Competence remodels the pneumococcal cell wall exposing key surface virulence factors that mediate increased host adherence.

Details

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_4DECE69353E7
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Competence remodels the pneumococcal cell wall exposing key surface virulence factors that mediate increased host adherence.
Journal
PLoS biology
Author(s)
Minhas V., Domenech A., Synefiaridou D., Straume D., Brendel M., Cebrero G., Liu X., Costa C., Baldry M., Sirard J.C., Perez C., Gisch N., Hammerschmidt S., Håvarstein L.S., Veening J.W.
ISSN
1545-7885 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1544-9173
Publication state
Published
Issued date
01/2023
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
21
Number
1
Pages
e3001990
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Competence development in the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae controls several features such as genetic transformation, biofilm formation, and virulence. Competent bacteria produce so-called "fratricins" such as CbpD that kill noncompetent siblings by cleaving peptidoglycan (PGN). CbpD is a choline-binding protein (CBP) that binds to phosphorylcholine residues found on wall and lipoteichoic acids (WTA and LTA) that together with PGN are major constituents of the pneumococcal cell wall. Competent pneumococci are protected against fratricide by producing the immunity protein ComM. How competence and fratricide contribute to virulence is unknown. Here, using a genome-wide CRISPRi-seq screen, we show that genes involved in teichoic acid (TA) biosynthesis are essential during competence. We demonstrate that LytR is the major enzyme mediating the final step in WTA formation, and that, together with ComM, is essential for immunity against CbpD. Importantly, we show that key virulence factors PspA and PspC become more surface-exposed at midcell during competence, in a CbpD-dependent manner. Together, our work supports a model in which activation of competence is crucial for host adherence by increased surface exposure of its various CBPs.
Keywords
Humans, Streptococcus pneumoniae/genetics, Virulence Factors/genetics, Virulence Factors/metabolism, N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase/chemistry, N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase/genetics, N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase/metabolism, Choline/metabolism, Cell Wall/metabolism, Bacterial Proteins/metabolism
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
07/03/2023 10:21
Last modification date
20/04/2023 7:10
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