Adhesion of Escherichia coli to HeLa Cells Mediated by Trypanosoma cruzi Surface Glycoprotein-Derived Peptides Inserted in the Outer Membrane Protein LamB

Peptides derived from the surface glycoprotein gp82 of Trypanosoma cruzi, previously implicated in the parasite’s invasion of host cells, were expressed as fusions to the protein LamB of Escherichia coli in a region known to be exposed on the cell surface. Bacteria expressing these proteins adhered to HeLa cells in a manner that mimics the pattern of parasite invasion of mammalian cells. Purified LamB fusion proteins were shown to bind to HeLa cells and to inhibit infection by T. cruzi, supporting the notion that these gp82-derived peptides can mediate interaction of the parasite with its host.