title: The binding of Tritrichomonas foetus to immobilized laminin-1 and its role in the cytotoxicity exerted by the parasite.
abstract: The recognition and binding of pathogens to extracellular matrix glycoproteins may determine the outcome of infective processes. The interaction between the bovine urogenital parasite Tritrichomonas foetus and the major basal membrane glycoprotein laminin-1 (LMN-1) was investigated. The chemical nature of parasite molecules involved in the attachment of T. foetus to immobilized LMN-1 and the influence of LMN-1 in the toxicity exerted by the parasite to HeLa cells was studied. Attachment of T. foetus to LMN-1 resulted in notable morphological alterations of the parasite, which became amoeboid. T. foetus recognized LMN-1 through specific amino acid sequences (AG73, C16, A208 and A13) in the LMN-1 molecule, and the protein nature of the parasite molecules involved in the recognition was demonstrated by dot-blot analyses. Such molecular recognition was cation-dependent and five LMN-1-binding molecules (220, 200, 130, 125 and 80 kDa) were identified in T. foetus. Binding of T. foetus to LMN-1 rendered the parasite toxic to HeLa cell monolayers. Thus, LMN-1 appears to provide signalling cues that mediate important cell functions in T. foetus concerning its interaction with host cells.
authors.affiliation: UFRJ - Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, CCS - Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora Barreiros
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Petrópolis
authors.affiliation: UFRJ - Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, CCS - Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliany Cola
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Fernandes Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: UFRJ - Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, CCS - Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: da Rocha-Azevedo
authors.affiliation: UFRJ - Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, CCS - Bloco G, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando Costa E
authors.initials: FCE
authors.lastname: Silva-Filho
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007797:Laminin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011485:Protein Binding; D011528:Protozoan Infections / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology; D011529:Protozoan Infections, Animal; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016835:Tritrichomonas foetus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C121346:laminin 1