Stem cell-derived brain-like endothelial cells to interrogate <i>Streptococcus pneumoniae</i> interaction with brain endothelium.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is an opportunistic pathogen that remains the leading cause of bacterial meningitis worldwide. For meningitis to occur, pneumococcus must breach the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a highly specialized network of brain endothelial cells that comprise the microvasculature of the brain. Here, we report the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived brain-like endothelial cells (iBECs) to model the BBB during pneumococcal infection. iBECs were infected with the S. pneumoniae strain TIGR4. Adherence assays showed that pneumococcal adherence to iBECs was a saturable process. Moreover, deletion of two pneumococcal adhesins resulted in an adherence defect, supporting a receptor-mediated interaction between pneumococcus and iBECs. Next, the

SUBMITTER: Mauser HD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12498544 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature