Title: Dual pili post-translational modifications synergize to mediate meningococcal adherence to platelet activating factor receptor on human airway cells.

Authors: Jen, Freda E-C; Warren, Matthew J; Schulz, Benjamin L; Power, Peter M; Swords, W Edward; Weiser, Jeffery N; Apicella, Michael A; Edwards, Jennifer L; Jennings, Michael P

Published In PLoS Pathog, (2013)

Abstract: Pili of pathogenic Neisseria are major virulence factors associated with adhesion, twitching motility, auto-aggregation, and DNA transformation. Pili of N. meningitidis are subject to several different post-translational modifications. Among these pilin modifications, the presence of phosphorylcholine (ChoP) and a glycan on the pilin protein are phase-variable (subject to high frequency, reversible on/off switching of expression). In this study we report the location of two ChoP modifications on the C-terminus of N. meningitidis pilin. We show that the surface accessibility of ChoP on pili is affected by phase variable changes to the structure of the pilin-linked glycan. We identify for the first time that the platelet activating factor receptor (PAFr) is a key, early event receptor for meningococcal adherence to human bronchial epithelial cells and tissue, and that synergy between the pilin-linked glycan and ChoP post-translational modifications is required for pili to optimally engage PAFr to mediate adherence to human airway cells.

PubMed ID: 23696740

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication