%0 Journal Article %A Virji, M. %A Heckels, J. E. %T The Role of Common and Type-specific Pilus Antigenic Domains in Adhesion and Virulence of Gonococci for Human Epithelial Cells %D 1984 %J Microbiology, %V 130 %N 5 %P 1089-1095 %@ 1465-2080 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-130-5-1089 %I Microbiology Society, %X A panel of monoclonal antibodies with varying pilus specificities ranging from cross-reacting to type-specific has been used to investigate the role of conserved and variable antigenic domains in the adhesion of gonococci to human epithelial cells. The binding of 125I-labelled α pili from strain P9 to buccal epithelial cells was inhibited by three type-specific but not by two cross-reacting antibodies. Four type-specific antibodies inhibited the binding of γ pili while the two cross-reacting antibodies were again without effect. The virulence of the variants P9-2 (α pili) and P9-35 (γ pili) for Chang conjunctiva epithelial cells was similarly reduced only in the presence of relevant type-specific antibodies. These results indicate the importance of variable antigenic domains in the adhesion of gonococci to human epithelial cells. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-130-5-1089