INVITED: Using Antigenic Disguise to Inhibit Protein and Cellular Interactions with Surfaces

When a foreign body enters the bloodstream it elicits a swift immune response predicated on the adsorption of plasma proteins followed by a cascade of events that results in thrombosis.  Though it is a critical function of the body’s immune system, when blood contacting medical devices are involved it can lead to many undesirable outcomes including heart attack or stroke.  To resolve this issue new ways to enhance material hemocompatibility are necessary.  One such technique is the use of antigenic disguise proteins found in various microorganisms.  Antigenic disguise is a term sometimes used to describe the ability of a microorganism to circumvent the host immune system.  The exact method varies widely in each organism.  One example is Treponema pallidum, which is believed to bind host plasma fibronectin (FN) and use it to shield potential antigen sites on its surface from attack.  This ability is thought to originate in a number of surface proteins, one of which is labeled Tp0483.  This presentation will focus on the use of antigenic disguise to inhibit protein and cellular interactions with surfaces.   Specifically, the interactions of Tp0483/FN with self-assembled monolayers will be discussed and the effects of these adsorbed proteins on plasma protein binding and cell interactions will be discussed.