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Molecular microbiology2010; 77(6); 1583-1594; doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07312.x

Adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to ruminant and equine hosts involves SaPI-carried variants of von Willebrand factor-binding protein.

Abstract: Staphylococci adapt specifically to various animal hosts by genetically determined mechanisms that are not well understood. One such adaptation involves the ability to coagulate host plasma, by which strains isolated from ruminants or horses can be differentiated from closely related human strains. Here, we report first that this differential coagulation activity is due to animal-specific alleles of the von Willebrand factor-binding protein (vWbp) gene, vwb, and second that these vwb alleles are carried by highly mobile pathogenicity islands, SaPIs. Although all Staphylococcus aureus possess chromosomal vwb as well as coagulase (coa) genes, neither confers species-specific coagulation activity; however, the SaPI-coded vWbps possess a unique N-terminal region specific for the activation of ruminant and equine prothrombin. vWbp-encoding SaPIs are widely distributed among S. aureus strains infecting ruminant or equine hosts, and we have identified and characterized four of these, SaPIbov4, SaPIbov5, SaPIeq1 and SaPIov2, which encode vWbp Sbo4, vWbp Sbo5, vWbp Seq1 and vWbp Sov2 respectively. Moreover, the SaPI-carried vwb genes are regulated differently from the chromosomal vwb genes of the same strains. We suggest that the SaPI-encoded vWbps may represent an important host adaptation mechanism for S. aureus pathogenicity, and therefore that acquisition of vWbp-encoding SaPIs may be determinative for animal specificity.
© 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2010-09-24 PubMed ID: 20860091DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07312.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article entitled “Adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to ruminant and equine hosts involves SaPI-carried variants of von Willebrand factor-binding protein” discusses how Staphylococcus aureus, a type of bacteria, adapts to various hosts such as horses and cows. It does so by changing its genes to encode a variant of the von Willebrand factor-binding protein (vWbp), a process mediated by pathogenicity islands called SaPIs.

Background

  • The study introduces the concept of animal-specific genetic adaptation in bacteria, specifically Staphylococcus aureus. This adaptation is characterized by distinctive coagulation activities – allowing differentiation between strains isolated from humans, horses, and ruminants (e.g. cows).
  • Coagulation activity is related to the presence of certain genetic elements, particularly a specific variant of the vWbp protein.

Research Findings

  • The researchers found that this coagulation activity differentiation is due to different versions of the vWbp gene, vwb, present in animal and human strains of the Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Interestingly, the variants of vWbp responsible for these differences were not found on the bacterial chromosome itself, but on mobile genetic elements known as SaPIs (Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenicity Islands). SaPIs can move within the genome, allowing the bacteria to acquire different genes and capabilities rapidly.
  • Although all Staphylococcus aureus carry the vwb and coa (coagulase) genes on their chromosome, the species-specific coagulation activity is determined by the variants encoded on the SaPIs.
  • Four such SaPIs – SaPIbov4, SaPIbov5, SaPIeq1 and SaPIov2 – were found in this study. These SaPIs enable the bacteria to adapt specifically to bovine (cattle) or equine (horse) hosts.

Implications and Conclusions

  • The study implies that the acquisition of SaPIs encoding specific vWbp variants in the bacterial genome can determine host specificity. In simpler terms, which animal a bacteria can infect is influenced by whether it has particular sequences in its genome.
  • The researchers conclude that SaPI-encoded vWbp proteins may represent a critical adaptation method of Staphylococcus aureus, specifically in infections targeting ruminants or equines.
  • This finding, therefore, has potential implications in understanding bacterial adaptation and host specificity, which could be used for developing target-specific treatments and prevention measures against bacterial infections.

Cite This Article

APA
Viana D, Blanco J, Tormo-Más MA, Selva L, Guinane CM, Baselga R, Corpa J, Lasa I, Novick RP, Fitzgerald JR, Penadés JR. (2010). Adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus to ruminant and equine hosts involves SaPI-carried variants of von Willebrand factor-binding protein. Mol Microbiol, 77(6), 1583-1594. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2958.2010.07312.x

Publication

Molecular microbiology
ISSN: 1365-2958
NlmUniqueID: 8712028
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 77
Issue: 6
Pages: 1583-1594

Researcher Affiliations

Viana, David
  • Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Animal, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (CITA-IVIA), Apdo. 187, 12.400 Segorbe, Castellón, Spain.
Blanco, José
    Tormo-Más, María Angeles
      Selva, Laura
        Guinane, Caitriona M
          Baselga, Rafael
            Corpa, Juan M
              Lasa, Iñigo
                Novick, Richard P
                  Fitzgerald, J Ross
                    Penadés, José R

                      MeSH Terms

                      • Adaptation, Biological
                      • Alleles
                      • Amino Acid Sequence
                      • Animals
                      • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
                      • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
                      • Blood Coagulation
                      • Carrier Proteins / genetics
                      • Carrier Proteins / metabolism
                      • DNA, Bacterial / genetics
                      • Genomic Islands
                      • Horses / microbiology
                      • Molecular Sequence Data
                      • Mutagenesis, Insertional
                      • Mutation
                      • Ruminants / microbiology
                      • Sequence Alignment
                      • Species Specificity
                      • Staphylococcus aureus / genetics
                      • Staphylococcus aureus / metabolism
                      • Staphylococcus aureus / pathogenicity
                      • von Willebrand Factor / metabolism

                      Grant Funding

                      • BB/D521222/1 / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

                      Citations

                      This article has been cited 94 times.
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