| Title | Characterization of Streptococcus pneumoniae N-Acetylglucosamine-6-Phosphate Deacetylase as a Novel Diagnostic Marker |
|---|---|
| Author | Chi-Won Choi1, Hee-Young An2, Yong Ju Lee1, Yeol Gyun Lee1, Sung Ho Yun1, Edmond Changkyun Park1, Yeonhee Hong1, Gun-Hwa Kim1,3, Jae-Eun Park2, Sun Jong Baek2, Hyun Sik Kim2*, and Seung Il Kim1* |
| Address | 1Division of Life Science, Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI), Daejeon 305-806, Republic of Korea, 2Division of Mass Spectrometry Research, Korea Basic Science Institute, Ochang 363-883, Republic of Korea, 3Department of Functional Genomics, Universtiy of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon 305-350, Republic of Korea |
| Bibliography | Journal of Microbiology, 51(5),659-664, 2013, |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12275-013-3451-8 |
| Key Words | Streptococcus pneumoniae, secreted proteins, antiserum, diagnostic marker |
| Abstract | The identification of novel diagnostic markers of pathogenic bacteria is essential for improving the accuracy of diagnoses and for developing targeted vaccines. Streptococcus pneumoniae is a significant human pathogenic bacterium that causes pneumonia. N-acetylglucosamine-6-phosphate deacetylase (NagA) was identified in a protein mixture secreted by S. pneumoniae and its strong immunogenicity was confirmed in an immuno-proteomic assay against the anti-serum of the secreted protein mixture. In this study, recombinant S. pneumoniae NagA protein was expressed and purified to analyze its protein characteristics, immunospecificity, and immunogenicity, thereby facilitating its evaluation as a novel diagnostic marker for S. pneumoniae. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that S. pneumoniae NagA contains four internal disulfide bonds and that it does not undergo posttranslational modification. S. pneumoniae NagA antibodies successfully detected NagA from different S. pneumoniae strains, whereas NagA from other pathogenic bacteria species was not detected. In addition, mice infected with S. pneumoniae generated NagA antibodies in an effective manner. These results suggest that NagA has potential as a novel diagnostic marker for S. pneumoniae because of its high immunogenicity and immunospecificity. |