Gonococcal lipooligosaccharide: an adhesin for bacterial dissemination? Response

Abstract

Dr Nassif discusses gonococcal lipooligosaccharide (LOS) and its role as an adhesin in bacterial dissemination. Our laboratory has shown that, in HepG2 cells and sperm cells, the terminal lactosamine present on lacto-N-neotetraose-terminal gonococcal LOS is a ligand for the human asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) 1.xNeisseria gonorrhoeae utilizes and enhances the biosynthesis of the asialoglycoprotein receptor expressed on the surface of the hepatic HepG2 cell line. Porat, N. et al. Infect. Immun. 1995; 63: 1498–1506PubMedSee all References, 2.xGonococcal lipooligosaccharide is a ligand for the asialoglycoprotein receptor on human sperm. Harvey, H.A. et al. Mol. Microbiol. 2000; 36: 1059–1070Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (56)See all References. We agree with Dr Nassif's assessment of the role of LOS in the transmission of gonorrhoea. In addition, we would like to expand the hypothesis that LOS plays a role in gonococcal pathogenesis to include adherence and invasion of host epithelial cells. Previous work from our laboratory with a primary human urethral epithelial cell tissue culture system showed that the ASGP-R is present on these cells 3xUltrastructural analysis of primary human urethral epithelial cell cultures infected with Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Harvey, H.A. et al. Infect. Immun. 1997; 65: 2420–2427PubMedSee all References3. Recent studies with primary urethral cells have pro-vided evidence that clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis via interaction between gonoococcal LOS and the ASGP-R is a major route of gonococcal entry into these cells (M.A. Apicella, unpublished). Taken together, our findings — those discussed by Dr Nassif and our recent work — support the hypothesis that a specific interaction between the ASGP-R on human cells and the terminal galactose on lacto-N-neotetraose-terminal Neisseria gonorrhoeae LOS contributes to the pathogenesis and transmission of the disease gonorrhoea.