Pneumococcal surface adhesion A protein (PsaA) interacts with human Annexin A2 on airway epithelial cells

• Published in: Virulence Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1841 - 1854
• Main Authors: Hu, Yoonsung, Park, Nogi, Seo, Keun Seok, Park, Joo Youn, Somarathne, Radha P., Vonkchalee, Natalene, Jackson, Katelyn, Olivier, Alicia K., Fitzkee, Nicholas C., Thornton, Justin A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01.12.2021; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Adhesins, Bacterial - genetics; Adhesins, Bacterial - metabolism; adhesion; Annexin A2 (Anxa2); Annexin A2 - metabolism; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Carrier Proteins; colonization; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - microbiology; HEK293 Cells; host cellular receptor; Humans; Lipoproteins - metabolism; Pneumococcal Vaccines; protein vaccine; Research Paper; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - immunology; surface protein adhesin A (PsaA); surface protein adhesin A (PsaA); Annexin A2 (Anxa2); colonization; protein vaccine; adhesion; host cellular receptor; Streptococcus pneumoniae
• ISSN: 2150-5594; 2150-5608
• DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1947176

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a normal colonizer of the human nasopharynx capable of causing serious invasive disease. Since colonization of the nasopharynx is a prerequisite for progression to invasive diseases, the development of future protein-based vaccines requires an understanding of the intimate interaction of bacterial adhesins with host receptors. In this study, we identified that pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA), a highly conserved pneumococcal protein known to play an important role in colonization of pneumococcus, can interact with Annexin A2 (ANXA2) on Detroit 562 nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. Lentiviral expression of ANXA2 in HEK 293 T/17 cells, which normally express minimal ANXA2, significantly increased pneumococcal adhesion. Blocking of ANXA2 with recombinant PsaA negatively impacted pneumococcal adherence to ANXA2-transduced HEK cells. These results suggest that ANXA2 is an important host cellular receptor for pneumococcal colonization.