Adhesion properties of toxigenic corynebacteria

Lisa Ott; Lisa Ott

doi:10.3934/microbiol.2018.1.85

AIMS Microbiology

2018, Volume 4, Issue 1: 85-103. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2018.1.85

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Adhesion properties of toxigenic corynebacteria

Lisa Ott ^,

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Professur für Mikrobiologie, Staudtstr. 5, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

Received: 08 January 2018 Accepted: 01 February 2018 Published: 09 February 2018

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and Corynebacterium ulcerans share one distinctive feature: they are all putative carriers of the diphtheria toxin (DT), encoded by a β-corynephage integrated into the genome. Due to its medical relevance, C. diphtheriae may be the most highly investigated species of the genus Corynebacterium. Nevertheless, systemic infections caused by C. ulcerans are increasingly being reported indicating that this species is an emerging pathogen today. C. diphtheriae, C. pseudotuberculosis and C. ulcerans are able to colonize different types of epithelial cells in a strain-specific manner, independent of the presence of the tox gene. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to host colonization are barely understood. This review gives a comprehensive update of recent data concerning the adhesion properties of toxigenic corynebacteria, demonstrating that adhesion is a multi-factorial process.
- Corynebacterium diphtheriae,
- Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis,
- Corynebacterium ulcerans,
- bacterial adherence,
- epithelial cells,
- niche factors
Citation: Lisa Ott. Adhesion properties of toxigenic corynebacteria[J]. AIMS Microbiology, 2018, 4(1): 85-103. doi: 10.3934/microbiol.2018.1.85

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Abstract

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and Corynebacterium ulcerans share one distinctive feature: they are all putative carriers of the diphtheria toxin (DT), encoded by a β-corynephage integrated into the genome. Due to its medical relevance, C. diphtheriae may be the most highly investigated species of the genus Corynebacterium. Nevertheless, systemic infections caused by C. ulcerans are increasingly being reported indicating that this species is an emerging pathogen today. C. diphtheriae, C. pseudotuberculosis and C. ulcerans are able to colonize different types of epithelial cells in a strain-specific manner, independent of the presence of the tox gene. However, the molecular mechanisms contributing to host colonization are barely understood. This review gives a comprehensive update of recent data concerning the adhesion properties of toxigenic corynebacteria, demonstrating that adhesion is a multi-factorial process.

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