The Pneumococcal Protein SufC Binds to Host Plasminogen and Promotes Its Conversion into Plasmin.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae causes otitis media, sinusitis, and serious diseases such as pneumonia and bacteremia. However, the in vivo dynamics of S. pneumoniae infections and disease severity are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated pneumococcal proteins detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of an S. pneumoniae-infected mouse, which were assumed to be expressed during infection. Analysis of three proteins with unknown infection-related functions revealed that recombinant Fe-S cluster assembly ATP-binding protein (SufC) binds to the host plasminogen and promotes its conversion into plasmin. SufC was detected in the bacterial cell-surface protein fraction, but it had no extracellular secretory signal. This study suggests that S. pneumoniae re

SUBMITTER: Yasui Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10745484 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature