| 1. |
- Nitsche, Patric, et al.
(författare)
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Streptococcal protein fog: A novel matrix adhesin interacting with colagen I in vivo.
- 2006
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; 281:3, s. 1670-1679
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Group G streptococcus (GGS) is a human pathogen of emerging clinical significance. It causes skin and soft tissue infections, occasionally resulting in life-threatening conditions such as sepsis and necrotizing fasciitis. We recently identified FOG, a novel surface protein of GGS with fibrinogen binding and immune evasion properties. Here we investigated the role of FOG in streptococcal primary adhesion to host tissue. A FOG-expressing clinical isolate adhered more efficiently to human skin biopsies ex vivo and to the murine dermis in vivo than a FOG-deficient strain. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy of skin specimens exhibited that this property was assigned to the ability of FOG to interact with collagen I, a major interstitial component of the dermis. Overlay experiments with human skin extracts and radiolabeled FOG followed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry analysis identified both the alpha 1- and alpha 2-chains of collagen I as targets for FOG. Transmission electron microscopy of the molecular complexes revealed thread-like FOG molecules binding via their NH2 termini to distinct sites on collagen I monomers and fibrils. The results demonstrate that FOG is important for GGS adhesion in vivo, implying a pathogenic role for this surface protein.
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| 2. |
- Egesten, Arne, et al.
(författare)
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Binding of albumin promotes bacterial survival at the epithelial surface.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; Dec, s. 2469-2476
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Albumin (HSA) is the dominating protein in human plasma. Many bacterial species, especially streptococci, express surface proteins that bind HSA with high specificity and affinity, but the biological consequences of these protein-protein interactions are poorly understood. Group G streptococci (GGS), carrying the HSA-binding protein G, colonize the skin and the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, mostly without causing disease. In case of bacterial invasion, pro-inflammatory cytokines are released that activate the epithelium to produce antibacterial peptides, in particular the chemokine MIG/CXCL9. In addition, the inflammation causes capillary leakage and extravasation of HSA and other plasma proteins; environmental changes at the epithelial surface to which the bacteria need to respond. In this study, we find that GGS adsorb HSA from both saliva and plasma via binding to protein G, and that HSA bound to protein G binds and inactivates the antibacterial MIG/CXCL9 peptide. Another surface protein of GGS, FOG, was found to mediate adherence of the bacteria to pharyngeal epithelial cells through interaction with glycosaminoglycans. This adherence was not affected by the activation of the epithelium with a combination of IFN-γ and TNF-α, leading to the production of MIG/CXCL9. However, at the activated epithelial surface, adherent GGS were protected against killing by MIG/CXCL9 through protein G dependent HSA-coating. The findings identify a previously unknown bacterial survival strategy that help to explain the evolution of HSA-binding proteins among bacterial species of the normal human microbiota.
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| 3. |
- Frick, Inga-Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Antibacterial activity of the contact and complement systems is blocked by SIC, a protein secreted by Streptococcus pyogenes.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; 286, s. 1331-1340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies have shown that activation of the complement and contact systems results in the generation of antibacterial peptides. Streptococcus pyogenes, a major bacterial pathogen in humans, exists in more than one hundred different serotypes due to sequence variation in the surface-associated M protein. Cases of invasive and life-threatening S. pyogenes infections are commonly associated with isolates of the M1 serotype, and in contrast to the large majority of M serotypes, M1 isolates all secrete the SIC protein. Here we show that SIC interferes with the activation of the contact system, and blocks the activity of antibacterial peptides generated through complement and contact activation. This effect promotes the growth of S. pyogenes in human plasma, and in a mouse model of S. pyogenes sepsis, SIC enhances bacterial dissemination, results which help to explain the high frequency of severe S. pyogenes infections caused by isolates of the M1 serotype.
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| 4. |
- Frick, Inga-Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Interactions between M proteins of Streptococcus pyogenes and glycosaminoglycans promote bacterial adhesion to host cells.
- 2003
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Ingår i: European Journal of Biochemistry. - : Wiley. - 0014-2956. ; 270:10, s. 2303-2311
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several microbial pathogens have been reported to interact with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. Here we demonstrate that M protein, a major surface-expressed virulence factor of the human bacterial pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes, mediates binding to various forms of GAGs. Hence, S. pyogenes strains expressing a large number of different types of M proteins bound to dermatan sulfate (DS), highly sulfated fractions of heparan sulfate (HS) and heparin, whereas strains deficient in M protein surface expression failed to interact with these GAGs. Soluble M protein bound DS directly and could also inhibit the interaction between DS and S. pyogenes. Experiments with M protein fragments and with streptococci expressing deletion constructs of M protein, showed that determinants located in the NH2-terminal part as well as in the C-repeat region of the streptococcal proteins are required for full binding to GAGs. Treatment with ABC-chondroitinase and HS lyase that specifically remove DS and HS chains from cell surfaces, resulted in significantly reduced adhesion of S. pyogenes bacteria to human epithelial cells and skin fibroblasts. Together with the finding that exogenous DS and HS could inhibit streptococcal adhesion, these data suggest that GAGs function as receptors in M protein-mediated adhesion of S. pyogenes.
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| 5. |
- Karlsson, Christofer, et al.
(författare)
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SufA - a bacterial enzyme that cleaves fibrinogen and blocks fibrin network formation.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Microbiology. - : Microbiology Society. - 1465-2080 .- 1350-0872. ; 155:Pt 1, s. 238-248
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Finegoldia magna is a member of the normal human bacterial flora on the skin and other non-sterile body surfaces, but this anaerobic coccus is also an important opportunistic pathogen. SufA was the first F. magna proteinase to be isolated and characterized. Many bacterial pathogens interfere with different steps of blood coagulation, and here we describe how purified SufA efficiently and specifically cleaves fibrinogen in human plasma. SufA is both secreted by F. magna and associated with the bacterial surface. Successful gene targeting has previously not been performed in anaerobic cocci, but in order to study the role of the SufA that is present at the bacterial surface, we constructed an F. magna mutant that expresses a truncated SufA lacking proteolytic activity. In contrast to wild-type bacteria that delayed the coagulation of human plasma, mutant bacteria had no such effect. Wild-type and mutant bacteria adhered to keratinocytes equally well, but in a plasma environment only wild-type bacteria blocked the formation of fibrin networks surrounding adherent bacteria. The effective cleavage of fibrinogen by SufA suggests that the interference with fibrin network formation represents an adaptive mechanism of F. magna with potential implications also for pathogenicity.
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| 6. |
- Karlsson, Christofer, et al.
(författare)
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SufA of the opportunistic pathogen finegoldia magna modulates actions of the antibacterial chemokine MIG/CXCL9, promoting bacterial survival during epithelial inflammation.
- 2009
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Ingår i: The Journal of biological chemistry. - 1083-351X .- 0021-9258. ; 284:43, s. 29499-508
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The anaerobic bacterium Finegoldia magna is part of the human commensal microbiota, but is also an important opportunistic pathogen. This bacterium expresses a subtilisin-like serine proteinase, SufA, which partially degrade the antibacterial chemokine MIG/CXCL9. Here, we show that MIG/CXCL9 is produced by human keratinocytes in response to inflammatory stimuli. In contrast to the virulent human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, the presence of F. magna had no enhancing effect on the MIG/CXCL9 expression by keratinocytes, suggesting poor detection of the latter by pathogen-recognition receptors. When MIG/CXCL9 was exposed to SufA-expressing F. magna, the molecule was processed into several smaller fragments. Analysis by mass spectrometry showed that SufA cleaves MIG/CXCL9 at several sites in the COOH-terminal region of the molecule. At equimolar concentrations, SufA-generated MIG/CXCL9 fragments were not bactericidal against F. magna, but retained their ability to kill S. pyogenes. Moreover, the SufA-generated MIG/CXCL9 fragments were capable of activating the angiostasis-mediating CXCR3 receptor, which is expressed on endothelial cells, in an order of magnitude similar to that of intact MIG/CXCL9. F. magna expresses a surface protein called FAF that is released from the bacterial surface by SufA. Soluble FAF was found to bind and inactivate the antibacterial activity of MIG/CXCL9, thereby further potentially promoting the survival of F. magna. The findings suggest that SufA modulation of the inflammatory response could be a mechanism playing an important role in creating an ecologic niche for F. magna, decreasing antibacterial activity and suppressing angiogenesis, thus providing advantage in survival for this anaerobic opportunist compared with competing pathogens during inflammation.
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| 7. |
- Linge, Helena, et al.
(författare)
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Protein FOG is a moderate inducer of MIG/CXCL9, and group G streptococci are more tolerant than group A streptococci to this chemokine's antibacterial effect
- 2007
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Ingår i: Microbiology. - : Microbiology Society. - 1465-2080 .- 1350-0872. ; 153, s. 3800-3808
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (group G streptococci; GGS) cause disease in humans but are often regarded as commensals in comparison with Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococci; GAS). The current study investigated the degree and kinetics of the innate immune response elicited by the two species. This was assessed as expression of the chemokine MIG/CXCL9 and bacterial susceptibility to its bactericidal effect. No significant difference in MIG/CXCL9 expression from THP-1 or Detroit 562 cells was observed when comparing whole GGS or GAS as stimuli. The study demonstrates that protein FOG was released from the bacterial surface directly and by neutrophil elastase. Expression of MIG/CXCL9 following stimulation with soluble M proteins of the two species (the recently described protein FOG of GGS and protein M1 of GAS) was reduced for protein FOG in both the monocytic and the epithelial cell line. When the antibacterial effects of MIG/CXCL9 were examined in conditions of increased ionic strength, MIG/CXCL9 killed GAS more efficiently than GGS. Also in the absence of MIG/CXCL9, GGS were more tolerant to increased salt concentrations than GAS. In summary, both GGS and GAS evoke MIG/CXCL9 expression but they differ in susceptibility to its antibacterial effects. This may in part explain the success of GGS as a commensal and its potential as a pathogen.
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| 8. |
- Schmidtchen, Artur, et al.
(författare)
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Dermatan sulphate is released by proteinases of common pathogenic bacteria and inactivates antibacterial alpha-defensin
- 2001
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 39:3, s. 708-713
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Defensins represent an evolutionarily conserved group of small peptides with potent antibacterial activities. We report here that extracellular proteinases secreted by the human pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecalis and Streptococcus pyogenes release dermatan sulphate by degrading dermatan sulphate-containing proteoglycans, such as decorin. Dermatan sulphate was found to bind to neutrophil-derived alpha-defensin, and this binding completely neutralized its bactericidal activity. During infection, proteoglycan degradation and release of dermatan sulphate may therefore represent a previously unknown virulence mechanism, which could serve as a target for novel antibacterial strategies.
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| 9. |
- Bläckberg, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Lack of Opsonic Antibody Responses to Invasive Infections With Streptococcus dysgalactiae
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-302X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Streptococcus dysgalactiae can cause severe recurrent infections. This study aimed to investigate antibody responses following S. dysgalactiae bacteraemia and possible development of protective immunity. Materials and Methods: Patients with S. dysgalactiae bacteraemia in the county of Skåne between 2017 and 2018 were prospectively included. Acute and convalescent sera were obtained. All isolates were emm typed and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was utilised to analyse specific antibody responses to bacteria and antigens. Bactericidal- and phagocytosis assays were applied to further establish antibody function. Results: Sixteen patients with S. dysgalactiae bacteraemia were included of whom one had recurrent episodes of bacteraemia. Using ELISA with S. dysgalactiae isolates and mutants, development of IgG antibodies was demonstrated in few patients. Type-specific antibodies were demonstrated in one patient when recombinant M proteins as antigens, were applied. The type-specific serum mediated a small increase in phagocytosis but did not facilitate increased killing of the S. dysgalactiae isolate, carrying that M protein, in blood or by phagocytic cells. Conclusion: S. dysgalactiae bacteraemia sometimes results in increased levels of antibodies to the infecting pathogen. We did not find evidence that these antibodies are effectively opsonising. Apparent failure to produce opsonising antibodies might partially explain why S. dysgalactiae can cause recurrent invasive infections in the same host.
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| 10. |
- Dinkla, Katrin, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of a streptococcal octapeptide motif involved in acute rheumatic fever
- 2007
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - 1083-351X. ; 282:26, s. 18686-18693
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Acute rheumatic fever is a serious autoimmune sequela of pharyngitis caused by certain group A streptococci. One mechanism applied by streptococcal strains capable of causing acute rheumatic fever is formation of an autoantigenic complex with human collagen IV. In some geographic regions with a high incidence of acute rheumatic fever pharyngeal carriage of group C and group G streptococci prevails. Examination of such strains revealed the presence of M-like surface proteins that bind human collagen. Using a peptide array and recombinant proteins with targeted amino acid substitutions, we could demonstrate that formation of collagen complexes during streptococcal infections depends on an octapeptide motif, which is present in collagen binding M and M-like proteins of different beta-hemolytic streptococcal species. Mice immunized with streptococcal proteins that contain the collagen binding octapeptide motif developed high serum titers of anti-collagen antibodies. In sera of rheumatic fever patients such a collagen autoimmune response was accompanied by specific reactivity against the collagen-binding proteins, linking the observed effect to clinical cases. Taken together, the data demonstrate that the identified octapeptide motif through its action on collagen plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of rheumatic fever. Eradication of streptococci that express proteins with the collagen binding motif appears advisable for controlling rheumatic fever.
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