This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nagano, N.
Right arrow Articles by Taguchi, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nagano, N.
Right arrow Articles by Taguchi, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, August 2002, p. 4643-4649, Vol. 70, No. 8
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.8.4643-4649.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

High Expression of a C Protein ß Antigen Gene among Invasive Strains from Certain Clonally Related Groups of Type Ia and Ib Group B Streptococci

Noriyuki Nagano,1,2* Yukiko Nagano,1 and Fumiaki Taguchi2

Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Funabashi Medical Center, 1-21-1 Kanasugi, Funabashi, Chiba,1 Department of Environmental Microbiology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan2

Received 12 December 2001/ Returned for modification 11 March 2002/ Accepted 19 March 2002

Serotyped strains of group B streptococci can be divided into subtypes based on restriction endonuclease digestion patterns (RDP). Profiles of cell-bound proteins were compared among RDP types. Proteins that showed a remarkable difference in the degree of expression were found among strains of RDP Ia-3, which has been considered potentially virulent, as well as of RDP Ib-1. For RDP Ia-3 strains, the protein was predominant in strains from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) but was mostly a minor component in other strains. For RDP Ib-1 strains, the protein was predominant in strains from CSF, showed diversity in strains from blood, and was mostly a minor component in other strains. By N-terminal sequencing analysis, the protein was identified as a C protein ß antigen. The level of bound immunoglobulin A (IgA) or anti-ß antigen monoclonal antibody correlated with the level of expressed ß antigen, and invasive strains showed remarkably high levels of binding; the exception was a CSF-derived strain of RDP Ib-1 which produced a large amount of ß antigen and showed a high level of binding of anti-ß antigen monoclonal antibody but no IgA binding. PCR-based amplification revealed that the ß antigen gene was detected in all RDP Ia-3 and Ib-1 strains but was not found in any strains of other RDP types. Competitive reverse transcriptase PCR demonstrated that the difference in the amount of protein produced was due to the difference in the level of expression of the ß antigen mRNA. Our findings imply that differences in gene expression for a protein may contribute to the invasiveness of RDP Ia-3 and Ib-1 strains for the host.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Medical Microbiology Laboratory, Funabashi Medical Center, 1-21-1 Kanasugi, Funabashi, Chiba 273-8588, Japan. Phone: 81 47 438 3321. Fax: 81 47 438 7323. E-mail: naganoyn{at}d3.dion.ne.jp.

Editor: E. I. Tuomanen

Infection and Immunity, August 2002, p. 4643-4649, Vol. 70, No. 8
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.8.4643-4649.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Carlin, A. F., Chang, Y.-C., Areschoug, T., Lindahl, G., Hurtado-Ziola, N., King, C. C., Varki, A., Nizet, V. (2009). Group B Streptococcus suppression of phagocyte functions by protein-mediated engagement of human Siglec-5. JEM 206: 1691-1699 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nagano, N., Nagano, Y., Kimura, K., Tamai, K., Yanagisawa, H., Arakawa, Y. (2008). Genetic Heterogeneity in pbp Genes among Clinically Isolated Group B Streptococci with Reduced Penicillin Susceptibility. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 52: 4258-4267 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Evans, J. J., Bohnsack, J. F., Klesius, P. H., Whiting, A. A., Garcia, J. C., Shoemaker, C. A., Takahashi, S. (2008). Phylogenetic relationships among Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from piscine, dolphin, bovine and human sources: a dolphin and piscine lineage associated with a fish epidemic in Kuwait is also associated with human neonatal infections in Japan. J Med Microbiol 57: 1369-1376 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Kong, F., Gidding, H. F., Berner, R., Gilbert, G. L. (2006). Streptococcus agalactiae C{beta} protein gene (bac) sequence types, based on the repeated region of the cell-wall-spanning domain: relationship to virulence and a proposed standardized nomenclature.. J Med Microbiol 55: 829-837 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nagano, N., Nagano, Y., Nakano, R., Okamoto, R., Inoue, M. (2006). Genetic diversity of the C protein beta-antigen gene and its upstream regions within clonally related groups of type Ia and Ib group B streptococci.. Microbiology 152: 771-778 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Maeland, J. A., Bevanger, L., Lyng, R. V. (2005). Immunological Markers of the R4 Protein of Streptococcus agalactiae. CVI 12: 1305-1310 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lindahl, G., Stalhammar-Carlemalm, M., Areschoug, T. (2005). Surface Proteins of Streptococcus agalactiae and Related Proteins in Other Bacterial Pathogens. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 18: 102-127 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»