Molecular architecture of Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 pili.

Supplementary Online Material MOLECULAR ARCHITECTURE OF STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE TIGR4 PILI

Streptococcus pneumoniae pilus subunits protect mice against lethal challenge.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major public health threat worldwide. The recent discovery that this pathogen possesses pili led us to investigate their protective abilities in a mouse model of intraperitoneal infection. Both active and passive immunization with recombinant pilus subunits afforded protection against lethal challenge with the S. pneumoniae serotype 4 strain TIGR4.

Roles of the sortases of Streptococcus pneumoniae in assembly of the RlrA pilus.

Pili have been observed on the surface of several gram-positive bacteria, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. The S. pneumoniae strain TIGR4 pilus is composed of three structural subunit proteins encoded in the rlrA pathogenicity islet, RrgA, RrgB, and RrgC. RrgB comprises the pilus backbone, RrgA is observed at intervals along surface pili, while RrgC is found in a loosely defined relationship...

Implications of physiological studies based on genomic sequences: Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 synthesizes a functional LytC lysozyme.

The Streptococcus pneumoniae LytC lysozyme is responsible for autolysis at 30 degrees C (a temperature close to that of the upper respiratory tract), promotes DNA release in competent cultures, and participates in nasopharyngeal colonization. We show that the virulent pneumococcal TIGR4 strain encodes an active LytC enzyme, in contrast with genome-based predictions.

Two-Component System Response Regulators Involved in Virulence of Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 in Infective Endocarditis

Streptococci resident in the oral cavity have been linked to infective endocarditis (IE). While other viridans streptococci are commonly studied in relation to IE, less research has been focused on Streptococcus pneumoniae. We established for the first time an animal model of S. pneumoniae IE, and examined the virulence of the TIGR4 strain in this model. We hypothesized that two-component syste...