(2003, NS 124)
Anna Norrby-Teglund, Staffan Normark, Ragnar Norrby, Malak Kotb,
Thierry Calandra, Terje Espevik
May 15 - 17
Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Proceedings: Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases,
Vol. 35, No. 9, 2003, Stockholm.
Neisserial Opa
Proteins: Impact on Colonization, Dissemination and
Immunity
Scott D. Gray-Owen
Department of Medical Genetics and Microbiology, University of
Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The pathogenic Neisseria sp. encode a family of phase-variable and antigenically distinct Opa proteins that allow bacterial attachment to virtually every cell type encountered during infection. Some Opa variants bind cell surface-expressed herapan sulphate proteoglycans, including members of the syndecan family of receptors, and extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and vitronectin. Other variants bind members of the carcinoembryonic antingen family of cellular adhesion molecules (CEACAMs). Depending upon the Opa vaiant(s) expessed, these receptor interactions can allow neisserial entry and transcellular transcytosis across polarized epithelial cell monolayers, entry into endothelial cells, suppression of lymphocyte function and/or bacterial engulfment and killing by neutrophils. Recent advances in our understanding of how these Opa protein-mediated interactions influence the host cellular response are discussed in the context of their impact on various stages of neisserial infection.
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