title: Meningococcal type IV pili recruit the polarity complex to cross the brain endothelium.
abstract: Type IV pili mediate the initial interaction of many bacterial pathogens with their host cells. In Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent of cerebrospinal meningitis, type IV pili-mediated adhesion to brain endothelial cells is required for bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier. Here, type IV pili-mediated adhesion of N. meningitidis to human brain endothelial cells was found to recruit the Par3/Par6/PKCzeta polarity complex that plays a pivotal role in the establishment of eukaryotic cell polarity and the formation of intercellular junctions. This recruitment leads to the formation of ectopic intercellular junctional domains at the site of bacteria-host cell interaction and a subsequent depletion of junctional proteins at the cell-cell interface with opening of the intercellular junctions of the brain-endothelial interface.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Descartes, Faculté de Médecine, INSERM (U-570), 75015 Paris, France. mathieu.coureuil@inserm.fr
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coureuil
authors.forename: Guillain
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mikaty
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lécuyer
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bourdoulous
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Duménil
authors.forename: René-Marc
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mège
authors.forename: Babette B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Weksler
authors.forename: Ignacio A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Pierre-Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Couraud
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Nassif
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000378:metabolism; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D016764:Cell Polarity; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D000095002:Delta Catenin; D000099221:Protein Kinase C zeta; D000099152:Cadherin 5
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins; D051177:Catenins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D020764:cdc42 GTP-Binding Protein; D000095002:Delta Catenin; D000099221:Protein Kinase C zeta; D000099152:Cadherin 5; C509689:PARD3 protein, human; C499657:PARD6A protein, human