Contribution of the major and minor subunits to fimbria-mediated adherence of Haemophilus influenzae to human epithelial cells and erythrocytes.

Fimbriae are colonization factors of the human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae in that they mediate bacterial adherence to human eukaryotic cells. The contribution of the major (HifA) and putative minor (HifD and HifE) subunits of H. influenzae fimbriae to fimbria-specific adherence was studied by using mutants that were inactivated in distinct fimbrial genes. Both the major and minor subunits were required for adherence of H. influenzae to oropharyngeal epithelial cells and human erythrocytes carrying the AnWj antigen. Cloning of defined H. influenzae fimbrial genes in an Escherichia coli strain with type 1 fimbriae yielded recombinants expressing high amounts of HifA-containing H. influenzae fimbriae either with or without coexpression of both H. influenzae minor subunits. Both clones exhibited the specific adherence properties of H. influenzae fimbriae, implying that the minor H. influenzae subunits are dispensable for adherence and that the adhesive domain resides in the major subunit, HifA. In H. influenzae itself, the minor subunits probably affect adherence by raising the number of fimbriae above the minimal level required to establish adherence.