title: Group B streptococcus induces trophoblast death.
abstract: Group B streptococcus (GBS) is one of the leading causes of neonatal infection; however the molecular mechanisms involved are not clearly known. Here we used high and low hemolytic GBS isolates and mutant GBS that lacks beta-hemolysin expression and showed that GBS infection or exposure to GBS hemolysin extract induces primary human trophoblast, placental fibroblast and JEG3 trophoblast cell line death, and that GBS-induced trophoblast death was beta-hemolysin dependent. The fibroblasts and trophoblasts provide an innate immune barrier between fetal and maternal circulation in the placenta. These data suggest that GBS may disrupt this barrier to invade fetal circulation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
authors.forename: Amber
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Hande
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kocak
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertolotto
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Uh
authors.forename: Calvin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hobel
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Simmons
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Doran
authors.forename: George Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ozlem
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Equils
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013292:Streptococcus agalactiae / Q000502:physiology*; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins