Journal: Journal of Bacteriology
Article Title: The Protease SplB of Staphylococcus aureus Targets Host Complement Components and Inhibits Complement-Mediated Bacterial Opsonophagocytosis
doi: 10.1128/JB.00184-21
Figure Lengend Snippet: SplB and aureolysin reduce the deposition of C3b and C5b-9 on the surface of S. aureus cells. (A) SplB or BSA (1 μM) was incubated with complement-competent NHS (5%) for 1 h, and the mixture was added to spa -deficient S. aureus cells (RN1HF Δ spa ) for 20 min at 37°C. C3b or C5b-9 on the bacterial cell surface was stained with specific fluorescent antibodies and evaluated by microscopy. In the control samples (BSA), there was abundant deposition of C3b (I, top, green) and C5b-9 (II, top, red) on the bacterial surfaces. SplB strongly interfered with complement deposition (C3b [I, bottom, green] and C5b-9 [II, bottom, red]). Panels III show bacterial DNA stained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), and panels IV show the overlays of the three images. Bars, 100 μm. (B and C) SplB, aureolysin, or both were incubated with complement-active NHS (5%) for 1 h at the indicated concentrations. SplC and BSA served as controls. The resulting solutions were added to spa -deficient S. aureus cells (RN1HF Δ spa ) for 20 min at 37°C. After washing, the deposition of C3b (B) or C5b-9 (C) was stained with specific antibodies and fluorescent secondary reagents and evaluated by flow cytometry. SplB and aureolysin inhibited the deposition of C3b and C5b-9 on the bacterial surface in a concentration-dependent manner. The combination of SplB and aureolysin had the strongest effect, completely abolishing the deposition of C3b (B) and reducing the deposition of C5b-9 by 90% (C). SplC and BSA, the negative controls, had no influence on complement deposition (B and C). Depicted are means ± SD from three independent experiments.
Article Snippet: Human plasma-purified complement proteins C1q, C2, C3, C3b, C4, C4b, C5, C5b, C6, C7, C8, and C9; factor H; and C4BP were purchased from CompTech (Complement Technology Inc.) (Tyler, TX, USA).
Techniques: Incubation, Staining, Microscopy, Control, Flow Cytometry, Concentration Assay