title: In vivo-induced InvA-like autotransporters Ifp and InvC of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis promote interactions with intestinal epithelial cells and contribute to virulence.
abstract: The Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Ifp and InvC molecules are putative autotransporter proteins with a high homology to the invasin (InvA) protein. To characterize the function of these surface proteins, we expressed both factors in Escherichia coli K-12 and demonstrated the attachment of Ifp- and InvC-expressing bacteria to human-, mouse-, and pig-derived intestinal epithelial cells. Ifp also was found to mediate microcolony formation and internalization into polarized human enterocytes. The ifp and invC genes were not expressed under in vitro conditions but were found to be induced in the Peyer's patches of the mouse intestinal tract. In a murine coinfection model, the colonization of the Peyer's patches and the mesenteric lymph nodes of mice by the ifp-deficient strain was significantly reduced, and considerably fewer bacteria reached liver and spleen. The absence of InvC did not have a severe influence on bacterial colonization in the murine infection model, and it resulted in only a slightly reduced number of invC mutants in the Peyer's patches. The analysis of the host immune response demonstrated that the presence of Ifp and InvC reduced the recruitment of professional phagocytes, especially neutrophils, in the Peyer's patches. These findings support a role for the adhesins in modulating host-pathogen interactions that are important for immune defense.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Molekulare Infektionsbiologie, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pisano
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kochut
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Uliczka
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stolz
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Thiermann
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dersch
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D048168:Escherichia coli K12 / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010581:Peyer's Patches / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015011:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D015012:Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infections / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D037521:Virulence Factors