Interaction of vaginal Lactobacillus strains with HeLa cells plasma membrane

Vaginal lactobacilli offer protection against recurrent urinary and vaginal infections. The precise mechanisms underlying the interaction between lactobacilli and the host epithelium remain poorly understood at the molecular level. Deciphering such events can provide valuable information on the mode of action of commensal and probiotic bacteria in the vaginal environment. We investigated the effects exerted by five Lactobacillus strains of vaginal origin (Lactobacillus crispatus BC1 and BC2, Lactobacillus gasseri BC9 and BC11 and Lactobacillus vaginalis BC15) on the physical properties of the plasma membrane in a cervical cell line (HeLa). The interaction of the vaginal lactobacilli with the cervical cells determined two kinds of effects on plasma membrane: (1) modification of the membrane polar lipid organisation and the physical properties (L. crispatus BC1 and L. gasseri BC9); (2) modification of α5β1 integrin organisation (L. crispatus BC2, L. gasseri BC11 and L. vaginalis BC15). These two mechanisms ...