![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
Abstract
Pathogen attachment to host tissues is one of the initial and most crucial events during the establishment of bacterial infections and thus interference with this step could be an efficient strategy to fight bacterial colonization. Our recent work has identified one of the factors involved in initial binding of host cells by a wide range of Gram-negative pathogens, Multivalent Adhesion Molecule (MAM) 7. Interference with MAM7-mediated attachment, for example by pre-incubation of host cells with recombinant MAM7, significantly delays the onset of hallmarks of infection, such as pathogen-mediated cytotoxicity or the development of other adhesive structures such as actin pedestals. Thus, we are trying to develop tools based on MAM7 that can be used to prevent or diminish certain Gram-negative bacterial infections. Herein, we describe the use of bead-coupled MAM7 as an inhibitor of infection with the clinically relevant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the Orth lab, especially A.R. Woolery and A. Sreelatha, for critical reading and comments on the manuscript. We also thank C. Cannon (UT Southwestern Medical Center) for providing P. aeruginosa strains and technical assistance with infection experiments. K.O., H.H. and A.M.K. are supported by grants from NIH-Allergy and Infectious Disease (R01-AI056404 and R01-AI087808) and the Welch Foundation (I-1561). K.O. is a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease and a W.W. Caruth Jr. Biomedical Scholar.