Allelic variants of streptokinase from Streptococcus pyogenes display functional differences in plasminogen activation.

A common mammalian defence mechanism employed to prevent systemic dissemination of invasive bacteria involves occlusion of local microvasculature and encapsulation of bacteria within fibrin networks. Acquisition of plasmin activity at the bacterial cell surface circumvents this defence mechanism allowing invasive disease initiation. To facilitate this process, S. pyogenes secrete streptokinase, a plasminogen activating protein. Streptokinase polymorphism exhibited by S. pyogenes isolates is well characterised. However, the functional differences displayed by these variants and the biological significance of this variation has not been elucidated. Phylogenetic analysis of ska sequences from 28 S. pyogenes isolates revealed two main sequence clusters (clusters 1 and 2). All strains secreted streptokinase as determined by western blotting and were capable of acquiring cell-surface plasmin activity after incubation in human plasma. Whereas culture supernatants from strains containing cluster 1 ska alleles also displayed soluble plasminogen activation activity, supernatants from strains containing cluster 2 ska alleles did not. Furthermore, plasminogen activation activity in culture supernatants from strains containing cluster 2 ska alleles could only be detected when plasminogen was pre-bound with fibrinogen. This study indicates that variant streptokinase proteins secreted by S. pyogenes isolates display differing plasminogen activation characteristics and may therefore play distinct roles in disease pathogenesis.