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Survival of FimH-expressing enterobacteria in macrophages relies on glycolipid traffic

Nature volume 389, pages 636–639 (1997)Cite this article

Abstract

Strains of Escherichia coli persist within the human gut as normal commensals, but are frequent pathogens and can cause recurrent infection1,2,3. Here we show that, in contrast to E. coli subjected to opsonic interactions stimulated by the host's immune response, E.coli that bind to the macrophage surface exclusively through thebacterial lectin FimH can survive inside the cell following phagocytosis. This viability is largely due to the attenuation of intracellular free-radical release and of phagosome acidification during FimH-mediated internalization, both of which are triggered by antibody-mediated internalization. This different processing of non-opsonized bacteria is supported by morphological evidence of tight-fitting phagosomes compared with looser, antibody-mediated phagosomes. We propose that non-opsonized FimH-expressing E. coli co-opt internalization of lipid-rich microdomains following binding to the FimH receptor, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked protein CD48, because (1) the sterol-binding agents filipin, nystatin and methyl β-cyclodextrin specifically block FimH-mediated internalization; (2) CD48 and the protein caveolin both accumulate on macrophage membranes surrounding bacteria; and (3) antibodies against CD48 inhibit FimH-mediated internalization. Our findings bring the traditionally extracellular E. coli into the realm of opportunistic intracellular parasitism and suggest how opportunistic infections with FimH-expressing enterobacteria could occur in a setting deprived of opsonizing antibodies.

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Figure 1: Intracellular survival of FimH-internalized E. coli in macrophages compared to opsonized E. coli.
Figure 2: Attenuation of both oxidative and non-oxidative bactericidal mechanisms following FimH-mediated phagocytosis.
Figure 3: FimH-internalized E. coli are harboured in morphologically distinct compartments from opsonized E. coli.
Figure 4: Use of CD48 and lipid trafficking pathways by FimH-internalized bacteria.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Haslam and I. Ofek for discussion, R. Henry for electron microscopy, and P. Orndorff for the gift of E. coli J96 and its FimH derivative. This work was supported in part by research grants from the NIH and from an award from the Jewish Hospital Foundation.

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Author notes

  1. Soman N. Abraham

    Present address: Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Box 3712, Durham, North Carolina, 27710, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Pathology, Missouri, 63110, St Louis, USA

    David M. Baorto, Zhimin Gao, Ravi Malaviya, Michael L. Dustin, Douglas M. Lublin & Soman N. Abraham

  2. Departments of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Missouri, 63110, St Louis, USA

    Soman N. Abraham

  3. MRC Cellular Immunology Unit, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RE, UK

    Anton van der Merwe

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Correspondence to Soman N. Abraham.

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Baorto, D., Gao, Z., Malaviya, R. et al. Survival of FimH-expressing enterobacteria in macrophages relies on glycolipid traffic. Nature 389, 636–639 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/39376

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