Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, Ernst Moritz Arndt Universität Greifswald, Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Strasse 15a, D-17487 Greifswald, Germany.
Curr Drug Targets. 2012 Mar;13(3):323-37. doi: 10.2174/138945012799424697.
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is an asymptomatic colonizer of the upper respiratory tract in humans. However, these apparently harmless bacteria have also a high virulence potential and are known as the etiologic agent of respiratory and life-threatening invasive diseases. Dissemination of pneumococci from the nasopharynx into the lungs or bloodstream leads to community-acquired pneumonia, septicaemia and meningitis. Traditionally, pneumococcal diseases are treated with antibiotics and prevented with polysaccharide-based vaccines. However, due to the dramatic increase in antibiotic resistance and limitations of the current available vaccines, the burden of diseases remains high. Thus, combating pneumococcal transmission and infections has emphasized the need for a new generation of protein-based vaccines. Interactions of pneumococci with soluble host proteins or cellular receptors are crucial for adherence, colonization, transmigration of host barriers and immune evasion. Therefore, surface-exposed proteins involved in these pathogenic processes and virtually expressed by all pneumococcal strains and serotypes are the prime potential targets for an immunogenic and highly protective pneumococcal-derived carrier protein of a vaccine. In this review, we will address the state of the art in deciphering, i). the conservation, distribution and pathogenic role of recently discovered pneumococcal adhesins in colonization and invasive diseases, ii). the interactions of these virulence factors with host-proteins and receptors, iii). the subversion of the host immune and cellular responses, and iv). the potential of pneumococcal adhesins as vaccine candidates.
肺炎链球菌（肺炎球菌）是人类上呼吸道无症状的定植菌。然而，这些看似无害的细菌也具有很高的毒力潜能，是呼吸道和危及生命的侵袭性疾病的病原体。肺炎球菌从鼻咽部扩散到肺部或血液中会导致社区获得性肺炎、败血症和脑膜炎。传统上，肺炎球菌病用抗生素治疗，用多糖疫苗预防。然而，由于抗生素耐药性的急剧增加和现有疫苗的局限性，疾病负担仍然很高。因此，防治肺炎球菌传播和感染强调需要新一代的基于蛋白质的疫苗。肺炎球菌与可溶性宿主蛋白或细胞受体的相互作用对于黏附、定植、宿主屏障的迁移和免疫逃逸至关重要。因此，参与这些致病过程的表面暴露蛋白以及几乎所有肺炎球菌菌株和血清型都表达的蛋白，是疫苗中免疫原性和高度保护性的肺炎球菌衍生载体蛋白的主要潜在靶标。在这篇综述中，我们将阐述以下方面的最新进展：i). 最近发现的肺炎球菌黏附素在定植和侵袭性疾病中的保守性、分布和致病作用，ii). 这些毒力因子与宿主蛋白和受体的相互作用，iii). 宿主免疫和细胞反应的改变，以及 iv). 肺炎球菌黏附素作为疫苗候选物的潜力。
