Disruption of the
 tagF
 Orthologue in the
 epa
 Locus Variable Region of Enterococcus faecalis Causes Cell Surface Changes and Suppresses an
 eep
 -Dependent Lysozyme Resistance Phenotype

Rouchon, Candace N.; Weinstein, Arielle J.; Hutchison, Carissa A.; Zubair-Nizami, Zahra; Kohler, Petra L.; Frank, Kristi L.

doi:10.1128/jb.00247-22

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Given that EPA decorations have a net negative charge (Smith et al, 2019), we postulate that the decorations reduce aggregation by inhibiting hydrophobic interactions between bacteria. Measurements performed independently by different research groups have consistently shown that the deletion of epa genes increases enterococcal surface charge and hydrophobicity (Korir et al, 2019;Rouchon et al, 2022;Smith et al, 2019). The cell aggregates formed by Δepa_ var are more efficiently internalised by macrophages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Exploring the role of E. faecalis enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

Norwood,

Davis,

Salamaga

et al. 2024

Molecular Microbiology

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Enterococcus faecalis is an opportunistic pathogen frequently causing nosocomial infections. The virulence of this organism is underpinned by its capacity to evade phagocytosis, allowing dissemination in the host. Immune evasion requires a surface polysaccharide produced by all enterococci, known as the enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA). EPA consists of a cell wall‐anchored rhamnose backbone substituted by strain‐specific polysaccharides called ‘decorations’, essential for the biological activity of this polymer. However, the structural determinants required for innate immune evasion remain unknown, partly due to a lack of suitable validated assays. Here, we describe a quantitative, in vitro assay to investigate how EPA decorations alter phagocytosis. Using the E. faecalis model strain OG1RF, we demonstrate that a mutant with a deletion of the locus encoding EPA decorations can be used as a platform strain to express heterologous decorations, thereby providing an experimental system to investigate the inhibition of phagocytosis by strain‐specific decorations. We show that the aggregation of cells lacking decorations is increasing phagocytosis and that this process does not involve the recognition of lipoproteins by macrophages. Collectively, our work provides novel insights into innate immune evasion by enterococci and paves the way for further studies to explore the structure/function relationship of EPA decorations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Exploring the role of E. faecalis enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

Norwood,

Davis,

Salamaga

et al. 2024

Molecular Microbiology

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“…Given that EPA decorations have a net negative charge (19), we postulate that the decorations reduce aggregation by inhibiting hydrophobic interactions between bacteria. Measurements performed independently by different research groups have consistently shown that the deletion of epa genes increases enterococcal surface hydrophobicity (19,30,31). The cell aggregates formed by Δ epa_var are more efficiently internalised by macrophages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the role ofE. faecalisEnterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

Norwood,

Davis,

Salamaga

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Enterococcus faecalisis an opportunistic pathogen frequently causing nosocomial infections. The virulence of this organism is underpinned by its capacity to evade phagocytosis, allowing dissemination in the host. Immune evasion requires a surface polysaccharide produced by all enterococci, known as the Enterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen (EPA). EPA consists of a cell wall-anchored rhamnose backbone substituted by strain-specific polysaccharides called “decorations”, essential for the biological activity of this polymer. However, the structural determinants required for innate immune evasion remain unknown, partly due to a lack of suitable validated assays. Here, we describe a quantitative,in vitroassay to investigate how EPA decorations alter phagocytosis. Using theE. faecalismodel strain OG1RF, we demonstrate that a mutant with a deletion of the locus encoding EPA decorations can be used as a platform strain to express heterologous decorations, thereby providing an experimental system to investigate the inhibition of phagocytosis by strain-specific decorations. We show that the aggregation of cells lacking decorations is increasing phagocytosis and that this process does not involve the recognition of lipoproteins by macrophages. Collectively, our work provides novel insights into innate immune evasion by enterococci and paves the way for further studies to explore the structure/function relationship of EPA decorations.

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“…The complete degradation of RsiV is essential for the activation of SigV, an extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor, which contributes to lysozyme resistance in E. faecalis. The role of Eep in the processing of RsiV and the activation of SigV is linked to the bacterium's ability to improve stress resistance, particularly in the presence of lysozyme [185].…”

Section: Eepmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Science behind Biofilm: Unraveling Enterococcus Genus’ Remarkable Ability to Produce Microbial Communities

Pirbonyeh,

Emami,

Javanmardi

2024

Infectious Diseases

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The remarkable ability of Enterococcus to produce microbial communities, specifically biofilms, is a topic of interest in scientific research. Biofilms formed by Enterococcus species, are known to contribute to their survival in extreme environments and their involvement in persistent bacterial infections. The aim of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying biofilm formation in clinically important species such as E. faecalis and the increasingly drug-resistant but less well-studied E. faecium. Enterococcus forms biofilms through a complex interaction between genes and virulence factors such as DNA release, cytolysin, pili, secreted antigen A, and microbial surface components that recognize adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs). Quorum sensing mediated by peptide pheromones targets gene expression and regulation and is essential for the coordination of biofilm formation. Furthermore, control over extracellular DNA (eDNA) release has been shown to be crucial for biofilm formation. In E. faecalis, autolysin N-acetylglucosaminidase and proteases such as serine protease and gelatinase are important players in this process, influencing biofilm development and virulence. The study of biofilm formation in Enterococcus can provide insights into the pathogenesis of opportunistic infections and their prevention and provide directions for future anti-biofilm therapeutic research.

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Disruption of the tagF Orthologue in the epa Locus Variable Region of Enterococcus faecalis Causes Cell Surface Changes and Suppresses an eep -Dependent Lysozyme Resistance Phenotype

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Exploring the role of E. faecalis enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

Exploring the role of E. faecalis enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

Exploring the role ofE. faecalisEnterococcal Polysaccharide Antigen (EPA) and lipoproteins in evasion of phagocytosis

The Science behind Biofilm: Unraveling Enterococcus Genus’ Remarkable Ability to Produce Microbial Communities

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