The Mechanism behind Bacterial Lipoprotein Release: Phenol-Soluble Modulins Mediate Toll-Like Receptor 2 Activation via Extracellular Vesicle Release from Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Our study highlights the roles of surfactant-like molecules in bacterial inflammation with important implications for the prevention and therapy of inflammatory disorders. It describes a potential pathway for the transfer of hydrophobic bacterial lipoproteins, the major TLR2 agonists, from the cytoplasmic membrane of Gram-positive bacteria to the TLR2 receptor at the surface of host cells. Moreover, our study reveals a molecular mechanism that explains how cytoplasmic and membrane-embedded bacterial proteins can be released by bacterial cells without using any of the typical protein secretion routes, thereby contributing to our understanding of the processes used by bacteria to communicate with host organisms and the environment.