Pneumolysin Causes Neuronal Cell Death through Mitochondrial Damage

• Published in: Infection and Immunity Vol. 75; no. 9; pp. 4245 - 4254
• Main Authors: Braun, Johann S, Hoffmann, Olaf, Schickhaus, Miriam, Freyer, Dorette, Dagand, Emilie, Bermpohl, Daniela, Mitchell, Tim J, Bechmann, Ingo, Weber, Joerg R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for Microbiology 01.09.2007
• Subjects: Animals; Antineoplastic agents; Apoptosis - physiology; Bacterial Proteins - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Calcium - metabolism; Cell Death - physiology; Cells, Cultured; Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular Interactions; Chemotherapy; Medical sciences; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial - physiology; Mitochondria - metabolism; Mitochondria - microbiology; Mitochondria - pathology; Mitochondrial Membranes - microbiology; Mitochondrial Membranes - pathology; Neurons - metabolism; Neurons - microbiology; Neurons - pathology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Rats; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Signal Transduction - physiology; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - pathogenicity; Streptolysins - physiology; Up-Regulation - physiology; Streptococcaceae; Toxin; Mitochondria; Cell death; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Host agent relation; Streptococcus pneumoniae

Bacterial toxins such as pneumolysin are key mediators of cytotoxicity in infections. Pneumolysin is a pore-forming toxin released by Streptococcus pneumoniae, the major cause of bacterial meningitis. We found that pneumolysin is the pneumococcal factor that accounts for the cell death pathways indu...