scholarly journals Distinct Time-Resolved Roles for Two Catabolite-Sensing Pathways duringStreptococcus pyogenesInfection

2010 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 812-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin C. Kietzman ◽  
Michael G. Caparon

ABSTRACTMany Gram-positive pathogens link the expression of virulence genes to the presence of carbon source substrates using overlapping pathways for global control of carbon catabolite regulation. However, how these pathways are integrated to control the behavior of the transcriptome in time- and compartment-specific patterns is typically not well understood. In the present study, global transcriptome profiling was used to determine the extent to which glucose alters gene expression inStreptococcus pyogenes(group A streptococcus) and the contributions of the CcpA and LacD.1 catabolite control pathways to the regulation of this responsein vitro. This analysis revealed that the expression of as many as 15% of the genes examined was regulated and that CcpA and LacD.1 together contribute to the regulation of 60% of this subset. However, numerous patterns were observed, including both CcpA- and LacD.1-specific and independent regulation, coregulation, and regulation of genes by these pathways independently of glucose. In addition, CcpA and LacD.1 had antagonistic effects on most coregulated genes. To resolve the roles of these regulators during infection, the expression of selected transcripts representative of different regulatory patterns was examined in a murine model of soft tissue infection. This revealed distinct patterns of misregulation with respect to time in CcpA−versus LacD.1−mutants. Taken together, these data support an important role for carbohydrate in the regulation of the transcriptome in tissue and suggest that the CcpA and LacD.1 pathways are organized to function at different times during the course of an infection.

2019 ◽  
Vol 216 (7) ◽  
pp. 1615-1629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Naegeli ◽  
Eleni Bratanis ◽  
Christofer Karlsson ◽  
Oonagh Shannon ◽  
Raja Kalluru ◽  
...  

Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A streptococcus; GAS) is a human pathogen causing diseases from uncomplicated tonsillitis to life-threatening invasive infections. GAS secretes EndoS, an endoglycosidase that specifically cleaves the conserved N-glycan on IgG antibodies. In vitro, removal of this glycan impairs IgG effector functions, but its relevance to GAS infection in vivo is unclear. Using targeted mass spectrometry, we characterized the effects of EndoS on host IgG glycosylation during the course of infections in humans. Substantial IgG glycan hydrolysis occurred at the site of infection and systemically in the severe cases. We demonstrated decreased resistance to phagocytic killing of GAS lacking EndoS in vitro and decreased virulence in a mouse model of invasive infection. This is the first described example of specific bacterial IgG glycan hydrolysis during infection and thereby verifies the hypothesis that EndoS modifies antibodies in vivo. This mechanisms of immune evasion could have implications for treatment of severe GAS infections and for future efforts at vaccine development.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (11) ◽  
pp. 5399-5405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinduo Ji ◽  
Norbert Schnitzler ◽  
Eric DeMaster ◽  
Patrick Cleary

ABSTRACT Resistance to phagocytosis is a hallmark of virulentStreptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus). Surface-bound C5a peptidase reduces recruitment of phagocytes to the site of infection, and hyaluronic acid capsules and/or the M protein limit the uptake of streptococci. In this study the relative impact of M and M-like proteins and the C5a peptidase on the virulence of a serotype M49 strain was assessed. The capacities of isogenic strains with an insertion mutation in emm49; with a deletion mutation in scpA49 (C5a peptidase gene); and with a deletion that removes all three M-like genes, mrp49,emm49, and enn49, to colonize mice and resist phagocytosis were compared. Experiments confirmed results obtained in an earlier study, which showed that the M49 protein was not required for in vitro resistance to phagocytosis, and also showed that the M protein was not required for colonization of mice. Failure to produce all three M-like proteins, M49, Mrp, and Enn49, significantly reduced the ability of these streptococci to resist phagocytosis in vitro but did not significantly alter the persistence of streptococci on the oral mucosa. In vitro experiments indicate that M+ streptococci are phagocytized by polymorphonuclear leukocytes that have been activated with phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate or recombinant human C5a. This observation may explain the finding that expression of M49 protein is not essential for short-term colonization of the mouse oral mucosa.


2002 ◽  
Vol 128 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. DELVECCHIO ◽  
B. J. CURRIE ◽  
J. D. McARTHUR ◽  
M. J. WALKER ◽  
K. S. SRIPRAKASH

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) strains may express several distinct fibronectin-binding proteins (FBPs) which are considered as major streptococcal adhesins. Of the FBPs, SfbI was shown in vitro to promote internalization of the bacterium into host cells and has been implicated in persistence. In the tropical Northern Territory, where group A streptococcal infection is common, multiple genotypes of the organism were found among isolates from invasive disease cases and no dominant strains were observed. To determine whether any FBPs is associated with invasive disease propensity of S. pyogenes, we have screened streptococcal isolates from bacteraemic and necrotizing fasciitis patients and isolates from uncomplicated infections for genetic endowment of 4 FBPs. No difference was observed in the distribution of sfbII, fbp54 and sfbI between the blood isolates and isolates from uncomplicated infection. We conclude that the presence of sfbI does not appear to promote invasive diseases, despite its association with persistence. We also show a higher proportion of group A streptococcus strains isolated from invasive disease cases possess prtFII when compared to strains isolated from non-invasive disease cases. We suggest that S. pyogenes may recruit different FBPs for different purposes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (6) ◽  
pp. 2038-2047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audry C. Almengor ◽  
Matthew S. Walters ◽  
Kevin S. McIver

ABSTRACT The group A streptococcus (GAS), or Streptococcus pyogenes, is a strict human pathogen of medical significance, causing infections ranging from pharyngitis (strep throat) to necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease). Several virulence genes that encode factors important for colonization, internalization, and immune evasion are under the control of the multiple gene regulator of the GAS, or Mga. Mga functions as a DNA-binding protein that interacts with sites both proximal (Pemm and PscpA) and distal (PsclA) to the start of transcription for the genes that it regulates. The genes encoding serum opacity factor, sof, and a novel fibronectin-binding protein, sfbX, are cotranscribed and represent two uncharacterized Mga-regulated virulence genes in the GAS. Analysis of the promoter region of sof-sfbX identified a putative Mga-binding site 278 bp upstream of the regulated start of transcription as determined by primer extension. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that Mga is able to bind specifically to the single distal site in a fashion similar to the previously characterized PsclA. In order to better understand the events that take place at this and other Mga-regulated promoters, an in vitro transcription assay was established. Using this assay, we showed that Mga is sufficient to activate transcription in vitro for Mga-regulated promoters containing both proximal (Pemm) and distal (PsclA and Psof-sfbX) binding sites. These results indicate that additional factors are not required for Mga-specific activation at diverse promoters in vitro, although they do not rule out the potential influence of other components on the Mga virulence regulon in vivo.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1788-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Tsao ◽  
Tien-Yau Luh ◽  
Chen-Kung Chou ◽  
Jiunn-Jong Wu ◽  
Yee-Shin Lin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The effect of a water-soluble trimalonic acid derivative of fullerene, carboxyfullerene, against Streptococcus pyogenes infection was tested. Pretreatment with carboxyfullerene was able to protect mice from S. pyogenes infection in an air pouch model. S. pyogenes-induced death and skin injury were inhibited dose dependently by carboxyfullerene. Administration of carboxyfullerene via the peritoneum and air pouch at 3 h post-S. pyogenes infection was able to protect 33% of mice from death. Surveys of exudates of the air pouch of carboxyfullerene-treated mice revealed that survival of infiltrating neutrophils was prolonged and that the bacteria were eliminated as a result of enhanced bactericidal activity of the neutrophils. Furthermore, carboxyfullerene was able to directly inhibit in vitro growth of S. pyogenes. These data suggest that carboxyfullerene can be considered an antimicrobial agent for group A streptococcus infection.


2020 ◽  
pp. 64-70
Author(s):  
Anastasiya Laknitskaya

Currently, one of the priority medical and social problems is the optimization of treatment methods for pyoderma associated with Streptococcus pyogenes — group A streptococcus (GAS). To date, the proportion of pyoderma, the etiological factor of which is Streptococcus pyogenes, is about 6 % of all skin diseases and is in the range from 17.9 to 43.9 % of all dermatoses. Role of the bacterial factor in the development of streptococcal pyoderma is obvious. Traditional treatment complex includes antibacterial drugs selected individually, taking into account the antibiotic sensitivity of pathognomonic bacteria, and it is not always effective. Currently implemented immunocorrection methods often do not take into account specific immunological features of the disease, the individual, and the fact that the skin performs the function of not only a mechanical barrier, but it is also an immunocompetent organ. Such an approach makes it necessary to conduct additional studies clarifying the role of factors of innate and adaptive immunity, intercellular mediators and antioxidant defense system, that allow to optimize the treatment of this pathology.


2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 2990-2993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Haller ◽  
Kirsten Fluegge ◽  
Sandra Jasminder Arri ◽  
Brit Adams ◽  
Reinhard Berner

ABSTRACT A total of 301 German pediatric group A streptococcus isolates were screened for the presence of macrolide resistance and the fibronectin binding protein F1 gene (prtF1) encoding an adhesin and cell invasiveness protein. The prtF1 gene was present significantly more often among macrolide-resistant isolates. The majority of these were not clonally related.


2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis A. Vega ◽  
Kayla M. Valdes ◽  
Ganesh S. Sundar ◽  
Ashton T. Belew ◽  
Emrul Islam ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAs an exclusively human pathogen,Streptococcus pyogenes(the group A streptococcus [GAS]) has specifically adapted to evade host innate immunity and survive in multiple tissue niches, including blood. GAS can overcome the metabolic constraints of the blood environment and expresses various immunomodulatory factors necessary for survival and immune cell resistance. Here we present our investigation of one such factor, the predicted LysR family transcriptional regulator CpsY. The encoding gene,cpsY, was initially identified as being required for GAS survival in a transposon-site hybridization (TraSH) screen in whole human blood. CpsY is homologous with transcriptional regulators ofStreptococcus mutans(MetR),Streptococcus iniae(CpsY), andStreptococcus agalactiae(MtaR) that regulate methionine transport, amino acid metabolism, resistance to neutrophil-mediated killing, and survivalin vivo. Our investigation indicated that CpsY is involved in GAS resistance to innate immune cells of its human host. However, GAS CpsY does not manifest thein vitrophenotypes of its homologs in other streptococcal species. GAS CpsY appears to regulate a small set of genes that is markedly different from the regulons of its homologs. The differential expression of these genes depends on the growth medium, and CpsY modestly influences their expression. The GAS CpsY regulon includes known virulence factors (mntE,speB,spd,nga[spn],prtS[SpyCEP], andsse) and cell surface-associated factors of GAS (emm1,mur1.2,sibA[cdhA], andM5005_Spy0500). Intriguingly, the loss of CpsY in GAS does not result in virulence defects in murine models of infection, suggesting that CpsY function in immune evasion is specific to the human host.


2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (7) ◽  
pp. 2890-2901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilena Gallotta ◽  
Giovanni Gancitano ◽  
Giampiero Pietrocola ◽  
Marirosa Mora ◽  
Alfredo Pezzicoli ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTGroup A streptococcus (GAS) is a human pathogen causing a wide repertoire of mild and severe diseases for which no vaccine is yet available. We recently reported the identification of three protein antigens that in combination conferred wide protection against GAS infection in mice. Here we focused our attention on the characterization of one of these three antigens, Spy0269, a highly conserved, surface-exposed, and immunogenic protein of unknown function. Deletion of thespy0269gene in a GAS M1 isolate resulted in very long bacterial chains, which is indicative of an impaired capacity of the knockout mutant to properly divide. Confocal microscopy and immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that the protein was mainly localized at the cell septum and could interactin vitrowith the cell division protein FtsZ, leading us to hypothesize that Spy0269 is a member of the GAS divisome machinery. Predicted structural domains and sequence homologies with known streptococcal adhesins suggested that this antigen could also play a role in mediating GAS interaction with host cells. This hypothesis was confirmed by showing that recombinant Spy0269 could bind to mammalian epithelial cellsin vitroand thatLactococcus lactisexpressing Spy0269 on its cell surface could adhere to mammalian cellsin vitroand to mice nasal mucosain vivo. On the basis of these data, we believe that Spy0269 is involved both in bacterial cell division and in adhesion to host cells and we propose to rename this multifunctional moonlighting protein as SpyAD (StreptococcuspyogenesAdhesion andDivision protein).


2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleonora A. Starikova ◽  
Alexey V. Sokolov ◽  
Anna Yu. Vlasenko ◽  
Larisa A. Burova ◽  
Irina S. Freidlin ◽  
...  

Streptococcus pyogenes (group A Streptococcus; GAS) is an important gram-positive extracellular bacterial pathogen responsible for a number of suppurative infections. This micro-organism has developed complex virulence mechanisms to avoid the host’s defenses. We have previously reported that SDSC from GAS type M22 causes endothelial-cell dysfunction, and inhibits cell adhesion, migration, metabolism, and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting cell viability. This work aimed to isolate and characterize a component from GAS type M22 supernatant that suppresses the proliferation of endothelial cells (EA.hy926). In the process of isolating a protein possessing antiproliferative activity we identified arginine deiminase (AD). Further study showed that this enzyme is most active at pH 6.8. Calculating Km and Vmax gave the values of 0.67 mmol·L–1 and 42 s−1, respectively. A distinctive feature of AD purified from GAS type M22 is that its optimum activity and the maximal rate of the catalytic process is close to neutral pH by comparison with enzymes from other micro-organisms. AD from GAS type M22 suppressed the proliferative activity of endothelial cells in a dose-dependent mode. At the same time, in the presence of AD, the proportion of cells in G0/G1 phase increased. When l-Arg was added at increasing concentrations to the culture medium containing AD (3 μg·mL–1), the enzyme’s capacity to inhibit cell proliferation became partially depressed. The proportion of cells in phases S/G2 increased concomitantly, although the cells did not fully recover their proliferation activity. This suggests that AD from GAS type M22 has potential for the suppression of excessive cell proliferation.


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