This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schulte, B. Articles by Kempf, V. A. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schulte, B. Articles by Kempf, V. A. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, September 2006, p. 5003-5013, Vol. 74, No. 9
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00663-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Bartonella quintana Variably Expressed Outer Membrane Proteins Mediate Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Secretion but Not Host Cell Adherence

Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Str. 6, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Abteilung Proteinevolution, Spemannstr. 35, 72076 Tübingen, Germany,² Universitäts-Hautklinik, Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Liebermeisterstraße 25, 72076 Tübingen, Germany³

Received 25 April 2006/ Accepted 2 June 2006

Bartonella quintana causes trench fever, endocarditis, and the vasculoproliferative disorders bacillary angiomatosis and peliosis hepatis in humans. Little is known about the interaction of this pathogen with host cells. We attempted to elucidate the interaction of B. quintana with human macrophages (THP-1) and epithelial cells (HeLa 229). Remarkably, only B. quintana strain JK-31 induced secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from THP-1 and HeLa 229 cells upon infection similar to the secretion induced by B. henselae Marseille, whereas other strains (B. quintana 2-D70, B. quintana Toulouse, and B. quintana Munich) did not induce such secretion. Immunofluorescence testing and electron microscopy revealed that the B. quintana strains unable to induce VEGF secretion did not express the variable outer membrane proteins (Vomps) on their surfaces. Surprisingly, the increase in VEGF secretion mediated by B. quintana JK-31 was not paralleled by elevated host cell adherence rates compared with the rates for Vomp-negative B. quintana strains. Our results suggest that the Vomps play a leading role in the angiogenic reprogramming of host cells by B. quintana but not in the adherence to host cells.

Editor: J. L. Flynn

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tsirigotis, P., Sella, T., Shapira, M.Y., Bitan, M., Bloom, A., Kiselgoff, D., Levin, M., Libster, D., Hai, A. A., Gesundheit, B., Or, R., Slavin, S., Resnick, I. (2007). Peliosis Hepatis following treatment with androgen-steroids in patients with bone marrow failure syndromes. haematol 92: e106-e110 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Boonjakuakul, J. K., Gerns, H. L., Chen, Y.-T., Hicks, L. D., Minnick, M. F., Dixon, S. E., Hall, S. C., Koehler, J. E. (2007). Proteomic and Immunoblot Analyses of Bartonella quintana Total Membrane Proteins Identify Antigens Recognized by Sera from Infected Patients. Infect. Immun. 75: 2548-2561 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Riess, T., Raddatz, G., Linke, D., Schafer, A., Kempf, V. A. J. (2007). Analysis of Bartonella Adhesin A Expression Reveals Differences between Various B. henselae Strains. Infect. Immun. 75: 35-43 [Abstract] [Full Text]