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Pherotype influences biofilm growth and recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT: In Streptococcus pneumoniae the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), encoded by the comC gene, controls competence development and influences biofilm growth. We explored the influence of pherotype, defined by the two major comC allelic variants (comC1 and comC2), on biofilm development and recombination efficiency. Among isolates recovered from human infections those presenting comC1 show a higher capacity to form in vitro biofilms. The influence of pherotype on biofilm growth was confirmed by experiments with isogenic strains differing in their comC alleles. Biofilm architecture evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that strains carrying comC1 form biofilms that are denser and thicker than those carrying the comC2 allele. Isogenic strains carrying the comC1 allele yielded more transformants than those carrying the comC2 allele in both planktonic and biofilm growth. Transformation assays with comC knockout strains show that ComD1 needs lower doses of the signaling peptide to reach the same biological outcomes. In contrast to mixed planktonic growth, within mixed biofilms inter-pherotype genetic exchange is less frequent than that occurring between bacteria of the same pherotype. Since biofilms are a major bacterial lifestyle, these observations may explain the genetic differentiation between populations with different pherotypes reported previously. Considering that biofilms have been associated with colonization our results suggest that strains carrying the comC1 allele may be more transmissible and more efficient at persisting in carriage. Both effects may help explain the higher prevalence of the comC1 allele in the pneumococcal population.

SUBMITTER: Carrolo M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3960169 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Pherotype influences biofilm growth and recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Carrolo Margarida M Pinto Francisco Rodrigues FR Melo-Cristino José J Ramirez Mário M

PloS one 20140319 3

In Streptococcus pneumoniae the competence-stimulating peptide (CSP), encoded by the comC gene, controls competence development and influences biofilm growth. We explored the influence of pherotype, defined by the two major comC allelic variants (comC1 and comC2), on biofilm development and recombination efficiency. Among isolates recovered from human infections those presenting comC1 show a higher capacity to form in vitro biofilms. The influence of pherotype on biofilm growth was confirmed by ...[more]

PMID: 24646937

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Project description:Streptococcus pneumoniae accounts for a significant global burden of morbidity and mortality and biofilm development is increasingly recognised as important for colonization and infection. Analysis of protein expression patterns during biofilm development may therefore provide valuable insights to the understanding of pneumococcal persistence strategies and to improve vaccines. iTRAQ (isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantification), a high-throughput gel-free proteomic approach which allows high resolution quantitative comparisons of protein profiles between multiple phenotypes, was used to interrogate planktonic and biofilm growth in a clinical serotype 14 strain. Comparative analyses of protein expression between log-phase planktonic and 1-day and 7-day biofilm cultures representing nascent and late phase biofilm growth were carried out. Overall, 244 proteins were identified, of which >80% were differentially expressed during biofilm development. Quantitatively and qualitatively, metabolic regulation appeared to play a central role in the adaptation from the planktonic to biofilm phenotype. Pneumococci adapted to biofilm growth by decreasing enzymes involved in the glycolytic pathway, as well as proteins involved in translation, transcription, and virulence. In contrast, proteins with a role in pyruvate, carbohydrate, and arginine metabolism were significantly increased during biofilm development. Downregulation of glycolytic and translational proteins suggests that pneumococcus adopts a covert phenotype whilst adapting to an adherent lifestyle, while utilization of alternative metabolic pathways highlights the resourcefulness of pneumococcus to facilitate survival in diverse environmental conditions. These metabolic proteins, conserved across both the planktonic and biofilm phenotypes, may also represent target candidates for future vaccine development and treatment strategies. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD001182.

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Pherotype influences biofilm growth and recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Publications

Pherotype influences biofilm growth and recombination in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

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