title: Interactions of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with mature human macrophage opacity proteins influence production of proinflammatory cytokines.
abstract: The pathological features of ascending gonococcal infection suggest that proinflammatory mediators secreted by tissue-resident macrophages are important components of the host response. Challenge of fully differentiated, mature macrophages with variants of Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain P9 or purified bacterial surface components (pili, lipooligosaccharide, and outer membrane vesicles) induced the secretion of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha, growth-related protein alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP-1alpha), and RANTES cytokines but had no effect on IL-8 production. No secretion of IL-1beta, epithelial-derived neutrophil attractant 78, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-10, or IL-12 cytokines was observed. Notably, the P9-Opa(b) protein, in comparison to P9-Opa(a), increased the association of gonococci with macrophages and elevated the secretion of cytokines. Thus, variation in Opa protein expression by the gonococcus may be a determining factor in the severity of pelvic inflammatory disease.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Microbiology Group, Division of Cell and Molecular Medicine, University of Southampton Medical School, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Makepeace
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Watt
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Heckels
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christodoulides
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000378:metabolism; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D002630:Chemotactic Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000378:metabolism; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000378:metabolism; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D009344:Neisseria gonorrhoeae / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; C475829:CXCL1 protein, human; D054405:Chemokine CCL3; D054407:Chemokine CCL4; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D054360:Chemokine CXCL1; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D002630:Chemotactic Factors; D016207:Cytokines; D006133:Growth Substances; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015850:Interleukin-6; D016209:Interleukin-8; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C050308:opacity proteins