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Gene regulation in Streptococcus pneumoniae - RePub - Erasmus ...

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Introduction<br />

Figure 1. Infections caused by S. <strong>pneumoniae</strong>. Black arrows <strong>in</strong>dicate the progression of <strong>in</strong>fection. All<br />

pneumococcal diseases are preceded by nasopharyngeal carriage, after which the bacterium can spread to the<br />

middle ear caus<strong>in</strong>g otitis media or dissem<strong>in</strong>ate to the lungs caus<strong>in</strong>g pneumonia. Dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>fection of the lungs,<br />

bacteria may penetrate <strong>in</strong>to the blood circulation, from which they can spread through the whole body. Otitis<br />

media might also cause <strong>in</strong>fection of the men<strong>in</strong>ges. Some well-known examples of prote<strong>in</strong>s, which have<br />

contributions to virulence at that particular site <strong>in</strong> the human or mur<strong>in</strong>e body, are <strong>in</strong>dicated <strong>in</strong> dotted boxes. Ami-<br />

AliA/B, oligopeptide ABC transporter; CbpA, chol<strong>in</strong>e b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g prote<strong>in</strong> A; CiaRH, the Cia two-component<br />

system; ComDE, two-component system specific for sens<strong>in</strong>g of competence stimulat<strong>in</strong>g peptide; Cps,<br />

polysaccharide capsule; Eno, α-enolase; GAPDH, glycerol-3-phophate dehydrogenase; HtrA, ser<strong>in</strong>e protease;<br />

Hyl, hyaluronate lyase; Iga, immunoglobul<strong>in</strong> A1 protease; LytA, autolys<strong>in</strong> A; LytB, autolys<strong>in</strong> B; NanA,<br />

neuram<strong>in</strong>idase A; NanB, neuram<strong>in</strong>idase B; PavA, pneumococcal adherence and virulence factor A; PCho,<br />

phosphochol<strong>in</strong>e; PcpA, chol<strong>in</strong>e b<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g prote<strong>in</strong> PcpA; Ply, pneumolys<strong>in</strong>; PsaA, pneumococcal surface adhes<strong>in</strong> A<br />

[Mn 2+ uptake ABC transporter]; PspA, pneumococcal surface prote<strong>in</strong> A; ZmpC, metalloprotease.<br />

Virulence factors<br />

The most important virulence factor of pneumococcus is its capsule. This capsule is a<br />

shell of oligosaccharide molecules that forms a protective layer around the bacterium. The<br />

currently available pneumococcal vacc<strong>in</strong>e is targeted at this sugar capsule. The prote<strong>in</strong>s<br />

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