J Korean Soc Microbiol.  1999 Oct;34(5):435-443.

Infectivity of Orientia tsutsugamushi to Various Eukaryotic Cells and Their Cellular Invasion Mechanism

• Ihn KS
• Han SH
• Kim HR
• Seong SY
• Kim IS
• Choi MS

Abstract

Orientia tsutsugamushi is obligate intracellular bacterium that grows within the cytoplasm of the eukaryotic host cells. Therefore capability of the attachment, entry into the host cell and intracellular survival should be critical process for oriential infection. In this study we investigated the cellular invasion mechanism of Orientia tsutsugamushi and the role of transmembrane heparan sulfate proteoglycan, which binds diverse components at the cellular microenvironment and is implicated as host cell receptors for a variety of microbial pathogens. First of all Orientia tsutsugamushi can invade a wide range of nonprofessional phagocytic cells including fibroblast, epithelial cells a#nd endothelial cells of various host species, including B and T lymphocytes. Thus, it was postulated that the attachment of O. tsutsugamushi requires the recognition of ubiquitous surface structures of many kinds of host cells. Treatments with heparan sulfate and heparin inhibited the infection of Orientia tsutsugamushi in dose-dependent manner for L cell, mouse fibroblast, whereas other glycosaminoglycans such as chondroitin sulfate had no effect. Collectively, these findings provide strong evidence that initial interaction with heparan sulfate proteoglycan is required for the oriential invasion into host cells.

Keyword

Orientia tsutsugamushi; Invasion; Heparan sulfate proteoglycan

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cellular Microenvironment
Chondroitin Sulfates
Cytoplasm
Endothelial Cells
Epithelial Cells
Eukaryotic Cells*
Fibroblasts
Glycosaminoglycans
Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans
Heparin
Heparitin Sulfate
Mice
Orientia tsutsugamushi*
Phagocytes
T-Lymphocytes
Chondroitin Sulfates
Glycosaminoglycans
Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans
Heparin
Heparitin Sulfate