Cellular chaining influences biofilm formation and structure in group A Streptococcus

Matysik, Artur; Ho, Foo Kiong; Tan, Alicia Qian Ler; Vajjala, Anuradha; Kline, Kimberly

doi:10.1016/j.bioflm.2019.100013

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…The phenotypic differences observed between the lysogenic strain and the mutants regarding growth characteristics, cell morphology, and ability to form biofilm argued in favor of a contribution from the studied prophage genes to autoaggregation and biofilm formation in the lysogenic strain. Indeed, the presence of the prophage features in the host genome was associated with (1) flocculation in liquid cultures, corresponding to microbial aggregates [ 73 ]; (2) long cell chains, a characteristic associated with autoaggregation shown as a key determinant of biofilm formation [ 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 ]; (3) a particular ability to produce glycocalyx, a polysaccharide and protein film surrounding bacterial cells and forming part of the biofilm [ 78 ]; and (4) a high ability to form biofilm. By contrast, deletion of the relB-metK region or any studied part of this region resulted in the loss of flocculation in liquid cultures, shorter chains, and a significantly decreased prevalence of cells surrounded by glycocalyx and biofilm formation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

12/111phiA Prophage Domestication Is Associated with Autoaggregation and Increased Ability to Produce Biofilm in Streptococcus agalactiae

et al. 2021

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CC17 Streptococcus agalactiae carrying group-A prophages is increasingly responsible for neonatal infections. To investigate the impact of the genetic features of a group-A prophage, we first conducted an in silico analysis of the genome of 12/111phiA, a group-A prophage carried by a strain responsible for a bloodstream infection in a parturient. This revealed a Restriction Modification system, suggesting a prophage maintenance strategy and five ORFs of interest for the host and encoding a type II toxin antitoxin system RelB/YafQ, an endonuclease, an S-adenosylmethionine synthetase MetK, and an StrP-like adhesin. Using the WT strain cured from 12/111phiA and constructing deleted mutants for the ORFs of interest, and their complemented mutants, we demonstrated an impact of prophage features on growth characteristics, cell morphology and biofilm formation. Our findings argue in favor of 12/111phiA domestication by the host and a role of prophage features in cell autoaggregation, glycocalyx and biofilm formation. We suggest that lysogeny may promote GBS adaptation to the acid environment of the vagina, consequently colonizing and infecting neonates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

12/111phiA Prophage Domestication Is Associated with Autoaggregation and Increased Ability to Produce Biofilm in Streptococcus agalactiae

et al. 2021

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“…Bacterial cell shape and chain length changes in particular mutants or growth conditions have been reported for many chain-forming bacteria. For streptococci, the regulation of chain length has been reported to be dependent on cell wall-associated autolytic activity and the presence of autolysins (38, 39) as well as environmental factors such as pH (38), growth medium (40), and salt concentration (39), among others. Autolysins are important for bacteria cell-to-host surface adhesion, cell division (41), antibiotic resistance, peptidoglycan turnover and spore development (42).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are also studies linking chain length with pathogenesis, showing that long chain cells may promote adherence and colonization due to an increase in surface area which allows for multivalent adhesive interactions (39), while short chains are associated with more invasive diseases such as meningitis (40). Alternatively, other studies show longer chain phenotypes in mutants with decreased adherence and colonization ability like that seen in our studies with BvaP (50, 51).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel conserved protein in Streptococcus agalactiae, BvaP, is important for vaginal colonization and biofilm formation

Thomas

Cook

2022

Preprint

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Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Strep, GBS) infections in neonates are often fatal and strongly associated with maternal GBS vaginal colonization. Here, we investigated the role of a previously uncharacterized protein, BvaP, in GBS vaginal colonization. BvaP was previously identified as the most highly upregulated gene in the GBS A909 transcriptome when comparing vaginal colonization to growth in liquid culture. We found that expression of BvaP affects GBS adherence to extracellular matrix components and human vaginal epithelial cells and a ΔbvaP mutant was significantly decreased in its ability to colonize the murine vaginal tract. Cellular morphological alterations such as changes in cell shape, chain length, and clumping were also observed in a knockout mutant strain. Given its high expression in vivo, high degree of conservation among GBS strains, and role in vaginal colonization, BvaP may be an eligible target for GBS vaccination and/or drug therapy.

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“…Host proteins recruited by cell surfaceanchored virulence factors further contribute to aggregation and shield GAS from antimicrobials (LaRock et al, 2015;Döhrmann et al, 2017;Alamiri et al, 2020). This protection is also extended toward antibiotics (Figure 2), with biofilm formation associated with the reduced efficacy of antibiotics in vitro and in vivo (Baldassarri et al, 2006;Marks et al, 2014;Matysik et al, 2020), including a 2,500-fold increase in penicillin tolerance in one study (Vyas et al, 2020).…”

Section: Mechanisms For Treatment Failurementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Aggregates of GAS consistent with biofilm formation have been observed in nasopharyngitis ( Roberts et al, 2012 ) and the skin ( Akiyama et al, 2003 ; Siemens et al, 2016 ). The GAS biofilm requires cell surface-anchored proteins such as pili and the serotype-specific M protein to contribute to a hydrophobic cell surface and the aggregation of GAS chains on biotic and abiotic surfaces ( Frick et al, 2000 ; Manetti et al, 2007 ; Courtney et al, 2009 ; Matysik et al, 2020 ). Host proteins recruited by cell surface-anchored virulence factors further contribute to aggregation and shield GAS from antimicrobials ( LaRock et al, 2015 ; Döhrmann et al, 2017 ; Alamiri et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Mechanisms For Treatment Failurementioning

confidence: 99%

Antibiotic Treatment, Mechanisms for Failure, and Adjunctive Therapies for Infections by Group A Streptococcus

Johnson

LaRock

2021

Front. Microbiol.

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Group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) is a nearly ubiquitous human pathogen responsible for a significant global disease burden. No vaccine exists, so antibiotics are essential for effective treatment. Despite a lower incidence of antimicrobial resistance than many pathogens, GAS is still a top 10 cause of death due to infections worldwide. The morbidity and mortality are primarily a consequence of the immune sequelae and invasive infections that are difficult to treat with antibiotics. GAS has remained susceptible to penicillin and other β-lactams, despite their widespread use for 80 years. However, the failure of treatment for invasive infections with penicillin has been consistently reported since the introduction of antibiotics, and strains with reduced susceptibility to β-lactams have emerged. Furthermore, isolates responsible for outbreaks of severe infections are increasingly resistant to other antibiotics of choice, such as clindamycin and macrolides. This review focuses on the challenges in the treatment of GAS infection, the mechanisms that contribute to antibiotic failure, and adjunctive therapeutics. Further understanding of these processes will be necessary for improving the treatment of high-risk GAS infections and surveillance for non-susceptible or resistant isolates. These insights will also help guide treatments against other leading pathogens for which conventional antibiotic strategies are increasingly failing.

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Cellular chaining influences biofilm formation and structure in group A Streptococcus

Cited by 8 publications

References 65 publications

12/111phiA Prophage Domestication Is Associated with Autoaggregation and Increased Ability to Produce Biofilm in Streptococcus agalactiae

12/111phiA Prophage Domestication Is Associated with Autoaggregation and Increased Ability to Produce Biofilm in Streptococcus agalactiae

A novel conserved protein in Streptococcus agalactiae, BvaP, is important for vaginal colonization and biofilm formation

Antibiotic Treatment, Mechanisms for Failure, and Adjunctive Therapies for Infections by Group A Streptococcus

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