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Identification of molecular mechanisms used by Finegoldia magna to penetrate and colonise human skin.

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Author

Summary, in English

Finegoldia magna is a Gram-positive anaerobic commensal of the human skin microbiota, but also known to act as an opportunistic pathogen. Two primary virulence factors of F. magna are the subtilisin-like extracellular serine protease SufA and the adhesive protein FAF. This study examines the molecular mechanisms F. magna uses when colonising or establishing an infection in the skin. FAF was found to be essential in the initial adherence of F. magna to human skin biopsies. In the upper layers of the epidermis FAF mediates adhesion through binding to galectin-7 - a keratinocyte cell marker. Once the bacteria moved deeper into the skin to the basement membrane layer, SufA was found to degrade collagen IV which forms the backbone structure of the basement membrane. It also degraded collagen V, whereby F. magna could reach deeper dermal tissue sites. In the dermis, FAF interacts with collagen V and fibrillin, which presumably helps the bacteria to establish infection in this area. The findings of this study paint a clear picture of how F. magna interacts with human skin and explain how it is such a successful opportunistic pathogen in chronic wounds and ulcers.

Publishing year

2014

Language

English

Pages

403-417

Publication/Series

Molecular Microbiology

Volume

94

Issue

2

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell

Topic

  • Infectious Medicine

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1365-2958