The role of common and type-specific pilus antigenic domains in adhesion and virulence of gonococci for human epithelial cells.
A panel of monoclonal antibodies with varying pilus specificities ranging from cross-reacting to type-specific has been used to investigate the role of conserved and variable antigenic domains in the adhesion of gonococci to human epithelial cells. The binding of 125I-labelled alpha pili from strain P9 to buccal epithelial cells was inhibited by three type-specific but not by two cross-reacting antibodies. Four type-specific antibodies inhibited the binding of gamma pili while the two cross-reacting antibodies were again without effect. The virulence of the variants P9-2 (alpha pili) and P9-35 (gamma pili) for Chang conjunctiva epithelial cells was similarly reduced only in the presence of relevant type-specific antibodies. These results indicate the importance of variable antigenic domains in the adhesion of gonococci to human epithelial cells.
D000268:Adhesiveness; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003228:Conjunctiva; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology*; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial