Univ. Of Utah Study Reveals Insights Into Urinary Tract Infections
SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- University of Utah researchers have garnered new insights into the most common types of urinary tract infections.
The study, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, found alpha-hemolysin, a toxin secreted by many strains of E. coli, might play an important, unexpected role during both the establishment and persistence of urinary tract infections.
Matthew Mulvey, an associate professor of pathology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, and Bijaya Dhakal, a postdoctoral fellow in pathology, found infection of bladder cells with uropathogenic E. coli -- bacteria that are the leading cause of both acute and chronic urinary tract infections -- led to degradation of a protein called paxillin, which helps to regulate cell adhesion.
They discovered that paxillin degradation was stimulated by alpha-hemolysin, a toxin secreted by uropathogenic E. coli, which inserts into bladder cell membranes.
Alpha-hemolysin itself does not act to break down paxillin, but Mulvey and Dhakal found that it caused increased activation of the protein-degrading enzyme mesotrypsin.
"Exfoliation of bladder cells can be viewed as a double-edged sword since it may benefit both the host and the invading bacteria," Mulvey said in a statement. "While shedding helps to get rid of infected cells, it can also promote spread of the bacteria both within and outside of the urinary tract. The goal of our investigation was to uncover possible mechanisms by which uropathogenic E. coli might prime bladder cells for shedding."
