UNSPECIFIED. (2004) Distribution, genetic diversity, and variable expression of the gene encoding hyaluronate lyase within the Streptococcus suis population. JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY, 186 (14). pp. 4740-4747. ISSN 0021-9193

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Abstract

Although Streptococcus suis is an economically important pathogen of pigs and an occasional cause of zoonotic infections of humans knowledge of crucial virulence factors, and as a consequence targets for therapeutic or prophylactic intervention, remains limited. Here we describe a detailed study of the distribution, diversity, and in vitro expression of hyaluronate lyase, a protein implicated as a virulence factor of many mucosal pathogens. The gene encoding hyaluronate lyase, hyl, was present in all 309 bona fide S. suis isolates examined representing diverse serotypes, geographic sources, and clinical backgrounds. Examination of the genetic diversity of hyl by RFLP and sequence analysis indicated a pattern of diversity shared by many gram-positive surface proteins with a variable 5' region encoding the most distal cell surface-exposed regions of the protein and a much more conserved 3' region encoding domains more closely associated with the bacterial cell. Variation occurs by several mechanisms, including the accumulation of point mutations and deletion and insertion events, and there is clear evidence that genetic recombination has contributed to molecular variation in this gene. Despite the ubiquitous presence of hyl, the corresponding enzyme activity was detected in fewer than 30% of the 309 isolates. In several cases this lack of activity correlates with the presence of mutations (either sequence duplications or point mutations) within hyl that result in a truncated polypeptide. There is a striking absence of hyaluronate lyase activity in a large majority of isolates from classic S. suis invasive disease, indicating that this protein is probably not a crucial virulence factor, although activity is present in significantly higher numbers of isolates associated with pneumonia.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	Q Science > QR Microbiology
Journal or Publication Title:	JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY
Publisher:	AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY
ISSN:	0021-9193
Date:	July 2004
Volume:	186
Number:	14
Number of Pages:	8
Page Range:	pp. 4740-4747
Identification Number:	10.1128/JB.186.14.4740-4747.2004
Publication Status:	Published
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/8221

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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