NafA negatively controls Neisseria meningitidis piliation

Kuwae, AsaomiStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi (author)

Bacterial auto-aggregation is a critical step during adhesion of N. meningitidis to host cells. The precise mechanisms and functions of bacterial auto-aggregation still remain to be fully elucidated. In this work, we characterize the role of a meningococcal hypothetical protein, NMB0995/NMC0982, and show that this protein, here denoted NafA, acts as an anti-aggregation factor. NafA was confirmed to be surface exposed and was found to be induced at a late stage of bacterial adherence to epithelial cells. A NafA deficient mutant was hyperpiliated and formed bundles of pili. Further, the mutant displayed increased adherence to epithelial cells when compared to the wild-type strain. In the absence of host cells, the NafA deficient mutant was more aggregative than the wild-type strain. The in vivo role of NafA in sepsis was studied in a murine model of meningococcal disease. Challenge with the NafA deficient mutant resulted in lower bacteremia levels and mortality when compared to the wild-type strain. The present study reveals that meningococcal NafA is an anti-aggregation factor with strong impact on the disease outcome. These data also suggest that appropriate bacterial auto-aggregation is controlled by both aggregation and anti-aggregation factors during Neisseria infection in vivo.

Sjölinder, HongStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi(Swepub:su)misj (author)
Eriksson, JensStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi(Swepub:su)jerik (author)
Eriksson, SaraStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi(Swepub:su)saer5592 (author)
Chen, YaoStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi (author)
Jonsson, Ann-BethStockholms universitet,Institutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi(Swepub:su)anjons (author)
Stockholms universitetInstitutionen för genetik, mikrobiologi och toxikologi (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Kuwae, Asaomi; Sjölinder, Hong; Eriksson, Jens; Eriksson, Sara; Chen, Yao; Jonsson, Ann-Bet ...

About the subject

NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Biological Scien ...; and Microbiology

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