EspC, an autotransporter protein secreted by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), displays protease activity on human hemoglobin

• Published in: FEMS microbiology letters Vol. 265; no. 1; pp. 35 - 40
• Main Authors: Elisa Drago-Serrano, Maria, Gavilanes Parra, Sandra, Angel Manjarrez-Hernández, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2006; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Carrier Proteins - blood; Carrier Proteins - metabolism; Diarrhea; E coli; enteropathogenic Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - enzymology; Escherichia coli Proteins - isolation & purification; Escherichia coli Proteins - metabolism; Escherichia coli Proteins - secretion; EspC autotransporter protein; EspC protein; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Heme; Hemeproteins - metabolism; Hemin; Hemin - metabolism; Hemin-binding protein; hemin‐binding proteins; Hemoglobin; hemoglobin proteolysis; Hemoglobins - metabolism; Humans; Infants; Iron; Microbiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Protease; Proteins; Proteolysis; Serine; Serine Endopeptidases - blood; Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism; Serine proteinase; hemoglobin proteolysis; enteropathogenic Escherichia coli; EspC autotransporter protein; hemin-binding proteins; Human; Enzyme; Secretion; Escherichia coli; Peptidases; Binding protein; Enzymatic activity; Proteolysis; Hemoglobin; Bacteria; Hydrolases; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0378-1097; 1574-6968
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00463.x

Abstract Some enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) strains, which are an important cause of diarrhea among infants, secrete a serine protease autotransporter protein called EspC. The pathogenic role of EspC upon EPEC infection is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that purified EspC protein, obtained from supernatants of EPEC cultures, interacted with hemoglobin and degraded it. Moreover, we have shown that EspC is a hemin-binding protein. We hypothesized that hemoglobin proteolysis by EspC may contribute to the utilization of heme and hemoglobin iron for bacterial growth.