Leishmania amazonensis infection impairs VLA-4 clustering and adhesion complex assembly at the adhesion site of J774 cells.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an infectious disease that may lead to a single or multiple disseminated cutaneous lesions. The mechanisms involved in Leishmania dissemination to different areas of the skin and the internal organs remain poorly understood. Evidence shows that Very Late Antigen-4 (VLA-4)-dependent phagocyte adhesion is impaired by Leishmania infection, which may be related to the mechanisms of parasite dissemination. We investigated factors potentially associated with decreased VLA-4-mediated adhesion in Leishmania-infected macrophages, including lipid raft-mediated VLA-4 mobilization along the cellular membrane, integrin cluster formation at the cell base (adhesion site), and focal adhesion complex assembly. Phagocytes treated with Methyl-β-Cyclodextrin (MβCD) demonstrated reduced adhesion, similarly to Leishmania amazonensis-infected J774 cells. Infected and MβCD-treated macrophages presented decreased VLA-4 mobilization to the adhesion plane, as well as reduced integrin clustering. Leishmania amazonensis-infected cells exhibited talin depletion, as well as a decreased mobilization of adhesion complex proteins, such as talin and viculin, which were associated with lower VLA-4 concentrations at the adhesion site and limited cell-spreading. Our results suggest that Leishmania infection may modulate the firm adhesion phase of the cell-spreading process, which could contribute to the bloodstream dissemination of infected cells.