Journal of Bacteriology & Parasitology

Abstract

Effects of Neisseria meningitidis Infection in Tumor Glioblastoma Cell Line NG97: Respiratory Pathogen Inducing Apoptosis

Rafaella Fabiana Carneiro Pereira, Danilo Antonini Alves, Renan Koseki Jacinto, Luciana Maria de Hollanda, Liana Maria Cardoso Verinaud, Camila Maria Longo Machado and Marcelo Lancellotti

Astrocytomas, or glioblastomas, are aggressive malignancies of the central nervous system which has poor prognosis, even when submitted to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Established permanent cell lines are valuable tools for the study of the glioma pathology, diagnostic and treatment. In this work, were analyzed the adhesion, induction of apoptosis and chemokines’ expression of the bacterial pathogen Neisseria meningitidis in the astrocytome cell line NG97. The analysis of the adhesion and morphological alteration by optical microscopy showed significant alterations mediated by meningococci infection in NG97 cells. Scanning-electron microscopy assays demonstrated a decrease in the number of microvilli on the cell surface as well as the meningococcal adhesion to the cells matrix when compared with the non-infected NG97 cells. Cells infected with different meningococci strains revealed activation of caspase-3, an apoptotic route. Also, the induction of apoptosis in NG97 cells infected was demonstrated by an increased pro- inflammatory chemokines expression, such as TNFα. These data suggest that N. meningitidis is a useful tool in the war against cancer.