An assay to quantitate the binding of Rhodococcus equi to macrophages

A Rhodococcus equi radiobinding assay has been developed using organisms labeled with 3H-uracil. These labeled organisms resemble their unlabeled counterparts with respect to colony morphology, viability, and buoyant density. Bacteria routinely incorporate between 5 x 10(-3) and 5 x 10(-2) counts per minute per colony forming unit (cfu) which in this assay allows the detection of fewer than 0.2 cfu per macrophage. Once incorporated, greater than 90% of the label remains bacterial associated for at least 4 h postlabeling. The majority of the label is trichloroacetic acid precipitable, partitions into the aqueous phase following phenol/chloroform extraction and is ethanol precipitable. RNAse treatment of the ethanol precipitate abolishes label trichloroacetic acid precipitation. This radiolabeling technique has been used to quantitate the attachment of R. equi to both murine peritoneal and equine alveolar macrophages adherent to 13 mm glass coverslips. R. equi binding is dose dependent, saturable, and specific to macrophages. Further, binding is enhanced in the presence of fresh serum. Inhibition of radiolabeled bacterial binding can be obtained by competition with cold R. equi. This radiolabeled binding assay represents a crucial step in identifying the receptors on macrophages involved in the recognition of R. equi and may help to provide information on how macrophages recognize intracellular bacteria in general.