Intrinsic IgG endopeptidase activity of streptococcal Mac-2 proteins implies a unique role for the enzymatically impaired Mac-2 protein of M28 serotype strains

Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: ulrich.von-pawel{at}molbiol.umu.se.

	Abstract

IdeS, a secreted cysteine protease of the important human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes, interferes with phagocytic killing by specifically cleaving the heavy chain of IgG. Two allelic variants of the enzyme have been described, the IgG specific endopeptidase, IdeS (or Mac-1) and Mac-2, a protein with only weak IgG endopeptidase activity, which has been suggested to interfere with opsonophagocytosis by blocking Fc-receptors of phagocytic cells. However, despite the fact that Mac-2 proteins interact with Fc-receptors, no inhibition of ROS production, opsonophagocytosis, or streptococcal killing by Mac-2 has been reported. In the present study, Mac-2 proteins are shown to contain IgG endopeptidase activity indistinguishable from the enzymatic activity exhibited by IdeS/Mac-1 proteins. The earlier reported weak IgG endopeptidase activity appears to be unique to Mac-2 of M28 serotype strains and is most likely due to the formation of a disulfide bond between the catalytic site cysteine and a cysteine residue in position 257 of Mac-2^M28. Furthermore Mac-2 proteins are shown to inhibit ROS production ex vivo, independently of the IgG endopeptidase activity of the proteins. Inhibition of ROS generation per se, however, was not sufficient to mediate streptococcal survival in bactericidal assays. Thus, in contrast to earlier studies, implicating separate functions for IdeS and Mac-2 protein variants, the current study suggests that Mac-2 and IdeS are bi-functional proteins, combining Fc-receptor binding and IgG endopeptidase activity. This finding implies a unique role for Mac-2 proteins of the M28 serotype, since this serotype has evolved and retained a Mac-2 protein lacking IgG endopeptidase activity.