The type 4 pili of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 are multipurpose structures with pathogenic attributes


Por: Xicohtencatl-Cortes J., Monteiro-Neto V., Saldana, Z, Ledesma M.A., Puente J.L., Girón J.A.

Publicada: 1 ene 2009
Resumen:
Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 produces long bundles of polar type 4 pili (T4P) called HCP (for hemorrhagic coli pili) that form physical bridges between bacteria associating with human and animal epithelial cells. Here, we sought to further investigate whether HCP possessed other pathogenicity attributes associated with T4P production. Comparative studies performed with wild-type EHEC EDL933 and an isogenic hcpA mutant revealed that HCP play different roles in the biology of this organism. We found that in addition to promoting bacterial attachment to host cells, HCP mediate (i) invasion of epithelial cells, (ii) hemagglutination of rabbit erythrocytes, (iii) interbacterial connections conducive to biofilm formation, (iv) specific binding to host extracellular matrix proteins laminin and fibronectin but not collagen, and (v) twitching motility. Nonadherent laboratory E. coli strain HB101 complemented with hcpABC genes on plasmid pJX22, which specifies for HCP overproduction in EDL933, became hyperadherent and invasive and produced a thick biofilm, suggesting that the presence of HCP confers HB101(pJX22) new attributes otherwise not exhibited by HB101. Analogous to other bacteria in which T4P are involved in the pathogenesis of several infectious diseases, our data strongly suggest that HCP display multiple functions that may contribute to EHEC colonization of different hosts and to virulence, survival, and transmission of this food-borne pathogen. Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Filiaciones:
Xicohtencatl-Cortes J.:
 Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, 15101 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

 Departamento de Bacteriología Intestinal, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez, Ciudad de México, Mexico

Monteiro-Neto V.:
 Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, 15101 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

 Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Centro Universitário do Maranhão, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil

Ledesma M.A.:
 Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, 15101 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Puente J.L.:
 Univ Nacl Mexico, Inst Biotecnol, Dept Mol Microbiol, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Girón J.A.:
 Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, 15101 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

 LSN-649, Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson, AZ 85724, United States
ISSN: 00219193
Editorial
AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY, 1752 N ST NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036-2904 USA, Estados Unidos America
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 91 Número: 1
Páginas: 411-421
WOS Id: 000261628100041
ID de PubMed: 18952791
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