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Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 7190-7194, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Inducible Expression of Enterococcus faecalis Aggregation Substance Surface Protein Facilitates Bacterial Internalization by Cultured Enterocytes

Carol L. Wells,1,2,* Elizabeth A. Moore,1 Julie A. Hoag,1 Helmut Hirt,3 Gary M. Dunny,3 and Stanley L. Erlandsen4

Departments of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology,1 Surgery,2 Microbiology,3 and Genetics, Cell Biology & Development,4 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0374

Received 21 April 2000/Returned for modification 12 June 2000/Accepted 15 September 2000

Aggregation substance (AS) is an Enterococcus faecalis surface protein that may contribute to virulence. Using a recently described system for controlled expression of AS in E. faecalis and the heterologous host Lactococcus lactis, experiments were designed to assess the effect of AS on bacterial internalization by HT-29 and Caco-2 enterocytes. AS expression was associated with increased internalization of E. faecalis by HT-29 enterocytes and of L. lactis by HT-29 and Caco-2 enterocytes. Compared to enterocytes cultivated under standard conditions, either cultivation in hypoxia or 1-h pretreatment of enterocytes with calcium-free medium resulted in increased internalization of both E. faecalis and L. lactis (with and without AS expression). Also, AS expression augmented these increases when E. faecalis was incubated with pretreated HT-29 enterocytes and when L. lactis was incubated with pretreated Caco-2 and HT-29 enterocytes. These data indicated that AS might facilitate E. faecalis internalization by cultured enterocytes.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, Box 609, Mayo Building, 420 Delaware St., S.E., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0385. Phone: (612) 625-5951. Fax: (612) 625-5622. E-mail: wells002{at}tc.umn.edu.


Infection and Immunity, December 2000, p. 7190-7194, Vol. 68, No. 12
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.



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