Contribution of Tamm-Horsfall protein to virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in urinary tract infection.
Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP) is the most abundant protein which is synthesized by renal tubular cells and excreted in urine. Its role in urinary tract infection has yet not been identified. In the present study, the contribution of THP towards adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to uroepithelial cells and murine peritoneal macrophages was studied. Decreased adherence of THP-coated P. aeruginosa to UECs and phagocytes was observed in vitro. In vivo, P. aeruginosa showed increased renal bacterial load and tissue pathology in a mouse model of acute ascending pyelonephritis, when THP-coated P. aeruginosa was used to cause infection. This study shows that THP may not necessarily act as a host defense component; rather, it may help in renal colonization of P. aeruginosa in vivo.
Harjai
Kusum
K
Department of Microbiology, Biomedical Sciences Block, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India. kusum_harjai@hotmail.com
Mittal
Rahul
R
Chhibber
Sanjay
S
Sharma
Saroj
S
D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017737:Macrophages, Peritoneal / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D009088:Mucoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D010587:Phagocytosis; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D058949:Uromodulin; D019459:Urothelium / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000502:physiology
D009088:Mucoproteins; C548612:UMOD protein, human; C548613:Umod protein, mouse; D058949:Uromodulin