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Neisseria meningitidis lactate permease is required for nasopharyngeal colonization

Neisseria meningitidis lactate permease is required for nasopharyngeal colonization
Neisseria meningitidis lactate permease is required for nasopharyngeal colonization

Neisseria meningitidis is a human specific pathogen that is part of the normal nasopharyngeal flora. Little is known about the metabolic constraints on survival of the meningococcus during colonization of the upper airways. Here we show that glucose and lactate, both carbon energy sources for meningococcal growth, are present in millimolar concentrations within nasopharyngeal tissue. We used a mutant defective for the uptake of lactate (C311DeltalctP) to investigate the contribution of this energy source during colonization. Explants of nasopharyngeal tissue were inoculated with the wild-type strain (C311) and C311DeltalctP; the mutant was recovered at significantly lower levels (P = 0.01) than C311 18 h later. This defect was not due to changes in the expression of adhesins or initial adhesion in C311DeltalctP to epithelial cells. Instead, lactate appears to be important energy source for the bacterium during colonization and is necessary for growth of the bacterium in nasopharyngeal tissue. Studies with other strains defective for the uptake of specific nutrients should provide valuable information about the environment in which N. meningitidis persists during carriage.

Adhesins, Bacterial, Bacterial Adhesion, Epithelial Cells, Humans, Lactic Acid, Membrane Transport Proteins, Meningococcal Infections, Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters, Mutation, Nasopharyngeal Diseases, Neisseria meningitidis, Organ Culture Techniques, Respiratory Mucosa, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
0019-9567
5762-5766
Exley, Rachel M.
1225b34c-ce03-4202-908d-8747e0ed149f
Goodwin, Linda
45c48038-ca4d-451a-9fbe-b4d6ea95048b
Mowe, Eva
e15dc063-b580-4703-951c-9a22cf50edcd
Shaw, Jonathan
4cc7c1a5-4dd2-41cd-a9a2-813a434c8f30
Smith, Harry
b7d96200-8d79-4289-bd65-18474c162b68
Read, Robert C.
b5caca7b-0063-438a-b703-7ecbb6fc2b51
Tang, Christoph M.
7bd4e37c-e448-46e0-acad-cfc7b455eed2
Exley, Rachel M.
1225b34c-ce03-4202-908d-8747e0ed149f
Goodwin, Linda
45c48038-ca4d-451a-9fbe-b4d6ea95048b
Mowe, Eva
e15dc063-b580-4703-951c-9a22cf50edcd
Shaw, Jonathan
4cc7c1a5-4dd2-41cd-a9a2-813a434c8f30
Smith, Harry
b7d96200-8d79-4289-bd65-18474c162b68
Read, Robert C.
b5caca7b-0063-438a-b703-7ecbb6fc2b51
Tang, Christoph M.
7bd4e37c-e448-46e0-acad-cfc7b455eed2

Exley, Rachel M., Goodwin, Linda, Mowe, Eva, Shaw, Jonathan, Smith, Harry, Read, Robert C. and Tang, Christoph M. (2005) Neisseria meningitidis lactate permease is required for nasopharyngeal colonization. Infection and Immunity, 73 (9), 5762-5766. (doi:10.1128/IAI.73.9.5762-5766.2005).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Neisseria meningitidis is a human specific pathogen that is part of the normal nasopharyngeal flora. Little is known about the metabolic constraints on survival of the meningococcus during colonization of the upper airways. Here we show that glucose and lactate, both carbon energy sources for meningococcal growth, are present in millimolar concentrations within nasopharyngeal tissue. We used a mutant defective for the uptake of lactate (C311DeltalctP) to investigate the contribution of this energy source during colonization. Explants of nasopharyngeal tissue were inoculated with the wild-type strain (C311) and C311DeltalctP; the mutant was recovered at significantly lower levels (P = 0.01) than C311 18 h later. This defect was not due to changes in the expression of adhesins or initial adhesion in C311DeltalctP to epithelial cells. Instead, lactate appears to be important energy source for the bacterium during colonization and is necessary for growth of the bacterium in nasopharyngeal tissue. Studies with other strains defective for the uptake of specific nutrients should provide valuable information about the environment in which N. meningitidis persists during carriage.

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More information

Published date: September 2005
Keywords: Adhesins, Bacterial, Bacterial Adhesion, Epithelial Cells, Humans, Lactic Acid, Membrane Transport Proteins, Meningococcal Infections, Monocarboxylic Acid Transporters, Mutation, Nasopharyngeal Diseases, Neisseria meningitidis, Organ Culture Techniques, Respiratory Mucosa, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 416382
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/416382
ISSN: 0019-9567
PURE UUID: 526e2dbb-2d24-4312-af00-788906c16ec5
ORCID for Robert C. Read: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4297-6728

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Date deposited: 14 Dec 2017 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 04:10

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Contributors

Author: Rachel M. Exley
Author: Linda Goodwin
Author: Eva Mowe
Author: Jonathan Shaw
Author: Harry Smith
Author: Robert C. Read ORCID iD
Author: Christoph M. Tang

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