Parallel induction by glucose of adherence and a polysaccharide antigen specific for plastic-adherent Staphylococcus epidermidis: evidence for functional relation to intercellular adhesion

作者：Dietrich Mack, Nicolaus Siemssen, Rainer Laufs · 发表于：Infection and Immunity · 年份：1992 · DOI：10.1128/iai.60.5.2048-2057.1992 · 被引用次数：384 · 研究领域：Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing、Biochemical and Structural Characterization、Microbial Inactivation Methods

The initial attachment and the accumulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis on polymer surfaces in multilayered cell clusters embedded in amorphous slime, which together lead to the plastic-adherent phenotype detected by the adherence assay used in this study, have been proposed to be major virulence factors of these bacteria. An antigen specific for plastic-adherent S. epidermidis strains was detected by an indirect immunofluorescence test using absorbed antiserum raised against the strongly plastic-adherent S. epidermidis 1457. A coagglutination assay was established, which allowed the quantitation of the antigen in bacterial extracts under different physiologic growth conditions. Expression of the antigen and of plastic adherence depended significantly on the presence of glucose in the growth medium. Parallel to increased plastic adherence, a 32- to 64-fold increase in the amount of the antigen was detected in bacterial extracts of cells grown in tryptone soya broth (TSB) compared with that in extracts of cells grown in TSB lacking glucose. A parallel time-dependent increase of plastic adherence and expression of the antigen was observed after stimulation by glucose of stationary-phase cultures of plastic-adherent S. epidermidis strains grown in TSB lacking glucose. The antigen consisted most probably of polysaccharide, because its immunologic reactivity was completely abolished by periodate oxidation but was resistant to protease digestion. A significant proportion of cells...