Structural characteristics of the EspB protein of diarrheogenic Escherichia coli

• Grant number: 17/26100-2
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): May 01, 2018
• Effective date (End): April 30, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Roxane Maria Fontes Piazza
• Grantee: Jessika Cristina Alves da Silva
• Home Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Diarrhea causes approximately 800,000 deaths per year among children under five years of age, with diarrheogenic Escherichia coli strains accounting for 30-40% of cases of severe diarrhea in developing countries, including enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) are often associated with cases of the disease. EPEC and EHEC induce an attaching / effacing lesion (A / E lesion), characterized mainly by the deletion of microvilli. The A / E lesion is caused by effector proteins, such as the secreted protein of E. coli (Esp) EspB, which with EspD forms a pore structure that allows the translocation of other virulence factors. Being EspB present in both serogroups, this protein presents itself as a target for the development of new methods for diagnosis and therapy against diarrhea. However, we still do not have a complete understanding of the protein structure, so the proposal of this project is to elucidate the quaternary structure of the EspB protein. (AU)