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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
Novel role for the Streptococcus pneumoniae toxin pneumolysin in the assembly of biofilms
mBio, Volume 4, No. 5, Article e00655-13, Year 2013
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Description
Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important commensal and pathogen responsible for almost a million deaths annually in children under five. The formation of biofilms by S. pneumoniae is important in nasopharyngeal colonization, pneumonia, and otitis media. Pneumolysin (Ply) is a toxin that contributes significantly to the virulence of S. pneumoniae and is an important candidate as a serotype-independent vaccine target. Having previously demonstrated that a luxS knockout mutant was unable to form early biofilms and expressed less ply mRNA than the wild type, we conducted a study to investigate the role of Ply in biofilm formation. We found that Ply was expressed in early phases of biofilm development and localized to cellular aggregates as early as 4 h postinoculation. S. pneumoniae ply knockout mutants in D39 and TIGR4 backgrounds produced significantly less biofilm biomass than wild-type strains at early time points, both on polystyrene and on human respiratory epithelial cells, cultured under static or continuous-flow conditions. Ply's role in biofilm formation appears to be independent of its hemolytic activity, as S. pneumoniae serotype 1 strains, which produce a nonhemolytic variant of Ply, were still able to form biofilms. Transmission electron microscopy of biofilms grown on A549 lung cells using immunogold demonstrated that Ply was located both on the surfaces of pneumococcal cells and in the extracellular biofilm matrix. Altogether, our studies demonstrate a novel role for pneumolysin in the assembly of S. pneumoniae biofilms that is likely important during both carriage and disease and therefore significant for pneumolysin-targeting vaccines under development. © 2013 Shak et al.
Authors & Co-Authors
Shak, Joshua R.
United States, Atlanta
Emory University
Ludewick, Herbert P.
United States, Atlanta
Emory University
United States, Albany
Albany Medical College
Sakai, Fuminori
United States, Atlanta
Emory University
Paton, James C.
Australia, Adelaide
The University of Adelaide
Klugman, K. P.
United States, Atlanta
Emory University
Vidal, Jorge E.
United States, Atlanta
Emory University
Statistics
Citations: 92
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1128/mBio.00655-13
ISSN:
21507511
Research Areas
Maternal And Child Health