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The lack of Pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC) increases the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae to the killing by microglia

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Abstract

Microglial cells, the resident phagocytes in the brain, share many phenotypical and functional characteristics with peripheral macrophages, suggesting that they may participate in an innate immune response against microorganisms invading the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, we demonstrate that the microglial cells constitutively exhibit antibacterial activity in vitro against Streptococcus pneumoniae. By using a Pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC)-deleted strain and its wild-type counterpart, we found that the extent of such an activity is significantly influenced by the presence of a PspC molecule on the bacterial surface. The PspC− mutant FP20 is indeed more susceptible than the PspC+ strain HB565 to microglial killing. Interestingly, this phenomenon is observed when using a medium supplemented with heat-inactivated foetal bovine serum (FBS). Electron microscopy studies indicate that the microglial cells interact more efficiently with PspC− than with PspC+ pneumococci. Moreover, upon infection with the PspC− mutant, microglial cells produce levels of TNF-α, MIP-2, IL-10 and nitric oxide, significantly higher than those observed with PspC+ bacteria. These findings indicate that the lack of PspC significantly enhances the susceptibility of S. pneumoniae to both bactericidal activity and secretory response by the microglial cells, suggesting that this molecule may play an important role in the invasion of CNS by pneumococcus.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank Antonio Martino for his excellent support in artwork and Susanna Ricci for her suggestions, discussion and critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported in part by a grant from MIUR to Samuele Peppoloni (PRIN 2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hygiene, Microbiology and Biostatistics Department, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100, Modena, Italy

    Samuele Peppoloni, Bruna Colombari, Rachele Neglia & Elisabetta Blasi

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Pathology Section, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41100, Modena, Italy

    Daniela Quaglino

  3. Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Department of Molecular Biology, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Francesco Iannelli, Marco Rinaldo Oggioni & Gianni Pozzi

  4. Dipartimento di Scienze Igienistiche, Microbiologiche e Biostatistiche, Via Campi 287, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Samuele Peppoloni

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  1. Samuele Peppoloni
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  2. Bruna Colombari
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Correspondence to Samuele Peppoloni.

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Peppoloni, S., Colombari, B., Neglia, R. et al. The lack of Pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC) increases the susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae to the killing by microglia. Med Microbiol Immunol 195, 21–28 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-005-0243-8

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