J Med Microbiol 55 (2006), 309-315; DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.46102-0
© 2006 Society for General Microbiology
ISSN 0022-2615
Attachment of Yersinia pestis to human respiratory cell lines is inhibited by certain oligosaccharides
Richard Thomas1 and
Tim Brooks2
Defence, Science & Technology Laboratories1 and Health Protection Agency2 , Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
Correspondence
Richard Thomas
rjthomas{at}dstl.gov.uk
Received 24 March 2005
Accepted 17 October 2005
Pneumonic plague is an aggressive disease that is clinically difficult to treat. Inhibition of attachment using oligosaccharide receptor mimics may provide an alternative to antibiotics. The virulent Yersinia pestis strain GB was demonstrated to attach to the murine monocyte cell line (J774A.1) and a range of human respiratory epithelial cell lines: nasal (RPMI-2650), bronchial (BEAS2-B) and alveolar (A549). Attachment was greatest to the A549 and BEAS2-B cell lines. Pre-treatment of the cell lines with tunicamycin reduced attachment by 5565 %, indicating the importance of cell-surface carbohydrates in adhesion. The cell lines displayed differences in the oligosaccharides that inhibited attachment. p-Nitrophenol was the best inhibitor for each cell line. Disaccharides such as GalNAcß1-3Gal and GalNAcß1-4Gal were also good inhibitors, particularly for the RPMI-2650 cell line. This demonstrates the potential of oligosaccharides as potential anti-adhesion therapeutics.
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Copyright © 2006 Society for General Microbiology.