Natural release of virulence factors in membrane vesicles by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics on their release
Abstract
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (and various other gram-negative pathogens) liberate membrane vesicles during normal growth. These bilayered vesicles consist of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide), outer membrane proteins and several potent hydrolytic enzymes including protease, alkaline phosphatase, phospholipase C and peptidoglycan hydrolase. The vesicles contain pro-elastase and alkaline phosphatase (which are periplasmic constituents) and so are important for packaging periplasmic components as they are liberated to the outside of the cell. Once liberated, the vesicles are capable of fusing with the membranes of epithelial cells and liberating their virulence factors into host cells where they degrade cellular components, thereby aiding infection by the pathogen. The aminoglycoside antibiotic, gentamicin, is thought to kill bacteria by inhibiting protein synthesis, yet this cationic antibiotic can also perturb the packing order of lipids, thereby destabilizing bilayered membranes. For pathogens with highly anionic lipopolysaccharide on their surface, such as P. aeruginosa, this membrane destabilization can be so serious that it can cause cell lysis; these cells are therefore killed by a combination of protein synthesis inhibition and sur...Continue Reading
Citations
Pouring salt on a wound: Pseudomonas aeruginosa virulence factors alter Na+ and Cl- flux in the lung
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Aminoglycosides
Aminoglycoside is a medicinal and bacteriologic category of traditional Gram-negative antibacterial medications that inhibit protein synthesis and contain as a portion of the molecule an amino-modified glycoside. Discover the latest research on aminoglycoside here.
Aminoglycosides (ASM)
Aminoglycoside is a medicinal and bacteriologic category of traditional Gram-negative antibacterial medications that inhibit protein synthesis and contain as a portion of the molecule an amino-modified glycoside. Discover the latest research on aminoglycoside here.