title: Characterizing host receptor recognition by individual bacterial pathogens.
abstract: A critical determinant of host range and specificity relies on the ability of pathogenic bacteria to recognize eukaryotic cell surface molecules via specialized adhesins. The specific adhesin-receptor interaction allows pathogens to tightly bind to their target cells, thereby facilitating the colonization of host tissues. Therefore, the identification and characterization of bacterial adhesins is a major topic in infection biology. This chapter focuses on a rapid and simple method for the analysis of adhesin-receptor interactions that permits the characterization of receptor binding properties at the level of single bacteria. Accordingly, this methodological approach is ideally suited for the analysis of adhesins expressed in a phase-variable manner and for the study of heterogeneous bacterial populations. Besides focusing on the receptor-binding assay, this chapter describes the production of fluorescence-tagged soluble host receptor domains required for conducting this assay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuespert
authors.forename: Christof R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Hauck
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D015703:Antigens, CD; C069847:CD66 antigens; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins