01440nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002400055653001400079653002600093653001800119653001600137653001100153653001200164653001200176653002700188653002300215653002500238653002200263653002000285653001800305653001200323100001700335245008300352300000900435490000600444520066200450022001401112       2001                            d  c2001 Feb10aAntigens, Bacterial10aCell Wall10aCytoskeletal Proteins10aDystroglycans10aGlycolipids10aHumans10aLaminin10aleprosy10aMembrane Glycoproteins10aModels, Biological10aMycobacterium leprae10aPeripheral nerves10aProtein Binding10aSchwann Cells10aTropism1 aRambukkana A00aMolecular basis for the peripheral nerve predilection of Mycobacterium leprae.  a21-70 v43 a<p>Mycobacterium leprae, the causative organism of leprosy, has a unique predilection for Schwann cells, the glial cells of the peripheral nervous system. M. leprae invasion of Schwann cells leads to the neurological damage that underlies the sensory motor loss and subsequent deformity and disability associated with this disease. Recent studies have begun to elucidate the early events of M. leprae infection of Schwann cells on a molecular level, and the host and bacterial factors that determine the neural predilection of this bacterium. These advances have now provided novel insights into the mechanisms of bacterial interactions with host cells.</p>  a1369-5274