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Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3150-3160, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00096-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Acinetobacter baumannii 19606 OmpA Protein Plays a Role in Biofilm Formation on Abiotic Surfaces and in the Interaction of This Pathogen with Eukaryotic Cells{triangledown}

Jennifer A. Gaddy, Andrew P. Tomaras,{dagger} and Luis A. Actis*

Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Received 26 January 2009/ Returned for modification 31 March 2009/ Accepted 19 May 2009

The ability of Acinetobacter baumannii to adhere to and persist on surfaces as biofilms could be central to its pathogenicity. The production of pili and a biofilm-associated protein and the expression of antibiotic resistance are needed for robust biofilm formation on abiotic and biotic surfaces. This multistep process also depends on the expression of transcriptional regulatory functions, some of which could sense nutrients available to cells. This report extends previous observations by showing that although outer membrane protein A (OmpA) of A. baumannii 19606 plays a partial role in the development of robust biofilms on plastic, it is essential for bacterial attachment to Candida albicans filaments and A549 human alveolar epithelial cells. In contrast to abiotic surfaces, the interaction with biotic surfaces is independent of the CsuA/BABCDE-mediated pili. The interaction of A. baumannii 19606 with fungal and epithelial cells also results in their apoptotic death, a response that depends on the direct contact of bacteria with these two types of eukaryotic cells. Furthermore, the bacterial adhesion phenotype correlates with the ability of bacteria to invade A549 epithelial cells. Interestingly, the killing activity of cell-free culture supernatants proved to be protease and temperature sensitive, suggesting that its cytotoxic activity is due to secreted proteins, some of which are different from OmpA.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, Miami University, 32 Pearson Hall, Oxford, OH 45056. Phone: (513) 529-5424. Fax: (513) 529-2431. E-mail: actisla{at}muohio.edu

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 26 May 2009.

Editor: V. J. DiRita

{dagger} Present address: Pfizer Global Research and Development, Eastern Point Road, Groton, CT.

Infection and Immunity, August 2009, p. 3150-3160, Vol. 77, No. 8
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00096-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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