Bacterial adhesins, the pathogenic weapons to trick host defense arsenal

Abstract

Adhesins are bacterial proteins with host cell adhesive properties. These proteins occur in diverse architectures, ranging from capsules, vesicles, pili, fimbri, to enzymes. These proteins interact with host cell surface receptor proteins, for cross-membrane- trafficking and the invasion of host cells. Thus, they lead to inflammation and pathogenesis, of chronic as well as acute type. Inhibition of adhesin-mediated immune activation can be possible by mannose supplementation, assembly disruption, and host receptor blockage, among other approaches. Almost all bacterial pathogenesis is mediated by adhesins, yet when elaborated by normal flora, they might also be important for the exclusion of pathogens. For their ubiquity in bacterial pathogenesis, these lectin-like virulence proteins have been drug targets and vaccine components. Adhesins hold the clue for bacterial persistence and drug resistance as well, which can be detected through the annotation of hypothetical genes, the coding genes with sparsely-characterized functionality. This work takes a unique perspective on adhesins for better management of infectious diseases.

Keywords: Adhesins; Gut mucosa; Immune manipulation; Inflammation; Pathogens.