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Glucose levels affect MgaSpn regulation on the virulence and adaptability of Streptococcus pneumoniae
Weicai Suo1, Xinlin Guo1, Xuemei Zhang2
1Department of Medicine Laboratory, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, and Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing, PR China.
Abstract:
Streptococcus pneumoniae can regulate virulence gene expression by sensing environmental changes, which is key to its pathogenicity. The global transcription regulator MgaSpn of Streptococcus pneumoniae regulates virulence genes expression by directly binding to the promoter regions, but its role in response to different environments remains unclear. In this study, we found that glucose levels could affect phosphocholine content, which was mediated by MgaSpn. MgaSpn can also alter its anti-phagocytosis ability, depending on the availability of glucose. In addition, transcriptome analysis of wild-type D39s in low and high glucose concentrations revealed that MgaSpn was also involved in the regulation of carbon metabolism inhibition (carbon catabolite repression; CCR) and translation processes, which made S. pneumoniae highly competitive in fluctuating environments. In conclusion, MgaSpn is closely related to the virulence and environmental adaptability of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
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