Cold shock response of the UspA1 outer membrane adhesin of Moraxella catarrhalis.

ABSTRACT: Colonization of the human nasopharynx exposes Moraxella catarrhalis, a common cause of otitis media in children and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adults, to sudden downshifts in temperature, occurring when the host breathes cold air. We investigated whether in vitro cold shock influences the expressions of the outer membrane adhesins UspA1 and hemagglutinin, which are considered virulence factors, and of an M. catarrhalis homolog of recA, a housekeeping gene, which in Escherichia coli is induced by cold shock. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR was used for measuring mRNA copy number. A screening experiment revealed that a cold shock at 26 degrees C maximally induced the copy number of uspA1. In comparison with 37 degrees C conditions, a 1-hour col

SUBMITTER: Heiniger N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1307079 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature