Nature Communications (Aug 2018)

Factor H binding proteins protect division septa on encapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae against complement C3b deposition and amplification

  • Anuj Pathak,
  • Jan Bergstrand,
  • Vicky Sender,
  • Laura Spelmink,
  • Marie-Stephanie Aschtgen,
  • Sandra Muschiol,
  • Jerker Widengren,
  • Birgitta Henriques-Normark

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05494-w
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 16

Abstract

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Streptococcus pneumoniae evades the action of the complement system by expressing an immuno-protective polysaccharide capsule as well as Factor H-binding proteins. Here, Pathak et al. show that these two defence mechanisms are functionally and spatially coordinated on the bacterial cell surface.