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Infection and Immunity, February 2009, p. 657-666, Vol. 77, No. 2
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00819-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Localization of the Domains of the Haemophilus ducreyi Trimeric Autotransporter DsrA Involved in Serum Resistance and Binding to the Extracellular Matrix Proteins Fibronectin and Vitronectin{triangledown}

Isabelle Leduc, Bonnie Olsen,{dagger} and Christopher Elkins*

Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599

Received 2 July 2008/ Returned for modification 13 August 2008/ Accepted 4 November 2008

Resisting the bactericidal activity of naturally occurring antibodies and complement of normal human serum is an important element in the evasion of innate immunity by bacteria. In the gram-negative mucosal pathogen Haemophilus ducreyi, serum resistance is mediated primarily by the trimeric autotransporter DsrA. DsrA also functions as an adhesin for the extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin and vitronectin and mediates attachment of H. ducreyi to keratinocytes. We sought to determine the domain(s) of the 236-residue DsrA protein required for serum resistance and extracellular matrix protein binding. A 140-amino-acid truncated protein containing only the C-terminal portion of the passenger domain and the entire translocator domain of DsrA exhibited binding to fibronectin and vitronectin and conferred serum resistance to an H. ducreyi serum-sensitive strain. A shorter DsrA construct consisting of only 128 amino acids was unable to bind to extracellular matrix proteins but was serum resistant. We concluded that neither fibronectin binding nor vitronectin binding is required for high-level serum resistance in H. ducreyi.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: 8341C MBRB, 103 Mason Farm Rd., CB#7031, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7031. Phone: (919) 843-5521. Fax: (919) 843-1015. E-mail: chriselk{at}med.unc.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 17 November 2008.

Editor: J. N. Weiser

{dagger} Present address: Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

Infection and Immunity, February 2009, p. 657-666, Vol. 77, No. 2
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00819-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hu, Y.-h., Liu, C.-s., Hou, J.-h., Sun, L. (2009). Identification, Characterization, and Molecular Application of a Virulence-Associated Autotransporter from a Pathogenic Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 4333-4340 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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