Interaction of environmental Burkholderia cenocepacia strains with cystic fibrosis and non-cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelial cells in vitro.
Burkholderia cenocepacia is an important human pathogen in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). Non-clinical reservoirs may play a role in the acquisition of infection, so it is important to evaluate the pathogenic potential of environmental B. cenocepacia isolates. In this study, we investigated the interactions of two environmental B. cenocepacia strains (Mex1 and MCII-168) with two bronchial epithelial cell lines, 16HBE14o(-) and CFBE41o(-), which have a non-CF and a CF phenotype, respectively. The environmental strains showed a significantly lower level of invasion into both CF and non-CF cells in comparison with the clinical B. cenocepacia LMG16656(T) strain. Exposure of polarized CFBE41o(-) or 16HBE14o(-) cells to the environmental strains resulted in a significant reduction in transepithelial resistance (TER), comparable with that observed following exposure to the clinical strain. A different mechanism of tight junction disruption in CF versus non-CF epithelia was found. In the 16HBE41o(-) cells, the environmental strains resulted in a drop in TER without any apparent effect on tight junction proteins such as zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). In contrast, in CF cells, the amount of ZO-1 and its localization were clearly altered by the presence of both the environmental strains, comparable with the effect of LMG16656. This study demonstrates that even if the environmental strains are significantly less invasive than the clinical strain, they have an effect on epithelial integrity comparable with that of the clinical strain. Finally, the tight junction regulatory protein ZO-1 appears to be more susceptible to the presence of environmental strains in CF cells than in cells which express a functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR).
ENEA C.R. Casaccia - Technical Unit for Sustainable Development and Innovation of Agro-Industrial System, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy.
Annamaria
A
Bevivino
Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'C. Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.|ENEA C.R. Casaccia - Technical Unit for Sustainable Development and Innovation of Agro-Industrial System, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy.
Luisa
L
Pirone
Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Old Blessington Road, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Ruth
R
Pilkington
Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'C. Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Noemi
N
Cifani
ENEA C.R. Casaccia - Technical Unit for Sustainable Development and Innovation of Agro-Industrial System, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome, Italy.
Claudia
C
Dalmastri
Centre of Applied Science for Health, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Old Blessington Road, Dublin 2, Ireland.|Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Old Blessington Road, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Máire
M
Callaghan
Department of Biology and Biotechnology 'C. Darwin', Sapienza University of Rome, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Fiorentina
F
Ascenzioni
Centre of Applied Science for Health, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Old Blessington Road, Dublin 2, Ireland.|Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Old Blessington Road, Dublin 2, Ireland.
Siobhán
S
McClean
D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology; D019121:Burkholderia Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D057508:Burkholderia cenocepacia / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002460:Cell Line; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D058441:Rhizosphere; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000382:microbiology; D003313:Zea mays / Q000382:microbiology; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C569042:TJP1 protein, human; D062826:Zonula Occludens-1 Protein