Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026
09:36
Studying Oxidative Stress Caused by the Mitis Group Streptococci in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: March 23, 2019
7.6K
Cellular interactions of covR/S mutant group A Streptococci
Emma L Langshaw1, Manisha Pandey1, Michael F Good1
1Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Queensland, 4222, Australia.
Microbes and Infection
|December 31, 2017
Summary
Group A Streptococci (GAS) with covR/S mutations are hypervirulent, increasing invasive disease risk. Understanding their immune evasion mechanisms is key to developing effective multi-component vaccines against these dangerous infections.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Group A Streptococci (GAS) cause significant morbidity and mortality through various diseases.
- Mutations in the covR/S regulatory system lead to hypervirulent GAS strains.
- These hypervirulent strains enhance virulence and evade host immune responses, particularly neutrophil activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To understand the immunopathogenesis of covR/S mutant GAS.
- To identify targets for vaccine development against hypervirulent GAS.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of covR/S mutant GAS virulence factor expression.
- Investigation of host immune cell interactions, focusing on neutrophils.
Main Results:
- covR/S mutants up-regulate key virulence factors.
- These mutants actively inhibit neutrophil function, contributing to immune evasion.
- Hypervirulence is linked to specific virulence factor augmentation and immune suppression.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the immunopathogenesis of covR/S mutants is crucial for vaccine design.
- Targeting distinct virulence mechanisms may lead to effective multi-component vaccines.
- Vaccines targeting hypervirulent GAS could improve protection against invasive infections.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Cellular Differentiation
5.6K
How does a complex organism such as a human develop from a single cell? It all starts from a single fertilized egg which gives rise to a vast array of cell types, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, and epithelial cells that characterize the adult? Throughout development and adulthood, cellular differentiation leads cells to assume their final morphology and physiology. Differentiation is the process by which unspecialized cells become specialized to carry out distinct functions.
A zygote is a...
A zygote is a...
5.6K
01:18Cellular Respiration
2.2K
Cellular respiration is a crucial metabolic process through which cells obtain energy from organic substances, mainly glucose, to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This process includes the oxidation of substrates and the transfer of electrons to a separate electron acceptor, facilitating ATP synthesis through a sequence of biochemical reactions.Glycolysis: The Initial StepGlycolysis is the first stage of cellular respiration, occurring in the cytoplasm of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic...
2.2K
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
21.8K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
21.8K
01:22Introduction to Cellular Respiration
190.6K
Organisms harvest energy from food, but this energy cannot be directly used by cells. Cells convert the energy stored in nutrients into a more usable form: adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
ATP stores energy in chemical bonds that can be quickly released when needed. Cells produce energy in the form of ATP through the process of cellular respiration. Although much of the energy from cellular respiration is released as heat, some of it is used to make ATP.
During cellular respiration, several...
ATP stores energy in chemical bonds that can be quickly released when needed. Cells produce energy in the form of ATP through the process of cellular respiration. Although much of the energy from cellular respiration is released as heat, some of it is used to make ATP.
During cellular respiration, several...
190.6K
01:24Cellular Membranes and Drug Transport
1.7K
Drugs must traverse multiple biological barriers, such as multi-layered skin, single-layered intestinal epithelium, and the plasma membrane, to reach their target sites within the body. The plasma membrane, a highly structured composite of phospholipids, carbohydrates, and proteins, is the cell's protective boundary, facilitating selective substance exchange.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
Phospholipids arrange themselves into a bilayer, with hydrophilic heads oriented outward and hydrophobic tails facing inward.
1.7K
01:24Van der Waals Interactions
72.2K
Atoms and molecules interact with each other through intermolecular forces. These electrostatic forces arise from attractive or repulsive interactions between particles with permanent, partial, or temporary charges. The intermolecular forces between neutral atoms and molecules are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, and dispersion forces, collectively known as van der Waals forces.
72.2K