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In Vitro Assay of Bacterial Adhesion onto Mammalian Epithelial Cells
05:57

In Vitro Assay of Bacterial Adhesion onto Mammalian Epithelial Cells

Published on: May 16, 2011

Impenetrable barriers or entry portals? The role of cell-cell adhesion during infection

Matteo Bonazzi1, Pascale Cossart

  • 1Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 5236, CPBS, CNRS, 34293 Montpellier, France. matteo.bonazzi@cpbs.cnrs.fr

The Journal of Cell Biology
|November 2, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Pathogens exploit cell adhesion molecules to invade epithelial cells, highlighting their role in disease. Studying these interactions reveals crucial details about cell junction machinery. Keywords: cell adhesion, pathogens, epithelial cells, cell junctions.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Microbiology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Cell-cell adhesion is vital for tissue structure, cell polarity, and organ development.
  • Epithelial barriers formed by cell adhesion prevent pathogen entry.
  • Pathogens have evolved mechanisms to target and disrupt cell adhesion for invasion.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how pathogens target cell adhesion molecules.
  • To understand the role of cell adhesion in epithelial barrier function and pathogen invasion.
  • To utilize pathogen interactions as a tool to study eukaryotic cell junction machinery.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of pathogen adherence and invasion mechanisms.
  • Microscopic and molecular techniques to study cell junctions.
  • Comparative studies across different pathogen types (viruses, bacteria, parasites).

Main Results:

  • Pathogens specifically target diverse cell adhesion molecules.
  • Disruption of cell adhesion by pathogens compromises epithelial integrity.
  • Pathogen interactions provide insights into the dynamics of cell-cell junctions.

Conclusions:

  • Pathogen strategies for cell adhesion targeting are diverse and effective.
  • Understanding these interactions is key to developing new therapeutic strategies.
  • Pathogens serve as valuable probes for dissecting fundamental cell biology processes.

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