Leptospira interrogans binds to the CR3 receptor on mammalian cells
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Application of CRISPR Interference (CRISPRi) for Gene Silencing in Pathogenic Species of Leptospira
Published on: August 14, 2021
Marina Cinco1, Barbara Cini, Sra Perticarari
1Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Spirochete Laboratory, University of Trieste, Italy. cinco@dsbail.units.it
Abstract:
Pathogenic leptospires adhere to phagocytes even in the absence of specific antibodies; we demonstrate that the CR3 integrin (known as Mac-1 or CD11b/CD18 receptor), expressed on neutrophils and CHO Mac-1 transfected cells, recognizes and binds leptospires. The I-domain of the molecule seems to be involved in the recognition and data suggest that this occurs via fibronectin absorbed at the Leptospira surface. On the other hand, since N-acetyl-D-glucosamine does not behave as antagonist of the binding, the lectin-like domain of the receptor is not involved in the recognition.
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