Plasmid coding for drug resistance and invasion of epithelial cells in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli 0111:H.
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) can adhere to, invade and multiply in human epithelial cells. To define the elements required for bacterial invasion, we isolated from an 0111:H- EPEC a 6.6 kb plasmid that is capable of conferring to an avirulent, non-adherent E. coli K12 strain (DK1) the capacity to invade epithelial cells. With this system a dissociation was possible between bacterial invasion and adherence to epithelial cells. Bacteria containing this plasmid synthesise a protein of 32 kDa (pl 4.93) which seemed to be required for cell invasion. The results provide a new basis for strategies to prevent EPEC infections.
Scaletsky
I C
IC
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brazil.
Gatti
M S
MS
da Silveira
J F
JF
DeLuca
I M
IM
Freymuller
E
E
Travassos
L R
LR
D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007613:Kanamycin Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D010957:Plasmids; D011817:Rabbits; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics