title: Adherence of Ureaplasma urealyticum to human epithelial cells.
abstract: Adherence of Ureaplasma urealyticum cells to eukaryotic cell monolayers was quantified using the Bertholet assay to monitor ammonia produced from urea by ureaplasma urease. Adherence was abolished by pre-treatment of ureaplasmas with HeLa cell extracts and inhibited to varying degrees by pretreatment of the ureaplasmas with N-acetylneuraminic acid, specific antisera and monoclonal antibodies. The data suggest the presence of several ureaplasma adhesins, some of which are species- or serotype-specific and some of which are proteinaceous and antigenic. The serotype-8-specific 96 kDa surface-expressed antigen may be one adhesin. Pre-treatment of HeLa cell monolayers with neuraminidase significantly reduced ureaplasma adherence and, using a novel 'immunoblot adherence assay', ureaplasmas were shown to bind to a number of HeLa cell components, three of which appear to terminate in sialic acid.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Biological and Medical Sciences, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thirkell
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D014357:Trypsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014508:Urea / Q000494:pharmacology; D016990:Ureaplasma urealyticum / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014508:Urea; D014357:Trypsin