Abstract
Bacterial biofilms represent multicellular communities embedded in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances, conveying increased resistance against environmental stress factors but also antibiotics. They are shaped by secreted enzymes such as proteases, which can aid pathogenicity by degrading host proteins of the connective tissue or the immune system. Importantly, both secreted proteases and the capability of biofilm formation are considered key virulence factors. In this review, we focus on the basic aspects of proteolysis and protein secretion, and highlight various secreted bacterial proteases involved in biofilm establishment and dispersal, and how they aid bacteria in immune evasion by degrading immunoglobulins and components of the complement system. Thus, secreted proteases represent not only prominent antimicrobial targets but also enzymes that can be used for dedicated applications in biotechnology and biomedicine, including their use as laundry detergents, in mass spectrometry for the glycoprofiling of antibodies, and the desensitization of donor organs intended for positive crossmatch patients.
Highlights
Biofilms enhance nutrient capitalization, metabolite exchange, horizontal gene transfer, and cellular communication [2]. Because of their increased pathogenicity and resistance to therapy compared to free-living bacteria, the tendency and capacity to establish biofilms are considered as key virulence factors for a wide range of microorganisms, and the formation of biofilms on medical devices and implants, along with antibiotic resistance, poses one of the major challenges in medicine [3,4]
We will give a brief introduction to proteolytic enzymes, to protein secretion, and present several instances of secreted bacterial proteases that act as key virulence factors that directly impact the course of the infection
95% of the secreted proteases in bacteria are annotated as serine (~48%), metallo (~31%), and cysteine (~17%) peptidases [58], and not surprisingly, the proteases involved in biofilm remodeling and pathogenicity, belong nearly exclusively to these three protease families
Summary
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that are commonly associated with being independent, free-living organisms. Mainly driven by flagella, pili, and other adhesion pr high-molecular weight biopolymers, the EPS, thereby establishing the functional and structonic bacteria arrive reversibly bind to a matrix surface, as for pellicles, form tural integrity of the biofilmand through a shared extracellular and or, allowing irreversible attachment in surface-associated [1]. This typically goes hand in active hand with a loss were cell aggregates in solutionbiofilms [7]. We will give a brief introduction to proteolytic enzymes, to protein secretion, and present several instances of secreted bacterial proteases that act as key virulence factors that directly impact the course of the infection
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