PgtE protease enables virulent <i>Salmonella</i> to evade C3-mediated serum and neutrophil killing.

ABSTRACT: Non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars, such as Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (STm), are a leading cause of inflammatory diarrhea in otherwise healthy individuals. Among children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, STm can spread to systemic sites and cause potentially lethal bacteremia. Phagocytic cells and the immune complement system are pivotal to preventing the dissemination of STm. PgtE, an STm outer membrane protease, has been previously described to cleave over a dozen mammalian protein substrates in vitro, including complement protein C3. However, these activities have mostly been observed with mutant, avirulent strains with a truncated O-antigen that renders bacteria sensitive to complement killing. Here, we report that virulent STm utilizes

SUBMITTER: Lee MH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12345235 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature