Open AccessAdherence of Ureaplasma urealyticum to human epithelial cells
Author(s) -
David George Emslie Smith,
W. C. Russell,
D. Thirkell
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1465-2080
pISSN - 1350-0872
DOI - 10.1099/00221287-140-10-2893
Subject(s) - ureaplasma urealyticum , ureaplasma , bacterial adhesin , serotype , sialic acid , hela , antiserum , microbiology and biotechnology , antigen , neuraminidase , mycoplasmataceae , biology , monoclonal antibody , glycoprotein , cell , antibody , chemistry , mollicutes , biochemistry , escherichia coli , immunology , mycoplasma , enzyme , gene
Adherence of Ureaplasma urealyticum cells to eukaryotic cell monolayers was quantified using the Bertholet assay to monitor ammonia produced from urea by ureaplasma urease. Adherence was abolished by pre-treatment of ureaplasmas with HeLa cell extracts and inhibited to varying degrees by pretreatment of the ureaplasmas with N-acetylneuraminic acid, specific antisera and monoclonal antibodies. The data suggest the presence of several ureaplasma adhesins, some of which are species- or serotype-specific and some of which are proteinaceous and antigenic. The serotype-8-specific 96 kDa surface-expressed antigen may be one adhesin. Pre-treatment of HeLa cell monolayers with neuraminidase significantly reduced ureaplasma adherence and, using a novel 'immunoblot adherence assay', ureaplasmas were shown to bind to a number of HeLa cell components, three of which appear to terminate in sialic acid.