SUSCEPTIBILITY OF EPITHELIAL-CELLS TO PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA INVASIONAND CYTOTOXICITY IS UP-REGULATED BY HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR

Normal cell polarity protects epithelial cells against Pseudomonas aer uginosa invasion and cytotoxicity. Using epithelial cell clones with s elective defects in sorting of membrane constituents, and using hepato cyte growth factor pretreatment, we found that polarized susceptibilit y to P. aeruginosa can be altered without disrupting tight junctions. The results also showed that cellular susceptibility factors for invas ion and cytotoxicity are not the same, although both are localized to the basolateral cell surface in polarized epithelial cells.