Biological Trojan horse: Antigen 43 provides specific bacterial uptake and survival in human neutrophils

Sara Fexby, Thomas Bjarnsholt, Peter Østrup Jensen, Viktoria Roos, Niels Høiby, Michael Givskov, Per Klemm

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    51 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Escherichia coli is a versatile pathogen causing millions of infections in humans every year. This bacterium can form multicellular aggregates when it expresses a self-associating protein, antigen 43 (Ag43), on its surface. We have discovered that Ag43-expressing E. coli cells are efficiently taken up by human defense cells, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), in an opsonin-independent manner. Surprisingly, the phagocytosed bacteria were not immediately killed but resided as tight aggregates within the PMNs. Our observations indicate that Ag43-mediated uptake and survival in PMNs constitute a mechanism to subvert one of the primary defense mechanisms of the human body.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalInfection and Immunity
    Volume75
    Issue number1
    Pages (from-to)30-4
    Number of pages4
    ISSN0019-9567
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2006

    Bibliographical note

    Keywords: Adhesins, Bacterial; Antigens, Bacterial; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; Cells, Cultured; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Escherichia coli Proteins; Humans; Neutrophils; Phagocytosis

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