Abstract
Glycosylation of proteins, previously thought to be absent in prokaryotes, is increasingly recognized as important for both bacterial colonization and pathogenesis. For mucosal pathobionts, glycoproteins that function as cell wall-associated adhesins facilitate interactions with mucosal surfaces, permitting persistent adherence, invasion of deeper tissues and transition to disease. This is exemplified by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus agalactiae, which can switch from being relatively harmless members of the mucosal tract microbiota to bona fide pathogens that cause life-threatening diseases. As part of their armamentarium of virulence factors, streptococci encode a family of large, glycosylated serine-rich repeat proteins (SRRPs) that facilitate binding to various tissue types and extracellular matrix proteins. This minireview focuses on the roles of S. pneumoniae and S. agalactiae SRRPs in persistent colonization and the transition to disease. The potential of utilizing SRRPs as vaccine targets will also be discussed.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 593356 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Frontiers in Microbiology |
Volume | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 30 Oct 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2020 Chan, Gori, Nobbs and Heyderman.Keywords
- bacterial glycoproteins
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Streptococcus agalactiae
- serine-rich repeat proteins
- pathogenesis, colonization