| 1. |
- Bengtson, Sara, et al.
(författare)
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Activation of TAFI on the Surface of Streptococcus pyogenes Evokes Inflammatory Reactions by Modulating the Kallikrein/Kinin System
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Innate Immunity. - : S. Karger AG. - 1662-811X .- 1662-8128. ; 1:1, s. 18-28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bacteria-controlled regulation of host responses to infection is an important virulence mechanism that has been demonstrated to contribute to disease progression. Here we report that the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes employs the procarboxypeptidase TAR (thrombin-activatablefibrinolysis inhibitor) to modulate the kallikrein/kinin system. To this end, bacteria initiate a chain of events starting with the recruitment and activation of TAFI. This is followed by the assembly and induction of the contact system at the streptococcal surface, eventually triggering the release of bradykinin (BK). BK is then carboxyterminally truncated by activated TAFI, which converts the peptide from a kinin B-2 receptor ligand to a kinin B-1 receptor (B1R) agonist. Finally, we show that streptococcal supernatants indirectly amplify the B1R response as they act on peripheral blood mononuclear cells to secrete inflammatory cytokines that in turn stimulate upregulation of the B1R on human fibroblasts. Taken together our findings implicate a critical and novel role for streptococci-bound TAR, as it processes BK to a B1R agonist at the bacterial surface and thereby may redirect inflammation from a transient to a chronic state. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel
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| 2. |
- Kahn, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Antibodies against a surface protein of Streptococcus pyogenes promote a pathological inflammatory response.
- 2008
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Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 4:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) caused by Streptococcus pyogenes is a clinical condition with a high mortality rate despite modern intensive care. A key feature of STSS is excessive plasma leakage leading to hypovolemic hypotension, disturbed microcirculation and multiorgan failure. Previous work has identified a virulence mechanism in STSS where M1 protein of S. pyogenes forms complexes with fibrinogen that activate neutrophils to release heparin-binding protein (HBP), an inducer of vascular leakage. Here, we report a marked inter-individual difference in the response to M1 protein-induced HBP release, a difference found to be related to IgG antibodies directed against the central region of the M1 protein. To elicit massive HBP release, such antibodies need to be part of the M1 protein-fibrinogen complexes. The data add a novel aspect to bacterial pathogenesis where antibodies contribute to the severity of disease by promoting a pathologic inflammatory response.
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| 3. |
- Loof, Torsten, et al.
(författare)
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Coagulation, an ancestral serine protease cascade, exerts a novel function in early immune defense
- 2011
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 118:9, s. 2589-2598
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Phylogenetically conserved serine protease cascades play an important role in invertebrate and vertebrate immunity. The mammalian coagulation system can be traced back some 400 million years and shares homology with ancestral serine proteinase cascades that are involved in, for example, Toll receptor signaling in insects and release of antimicrobial peptides during hemolymph clotting. In the present study, we show that the induction of coagulation by bacteria leads to immobilization and killing of Streptococcus pyogenes bacteria inside the clot. The entrapment is mediated via cross-linking of bacteria to fibrin fibers by the action of coagulation factor XIII (fXIII), an evolutionarily conserved transglutaminase. In a streptococcal skin infection model, fXIII(-/-) mice developed severe signs of patho-logic inflammation at the local site of infection, and fXIII treatment of wild-type animals dampened bacterial dissemination during early infection. Bacterial killing and cross-linking to fibrin networks was also detected in tissue biopsies from patients with streptococcal necrotizing fasciitis, supporting the concept that coagulation is part of the early innate immune system.
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| 4. |
- Nilsson, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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The antibacterial activity of peptides derived from human beta-2 glycoprotein I is inhibited by protein H and M1 protein from Streptococcus pyogenes.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 67:3, s. 482-492
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the last years, the importance of antibacterial peptides has attracted considerable attention. We report here that peptides derived from the fifth domain of beta-2 glycoprotein I (beta(2)GPI), a human heparin binding plasma protein, have antibacterial activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Streptococcus pyogenes, an important human pathogen that can survive and grow in human blood, has developed mechanisms to escape the attack by these peptides. Thus, protein H and M1 protein, two surface proteins of the highly pathogenic S. pyogenes AP1 strain, bind full-length beta(2)GPI and thereby prevent the processing of beta(2)GPI by proteases from polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into antibacterial peptides. In addition, protein H and M1 protein, released from the bacterial cell wall by PMN-derived proteases, bind to, and inhibit the activity of, beta(2)GPI-derived antibacterial peptides. Taken together, the data suggest that the interaction between the streptococcal proteins and beta(2)GPI or beta(2)GPI-derived peptides presents a novel mechanism to resist an antibacterial attack by beta(2)GPI-cleavage products.
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| 5. |
- Oehmcke, Sonja, et al.
(författare)
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A Novel Role for Pro-Coagulant Microvesicles in the Early Host Defense against Streptococcus pyogenes
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLoS Pathogens. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7366 .- 1553-7374. ; 9:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous studies have shown that stimulation of whole blood or peripheral blood mononuclear cells with bacterial virulence factors results in the sequestration of pro-coagulant microvesicles (MVs). These particles explore their clotting activity via the extrinsic and intrinsic pathway of coagulation; however, their pathophysiological role in infectious diseases remains enigmatic. Here we describe that the interaction of pro-coagulant MVs with bacteria of the species Streptococcus pyogenes is part of the early immune response to the invading pathogen. As shown by negative staining electron microscopy and clotting assays, pro-coagulant MVs bind in the presence of plasma to the bacterial surface. Fibrinogen was identified as a linker that, through binding to the M1 protein of S. pyogenes, allows the opsonization of the bacteria by MVs. Surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed a strong interaction between pro-coagulant MVs and fibrinogen with a K-D value in the nanomolar range. When performing a mass-spectrometry-based strategy to determine the protein quantity, a significant up-regulation of the fibrinogen-binding integrins CD18 and CD11b on pro-coagulant MVs was recorded. Finally we show that plasma clots induced by pro-coagulant MVs are able to prevent bacterial dissemination and possess antimicrobial activity. These findings were confirmed by in vivo experiments, as local treatment with pro-coagulant MVs dampens bacterial spreading to other organs and improved survival in an invasive streptococcal mouse model of infection. Taken together, our data implicate that pro-coagulant MVs play an important role in the early response of the innate immune system in infectious diseases.
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| 6. |
- Oehmcke, Sonja, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment of invasive streptococcal infection with a peptide derived from human high molecular weight kininogen.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 1528-0020 .- 0006-4971. ; 114:2, s. 444-451
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sepsis and septic shock remain an important medical problem, emphasizing the need to identify novel therapeutic opportunities. Hypovolemic hypotension, coagulation dysfunction, disturbed microcirculation, and multiorgan failure due to vascular leakage are often observed in these severe conditions. In the present study, we find that HKH20, a peptide derived from human high molecular weight kininogen (HK), down-regulates inflammatory reactions caused by Streptococcus pyogenes in a mouse model of sepsis. HK is a component of the pro-inflammatory and pro-coagulant contact system. Activation of the contact system in the bloodstream by S. pyogenes leads to massive tissue damage in the lungs of the infected mice, which eventually results in the death of the animals. HKH20 inhibits activation of the contact system and protects mice with invasive S. pyogenes infection from lung damage. In combination with clindamycin treatment, the peptide also significantly prolongs the survival of infected mice.
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| 7. |
- Påhlman, Lars, et al.
(författare)
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Antimicrobial activity of fibrinogen and fibrinogen-derived peptides : a novel link between coagulation and innate immunity
- 2013
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Ingår i: Thrombosis and Haemostasis. - 0340-6245 .- 2567-689X. ; 109:5, s. 930-939
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fibrinogen is a key player in the blood coagulation system, and is upon activation with thrombin converted into fibrin that subsequently forms a fibrin clot. In the present study, we investigated the role of fibrinogen in the early innate immune response. Here we show that the viability of fibrinogen-binding bacteria is affected in human plasma activated with thrombin. Moreover, we found that the peptide fragment GHR28 released from the β-chain of fibrinogen has antimicrobial activity against bacteria that bind fibrinogen to their surface, whereas non-binding strains are unaffected. Notably, bacterial killing was detected in Group A Streptococcus bacteria entrapped in a fibrin clot, suggesting that fibrinogen and coagulation is involved in the early innate immune system to quickly wall off and neutralise invading pathogens.
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| 8. |
- Påhlman, Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Soluble M1 protein of Streptococcus pyogenes triggers potent T cell activation.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Cellular Microbiology. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1462-5814 .- 1462-5822. ; 10:2, s. 404-414
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Streptococcus pyogenes of the M1 serotype is commonly associated with large outbreaks of invasive streptococcal infections and development of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The pathogenesis behind these infections is believed to involve bacterial superantigens that induce potent inflammatory responses, but the reason why strains of the M1 serotype are over-represented in STSS is still not understood. In the present investigation, we show that a highly purified soluble form of the M1 protein from S. pyogenes, which lacks the membrane-spanning region, is a potent inducer of T cell proliferation and release of Th1 type cytokines. M1 protein-evoked T cell proliferation was HLA class II-dependent but not MHC-restricted, did not require intracellular processing and was Vβ-restricted. Extensive mass spectrometry studies indicated that there were no other detectable proteins in the preparation. Taken together, our data demonstrate that soluble M1 protein is a novel streptococcal superantigen, which likely contributes to the excessive T cell activation and hyperinflammatory response seen in severe invasive streptococcal infections.
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| 9. |
- Westman, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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p33 (gC1q Receptor) Prevents Cell Damage by Blocking the Cytolytic Activity of Antimicrobial Peptides.
- 2013
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Ingår i: Journal of Immunology. - : The American Association of Immunologists. - 1550-6606 .- 0022-1767. ; 191:11, s. 5714-5721
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The innate immune system is the first line of defense against invading microbes. Its specificity relies a great deal on host pattern recognition molecules that sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns of the invading pathogen. However, full protection is not always guaranteed, and some early defense mechanisms involved in bacterial killing, such as the complement system, can also exert cytolytic activity against host cells. Although these cascades are tightly regulated, the host has to take additional precautions to prevent its cell destruction. In this study, we describe that p33, a negatively charged surface protein found on endothelial cells also known as gC1q receptor, protects host cells from a cytolytic attack by antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as LL37 and β-defensin 3. To this end, we characterized the interaction of p33 with AMPs by biochemical and functional means. Our data show that p33 forms a doughnut-shaped trimer that can bind up to three AMPs, and we identified a segment in p33 forming a β-sheet that mediates the binding to all AMPs. Moreover, our results show that p33 abolishes the lytic activity of AMPs at an equimolar ratio, and it protects endothelial cells and erythrocytes from AMP-induced lysis. Taken together, our data suggest a novel protective mechanism of p33 in modulating innate immune response by neutralizing cytotoxic AMPs at the host cell surface.
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| 10. |
- Westman, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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Treatment with p33 Curtails Morbidity and Mortality in a Histone-Induced Murine Shock Model.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Innate Immunity. - : S. Karger AG. - 1662-811X .- 1662-8128. ; 6:6, s. 819-830
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Collateral damage caused by extracellular histones has an immediate impact on morbidity and mortality in many disease models. A significant increase in the levels of extracellular histones is seen in critically ill patients with trauma and sepsis. We showed that histones are released from necrotic cells in patients with invasive skin infections. Under in vitro conditions, endogenous p33, an endothelial surface protein also known as the gC1q receptor, interacts with histones released from damaged endothelial cells. Functional analyses have revealed that recombinantly expressed p33 completely neutralizes the harmful features of histones, i.e. hemolysis of erythrocytes, lysis of endothelial cells and platelet aggregation. We also noted that mice treated with a sublethal dose of histones developed severe signs of hemolysis, thrombocytopenia and lung tissue damage already 10 min after inoculation. These complications were fully counteracted when p33 was administered together with the histones. Moreover, application of p33 significantly improved survival in mice receiving an otherwise lethal dose of histones. Together, our data suggest that treatment with p33 is a promising therapeutic approach in severe infectious diseases. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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