01605nas a2200361   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653002300079653001400102653002100116653001500137653001700152653001100169653001400180653001200194653001200206653001600218653002800234653002500262653001700287653001800304653002000322653001500342100001300357700001300370700001700383245012900400300001100529490000700540520068200547022001401229       1993                            d  c1993 Dec10aAmino Acid Sequence10aBacterial Proteins10aCell Line10aEpithelial Cells10aEpithelium10aFibronectins10aHumans10aIntegrins10aleprosy10aLigands10aMacrophages10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium leprae10aNasal Septum10aOligopeptides10aProtein Binding10aSolubility1 aByrd S R1 aGelber R1 aBermudez L E00aRoles of soluble fibronectin and beta 1 integrin receptors in the binding of Mycobacterium leprae to nasal epithelial cells.  a266-710 v693 a<p>The mechanisms by which Mycobacterium leprae invades the human host are presently unknown. We investigated the ability of M. leprae to bind to human RPMI 2650 cells, a human nasal septal epithelial cell line, using both microscopic observation and an ELISA technique. The results demonstrated that M. leprae adheres to nasal cells after binding to soluble fibronectin. Furthermore, it was observed that M. leprae could bind to the beta 1 chain of the integrins in the absence of serum or mucus. These results demonstrated that M. leprae uses fibronectin and fibronectin receptors on the surface of epithelial cells to bind and possibly invade the nasal epithelial cells.</p>  a0090-1229