Researchers at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology discovered how pneumonia-causing bacterial toxins spread between cells using cellular microvesicles.
How Streptococcus Pneumoniae Spreads Toxins Through Microvesicles
Scientists at the Brico-Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology in Thiruvananthapuram uncovered the microscopic mechanics behind how Streptococcus pneumoniae wreaks havoc on human tissue. The bacterium produces a potent toxin known as pneumolysin. When this substance damages a cell, the host body attempts a self-defense maneuver. That defensive response backfires.
Human immune and tissue cells wrap the damaged components into microvesicles instead of expelling the toxin as waste. These tiny membrane structures bud directly from the host cell surface, carrying active pneumolysin trapped safely inside. The vesicles drift toward neighboring healthy cells, smuggling the bacterial weapon past local defenses and accelerating tissue damage.
Cellular Self-Defense That Backfires Into Wider Infection
According to findings detailed by RGCB researchers, the pneumolysin survives inside these protective bubbles intact when non-lethal amounts of the toxin strike. When the vesicles make contact with adjacent cell walls, their membranes fuse, altering the structural integrity of healthy tissue and triggering widespread cellular destruction.
Senior researcher Karthik Subramanian explained that cells package the toxin in a new form during self-preservation. This inadvertently aids the spread of the infection.
Researchers Target Vesicular Transport to Develop New Pneumonia Therapies
Researchers anticipate that mapping this vesicular transport route will pave the way for new classes of therapies. Future experimental work will focus on developing targeted treatments designed to block extracellular vesicles from carrying pneumolysin between cells during active pneumonia infections.