title: Sortase A contributes to pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization in the chinchilla model.
abstract: Sortase A (SrtA) is required to anchor neuraminidase, beta-galactosidase, and possibly other LPXTG motif proteins to the pneumococcal cell surface. We examined the role of SrtA in Streptococcus pneumoniae nasopharyngeal (NP) colonization in the chinchilla model. The srtA mutant colonized the nasopharynx at a significantly lower level than the D39 parent strain during the second and third week of the carriage, and was eliminated from nasopharynx one week earlier than the D39 pneumococci. Our data indicate that SrtA contributes to pneumococcal NP colonization in this animal model.
authors.affiliation: Division of Otologic Research, College of Medicine and Public Health, The Ohio State University, Room 4331, Cramblett Hall, 456 W. 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gavin K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Paterson
authors.forename: Hua Hua
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: DeMaria
mesh_terms: D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000201:enzymology; D002682:Chinchilla; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000382:microbiology; D010641:Phenotype; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; C120542:sortase A; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases