Prevalent distribution and conservation of Streptococcus suis Lmb protein and its protective capacity against the Chinese highly virulent strain infection

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes multiple diseases in both pigs and humans. Many studies suggest that Streptococcus utilizes host extracellular matrix proteins, including laminin, for adhesion and invasion of host cells. Recently, we identified a putative Lmb protein (CDS 0330) of a highly virulent strain of S. suis (serotype 2). In this study, we characterized the ability of CDS 0330 to bind human laminin, and evaluated the protective efficacy of a recombinant protein vaccine. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that both the amino acid sequence and tertiary structure of CDS 0330 were similar to Lmb proteins in other Streptococcus. In addition, the sequence of CDS 0330 was present in the genomes of 26 of the 38 sequenced streptococci species, indicating an early origin and conservation of this gene. Particularly, all 17 sequenced S. suis genomes, regardless of serotype or geographic origin, contained CDS 0330 gene in their genome with a minimum pair-wise amino acid identity of 92%. PCR amplification revealed that CDS 0330 gene is distributed throughout 35 S. suis serotypes in the lmb-htp format. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that CDS 0330 was expressed on the cell surface of S. suis, and ELISA revealed the recombinant CDS 0330 protein could bind laminin in vitro. Finally, vaccinating mice with recombinant CDS 0330 protein significantly prolonged survival after S. suis infection. Together, these data reveal that CDS 0330 is a laminin binding protein of S. suis 2, and open new avenues for preventing S. suis 2 infection.