title: Pneumococcal lipoproteins involved in bacterial fitness, virulence, and immune evasion.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Sylvia
authors: S
authors: Kohler
authors: Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Franziska
authors: F
authors: Voß
authors: Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Alejandro
authors: A
authors: Gómez Mejia
authors: Department of Medicine, Centre for Inflammation and Tissue Repair, University College Medical School, London, UK.
authors: Jeremy S
authors: JS
authors: Brown
authors: Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald, Germany.
authors: Sven
authors: S
authors: Hammerschmidt
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins
keywords: Streptococcus pneumoniae; antibacterial therapy; immune response; lipoprotein; virulence