Lmb, a protein with similarities to the LraI adhesin family, mediates attachment of Streptococcus agalactiae to human laminin.

ABSTRACT: Streptococcus agalactiae is a leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis. Adherence to extracellular matrix proteins is considered an important factor in the pathogenesis of infection, but the genetic determinants of this process remain largely unknown. We identified and sequenced a gene which codes for a putative lipoprotein that exhibits significant homology to the streptococcal LraI protein family. Mutants of this locus were demonstrated to have substantially reduced adherence to immobilized human laminin. The nucleotide sequence of the gene was subsequently designated lmb (laminin binding) and shown to be present in all of the common serotypes of S. agalactiae. To determine the role of Lmb in the adhesion of S. agalactiae wild-type strains to laminin, a recombinant Lmb protein har

SUBMITTER: Spellerberg B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC96398 | biostudies-literature | 1999 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature