title: Effect of bovine lactoferricin on enteropathogenic Yersinia adhesion and invasion in HEp-2 cells.
abstract: Bovine lactoferricin, a pepsin-generated antimicrobial peptide from bovine lactoferrin active against a wide range of bacteria, was tested for its ability to influence the adhesion and invasion of Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in HEp-2 cells. The addition of non-cytotoxic and non-bactericidal concentrations of lactoferricin to cell monolayers before infection, under different bacterial growth experimental conditions, was ineffective or resulted in about a 10-fold increase in bacterial adhesion, whereas, in bacteria grown in conditions allowing maximal inv gene expression, a 10-fold inhibition of cell invasion by lactoferricin was observed. To confirm that the anti-invasive activity of lactoferricin was exerted against invasin-mediated bacterial entry, experiments were also performed utilizing Escherichia coli strain HB101 (pRI203), harbouring the inv gene from Y. pseudotuberculosis, which allows penetration of mammalian cells. Under these experimental conditions, lactoferricin was able to inhibit bacterial entry into epithelial cells, demonstrating that this peptide acts on inv-mediated Yersinia species invasion. As the inv gene product is the most important virulence factor in enteropathogenic Yersinia, being responsible for bacterial adherence and penetration within epithelial cells of the intestinal lumen and for the subsequent colonization of regional lymph nodes, these data provide additional information on the protective role of lactoferricin against bacterial infection.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Assunta Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Di Biase
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tinari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Agostina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pietrantoni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antonini
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Piera
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valenti
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Pia
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Ultrastructure, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161 Rome, Italy 2Department of Biology, III University of Rome, Italy 3Department of Experimental Medicine, II University of Naples, Naples, Italy 4Department of Public Health Sciences, University 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Superti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects*; D002417:Cattle; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D007781:Lactoferrin