Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes was examined for the presence of surface carbohydrates to ascertain whether surface sugars, if present, would interact with eucaryotic surface carbohydrate receptors. We found that a virulent, but not two avirulent strains had a surface α-d-galactose residue as determined by agglutination with Griffonia simplicifolia (GS-I) and other lectins. The virulent strain bound to a human hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2), which has a well characterized receptor for α-d-galactose. This interaction could be blocked by pretreatment of the HepG2 cells with either α-d-galactose or neuraminidase, the latter of which will render the galactose receptor functionally inactive. We propose that the attachment of the virulent Listeria to eucaryotic cells occurs as a result of the interaction of the microbial α-d-galactose with that of the eucaryotic galactose receptor. This surface carbohydrate may provide an explanation for the mechanism of attachment and penetration of virulent Listeria into host cells during infection. As such, this may allow for amplication of pathogenesis through intracellular multiplication in nonprofessional phagocytes prior to macrophage involvement.
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Abbreviations
- ATCC 19113 and ATCC 4428:
-
Listeria monocytogenes, avirulent strains
- EDG:
-
Listeria monocytogenes, virulent strain
- GS-I:
-
Griffonia simplicifolia lectin
- GepG2:
-
Human, hepatocarcinoma cells
- MES buffer:
-
2(N-Morpholino)-ethane sulfonic acid
- PBS buffer:
-
phosphate buffered saline
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This work was carried out and submitted in part by JL to the 47th Annual Westinghouse Science Talent Search while a senior at Union High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Recipient of a National Merit Scholarship Award. Presently attending Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri
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Cowart, R.E., Lashmet, J., McIntosh, M.E. et al. Adherence of a virulent strain of Listeria monocytogenes to the surface of a hepatocarcinoma cell line via lectin-substrate interaction. Arch. Microbiol. 153, 282–286 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00249083
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00249083