Beachey E H, Simpson W A
Infection. 1982;10(2):107-11. doi: 10.1007/BF01816738.
The attachment of group A streptococci to oropharyngeal epithelial cells is mediated by adhesive molecules (adhesins) on the surfaces of the micro-organisms that interact with receptor molecules on the epithelial cells. The evidence that the adhesin is composed of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) complexed with bacterial cell surface proteins is as follows: (a) Among the purified cell wall substances tested, only LTA was able to inhibit attachment; (b) treatment of streptococci with anti LTA but not with antibody against other surface substances blocks attachment; (c) LTa forms complexes with purified M protein, the most abundant protein on the surface of virulent streptococci; (d) the lipid moieties of LTA, which mediate attachment, remain free in the M protein-LTA complexes to interact with receptor analogues, such as serum albumin. The evidence that the receptor for the LTA mediated binding of streptococci resides in fibronectin molecules on oropharyngeal cells is as follows: (a) the addition ot adhesion test mixtures of fibronection inhibits binding; (b) the number of streptococci capable of attaching is directly proportional to the amount of fibronectin present on epithelial cells; (c) purified fibronectin immobilized on latex beads agglutinates suspensions of streptococci; (d) radiolabeled fibronectin binds to group A streptococci; (e) both the agglutination of fibronectin-beads and the binding of fibronectin to streptococci is blocked by LTA, the streptococcal adhesin.
A 组链球菌与口咽上皮细胞的附着是由微生物表面的黏附分子（黏附素）介导的，这些黏附分子与上皮细胞上的受体分子相互作用。黏附素由与细菌细胞表面蛋白复合的脂磷壁酸（LTA）组成的证据如下：（a）在测试的纯化细胞壁物质中，只有 LTA 能够抑制附着；（b）用抗 LTA 处理链球菌可阻断附着，而用针对其他表面物质的抗体处理则不能；（c）LTa 与纯化的 M 蛋白形成复合物，M 蛋白是有毒力链球菌表面最丰富的蛋白质；（d）LTA 的脂质部分介导附着，在 M 蛋白-LTA 复合物中保持游离状态，以与受体类似物（如血清白蛋白）相互作用。LTA 介导的链球菌结合的受体存在于口咽细胞的纤连蛋白分子中的证据如下：（a）向黏附试验混合物中添加纤连蛋白可抑制结合；（b）能够附着的链球菌数量与上皮细胞上存在的纤连蛋白量直接成正比；（c）固定在乳胶珠上的纯化纤连蛋白可凝集链球菌悬液；（d）放射性标记的纤连蛋白与 A 组链球菌结合；（e）纤连蛋白珠的凝集以及纤连蛋白与链球菌的结合均被链球菌黏附素 LTA 阻断。
