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Lux J, Portmann H, Sánchez García L, Erhardt M, Holivololona L, Laloli L, Licheri MF, Gallay C, Hoepner R, Croucher NJ, Straume D, Veening JW, Dijkman R, Heller M, Grandgirard D, Leib SL, Hathaway LJ. Klebsiella pneumoniae peptide hijacks a Streptococcus pneumoniae permease to subvert pneumococcal growth and colonization. Commun Biol 2024; 7:425. [PMID: 38589539 PMCID: PMC11001997 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06113-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Treatment of pneumococcal infections is limited by antibiotic resistance and exacerbation of disease by bacterial lysis releasing pneumolysin toxin and other inflammatory factors. We identified a previously uncharacterized peptide in the Klebsiella pneumoniae secretome, which enters Streptococcus pneumoniae via its AmiA-AliA/AliB permease. Subsequent downregulation of genes for amino acid biosynthesis and peptide uptake was associated with reduction of pneumococcal growth in defined medium and human cerebrospinal fluid, irregular cell shape, decreased chain length and decreased genetic transformation. The bacteriostatic effect was specific to S. pneumoniae and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae with no effect on Streptococcus mitis, Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus or K. pneumoniae. Peptide sequence and length were crucial to growth suppression. The peptide reduced pneumococcal adherence to primary human airway epithelial cell cultures and colonization of rat nasopharynx, without toxicity. We identified a peptide with potential as a therapeutic for pneumococcal diseases suppressing growth of multiple clinical isolates, including antibiotic resistant strains, while avoiding bacterial lysis and dysbiosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Lux
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hannah Portmann
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lucía Sánchez García
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Maria Erhardt
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lalaina Holivololona
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Laura Laloli
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Manon F Licheri
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Clement Gallay
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Robert Hoepner
- Department of Neurology, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas J Croucher
- MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Daniel Straume
- Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430, Ås, Norway
| | - Jan-Willem Veening
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ronald Dijkman
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Manfred Heller
- Proteomics and Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Department for BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Denis Grandgirard
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stephen L Leib
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lucy J Hathaway
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
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