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- Title
Pneumococcal microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules targeting of the extracellular matrix.
- Authors
Paterson, Gavin K; Orihuela, Carlos J
- Abstract
The attachment of bacteria to host cells and tissues, and their subsequent invasion and dissemination are key processes during pathogenesis. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Jensch and co-workers provide further molecular insight into these events during infection with the Gram positive bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Their characterization of pneumococcal adherence and virulence factor B (PavB), a bacterial surface protein with orthologues in other streptococci, show that it binds to the extracellar matrix components fibronection and plasminogen by virtue of repetitive sequences-designated streptococcal surface repeats. In mice, a pavB mutant showed reduced nasopharyngeal colonization and was attenuated in a lung infection model. As discussed here in the context of the pneumococcus, the study of PavB highlights the central role during microbal pathogenesis of targetting the extracellular matrix by so-called microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs).
- Publication
Molecular microbiology, 2010, Vol 77, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
1365-2958
- Publication type
Journal Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07190.x