BIO 480
ADHESION
MOLECULES
Bacterial Adherens Factors
• With the help of adhesion molecules,
microorganisms can attach to specific
receptors on the surface of the cells, colonize,
reach deeper and spread throughout the
body.
Adhesion factors
• Hemagglutinins
- molecules in the glycoprotein character - rather on the surface of viruses,
- helps in holding onto cells
- causes agglutination (hemagglutination) by binding to erythrocytes
• Fimbrial and afimbrial adhesins
- special adhesion proteins (adhesins, fimbrial adhesins) found at the distal ends of fimbriae (Type-I pilus)
• Fimbrial and afimbrial adhesins
- specific adhesion molecules (afimbrial adhesins) localized in the cell walls of bacteria
- interaction with specific receptors on the host cell surface
• Fimbria (piluses, microfibrils)
* in apatogenic or commensal enterobacteria
* Gram-negative microorganisms