Streptococcus pyogenes nuclease A (SpnA) mediated virulence does not exclusively depend on nuclease activity

Conclusion Our results show that abolishing the enzymatic activity of SpnA only partially reduces virulence suggesting that SpnA has an additional virulence function, which might be located on the N-terminal domain. Furthermore, cell wall-anchoring of SpnA results in higher virulence compared to secreted SpnA, probably due to a higher local density of the enzyme.
Source: Journal of Microbiology, Immunology and Infection - Category: Microbiology Source Type: research