What makes bacterial pathogens so sticky?

Abstract

Pathogenic bacteria use a variety of cell surface adhesins to promote binding to host tissues and protein-coated biomaterials, as well as cell-cell aggregation. These cellular interactions represent the first essential step that leads to host colonization and infection. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has greatly contributed to increase our understanding of the specific interactions at play during microbial adhesion, down to the single-molecule level. A key asset of AFM is that adhesive interactions are studied under mechanical force, which is highly relevant as surface-attached pathogens are often exposed to physical stresses in the human body. These studies have identified sophisticated binding mechanisms in adhesins, which represent promising new targets for antiadhesion therapy.

The membrane microenvironment regulates the sequential attachment of bacteria to host cells

“…This has therefore important implication in our view of infection. In the current context of a concerning rise in multidrug resistant pathogens, our work provides new insights that could inspire us in developing anti-adhesive therapeutics 3 .…”

“…In the context of host colonization, the transition between planktonic and sessile lifestyles plays a functional role in mediating host-microbe interactions. Indeed, attachment to host tissue, more specifically to cells, is often a critical first step towards infection or commensalism 2,3 . As a result, the dynamics of attachment of single bacteria to host cells can dramatically influence the outcome of infection or regulate host-microbiota homeostasis.…”

“…In addition, it is an active surface, permanently rearranging itself under the action of force-generating structures such as the cytoskeleton. Finally, in contrast with abiotic adhesion, bacterial attachment to host cell involves specific molecular interactions 3 . As a result, the analogy between biotic and abiotic adhesion may overlook critical physical and biological regulators.…”

“…The structure and biochemistry of adhesin-receptor interactions has been intensively characterized for a subset of adhesins 2,3,20 . One common resulting hypothesis is that the attachment behavior of single bacteria to their target host cell entirely reflects the molecular adhesin-receptor kinetics and affinity 2,9 .…”

Bacterial Route Finding and Collective Escape in Mazes and Fractals

“…We grew at 1000°C in an O 2 atmosphere a 0.2-μm-thick SiO 2 layer to obtain a hydrophilic surface after the etching step. We observed that bacteria left behind a surface modification of the SiO 2 which prevented stable rewetting of the chip [8,9]. To enable fresh reruns the chip surfaces were cleaned by a wet HF strip of the SiO 2 surface followed by thermal regrowth of the SiO 2 surface.…”