Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume 285, Issue 44, 29 October 2010, Pages 34086-34096
Journal home page for Journal of Biological Chemistry

Microbiology
Involvement of 9-O-Acetyl GD3 Ganglioside in Mycobacterium leprae Infection of Schwann Cells*,

https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M110.147272Get rights and content
Under a Creative Commons license
open access

Mycobacterium leprae (ML), the etiologic agent of leprosy, mainly affects the skin and peripheral nerves, leading to demyelization and loss of axonal conductance. Schwann cells (SCs) are the main cell population infected by ML in the nerves, and infection triggers changes in the SC phenotype from a myelinated to a nonmyelinated state. In the present study, we show that expression of 9-O-acetyl GD3, a ganglioside involved in cellular anti-apoptotic signaling and nerve regeneration, increases in SCs following infection with ML. Observation by confocal microscopy together with coimmunoprecipitation suggested that this ganglioside participates in ML attachment and internalization by SC. Immunoblockage of 9-O-acetyl GD3 in vitro significantly reduced adhesion of ML to SC surfaces. Finally, we show that activation of the MAPK (ERK 1/2) pathway and SC proliferation, two known effects of ML on SCs that result in demyelization, are significantly reduced when the 9-O-acetyl GD3 ganglioside is immunoblocked. Taken together, these data suggest the involvement of 9-O-acetyl GD3 in ML infection on SCs.

Cited by (0)

*

This work was supported by grants from the Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro and from the Fundação Oswaldo Cruz and by funds from the American Leprosy Missions and the Order of St. Lazarus.

The on-line version of this article (available at http://www.jbc.org) contains supplemental Figs. S1–S5.