Stephens D S, Spellman P A, Swartley J S
Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303.
J Infect Dis. 1993 Feb;167(2):475-9. doi: 10.1093/infdis/167.2.475.
The effect of (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid on the adherence of Neisseria meningitidis to human mucosal cells was examined using a serogroup B-encapsulated strain and a capsule-defective (Cap-) mutant of this strain. The Cap- mutant contains a single truncated insert of Tn916 in a 3.8-kb HaeIII chromosomal fragment. The Tn916 insert was shown to be responsible for the phenotype by linkage studies and by demonstration that loss of the insert restored encapsulation. The Cap- mutant consistently adhered to human buccal epithelial cell in greater numbers than the encapsulated parent, but the increase in adherence was less than twofold. Adherence of the Cap- mutant during infection of human nasopharyngeal organ cultures was 1.3- to 6.5-fold greater than that of the encapsulated parent. However, specificity of adherence of meningococci for nonciliated nasopharyngeal epithelial cells and the ability to be internalized by these cells was not due to the (alpha 2-->8)-linked polysialic acid capsule.
使用B群荚膜菌株及其荚膜缺陷（Cap-）突变体，研究了（α2→8）连接的多聚唾液酸对脑膜炎奈瑟菌黏附人黏膜细胞的影响。该Cap-突变体在一个3.8kb的HaeIII染色体片段中含有单个截短的Tn916插入片段。通过连锁研究以及证明插入片段的缺失可恢复荚膜形成，表明Tn916插入片段导致了该表型。Cap-突变体始终比有荚膜的亲本黏附更多的人颊上皮细胞，但黏附增加不到两倍。在人鼻咽器官培养物感染期间，Cap-突变体的黏附比有荚膜的亲本高1.3至6.5倍。然而，脑膜炎奈瑟菌对无纤毛鼻咽上皮细胞的黏附特异性以及被这些细胞内化的能力并非归因于（α2→8）连接的多聚唾液酸荚膜。
