Differential role of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in the invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells by Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes.

Invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) is a key step in the pathogenesis of meningitis due to Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes. Although host cell actin cytoskeletal rearrangements are essential in BMEC invasion by E. coli K1 and L. monocytogenes, the underlying signaling mechanisms remain unclear. This study demonstrates that host cell cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) contributes to E. coli K1 invasion of BMECs but not to L. monocytogenes invasion of BMECs. This difference was observed with 4-bromophenacyl bromide, a nonselective PLA2 inhibitor, and arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone, a selective cPLA2 inhibitor, and was confirmed with BMEC derived from cPLA2 knockout mice. Activation of cPLA2 leads to generation of intracellular arachidonic acid, which is metabolized via cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipo-oxygenase (LOX) pathways into eicosanoids. COX and LOX inhibitors also significantly inhibit E. coli K1 invasion of BMECs.

Environmental growth conditions influence the ability of Escherichia coli K1 to invade brain microvascular endothelial cells and confer serum resistance.

A major limitation to advances in prevention and therapy of neonatal meningitis is our incomplete understanding of the pathogenesis of this disease. In an effort to understand the pathogenesis of meningitis due to Escherichia coli K1, we examined whether environmental growth conditions similar to those that the bacteria might be exposed to in the blood could influence the ability of E. coli K1 to invade brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) in vitro and to cross the blood-brain barrier in vivo. We found that the following bacterial growth conditions enhanced E. coli K1 invasion of BMEC 3- to 10-fold: microaerophilic growth, media buffered at pH 6.5, and media supplemented with 50% newborn bovine serum (NBS), magnesium, or iron. Growth conditions that significantly repressed invasion (i.e., 2- to 250-fold) included iron chelation, a pH of 8.5, and high osmolarity. More importantly, E. coli K1 traversal of the blood-brain barrier was significantly greater for the growth condition enhancing BMEC invasion (50% NBS) than for the condition repressing invasion (osmolarity) in newborn rats with experimental hematogenous meningitis. Of interest, bacterial growth conditions that enhanced or repressed invasion also elicited similar serum resistance phenotype patterns. This is the first demonstration that bacterial ability to enter the central nervous system can be affected by environmental growth conditions.