Sialyloligosaccharide chains of laminin as an extracellular matrix target for S fimbriae of Escherichia coli.

S fimbriae purified from recombinant Escherichia coli HB101(pANN801-13) bound strongly to extracellular matrices of cultured endothelial and epithelial cells; only poor binding was seen with the fimbriae purified from the sfaS mutant strain HB101(pANN801-1321). E. coli HB101(pANN801-13) adhered strongly to laminin immobilized on glass; no adhesion was seen to type I, III, IV, or V collagen. Strain HB101(pANN801-1321) failed to adhere to any of the target proteins. Adhesion to laminin of strain HB101(pANN801-13) was inhibited by sialyl-alpha-2,3-lactose as well as by periodate oxidation and neuraminidase treatment of laminin. In Western blotting, the purified S fimbriae recognized more strongly the A chain than the B chains of laminin.