%0 Journal Article
%A Rumbo, Carlos
%A Tomás, María
%A Fernández Moreira, Esteban
%A Cruz Soares, Nelson
%A Carvajal, Micaela
%A Santillana, Elena
%A Beceiro, Alejandro
%A Romero, Antonio
%A Bou, Germán
%T The Acinetobacter baumannii Omp33-36 Porin Is a Virulence Factor That Induces Apoptosis and Modulates Autophagy in Human Cells
%D 2014
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124930
%X Acinetobacter baumannii is an extracellular opportunistic human pathogen that is becoming increasingly problematic in hospi-tals. In the present study, we demonstrate that the A. baumannii Omp 33- to 36-kDa protein (Omp33-36) is a porin that acts as achannel for the passage of water. The protein is found on the cell surface and is released along with other porins in the outermembrane vesicles (OMVs). In immune and connective cell tissue, this protein induced apoptosis by activation of caspases andmodulation of autophagy, with the consequent accumulation of p62/SQSTM1 (sequestosome 1) and LC3B-II (confirmed by useof autophagy inhibitors). Blockage of autophagy enables the bacterium to persist intracellularly (inside autophagosomes), withthe subsequent development of cytotoxicity. Finally, we used macrophages and a mouse model of systemic infection to confirmthat Omp33-36 is a virulence factor in A. baumannii. Overall, the study findings show that Omp33-36 plays an important role inthe pathogenesis of A. baumannii infections.
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