HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jmm.0.013235-0v1 58/12/1542    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Saldías, M. S. Articles by Valvano, M. A. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Saldías, M. S. Articles by Valvano, M. A. Agricola Articles by Saldías, M. S. Articles by Valvano, M. A.

Burkholderia cenocepacia O antigen lipopolysaccharide prevents phagocytosis by macrophages and adhesion to epithelial cells

¹ Infectious Diseases Research Group, Siebens–Drake Research Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada

² Department of Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5C1, Canada

Correspondence
Miguel A. Valvano
mvalvano{at}uwo.ca

Received May 29, 2009
Accepted August 20, 2009

Chronic respiratory infections by the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are of great concern to patients with cystic fibrosis. Bcc isolates may survive intracellularly within amoebae, respiratory epithelial cells and macrophages. The molecular mechanisms facilitating colonization and pathogenesis remain unclear. Given the importance of bacterial adhesion to host surfaces in microbial pathogenesis, we investigated the role of the O antigen LPS in the interaction of Burkholderia cenocepacia, a member of the Bcc, with macrophages and epithelial cells. Our results demonstrated that the O antigen modulates phagocytosis but does not affect intracellular survival of B. cenocepacia. Internalization of strains that lack O antigen was significantly increased compared to that of their isogenic smooth counterparts. However, no differences between rough and smooth strains were found in their ability to delay phagosomal maturation. We also found that the O antigen interfered with the ability of B. cenocepacia to adhere to bronchial epithelial cells, suggesting that this polysaccharide may mask one or more bacterial surface adhesins.