The N-terminal domain of the thermo-regulated surface protein PrpA of Enterococcus faecium binds to fibrinogen, fibronectin and platelets

Prieto, Ana M. Guzman; Urbanus, Rolf T.; Zhang, Xinglin; Bierschenk, Damien; Koekman, C. Arnold; Luit-Asbroek, Miranda van; Ouwerkerk, Janneke P.; Pape, Marieke; Paganelli, Fernanda L.; Wobser, Dominique; Huebner, Johannes; Hendrickx, Antoni P. A.; Bonten, Marc J. M.; Willems, Rob J. L. and Schaik, Willem van (2015): The N-terminal domain of the thermo-regulated surface protein PrpA of Enterococcus faecium binds to fibrinogen, fibronectin and platelets. In: Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, 18255

Abstract

Enterococcus faecium is a commensal of the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, but is also found in non-enteric environments where it can grow between 10 degrees C and 45 degrees C. E. faecium has recently emerged as a multi-drug resistant nosocomial pathogen. We hypothesized that genes involved in the colonization and infection of mammals exhibit temperature-regulated expression control and we therefore performed a transcriptome analysis of the clinical isolate E. faecium E1162, during mid-exponential growth at 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C. One of the genes that exhibited differential expression between 25 degrees C and 37 degrees C, was predicted to encode a peptidoglycan-anchored surface protein. The N-terminal domain of this protein is unique to E. faecium and closely related enterococci, while the C-terminal domain is homologous to the Streptococcus agalactiae surface protein BibA. This region of the protein contains proline-rich repeats, leading us to name the protein PrpA for proline-rich protein A. We found that PrpA is a surface-exposed protein which is most abundant during exponential growth at 37 degrees C in E. faecium E1162. The heterologously expressed and purified N-terminal domain of PrpA was able to bind to the extracellular matrix proteins fibrinogen and fibronectin. In addition, the N-terminal domain of PrpA interacted with both non-activated and activated platelets.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Faculties: Medicine
• Subjects: 600 Technology > 610 Medicine and health
• ISSN: 2045-2322
• Language: English