IAI FigSearch
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by van Schilfgaarde, M.
Right arrow Articles by van Alphen, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by van Schilfgaarde, M.
Right arrow Articles by van Alphen, L.

Infection and Immunity, August 2000, p. 4616-4623, Vol. 68, No. 8
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Cloning of Genes of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Involved in Penetration between Human Lung Epithelial Cells

Muriel van Schilfgaarde,1,2 Peter van Ulsen,2 Wim van der Steeg,2 Victor Winter,2 Paul Eijk,1 Vincent Everts,3,4 Jacob Dankert,1 and Loek van Alphen1,2,*

Departments of Medical Microbiology1 and Cell Biology and Histology3 and Department of Periodontology, Academic Center for Dentistry,4 University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, and Laboratory for Vaccine Research, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, 3720 BA Bilthoven,2 The Netherlands

Received 10 January 2000/Returned for modification 23 February 2000/Accepted 5 May 2000

Haemophilus influenzae penetrates between epithelial cells via an unknown mechanism. A chromosomal library of nonencapsulated H. influenzae strain A960053 DNA was constructed in Escherichia coli DH5alpha to identify bacterial genes contributing to this paracytosis. Two E. coli clones that contained open reading frames (ORFs) homologous to HI0636 to HI0641 of H. influenzae strain Rd and that showed an increased penetration in epithelial cell layers of the human bronchial epithelial cell line NCI-H292 were identified. ORFs HI0636 and HI0638, encoding two small proteins of unknown functions, were further investigated. The clone containing ORFs HI0636 and HI0637 as well as the clone containing ORF HI0638 showed a significant increase in penetration. Disruption of HI0638 by kanamycin box insertion in H. influenzae strain A960053 resulted in loss of penetration into the epithelial cell layers. Disruption of HI0636 had no effect on penetration in this model system. Since a role for HI0637 in the paracytosis of H. influenzae is very unlikely because it encodes TrpS, we conclude that the protein encoded by ORF HI0638 may function as a paracytin, while that encoded by HI0636 may have an auxiliary function.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory for Vaccine Research, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands. Phone: 31-30-2742701. Fax: 31-30-2744429. E-mail: Loek.van.Alphen{at}rivm.nl.

Infection and Immunity, August 2000, p. 4616-4623, Vol. 68, No. 8
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
J. Bacteriol. J. Virol. Eukaryot. Cell
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. Clin. Vaccine Immunol. All ASM Journals

Copyright © 2000 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.