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Title: ADHERENCE OF LACTOBACILLUS TO INTESTINAL 407 CELLS IN CULTURE CORRELATES WITH FIBRONECTIN BINDING

Author
item Kapczynski, Darrell
item Meinersmann, Richard - Rick
item LEE,, MARGIE - UNIV OF GEORGIA - ATHENS

Submitted to: Current Microbiology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/2/2000
Publication Date: 8/1/2000
Citation: KAPCZYNSKI, D.R., MEINERSMANN, R.J., LEE,, M.D. ADHERENCE OF LACTOBACILLUS TO INTESTINAL 407 CELLS IN CULTURE CORRELATES WITH FIBRONECTIN BINDING. CURRENT MICROBIOLOGY. 2000.

Interpretive Summary: Interaction between pathogenic bacteria and host cells begin the development of infectious diseases. Numerous enteropathogenic bacteria are able to promote host cell death, causing an increase in the volume of water in the stools and exfoliation of mucosal surfaces, resulting in diarrhoeal illness. Infectious diseases caused by enteropathogenic bacteria may be inhibited by blocking the attachment sites found on host cells. Lactobacilli are normal gastrointestinal flora of many animals. Certain strains of lactobacilli have been shown to adhere to, and to colonize, intestinal epithelial cells, thereby inhibiting attachment of pathogens by a barrier effect or competitive exclusion. By out competing pathogenic bacteria for the host cells, lactobacilli exclude infectious disease causing organisms at the cell surface. The mechanism of lactobacilli attachment to intestinal epithelial cells is poorly understood and appears to be species specific. These experiments were designed to examine factor involved in attachment of lactobacilli to epithelial cells, which would be useful in identifying characteristics of Lactobacillus isolates which may be used to prevent or treat intestinal disease.

Technical Abstract: Lactobacilli are members of the normal mucosal microflora of most animals. Many isolates of Lactobacillus spp. are adherent to epithelial cells. In this study using Lactobacillus acidophilus and L. agilis we detected adherence in a pattern that suggested that the bacteria were binding to extracellular matrix proteins. Fluorescent microscopy, using anti-fibronectin antibody, demonstrated that the isolates localize in thos areas where fibronectin was detected. In addition, fibronectin pretreatment of the bacterial cells deceased adherence to Intestinal 407 epithelial cell monolayers. Cellular binding to fibronectin was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and affinity-binding to radio-labeled-fibronectin. Fibronectin may be one of the eukaryotic receptors mediating attachment of Lactobacillus to mucosal surfaces.