The human complement system is an important early host defense against infection. Entamoeba histolytica activates the complement system but is resistant to killing by complement C5b-9 complexes deposited on the membrane surface. Our aim was to identify components of the amebic plasma membrane that mediate resistance to human complement C5b-9 by screening for neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. ...

Candida albicans possesses on its cell surface an adhesin which binds the whole viable fungus to subendothelial extracellular matrix and matrix proteins. The adhesin is composed of 75 to 80% carbohydrate and approximately 20 to 25% protein by weight. High-performance liquid chromatography of material eluted from a fibronectin-agarose affinity column demonstrates the presence of three peaks, all...

INTRODUCTION Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) is the most common atypical pathogen that causes respiratory infections in humans. Laboratory tests are important in the diagnosis of M. pneumoniae because of the atypical features in clinical signs and symptoms. Nowadays, both the P1 adhesin gene and 16S ribosomal (r) RNA (rRNA) gene of M. pneumoniae have been widely detected by polymerase cha...

Class 5 fimbriae of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) comprise eight serologically discrete colonization factors that mediate small intestinal adhesion. Their differentiation has been attributed to the pressure imposed by host adaptive immunity. We sequenced the major pilin and minor adhesin subunit genes of a geographically diverse population of ETEC elaborating CFA/I (n = 31), CS17 (n =...

We tell of a journey that led to discovery of amyloids formed by yeast cell adhesins and their importance in biofilms and host immunity. We begin with the identification of the adhesin functional amyloid-forming sequences that mediate fiber formation in vitro. Atomic force microscopy and confocal microscopy show 2-dimensional amyloid "nanodomains" on the surface of cells that are activated for ...

The Afa/Dr diffusely adhering Escherichia coli (DAEC) C1845 strain harboring the F1845 fimbrial adhesin interacts with the brush border-associated CD55 molecule and promotes elongation of brush border microvilli resulting from rearrangement of the F-actin network. This phenomenon involves the activation of a cascade of signaling coupled to the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored receptor of t...

Type 1 fimbriae mediate adhesion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to host cells. It has been hypothesized that due to their ability to uncoil under exposure to force, fimbriae can reduce fluid shear stress on the adhesin-receptor interaction by which the bacterium adheres to the surface. In this work, we develop a model that describes how the force on the adhesin-receptor interaction of a type...

Outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs) are extruded nanostructures shed by Gram-negative bacteria, containing periplasmic contents, and often including virulence factors with immunogenic properties. To assess their potential for use in vaccine development, we purified OMVs from the Fusobacterium necrophorum subspecies necrophorum, an opportunistic necrotic infection-causing pathogen, characterized thes...

An insertional mutation in hsa, the gene encoding the sialic acid-binding adhesin of Streptococcus gordonii DL1, resulted in a significant reduction of the infection rate of the organism and an inflammatory reaction in the rat aortic valve with experimental endocarditis, suggesting that the adhesin contributes to the infectivity of the organism for heart valves.

The a-sialyl-1J-2,3-gaIactosyl-specific adhesin (S adhesin) was isolated from cells of a recombinant Escherichia coli K-12 strain expressing the S-flmbrial adhesin complex. A crude cell extract was partiaUy dissociated into fimbriae and an adhesin-enriched fraction by heating to 7O"C. From the latter, adhesin was purified to apparent homogeneity (by fast protein liquid chromatography, immunoblo...