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Infection and Immunity, September 2000, p. 4865-4871, Vol. 68, No. 9
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to Endothelial Cells: Influence of Capsular Polysaccharide, Global Regulator agr, and Bacterial Growth Phase

Petra Pöhlmann-Dietze,1 Martina Ulrich,1 Kevin B. Kiser,2 Gerd Döring,1 Jean C. Lee,2 Jean-Michel Fournier,3 Konrad Botzenhart,1 and Christiane Wolz1,*

Allgemeine Hygiene und Umwelthygiene, Hygiene Institut, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany1; Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts2; and Unité du Choléra et des Vibrions, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France3

Received 31 January 2000/Returned for modification 5 April 2000/Accepted 30 May 2000

The adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to human endothelial cells (EC) is probably an important step in the pathogenesis of systemic staphylococcal infections. We examined the influence of type 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP5) production, the global regulator agr, and the bacterial growth phase on S. aureus adherence to EC. Whereas S. aureus Newman showed maximal adherence to EC in the logarithmic phase of growth, an isogenic agr mutant showed maximal adherence in the stationary growth phase. S. aureus adherence to EC and CP5 expression were negatively correlated: a mutation in the agr locus diminished CP5 production and led to increased adherence. Likewise, induction of CP5 expression by addition of NaCl to the growth medium resulted in reduced staphylococcal adherence to EC. S. aureus Newman cells that adhered to EC did not express CP5. A Newman cap5O mutant was acapsular and showed significantly greater adherence to EC than the parental strain did (P < 0.005). Complementation of the cap5O mutation in trans restored CP5 expression and reduced EC adherence to a level similar to that of the parental strain. The enhanced adherence shown by the cap5O mutant was similar in magnitude to that of the agr mutant or the cap5O agr double mutant. Cells of the cap5O mutant and cap5O agr double mutant harvested from stationary-phase cultures adhered significantly better than did cells harvested in the exponential growth phase. These data are consistent with the postexponential and agr-independent expression by S. aureus of at least one putative EC adhesin, whose binding domain may be masked by CP5.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Allgemeine Hygiene und Umwelthygiene, Universität Tübingen, Wilhelmstrase 31, 72074 Tübingen, Germany. Phone: 49 7071 29 80187. Fax: 49 7071 293011. E-mail: christiane.wolz{at}uni-tuebingen.de.

Infection and Immunity, September 2000, p. 4865-4871, Vol. 68, No. 9
0019-9567/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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