Biomedical subjects

S Knutton

Publications and source records attributed to S Knutton.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1984

Coli surface antigens 1 and 3 of colonization factor antigen II-positive enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli: morphology, purification, and immune responses in humans.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) of serotype O6:H16, biotype A, bearing colonization factor antigen II (CFA/II) possesses two distinct coli surface antigens, CS1 and CS3, whereas CFA/II-positive ETEC of serotype O8:H9 manifests only CS3. CS1 has been shown to be fimbrial in nature, but heretofore the morphology of CS3 has not been described. Accordingly, by immune electron microscopy we investigated the morphological characteristics of CS3 on bacterial cells and after purification. CS3 was found to consist of thin (2-nm), flexible, wiry, "fibrillar" fimbriae, visible both on bacteria (O6:H16, biotype A, and O8:H9 strains) and in the pure state. In contrast, CS1 exists as wider (6-nm), rigid fimbriae on the surface of O6:H16, biotype A, strains. By the use of antisera to CS1 and CS3 in immune electron microscopy, immunodiffusion in gel, and immunoblotting techniques, CS1 and CS3 were found to be immunologically as well as morphologically distinct. Six of nine volunteers who developed diarrhea after challenge with an O139:H28 ETEC strain bearing CS1 and CS3 had significant serological rises to purified CS1 and CS3 antigens, suggesting that both antigens are elaborated in vivo, play a role in pathogenesis, and stimulate an immune response.

Antibody Formation↗

PubMed1984

In vitro adhesion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to human intestinal epithelial cells from mucosal biopsies.

An adhesion assay with isolated human enterocytes prepared from duodenal biopsies has been developed and tested by using human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli expressing colonization factor antigens I and II (CFA/I and CFA/II) and type 1 fimbriae. Enterotoxigenic E. coli strains H10407 (CFA/I) and B2C (CFA/II) bound to duodenal enterocytes to a much greater extent (mean of 4.6 and 4.0 bacteria per brush border) than did strain H10407P, a CFA/I- mutant of H10407 (mean of 0.1 bacteria per brush border). Type 1 fimbriae also promoted adhesion of strain H10407P to duodenal enterocytes but attachment was to basolateral rather than brush border surfaces. CFA/I and CFA/II, on the other hand, promoted adhesion only to human enterocyte brush borders.

Adult↗

PubMed1984

Ultrastructural study of adhesion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli to erythrocytes and human intestinal epithelial cells.

The adhesion to erythrocytes and human intestinal epithelial cells of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains H10407, B2C, and H10407P, expressing colonization factor antigen I (CFA/I), CFA/II, and type 1 fimbriae, respectively, was examined by electron microscopy. CFA and type 1 fimbriae were visualized by negative staining in thin sections after en bloc staining with ruthenium red and by immune labeling with antisera raised against purified fimbriae. By negative and ruthenium red staining, CFA/I, CFA/II, and type 1 fimbriae were indistinguishable and appeared as approximately 7-nm-diameter hollow cylindrical structures up to 1.5 micron in length; strain B2C also produced 2- to 3-nm-diameter flexible fibrillar fimbriae. Bacteria producing CFA/I, CFA/II, and type 1 fimbriae adhered to and agglutinated human, bovine, and guinea pig erythrocytes, respectively; CFA/I and CFA/II also mediated attachment of bacteria to the brush border of isolated human duodenal enterocytes. Electron microscopy of agglutinated erythrocytes and enterocytes with adherent bacteria showed, in each case, that bacterial adhesion involved the formation of many interactions between the tips of fimbriae and receptors on the erythrocyte or enterocyte brush border membrane. Immune labeling allowed different fimbrial antigens mediating bacterial attachment to human enterocytes to be identified.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Characterization of nonfimbrial mannose-resistant protein hemagglutinins of two Escherichia coli strains isolated from infants with enteritis.

Escherichia coli strains 444-3 and 469-3, isolated from patients with severe infantile enteritis, are able to adhere to and penetrate human epithelial cells in culture. In addition to type 1 fimbriae and glycocalyces , both strains elaborate mannose-resistant nonfimbrial protein hemagglutinins specific for human erythrocytes. Purified agglutinins are aggregates (greater than 4 X 10(6) daltons) of a single protein subunit of apparent Mr 14,000 (469-3) to 14,500 (444-3). The optimal temperature for expression of the agglutinins is 37 degrees C. Bacteria grown at 22 degrees C, which show 1% or less of maximal activity, and mutants deficient in the ability to agglutinate human erythrocytes do not synthesize detectable levels of these surface proteins and, moreover, do not adhere to cultured epithelial cells. Coupled with the observation that purified agglutinins competitively inhibit bacterial adherence to cultured cells, these data indicate that the nonfimbrial surface proteins expressed by strains 444-3 and 469-3 are essential for adherence both to erythrocytes and to cultured epithelial cells.

Adhesiveness↗

PubMed1984

Ultrastructural study of adherence to and penetration of cultured cells by two invasive Escherichia coli strains isolated from infants with enteritis.

The adherence of invasive Escherichia coli strains 444-3 and 469-3 to human erythrocytes and to cultured HeLa and HEp-2 cells has been examined by electron microscopy. Bacteria elaborating type 1 fimbriae, glycocalyces , and nonfimbrial mannose-resistant hemagglutinins specific for human erythrocytes were identified in cultures of both strains, and each of these different bacterial surface components appeared to be involved in attachment of 444-3 and 469-3 to cultured epithelial cells or human erythrocytes (or to both). Both strains, which were isolated from infants with dysentery-like illness, penetrated cultured epithelial cells and existed within membrane-bounded intracellular vesicles. Mutants of 444-3 and 469-3 selected for deficiency in mannose-resistant hemagglutination did not adhere to or penetrate cultured cells. These ultrastructural studies demonstrate the complexity of the bacterial surface and show that E. coli strains 444-3 and 469-3 can elaborate several different adhesions , each of which could function to promote attachment to host intestinal epithelial cells. Mucosal invasion may also be an important virulence property of these strains.

Adhesiveness↗

PubMed1983

Increased tight junction permeability: a possible mechanism of oestrogen cholestasis.

Ethinyl oestradiol increased rat biliary permeability for 3H-inulin and 14C-sucrose, and significantly raised serum concentrations of bile acids after 3 and 7 days' treatment (P less than 0.0005) and bilirubin after 7 days (P less than 0.005) but not after 3 days. Following intravenous infusion of bromsulphthalein or phenolphthalein, ethinyl oestradiol-treated rats had elevated plasma concentrations of the three bile constituents, bromsulphthalein (P less than 0.0005 after 3 and 7 days), bromsulphthalein-glutathione conjugate (P less than 0.005 after 3 days; P less than 0.0005 after 7 days) and phenolphthalein glucuronide (P less than 0.005 after 3 days; P less than 0.0005 after 7 days), but the plasma concentration of unconjugated phenolphthalein, which was undetectable in bile, was unchanged. Similar changes followed partial biliary obstruction produced by bile cannula elevation. This pattern suggests that biliary constituents are refluxing from bile to plasma via the paracellular pathway, a concept further supported by structural changes in tight junction morphology in the oestrogen-treated rats. 'Leakiness' of canalicular tight junctions may explain the pathophysiology of oestrogen-induced cholestasis.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Components involved in virally mediated membrane fusion and permeability changes.

1. Intact F glycoprotein is required to induce permeability changes in Lettrée cells or in erythrocytes. Some HN glycoproteins may also be required. Permeability changes thus offer a simple, accurate and rapid means of assaying the integrity of F glycoprotein in certain viral preparations. 2. The '1-day' virus (which contains intact F glycoprotein but which differs morphologically from '3 day' virus) does not cause permeability changes; it can be rendered active by various physical treatments. It is concluded that the environment in which F glycoprotein is embedded is a determining factor for permeability changes. 3. The entry of fluorescently labelled peptides into cells made permeable by virus has been measured. Peptides having a molecular weight in excess of 1000 enter poorly, suggesting a 'pore' size of approx. 1 nm in diameter. 4. Two novel assay methods concerned with virus--cell fusion are described. The first measures the fluorescence enhancement that occurs when anthroylstearate is transferred from anthroylstearate-labelled virus to cells. The second measures the giant-cell formation that occurs when partially fused erythrocytes are exposed to hypo-osmotic treatment. The '1-day' virus is active in these assays. In contrast with permeability changes, virus--cell fusion is insensitive to changes in external Ca2+-concentration. 5. The results are compatible with a model [Knutton & Pasternak (1979) Trends Biochem. Sci. 4, 220--223; Impraim, Foster, Micklem & Pasternak (1980) Biochem. J. 186, 847--860] in which virus--cell fusion is a prerequisite for permeability changes, and in which permeability changes are the cause of haemolysis and giant-cell (polykaryon) formation.

Calcium↗

PubMed1980

The role of cell swelling and haemolysis in Sendai virus-induced cell fusion and in the diffusion of incorporated viral antigens.

The role of the haemolytic activity of Sendai virus in cell-cell fusion has been examined in monolayers of human erythrocytes and erythrocyte ghosts fused with either haemolytic or non-haemolytic virus. Morphological observations indicate that cell swelling and haemolysis is a distinct event in cell-cell fusion irrespective of whether it is virally induced or, in the case of non-haemolytic virus, experimentally induced. Osmotic swelling appears to be the driving force by which cells which have established sites of membrane fusion expand such sites to form poly-erythrocytes. Immunofluorescent labelling of viral antigens incorporated into the erythrocyte membrane as a result of viral envelope-cell fusion indicates that diffusion of antigens in the plane of the membrane is restricted in intact erythrocytes and resealed erythrocyte ghosts but not in haemolysed erythrocytes or unsealed ghosts. A perturbation of the erythrocyte membrane resulting from osmotic lysis appears to form a prerequisite for the lateral diffusion of viral elements.

Antigens, Viral↗

PubMed1980

Studies of membrane fusion. VI. Mechanism of the membrane fusion and cell swelling stages of Sendai virus-mediated cell fusion.

The membrane fusion and cell swelling stages of Sendai virus-mediated cell-cell fusion have been studied by thin-section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Sites of membrane fusion have been detected in human erythrocytes arrested at the membrane fusion stage of cell fusion and in virtually all cases a fused viral envelope or envelope components has been identified thus providing further direct evidence that cell-viral envelope-cell bridge formation is the membrane fusion event in Sendai virus-induced cell fusion. Radial expansion of a single virus bridge connecting 2 cells is sufficient to produce a fused cell. Membrane redistribution which occurs during this cell swelling stage of the fusion process is often accompanied by the formation of a system of membrane tubules in the plane of expansion of the virus bridge. The tubules originate from points of fusion between the bridging virus envelope and the erythrocyte membrane and also expand radially as cells swell. Ultimately membrane rupture occurs and the tubules appear to break down as small vesicles. When previously observed in cross-sectioned cells these membrane tubules were interpreted as sites of direct membrane fusion. The present study indicates that this interpretation is incorrect and shows that the tubules are generated subsequent to membrane fusion when 2 cells connected by a virus bridge are induced to swell. A mechanism to explain the formation of this system of membrane tubules is proposed.

Cell Fusion↗

PubMed1979

Studies of membrane fusion. III. Fusion of erythrocytes with polyethylene glycol.

Freeze-fracture electron microscopy has been used to investigate the mechanism of polyethylene glycol-induced cell fusion. Interaction of cells with the high concentrations of polyethylene glycol required for cell fusion results in cell agglutination with large planar areas of very close contact between adjacent cell membranes. An aggregation of intramembrane particles into large patches at the sites of cell-cell contact accompanies cell agglutination. Fusion occurs following the removal of most of the PEG when cells only remain in close contact at small (approximately 0.1 micrometer diameter) plaques of smooth membrane resulting in cells connected by one (or more) small cytoplasmic connexions. Expansion to form spherical fused cells occurs by a process of cell swelling.

Animals↗

PubMed1979

Studies of membrane fusion. IV. Fusion of HeLa cells with Sendai virus.

The Sendai virus-induced fusion of HeLa cells has been studied by freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Freeze-fracture observations confirm previous scanning electron-microscope studies (1977) and show that at 4 degrees C virus particles bind to the cell surface and that cell agglutination results from the crosslinking by virus particles of microvilli on adjacent cells. Incubation at 37 degrees C initiates a change in viral envelope structure and fusion of 'altered' virus particles with the cell plasma membrane. Fusion of a virus particle with two crosslinked cells is probably the membrane fusion event which initiates cell-cell fusion; fusion is completed as a result of virally induced cell swelling. Lateral diffusion of viral envelope components following virus-cell fusion and, in some instances, an aggregation of plasma membrane intramembrane particles occurs in swollen cells. These observations show that the mechanisms of viral envelope-cell and probably cell-cell fusion are the same as have been reported for erythrocytes. Although endocytosis of intact virus particles does occur, the specialized cell-mediated mechanism for fusion of the viral envelope with the cell plasma membrane suggests that this, and not viropexis, is the mechanism of Sendai virus infection.

Agglutination↗

PubMed1979

Studies of membrane fusion. V. Fusion of erythrocytes with non-haemolytic Sendai virus.

The fusion of human erythrocytes with non-haemolytic '1-day' Sendai virus has been studied by electron microscopy. The mechanism of viral envelope-cell fusion is the same as that described previously for haemolytic '3-day' Sendai virus except that fusion is frequently arrested at an initial stage when 2 segments of smooth linear viral membrane fuse and become incorporated into the erythrocyte membrane. After longer periods of incubation at 37 degrees C, in addition to many partly fused virus particles, long (up to 4 micrometer) lengths of smooth linear viral membrane are seen within the erythrocyte membrane which arise by linear aggregation of shorter (approximately 0.25 micrometer long) segments of smooth linear membrane derived from individual fused viral envelopes. Cell-Cell fusion, as a result of the fusion of a viral envelope with 2 adjacent erythrocytes also occurs but, in the absence of cell swelling, fusion is arrested at this stage with cells joined by one (or more) small cytoplasmic bridges. Typical fused cells are produced if such cells are swollen with hypotonic buffer. These observations provide further evidence that membrane fusion and cell swelling are distinct events in cell fusion and that cell swelling is the driving force both for completing the incorporation of the viral envelope into the cell membrane and for expanding cells connected by small cytoplasmic bridges to form spherical fused cells. Little lateral diffusion of viral envelope components occurs in the absence of cell swelling; in fact, some aggregation of components occurs. Comparison with previous studies using haemolytic '3-day' Sendai virus suggests that virally induced cell swelling perturbs membrane structure so as to allow the rapid lateral diffusion of integrated viral envelope components.

Cell Fusion↗

PubMed1978

Structure of occluding junctions in ileal epithelial cells of suckling rats.

Two kinds of occluding junctions are found between ileal epithelial cells of suckling rats: apical zonulae occludentes (ZO) and fasciae occludentes (FO) which are associated with the lateral plasma membranes of many epithelial cells. In unfixed preparations, glycerol treatment induces the further proliferation of extensive fasciae occludentes. Both kinds of junction have identical structural elements when visualized in freeze fracture replicas, although the arrangement of these elements differs. Zonulae occludentes consist of networks of branching and anastomosing linear ridges or rows of approximately 10 nm particles with 20--30 nm spaces between the rows which form narrow belt-like structures around the apical region of adjacent cells. Fasciae occludentes, on the other hand, consist of similar linear ridges or rows of particles but the junction strands are often discontinuous, open ended and only occasionally intersect with each other. Several different fracture planes through the plasma membrane in the region of the occluding junctions have been observed and these provide further evidence that two components, one from each membrane, fused at the level of the extracellular space, form the junction sealing element. Furthermore, we present evidence which indicates a staggered rather than an in-register arrangement of these two components.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Studies of membrane fusion. I. Paramyxovirus-induced cell fusion, a scanning electron-microscope study.

Fusion of erythrocytes and HeLa cells with Sendai and Newcastle disease viruses has been studied by scanning electron microscopy. Most virus particles are spherical but vary in diameter from approximately 200 to approximately 600 nm. At 4 degrees C virus particles bind randomly to the cell surface and at high cell densities cross-linking of adjacent cells by virus particles results in cell agglutination. Cell-cell fusion takes place when the agglutinated cell suspension is warmed to 37 degrees C. Fusion is initiated at sites of cell-cell contact and is accompanied in all cases by cell swelling. In the case of suspension HeLa cells, virally mediated cell swelling involves an 'unfolding' of cell surface microvilli and results in the formation of smooth-surfaced single or fused cells. With erythrocytes, swelling results in haemolysis. There is a dramatic reduction in the numbers of virus particles bound to cells following fusion.

Cell Aggregation↗

PubMed1977