Paper Number
BM25 

Session
Biological Macromolecules: Proteins, Cellulosic Biomass and other Biomaterials

Title
Measuring adhesion between uropathogenic E. coli and bladder-epithelial cells

Presentation Date and Time
October 13, 2015 (Tuesday) 3:10

Track / Room
Track 4 / Constellation F

Authors (Click on name to view author profile)

1. Hollenbeck, Emily C. (Stanford University, Department of Chemical Engineering)
2. Cegelski, Lynette (Stanford University, Department of Chemistry)
3. Fuller, Gerald G. (Stanford University, Department of Chemical Engineering)

Author and Affiliation Lines (in printed abstract book)
Emily C. Hollenbeck¹, Lynette Cegelski², and Gerald G. Fuller^1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA; ²Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305

Speaker / Presenter 
Fuller, Gerald G.

Text of Abstract
Bacterial adhesion to host cells is often a first step in the infection process. For example, uropathogenic Escherichia coli, the major causative agent of urinary tract infection, bind to host bladder-epithelial cells and initiate cell invasion. This triggers a subsequent pathogenic cascade characterized by recurrent infection. There is currently growing interest in developing new antimicrobials that, instead of targeting bacterial survival and placing high selective pressure for drug-resistant mutations, target mechanisms promoting infection such as binding to host cells. This new therapeutic strategy requires a detailed understanding of the factors that contribute to bacterial adhesion. To address this issue, we adapted a novel live cell monolayer rheometer recently developed in the Fuller lab to measure adhesion between a monolayer of bladder-epithelial cells and a layer of bacteria. The bacterial strain used in this study is UTI89, a uropathogenic strain of E. coli that is capable of expressing several different extracellular components such as type 1 pili, curli, and cellulose. Using our adapted device, we can quantitatively compare the extent to which these different extracellular components affect bacterial adhesion to the cell monolayer. Additionally, we can use these measurements to assess the effectiveness of various small molecules in preventing binding to host cells.