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Chunxiao Ji 1 Article
Thioredoxin A of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Contributes to Virulence by Inhibiting the Expression of Pentraxin 3 to Promote Survival Within Macrophages
Chijun Zhao , Xinglin Jia , Yanying Pan , Simeng Liao , Shuo Zhang , Chunxiao Ji , Guangwei Kuang , Xin Wu , Quan Liu , Yulong Tang , Lihua Fang
J. Microbiol. 2023;61(4):433-448.   Published online April 3, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-023-00038-4
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AbstractAbstract PDF
Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2) is an important zoonotic pathogen that can infect humans in contact with infected pigs or their byproducts. It can employ different types of genes to defend against oxidative stress and ensure its survival. The thioredoxin (Trx) system is a key antioxidant system that contributes adversity adaptation and pathogenicity. SS2 has been shown to encode putative thioredoxin genes, but the biological roles, coding sequence, and underlying mechanisms remains uncharacterized. Here, we demonstrated that SSU05_0237-ORF, from a clinical SS2 strain, ZJ081101, encodes a protein of 104 amino acids with a canonical CGPC active motif and an identity 70–85% similar to the thioredoxin A (TrxA) in other microorganisms. Recombinant TrxA efficiently catalyzed the thiol-disulfide oxidoreduction of insulin. The deletion of TrxA led to a significantly slow growth and markedly compromised tolerance of the pathogen to temperature stress, as well as impaired adhesion ability to pig intestinal epithelial cells (IPEC-J2). However, it was not involved in H2O2 and paraquat-induced oxidative stress. Compared with the wild-type strain, the ΔTrxA strain was more susceptible to killing by macrophages through increasing NO production. Treatment with TrxA mutant strain also significantly attenuated cytotoxic effects on RAW 264.7 cells by inhibiting inflammatory response and apoptosis. Knockdown of pentraxin 3 in RAW 264.7 cells was more vulnerable to phagocytic activity, and TrxA promoted SS2 survival in phagocytic cells depending on pentraxin 3 activity compared with the wild-type strain. Moreover, a co-inoculation experiment in mice revealed that TrxA mutant strain is far more easily cleared from the body than the wild type strain in the period from 8–24 h, and exhibits significantly attenuated oxidative stress and liver injury. In summary, we reveal the important role of TrxA in the pathogenesis of SS2.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Pathogenicity and virulence of Streptococcus suis serotype 2: Emerging insights and persistent knowledge gaps
    Lihua Fang, Yueru Yao, Jinmei Wu, Jie Ning
    Virulence.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Unraveling Streptococcus suis: Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and interventions of an emerging zoonosis
    Miao Zhang, Yuanjie Zhao, Jinxiu Wang, Mengmeng Liu, Yun Zhang
    hLife.2026;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Decadal advances and future prospects in subunit vaccine development against Streptococcus suis infection
    Lihua Fang, Jie Ning
    Frontiers in Immunology.2025;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Thioredoxin C of Streptococcus suis serotype 2 contributes to virulence by inducing antioxidative stress and inhibiting autophagy via the MSR1/PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway in macrophages
    Chunxiao Ji, Yanying Pan, Bocheng Liu, Jianying Liu, Chijun Zhao, Zhuyuan Nie, Simeng Liao, Guangwei Kuang, Xin Wu, Quan Liu, Jie Ning, Yulong Tang, Lihua Fang
    Veterinary Microbiology.2024; 298: 110263.     CrossRef
  • A Comprehensive Review on the Roles of Metals Mediating Insect–Microbial Pathogen Interactions
    Subhanullah Khan, Minglin Lang
    Metabolites.2023; 13(7): 839.     CrossRef

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