Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae, gonococci, or GC), the etiologic agent of gonorrhea, is a human-obligate bacterial pathogen. The GC surface contains pili that mediate the adherence to host cells. Studies have shown that GC pili, coded by pilin genes, undergo remarkable changes during human experimental gonorrhea, possibly generated by DNA phase variation during infection. The question that arises is whether the changes in pilins can alter the adherence capacity of N. gonorrhoeae to host cells. In this study, six variants initially isolated from male volunteers infected with one single clone of GC were examined for their adherence patterns with human Chang conjunctiva cells. In this study, we showed that the variants showed distinct adherence patterns to this cell line under light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Moreover, two reisolates showed higher adherence capacities than that of the input strain. The results provide an additional example as to how the pilus variation may play a role in the pathogenesis of N. gonorrhoeae.
Highlights
Introduction eGram-negative bacterium N. gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae, gonococci, or GC) is the etiologic agent of sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea, the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia infection [1]
All of the 6 reisolates expressed pilin subunits that exhibited the same electrophoretic mobility as the input strain (Figure 1(a)), while previous studies by Swanson et al indicated that the pilin mRNA sequencing of these strains exhibited multiple sequence changes in pilin mRNAs compared to the input GC [23]. e reisolates expressed no outer membrane protein (Opa) (Figure 1(b))
After showing signs of gonorrhea, the discharged GC were collected and the reisolates were stored for further studies. e major finding of this 1987 study was that the pilin sequences of almost all reisolates were changed during infection [23], indicating that pili play a major role during gonorrhea
Summary
Introduction eGram-negative bacterium N. gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae, gonococci, or GC) is the etiologic agent of sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea, the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia infection [1]. Without a highly effective vaccine to prevent gonorrhea, it presents a substantial challenge to public health [12, 13]. GC is an obligate human pathogen that possesses the tremendous ability to change its surface components, most notably the pili [14, 15], opacity-associated (Opa) proteins [16, 17], and lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) [18, 19]. A series of very controversial human experiments were initially carried out by Swanson et al to understand the roles of pili, Opa proteins, and LOSs in the pathogenesis of GC infection [15, 19, 23,24,25]. A series of very controversial human experiments were initially carried out by Swanson et al to understand the roles of pili, Opa proteins, and LOSs in the pathogenesis of GC infection [15, 19, 23,24,25]. e results confirmed that all three
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Schedule a callMore From: The Canadian journal of infectious diseases & medical microbiology = Journal canadien des maladies infectieuses et de la microbiologie medicale
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