Role of different classes of mammalian cell surface molecules in adherence of coagulase positive and coagulase negative staphylococci

In the present study the role of different mammalian cell receptors in adherence of the coagulase positive pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus and some coagulase negative staphylococci, namely Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus was investigated. Upon testing the adherence to Vero and Hep-2 cells, S. aureus isolates showed an adherence to both cell lines while S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus isolates adhered to Vero cells only. According to the obtained results, both O-linked and N-linked mammalian cell surface glycoproteins are involved in the adherence of S. aureus isolates to Vero and Hep-2 cells, whereas only the O-linked ones serve as receptors for adherence of S. epidermidis and S. saprophyticus isolates to Vero cells. Of the O-linked glycoproteins, GAG-like receptors are involved in adherence of all tested isolates to Vero cells. The coagulase positive staphylococci preferred to adhere to the highly sulphated GAGs (Heparin and chondroitin sulphate B) while the coagulase negative isolates showed higher affinity to the less sulphated ones (Chondroitin sulphate A and C). Mucin like receptors appeared to be important for the adherence of all tested staphylococci. The role exhibited by fibronectin- and fibrinogen-like receptors was detected with S. aureus and S. epidermidis but not with S. saprophyticus isolates. While, collagen and gelatin were found to contribute to the adherence of S. aureus isolates only. Neither carbohydrate moieties of the glycoconjugates nor lipid molecules on the mammalian cell surface played a role in the adherence of the tested staphylococcal isolates. Taken together, the results revealed that both coagulase negative and coagulase positive staphylococcal tested isolates adhere to the same classes of mammalian cell surface receptors such as mucin-like, fibrinogen-like, fibronectin-like and GAG-like receptors. However, the tested isolates exhibited different degrees of affinities to such receptors. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)