Role of S fimbriae in Escherichia coli K1 binding to brain microvascular endothelial cells in vitro and penetration into the central nervous system in vivo.
Bacterial binding to host cell surface is considered an important initial step in the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases including meningitis. Previous studies using a laboratory Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain HB101 possessing a recombinant plasmid carrying the cloned S fimbriae gene cluster have shown that S fimbriae are the major contributor to binding to bovine brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) for HB101. Our present study, however, revealed that S fimbriae did not play a major role for E. coli K1's binding to human BMEC in vitro and crossing of the blood-brain barrier in vivo. This was shown by our demonstration that E. coli K1 strain and its S fimbriae-operon deletion mutant exhibited similar rates of binding to human BMEC and similar rates of penetration into the central nervous system in the experimental hematogenous meningitis model. Studies are needed to identify major determinants of E. coli K1 contributing to BMEC binding and subsequent crossing of the blood-brain barrier in vivo.
Wang
Ying
Y
Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Park 256, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
Wen
Zhang Guang
ZG
Kim
Kwang Sik
KS
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000382:microbiology; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000382:microbiology; D002417:Cattle; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D020814:Meningitis, Escherichia coli / Q000382:microbiology*; D008833:Microcirculation; D009876:Operon; D051381:Rats
D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins