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Infection and Immunity, October 2003, p. 5682-5689, Vol. 71, No. 10
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.10.5682-5689.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Aggregation Domain of Aggregation Substance, Not the RGD Motifs, Is Critical for Efficient Internalization by HT-29 Enterocytes

Christopher M. Waters,¹ Carol L. Wells,² and Gary M. Dunny^1*

Departments of Microbiology,¹ Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455²

Received 4 April 2003/ Returned for modification 9 June 2003/ Accepted 15 July 2003

Aggregation substance (AS), a surface protein encoded on the pheromone-inducible plasmids of Enterococcus faecalis, has been shown to increase adherence and internalization into a number of different cell types, presumably through integrin binding mediated by the N-terminal RGD motif of AS. Here, defined mutations constructed in Asc10, the AS encoded by the plasmid pCF10, are analyzed for their ability to promote increased internalization levels into HT-29 enterocytes. The results clearly show that the previously identified Asc10 functional domain, not the RGD motifs, is critical for Asc10-directed internalization of E. faecalis into HT-29 enterocytes. Also, expression of Asc10 in the nonaggregating E. faecalis strain INY3000 is unable to mediate HT-29 internalization. However, Asc10-expressing E. faecalis cells are not internalized as bacterial aggregates, suggesting bacterial aggregation is not a prerequisite for HT-29 internalization. These data show that Asc10 directs internalization of E. faecalis into HT-29 enterocytes through a non-RGD-dependent mechanism.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Medical School, 1420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0312. Phone: (612) 625-9930. Fax: (612). E-mail: gary-d{at}biosci.cbs.umn.edu.

Editor: J. D. Clements

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Infection and Immunity, October 2003, p. 5682-5689, Vol. 71, No. 10
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.10.5682-5689.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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