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Sequence variability is correlated with weak immunogenicity in Streptococcus pyogenes M protein.

ABSTRACT: The M protein of Streptococcus pyogenes, a major bacterial virulence factor, has an amino-terminal hypervariable region (HVR) that is a target for type-specific protective antibodies. Intriguingly, the HVR elicits a weak antibody response, indicating that it escapes host immunity by two mechanisms, sequence variability and weak immunogenicity. However, the properties influencing the immunogenicity of regions in an M protein remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the antibody response to different regions of the classical M1 and M5 proteins, in which not only the HVR but also the adjacent fibrinogen-binding B repeat region exhibits extensive sequence divergence. Analysis of antisera from S. pyogenes-infected patients, infected mice, and immunized mice showed that both the HVR and the B repeat region elicited weak antibody responses, while the conserved carboxy-terminal part was immunodominant. Thus, we identified a correlation between sequence variability and weak immunogenicity for M protein regions. A potential explanation for the weak immunogenicity was provided by the demonstration that protease digestion selectively eliminated the HVR-B part from whole M protein-expressing bacteria. These data support a coherent model, in which the entire variable HVR-B part evades antibody attack, not only by sequence variability but also by weak immunogenicity resulting from protease attack.

SUBMITTER: Lannergard J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4618610 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Sequence variability is correlated with weak immunogenicity in Streptococcus pyogenes M protein.

Lannergård Jonas J Kristensen Bodil M BM Gustafsson Mattias C U MC Persson Jenny J JJ Norrby-Teglund Anna A Stålhammar-Carlemalm Margaretha M Lindahl Gunnar G

MicrobiologyOpen 20150715 5

The M protein of Streptococcus pyogenes, a major bacterial virulence factor, has an amino-terminal hypervariable region (HVR) that is a target for type-specific protective antibodies. Intriguingly, the HVR elicits a weak antibody response, indicating that it escapes host immunity by two mechanisms, sequence variability and weak immunogenicity. However, the properties influencing the immunogenicity of regions in an M protein remain poorly understood. Here, we studied the antibody response to diff ...[more]

PMID: 26175306

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Project description:A recent clinical report has linked Streptococcus pyogenes ?-lactam antibiotic resistance to mutation in the penicillin binding protein (PBP) PBP2x. To determine whether this is an isolated case or reflects a broader prevalence of mutations that might confer reduced ?-lactam susceptibility, we investigated the relative frequency of PBP sequence variation within a global database of 9,667 S. pyogenes isolates. We found that mutations in S. pyogenes PBPs (PBP2x, PBP1a, PBP1b, and PBP2a) occur infrequently across this global database, with fewer than 3 amino acid changes differing between >99% of the global population. Only 4 of the 9,667 strains contained mutations near transpeptidase active sites of PBP2x or PBP1a. The reported PBP2x T553K substitution was not identified. These findings are in contrast to those of 2,520 S. pneumococcus sequences where PBP mutations are relatively frequent and are often located in key ?-lactam binding pockets. These data, combined with the general lack of penicillin resistance reported in S. pyogenes worldwide, suggests that extensive, unknown constraints restrict S. pyogenes PBP sequence plasticity. Our findings imply that while heavy antibiotic pressure may select for mutations in the PBPs, there is currently no evidence of such mutations becoming fixed in the S. pyogenes population or that mutations are being sequentially acquired in the PBPs.IMPORTANCE ?-Lactam antibiotics are the first-line therapeutic option for Streptococcus pyogenes infections. Despite the global high prevalence of S. pyogenes infections and widespread use of ?-lactams worldwide, reports of resistance to ?-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillin, have been incredibly rare. Recently, ?-lactam resistance, as defined by clinical breakpoints, was detected in two clinical S. pyogenes isolates with accompanying mutations in the active site of the penicillin binding protein PBP2x, raising concerns that ?-lactam resistance will become more widespread. We screened a global database of S. pyogenes genome sequences to investigate the frequency of PBP mutations, identifying that PBP mutations are uncommon relative to those of Streptococcus pneumoniae These findings support clinical observations that ?-lactam resistance is rare in S. pyogenes and suggest that there are considerable constraints on S. pyogenes PBP sequence variation.

Dataset Information

Sequence variability is correlated with weak immunogenicity in Streptococcus pyogenes M protein.

Publications

Sequence variability is correlated with weak immunogenicity in Streptococcus pyogenes M protein.

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