Laboratorio de Fagocitosis, Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, C5500 Mendoza, Argentina.
Área de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, C5500 Mendoza, Argentina.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018 Jun 26;115(26):E6000-E6009. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1802188115. Epub 2018 Jun 11.
() constitutes the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterium worldwide. Chlamydial infections can lead to severe clinical sequelae including pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and tubal infertility. As an obligate intracellular pathogen, has evolved multiple strategies to promote adhesion and invasion of host cells, including those involving both bacterial and host glycans. Here, we show that galectin-1 (Gal1), an endogenous lectin widely expressed in female and male genital tracts, promotes infection. Through glycosylation-dependent mechanisms involving recognition of bacterial glycoproteins and -glycosylated host cell receptors, Gal1 enhanced attachment to cervical epithelial cells. Exposure to Gal1, mainly in its dimeric form, facilitated bacterial entry and increased the number of infected cells by favoring - and -host cell interactions. These effects were substantiated in vivo in mice lacking Gal1 or complex β1-6-branched -glycans. Thus, disrupting Gal1--glycan interactions may limit the severity of chlamydial infection by inhibiting bacterial invasion of host cells.
() 是全球最常见的性传播细菌。衣原体感染可导致严重的临床后遗症，包括盆腔炎、宫外孕和输卵管不孕。作为一种专性细胞内病原体，已经进化出多种促进黏附和入侵宿主细胞的策略，包括涉及细菌和宿主糖的策略。在这里，我们表明半乳糖凝集素-1（Gal1），一种广泛表达于女性和男性生殖道的内源性凝集素，可促进 的感染。通过涉及识别细菌糖蛋白和β-糖基化宿主细胞受体的糖基化依赖机制，Gal1 增强了对宫颈上皮细胞的附着。Gal1 的暴露，主要以二聚体形式，促进了细菌的进入，并通过促进β-和 -宿主细胞相互作用增加了感染细胞的数量。在缺乏 Gal1 或复杂β1-6-分支β-聚糖的小鼠体内，这些作用得到了证实。因此，通过抑制细菌入侵宿主细胞，破坏 Gal1-糖基相互作用可能会限制衣原体感染的严重程度。
