Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0001511 (Adhesion)
 5,955 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Streptococcus intermedius is found in biofilms on teeth and as a commensal member of the gastrointestinal and urinary floras, but may also be associated with deep-seated purulent infections and infective endocarditis. S. intermedius produces hyaluronidase, an enzyme that breaks down hyaluronan (HA), a major component of the extracellular matrix of connective tissue. We investigated the involvement of hyaluronidase in S. intermedius biofilm formation and dispersal as well as adhesion to human cells. The hyaluronidase activity and expression of the hyl gene were higher in growth media supplemented with HA. Inactivation of the S. intermedius hyaluronidase resulted in a mutant that formed up to 31 % more biofilm in media supplemented with HA. Hyaluronidase added to the medium caused dispersal of S. intermedius biofilm. Adhesion to epithelial cells was similar in the wild-type and the hyaluronidase mutant. We concluded that hyaluronidase may be important for S. intermedius detachment from biofilms but not for adhesion to epithelial cells. The ability of S. intermedius to detach from the surface and to spread may be crucial in the pathogenicity of this micro-organism.
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PMID:Role of hyaluronidase in Streptococcus intermedius biofilm. 1831 39

Sperm uptake of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins from luminal fluids has been shown to occur in male and estrous female reproductive tracts. In males, this is attributed to membranous vesicles secreted into the epididymis and prostate. While epididymosomes have been characterized, there have been no reports of the presence of vesicles in female luminal fluids. Here we report the presence of vesicles, characterized as "uterosomes," in the murine estrous female reproductive fluid; and use Sperm Adhesion Molecule 1 (SPAM1/PH-20), a well-known hyaluronidase found in male and female fluids, as a model to investigate vesicle-mediated GPI-linked protein transfer to sperm. Epididymosomes and uterosomes isolated after ultracentrifugation of epididymal (ELF) and uterine luminal fluid (ULF) were analyzed by electron microscopy and shown to be approximately 10-70 and approximately 15-50 nm in diameter. The structural integrity of uterosomes was confirmed by their resistance to hypo-osmotic and freeze/thaw stresses; and immunogold labeling localized SPAM1 to their outer membrane surface, as was the case for epididymosomes. SPAM1 was acquired by caudal sperm during incubation in epididymosomes and uterosomes; uptake was abolished when the GPI anchor was enzymatically cleaved. Sperm analyzed by confocal and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) after incubation in fluorescently labeled vesicles revealed the label on the membrane over the acrosome and midpiece of the flagella, where SPAM1 normally resides. High magnification TEM images demonstrated vesicles juxtaposed to the sperm plasma membrane potentially transferring SPAM1. Taken together, these results implicate vesicular docking as the mechanism of vesicle-mediated GPI-linked protein transfer to sperm from murine reproductive fluids.
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PMID:Investigating the role of murine epididymosomes and uterosomes in GPI-linked protein transfer to sperm using SPAM1 as a model. 1838 48


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