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Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 3588-3595, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.00155-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Influenza A Virus Neuraminidase Enhances Meningococcal Adhesion to Epithelial Cells through Interaction with Sialic Acid-Containing Meningococcal Capsules
Marie-Anne Rameix-Welti,2
Maria Leticia Zarantonelli,1,
Dario Giorgini,1,3
Corinne Ruckly,1,3
Monica Marasescu,2
Sylvie van der Werf,2
Jean-Michel Alonso,1
Nadia Naffakh,2* and
Muhamed-Kheir Taha1,3*
Unité Neisseria, Centre National de Référence des Méningocoques,1 Unité Postulante Infections Bactériennes Invasives,3 Unité de Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, Centre National de Référence du Virus Influenzae (Région Nord), Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 3015, Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7, 25-28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France2
Received 10 February 2009/ Returned for modification 26 March 2009/ Accepted 5 June 2009
The underlying mechanisms of the epidemiological association between influenza virus infections and Neisseria meningitidis invasive infections are not fully understood. Here we report that adhesion of N. meningitidis to human Hec-1-B epithelial cells is enhanced by influenza A virus (IAV) infection. A potential role of the viral neuraminidase (NA) in facilitating meningococcal adhesion to influenza virus-infected epithelial cells was examined. Expression of a recombinant IAV NA in Hec-1-B human epithelial cells increased the adhesion of strains of N. meningitidis belonging to the sialic acid-containing capsular serogroups B, C, and W135 but not to the mannosamine phosphate-containing capsular serogroup A. Adhesion enhancement was not observed with an inactive NA mutant or in the presence of an NA inhibitor (zanamivir). Furthermore, purified IAV NA was shown to cleave sialic acid-containing capsular polysaccharides of N. meningitidis. On the whole, our findings suggest that a direct interaction between the NA of IAV and the capsule of N. meningitidis enhances bacterial adhesion to cultured epithelial cells, most likely through cleavage of capsular sialic acid-containing polysaccharides. A better understanding of the association between IAV and invasive meningococcal infections should help to set up improved control strategies against these seasonal dual viral-bacterial infections.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address for Muhamed-Kheir Taha: Institut Pasteur, Unité Postulante Infections Bactériennes Invasives, 25-28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. Phone: 33 1 45 68 84 38. Fax: 33 1 1 45 68 83 38. E-mail: mktaha{at}pasteur.fr. Mailing address for Nadia Naffakh: Institut Pasteur, Unité de Génétique Moléculaire des Virus à ARN, 25-28 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. Phone: 33 1 45 68 88 11. Fax: 33 1 40 61 32 41. E-mail: nnaffakh{at}pasteur.fr
Published ahead of print on 15 June 2009.
Present address: Laboratory of Biological Control Laboratorios, Artigas 3896, Uruguay.
Infection and Immunity, September 2009, p. 3588-3595, Vol. 77, No. 9
0019-9567/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.00155-09
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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