In this study, we demonstrated that Fn can mediate attachment of M. tuberculosis to murine AMs. The data suggest that Fn interacts with M. tuberculosis via the heparin binding domain (HBD) of Fn. Fn-enhanced attachment of M. tuberculosis to murine AMs was decreased by the addition of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to either HBD or cell binding domain. Further, Fn-mediated attachment of M. tuberculosis to AMs was blocked by the tetrapeptide sequence of the CBD, RGDS (Arg-Gly-Glu-Ser), suggesting a possible role for the CBD of Fn in the mediation of Fn attachment to AMs.
MATERIALS AND METHODSM. tuberculosis isolation. The H37Ra strain of M. tuberculosis (American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va.) was cultured at 37°C in 5% CO 2 atmosphere in dispersed form in Middlebrook 7H9 broth (Difco Laboratories, Detroit,