Species-specific interaction of Streptococcus pneumoniae with human complement factor H.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus pneumoniae naturally colonizes the nasopharynx as a commensal organism and sometimes causes infections in remote tissue sites. This bacterium is highly capable of resisting host innate immunity during nasopharyngeal colonization and disseminating infections. The ability to recruit complement factor H (FH) by S. pneumoniae has been implicated as a bacterial immune evasion mechanism against complement-mediated bacterial clearance because FH is a complement alternative pathway inhibitor. S. pneumoniae recruits FH through a previously defined FH binding domain of choline-binding protein A (CbpA), a major surface protein of S. pneumoniae. In this study, we show that CbpA binds to human FH, but not to the FH proteins of mouse and other animal species tested to date. Accordingly, de

SUBMITTER: Lu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2587499 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature