Bacteria deliver a microtubule-binding protein into mammalian cells to promote colonization

Science 2026

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Authors: Michael S. Costello, Bryan C. Neumann, Mia W. Raimondi, Bonnie J. Cuthbert, Jana Holubová, Fernando Garza-Sánchez, Abdul Samad, Ladislav Bumba, Jacob A. Torres, Nickolas J. Holznecht, J. Mendoza, Ondřej Staněk
+9 more Sasiprapa Prombhul, Thomas Weimbs, Meghan A. Morrissey, Diego Acosta-Alvear, David A. Low, Peter Šebo, Celia W. Goulding, Shane Gonen, Christopher S. Hayes
DOI: 10.1126/science.adz2737
Cited by: 5
References: 72

Abstract

Pathogenic Bordetella bacteria use protein adhesins to infect the ciliated respiratory epithelia of vertebrate hosts. In this work, we show that the filamentous hemagglutinin FhaB adhesin of Bordetella carries a C-terminal microtubule-binding domain (FhaB-CT), which is translocated into host cells to promote colonization. FhaB-CT delivery is required to occupy a niche at the base of cilia in airway epithelia, and mutant bacteria lacking this domain are defective for nasal colonization. These observations suggest that FhaB-CT is transferred into motile respiratory cilia to interact with core axonemal microtubules. We propose that Bordetella adheres initially to the tips of cilia and then deploys multiple FhaB adhesins to migrate to the base of the cilia forest, where the bacteria resist removal by the mucociliary “escalator” that normally clears the respiratory tract of microbes.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Bacterial Infections and Vaccines Escherichia coli research studies Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology

Publication details

Journal / source
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
391
Issue
6787
Pages
825–830
Publication date
19 February 2026
Language
EN