title: The capsule sensitizes Streptococcus pneumoniae to alpha-defensins human neutrophil proteins 1 to 3.
abstract: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Its polysaccharide capsule causes resistance to phagocytosis and interferes with the innate immune system's ability to clear infections at an early stage. Nevertheless, we found that encapsulated pneumococci are sensitive to killing by a human neutrophil granule extract. We fractionated the extract by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified alpha-defensins by mass spectrometry as the proteins responsible for killing pneumococci. Analysis of sensitivity to the commercial alpha-defensins human neutrophil proteins 1 to 3 (HNP1-3) confirmed these findings. We analyzed the sensitivities of different pneumococcal strains to HNP1-3 and found that encapsulated strains are efficiently killed at physiological concentrations (7.5 microg/ml). Surprisingly, nonencapsulated, nonvirulent pneumococci were significantly less sensitive to alpha-defensins. The proposed mechanisms of alpha-defensin resistance in nonencapsulated pneumococci is surface charge modification, e.g., by introduction of positive charge by D-alanylation of surface-exposed lipoteichoic acids. These mechanisms are surmounted by the presence of the capsule, which we hypothesize is masking these charge modifications. Hence, alpha-defensins in the phagolysosome of neutrophils possibly contribute to intracellular killing after antibody-mediated opsonophagocytosis of encapsulated pneumococci.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, Nobels Väg 18, SE-171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Beiter
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wartha
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
authors.forename: Staffan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Normark
authors.forename: Arturo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zychlinsky
authors.forename: Birgitta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Henriques-Normark
mesh_terms: D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000276:immunology*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D050296:Microbial Viability; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D023084:alpha-Defensins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D023084:alpha-Defensins