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Listeriolysin S, a novel peptide haemolysin associated with a subset of lineage I Listeria monocytogenes.

ABSTRACT: Streptolysin S (SLS) is a bacteriocin-like haemolytic and cytotoxic virulence factor that plays a key role in the virulence of Group A Streptococcus (GAS), the causative agent of pharyngitis, impetigo, necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Although it has long been thought that SLS and related peptides are produced by GAS and related streptococci only, there is evidence to suggest that a number of the most notorious Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum and Staphylococcus aureus, produce related peptides. The distribution of the L. monocytogenes cluster is particularly noteworthy in that it is found exclusively among a subset of lineage I strains; i.e., those responsible for the majority of outbreaks of listeriosis. Expression of these genes results in the production of a haemolytic and cytotoxic factor, designated Listeriolysin S, which contributes to virulence of the pathogen as assessed by murine- and human polymorphonuclear neutrophil-based studies. Thus, in the process of establishing the existence of an extended family of SLS-like modified virulence peptides (MVPs), the genetic basis for the enhanced virulence of a proportion of lineage I L. monocytogenes may have been revealed.

SUBMITTER: Cotter PD

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2522273 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Listeriolysin S, a novel peptide haemolysin associated with a subset of lineage I Listeria monocytogenes.

Cotter Paul D PD Draper Lorraine A LA Lawton Elaine M EM Daly Karen M KM Groeger David S DS Casey Pat G PG Ross R Paul RP Hill Colin C

PLoS pathogens 20080912 9

Streptolysin S (SLS) is a bacteriocin-like haemolytic and cytotoxic virulence factor that plays a key role in the virulence of Group A Streptococcus (GAS), the causative agent of pharyngitis, impetigo, necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Although it has long been thought that SLS and related peptides are produced by GAS and related streptococci only, there is evidence to suggest that a number of the most notorious Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, including Listeria mo ...[more]

PMID: 18787690

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Project description:Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen responsible for the life-threatening disease listeriosis. The pore-forming toxin listeriolysin O (LLO) is a critical virulence factor that plays a major role in the L. monocytogenes intracellular lifecycle and is indispensable for pathogenesis. LLO is also a dominant antigen for T cells involved in sterilizing immunity and it was proposed that LLO acts as a T cell adjuvant. In this work, we generated a novel full-length LLO toxoid (LLOT) in which the cholesterol-recognition motif, a threonine-leucine pair located at the tip of the LLO C-terminal domain, was substituted with two glycine residues. We showed that LLOT lost its ability to bind cholesterol and to form pores. Importantly, LLOT retained binding to the surface of epithelial cells and macrophages, suggesting that it could efficiently be captured by antigen-presenting cells. We then determined if LLOT can be used as an antigen and adjuvant to protect mice from L. monocytogenes infection. Mice were immunized with LLOT alone or together with cholera toxin or Alum as adjuvants. We found that mice immunized with LLOT alone or in combination with the Th2-inducing adjuvant Alum were not protected against L. monocytogenes. On the other hand, mice immunized with LLOT along with the experimental adjuvant cholera toxin, were protected against L. monocytogenes, as evidenced by a significant decrease in bacterial burden in the liver and spleen three days post-infection. This immunization regimen elicited mixed Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses, as well as the generation of LLO-neutralizing antibodies. Further, we identified T cells as being required for immunization-induced reductions in bacterial burden, whereas B cells were dispensable in our model of non-pregnant young mice. Overall, this work establishes that LLOT is a promising vaccine antigen for the induction of protective immunity against L. monocytogenes by subunit vaccines containing Th1-driving adjuvants.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Listeria monocytogenes is a widespread foodborne pathogen that can cause listeriosis, a potentially fatal infection. L. monocytogenes is subdivided into four phylogenetic lineages, with the highest incidence of listeriosis occurring within lineage I followed by lineage II. Strains of L. monocytogenes differ in their phenotypic characteristics, including virulence. However, the genetic bases for these observed differences are not well understood, and current efforts to monitor L. monocytogenes in food consider all strains to be equally virulent. We use a comparative genomics approach to identify genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 174 clinical and food isolates of L. monocytogenes that potentially contribute to virulence or the capacity to adapt to food environments. RESULTS:No SNPs are significantly associated with food or clinical isolates. No genes are significantly associated with food or clinical isolates from lineage I, but eight genes consisting of multiple homologues are associated with lineage II food isolates. These include three genes which encode hypothetical proteins, the cadmium resistance genes cadA and cadC, the multi-drug resistance gene ebrB, a quaternary ammonium compound resistance gene qac, and a regulatory gene. All eight genes are plasmid-borne, and most closed L. monocytogenes plasmids carry at least five of the genes (24/27). In addition, plasmids are more frequently associated with lineage II food isolates than with lineage II clinical isolates. CONCLUSIONS:We identify eight genes that are significantly associated with food isolates in lineage II. Interestingly, the eight genes are virtually absent in lineage II outbreak isolates, are composed of homologues which show a nonrandom distribution among lineage I serotypes, and the sequences are highly conserved across 27 closed Listeria plasmids. The functions of these genes should be explored further and will contribute to our understanding of how L. monocytogenes adapts to the host and food environments. Moreover, these genes may also be useful as markers for risk assessment models of either pathogenicity or the ability to proliferate in food and the food processing environment.

Dataset Information

Listeriolysin S, a novel peptide haemolysin associated with a subset of lineage I Listeria monocytogenes.

Publications

Listeriolysin S, a novel peptide haemolysin associated with a subset of lineage I Listeria monocytogenes.

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