Group A Streptococcal M1 Protein Provides Resistance against the Antimicrobial Activity of Histones.

ABSTRACT: Histones are essential elements of chromatin structure and gene regulation in eukaryotes. An unexpected attribute of these nuclear proteins is their antimicrobial activity. A framework for histone release and function in host defense in vivo was revealed with the discovery of neutrophil extracellular traps, a specialized cell death process in which DNA-based structures containing histones are extruded to ensnare and kill bacteria. Investigating the susceptibility of various Gram-positive pathogens to histones, we found high-level resistance by one leading human pathogen, group A Streptococcus (GAS). A screen of isogenic mutants revealed that the highly surface-expressed M1 protein, a classical GAS virulence factor, was required for high-level histone resistance. Biochemical and microscopic

SUBMITTER: Dohrmann S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5318940 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature