Mechanisms involved in uptake of Bordetella bronchiseptica by mouse dendritic cells.

The invasion and intracellular survival of Bordetella bronchiseptica in mouse dendritic cells were investigated. The results obtained suggest that B. bronchiseptica binds specifically to glycosylated receptors present on the plasma membrane of dendritic cells, thereby inducing a signal that triggers an actin polymerization-dependent phagocytic process, probably via a protein kinase-dependent transducing phosphorylation signal. The energy required for the uptake process by host cells is provided mainly by the glycolytic pathway. An intact microtubule system and de novo protein synthesis in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are essential for efficient uptake and intracellular survival. The interaction of B. bronchiseptica with dendritic cells may be pertinent to natural infections that follow a chronic clinical course and predispose to secondary infections, and to the T-cell response involved in protective immunity following infections caused by Bordetella spp.