The Hypervariable Region of Meningococcal Major Pilin PilE Controls the Host Cell Response via Antigenic Variation

• DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01024-13
• Publication Date: 2014-02-12T02:34:41Z
• Authors: Florence Miller; Gilles Phan; Terry Brissac; Coralie Bouchiat; Ghislaine Lioux; Xavier Nassif; Mathieu Coureuil
• Keywords: Pilin; Internalization

Type IV pili (Tfp) are expressed by many Gram-negative bacteria to promote aggregation, adhesion, internalization, twitching motility, or natural transformation. Tfp of Neisseria meningitidis, the causative agent cerebrospinal meningitis, involved in colonization human nasopharynx. After invasion bloodstream, allow adhesion N. meningitidis endothelial cells, which leads opening blood-brain barrier and meningitis. To achieve firm induces a host cell response that results elongation microvilli surrounding meningococcal colony. Here we study role major pilin subunit PilE during using dermal microvascular cells pharynx carcinoma-derived FaDu epithelial line. We first show some variants unable induce response. By engineering mutants, observed C-terminus domain, contains disulfide bonded region (D-region), is critical for hypervariable regions confer different specificities. Moreover, point mutants D-region combined with structural modeling revealed two independent signaling (HDMECs) cells. Our indicate diversity sequence allows induction via several receptors. This suggests has evolved powerful tool adapt easily niches modifying its ability interact cells.Type long appendages bacteria, including These aspects pathogenesis: competence, motility. More specifically, devoid secretion system manipulate host, signal brain open barrier. In this report, investigate, at molecular level, involvement C-terminal signaling.