Intracellular signalling and cytoskeletal rearrangement involved in Yersinia pestis plasminogen activator (Pla) mediated HeLa cell invasion

Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague is a highly invasive organism being able to invade non-phagocytic epithelial cells. Its plasminogen activator (Pla), encoded by the pPCP1 plasmid plays a pivotal role in internalisation of bacteria by HeLa cells. The aim of this study was to analyse the intracellular signalling processes and cytoskeletal rearrangement events associated with invasion. Wortmannin caused a 50% decrease of invasiveness at 50nM concentration pointing to the involvement of phosphatidyl-inosinol-4 kinase (PtINs4). Pre-treatment with staurosporin, a potent inhibitor of protein kinases (PKs) and with genistein, a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor decreased the number of internalised bacteria about seven-fold and two-fold, respectively, indicating the involvement of PKs including tyrosine kinases in Pla-mediated internalisation. Cytochalasin D, an actin polymerisation inhibitor, C3 exoenzyme of Clostridium botulinum, a specific inhibitor of small GTPase Rho, and NDGA, a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor also involved in Rho activation strongly reduced the number of internalised bacteria revealing the role of cytoskeletal events in the invasion process. All the tested inhibitors changed the invasion but not the adhesion pattern of the Pla producing recombinant strain. Actin rearrangement could also be visualised also with rhodamin-phalloidin staining.