65 [WT] in [NZBxNZW]F1 mice accelerates the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [SLE] progression whereas the point mutated K409A Hsp65 protein delays the disease. Here, the biological effects of M. leprae Hsp65 Leader pep and K409A pep synthetic peptides, which cover residues 352–371, are presented. Peptides had immunomodulatory effects similar to that observed with their respective proteins on survival and the combined administration of K409A+Leader pep or K409A pep+WT showed that the mutant forms were able to inhibit the deleterious effect of WT on mortality, indicating the neutralizing potential of the mutant molecules in SLE progression. Molecular modeling showed that replacing Lysine by Alanine affects the electrostatic potential of the 352–371 region. The number of interactions observed for WT is much higher than for Hsp65 K409A and mouse Hsp60. The immunomodulatory effects of the point-mutated protein and peptide occurred regardless of the catalytic activity. These findings may be related to the lack of effect on survival when F1 mice were inoculated with Hsp60 or K409A pep. Our findings indicate the use of point-mutated Hsp65 molecules, such as the K409A protein and its corresponding peptide, that may minimize or delay the onset of SLE, representing a new approach to the treatment of autoimmune diseases