Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 108, Issue 28, Pages 11614-11619Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102360108
Keywords
adhesin; microbiology; bacterial attachment
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Funding
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [R01-AI056404, R01-AI087808]
- Welch Foundation [I-1561]
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The initial binding of bacteria to host cells is crucial to the delivery of virulence factors and thus is a key determinant of the pathogen's success. We report a multivalent adhesion molecule (MAM) that enables a wide range of Gram-negative pathogens to establish high-affinity binding to host cells during the early stages of infection. MAM7 binds to the host by engaging in both protein-protein (with fibronectin) and protein-lipid (with phosphatidic acid) interactions with the host cell membrane. We find that MAM7 expression on the outer membrane of a Gram-negative pathogen is necessary for virulence in a nematode infection model and for efficient killing of cultured mammalian host cells. Expression of MAM7 on nonpathogenic strains produced a tool that can be used to impede infection by Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Targeting or exploiting MAM7 might prove to be important in combating Gram-negative bacterial infections.
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