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Pneumococcal lipoproteins involved in bacterial fitness, virulence, and immune evasion
Author(s) -
Kohler Sylvia,
Voß Franziska,
Gómez Mejia Alejandro,
Brown Jeremy S.,
Hammerschmidt Sven
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1002/1873-3468.12352
Subject(s) - virulence , biology , streptococcus pneumoniae , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , pathogen , biofilm , immunology , antibiotics , bacteria , gene , genetics
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) has evolved sophisticated strategies to survive in several niches within the human body either as a harmless commensal or as a serious pathogen causing a variety of diseases. The dynamic interaction between pneumococci and resident host cells during colonization of the upper respiratory tract and at the site of infection is critical for bacterial survival and the development of disease. Pneumococcal lipoproteins are peripherally anchored membrane proteins and have pivotal roles in bacterial fitness including envelope stability, cell division, nutrient acquisition, signal transduction, transport (as substrate‐binding proteins of ABC transporter systems), resistance to oxidative stress and antibiotics, and protein folding. In addition, lipoproteins are directly involved in virulence‐associated processes such as adhesion, colonization, and persistence through immune evasion. Conversely, lipoproteins are also targets for the host response both as ligands for toll‐like receptors and as targets for acquired antibodies. This review summarizes the multifaceted roles of selected pneumococcal lipoproteins and how this knowledge can be exploited to combat pneumococcal infections.