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The Haemophilus cryptic genospecies Cha adhesin has at least two variants that differ in host cell binding, bacterial aggregation, and biofilm formation properties.

Authors :
McCann JR
Sheets AJ
Grass S
St Geme JW 3rd
Source :
Journal of bacteriology [J Bacteriol] 2014 May; Vol. 196 (9), pp. 1780-8. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Feb 28.
Publication Year :
2014

Abstract

The Haemophilus cryptic genospecies (HCG) causes genital tract infections in pregnant and postpartum women and respiratory infections in neonates. The major surface adhesin in HCG is called Cha, which mediates bacterial adherence to cultured human epithelial cells. In this study, we report that there are two antigenically distinct variants of Cha, dubbed Cha1 and Cha2. These variants are encoded by the same genetic locus in diverse strains and have nearly identical N-terminal export and C-terminal surface anchoring domains but significantly different internal adhesive domains. Based on the comparison of derivatives of a laboratory strain of Haemophilus influenzae expressing either surface-associated Cha1 or surface-associated Cha2, Cha1 mediates a higher level of adherence to cultured human epithelial cells and Cha2 mediates a higher level of adherence to abiotic surfaces. We hypothesize that variation in the Cha1 and Cha2 internal region results in changes in binding specificity or binding affinity and may be associated with adaptation to different host environments during colonization and disease.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1098-5530
Volume :
196
Issue :
9
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Journal of bacteriology
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
24584499
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.01409-13