Fibrinogen-binding M-related proteins facilitate the recruitment of plasminogen by Streptococcus pyogenes.

ABSTRACT: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) M-related proteins (Mrp) are dimeric α-helical coiled-coil cell-wall-attached proteins. During infection, Mrp recruit human fibrinogen (Fg) to the bacterial surface, enhancing phagocytosis resistance and promoting growth in human blood. However, Mrp exhibit a high degree of sequence diversity, clustering into four evolutionarily distinct groups. It is currently unknown whether this diversity affects the host-pathogen interactions mediated by Mrp. In this study, nine Mrp sequences from the four major evolutionary groups were selected to examine the effect of sequence diversity on protein-protein interactions with Fg. Negative staining transmission electron microscopy confirmed that Mrp are fibrillar proteins measuring between 45.4 and 47.3 nm in length, and mass

SUBMITTER: Proctor EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11917135 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature