Mycoplasma penetrans explained

Mycoplasma penetrans is a species of Gram-positive bacteria.^{[1] [2]} It is pathogenic, though many infected show no symptoms. It is a sexually transmitted disease, though an infant may be infected during birth.^{[3] [4]}

Description

It has an elongated shape and its cells possess two internal compartments, one packed with granules, the other filled with coarse granules (consistent with ribosomal structures). The organism has properties of adherence through a specific organelle called the tip organelle. M. Penetrans has a coding sequence (MYPE1570) similar to that of MYPE470 in Mycoplasma pneumoniae which codes for an accessory protein that aids in cytadherence,^[5] the adherence to respiratory epithelium. This similarity suggests M. penetrans could attach to host cells through cytadherence. Also, the CDS MYPE1550, which is near MYPE1570, of M. penetrans is orthologous to the hemadsorption protein HMW2 of M pneumoniae, suggesting the potential for M. penetrans to attach to and invade red blood cells.

Virulence factors

Mycoplasma penetrans, like many bacteria, exhibits a mechanism by which it can avoid an immune response in the host cells. This avoidance of immune responses is known as a virulence factor. The virulence factor that M. penetrans displays is antigenic variation, the ability to exchange or switch antigens against which the host cell produces antibodies. The mpl gene encodes for the bacteria's antigens and, like most genes, it contains a promoter region. In M. penetrans, this promoter region can undergo reversible inversion, allowing for variation in antigen production and, thus, the source for M. penetrans antigenic variation.^[6]

Diseases

Mycoplasma penetrans has been shown to hinder p53, a tumor suppressing gene that aids in regulating the cell cycle.^[7] There have also been cases of malignant pleural effusion, when patients exhibited chronic M. penetrans infection with various immunodeficiencies (such as HIV infections or anticancer treatment).^[8] This particular species is also a sexually transmitted disease and one cause of pelvic inflammatory disease.^[9]

Further reading

• Sasaki. Y.. The complete genomic sequence of Mycoplasma penetrans, an intracellular bacterial pathogen in humans. Nucleic Acids Research. 30. 23. 2002. 5293–5300. 1362-4962. 10.1093/nar/gkf667. 12466555. 137978.
• Wang. R.Y.-H.. Hayes. M.M.. Wear. D.J.. Lo. S.C.. Shih. J.W.-K.. Alter. H.J.. Grandinetti. T.. Pierce. P.F.. High frequency of antibodies to Mycoplasma penetrans in HIV-infected patients. The Lancet. 340. 8831. 1992. 1312–1316. 0140-6736. 10.1016/0140-6736(92)92493-Y. 1360035. 8086150.

External links

• • LPSN
• Type strain of Mycoplasma penetrans at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
• Mycoplasma penetrans Genome Project

Notes and References

1. Gallego. Pablo. Planell. Raquel. Benach. Jordi. Querol. Enrique. Perez-Pons. Joseph A.. Reverter. David. Structural Characterization of the Enzymes Composing the Arginine Deiminase Pathway in Mycoplasma penetrans. PLOS ONE. October 17, 2012. 7. 10. e47886. 10.1371/journal.pone.0047886. 23082227. 11 November 2014. 3474736. 2012PLoSO...747886G. free.
2. Lo. S.-C.. Hayes. M. M.. Tully. J. G.. Wang. R. Y.-H.. Kotani. H.. Pierce. P. F.. Rose. D. L.. Shih. J. W.-K.. Mycoplasma penetrans sp. nov., from the Urogenital Tract of Patients with AIDS. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 42. 3. 1992. 357–364. 0020-7713. 10.1099/00207713-42-3-357. 1503969. free.
3. Yáñez A, Cedillo L, Neyrolles O, etal . Mycoplasma penetrans bacteremia and primary antiphospholipid syndrome . . 5 . 1 . 164–7 . 1999 . 10081687 . 2627698 . 10.3201/eid0501.990122 .
4. Ljubin-Sternak. Sunčanica. Meštrović. Tomislav. Chlamydia trachomatis and Genital Mycoplasmas: Pathogens with an Impact on Human Reproductive Healthogens with an Impact on Human Reproductive Health. Journal of Pathogens. 2014. 2014. 183167. 10.1155/2014/183167. 25614838. 4295611. free.
5. Sasaki. Y.. Ishikawa. J.. Yamashita. A.. Oshima. K.. Kenri. T.. Furuya. K.. Hattori. M. 2002-12-01. The complete genomic sequence of Mycoplasma penetrans, an intracellular bacterial pathogen in humans. Nucleic Acids Research. 30. 23. 5293–5300. 10.1093/nar/gkf667. 1362-4962. 137978. 12466555.
6. Horino. A.. Sasaki. Y.. Sasaki. T.. Kenri. T.. 2003-01-01. Multiple Promoter Inversions Generate Surface Antigenic Variation in Mycoplasma penetrans. Journal of Bacteriology. 185. 1. 231–242. 10.1128/jb.185.1.231-242.2003. 0021-9193. 141813. 12486060.
7. Logunov. D Y. Scheblyakov. D V. Zubkova. O V. Shmarov. M M. Rakovskaya. I V. Gurova. K V. Tararova. N D. Burdelya. L G. Naroditsky. B S. 2008-04-14. Mycoplasma infection suppresses p53, activates NF-κB and cooperates with oncogenic Ras in rodent fibroblast transformation. Oncogene. 27. 33. 4521–4531. 10.1038/onc.2008.103. 0950-9232. 4526267. 18408766.
8. Cao. Shuyan. Shen. Dandan. Wang. Yadong. Li. Linxi. Zhou. Liping. Wang. Yuxue. 2017-07-10. Potential malignant transformation in the gastric mucosa of immunodeficient mice with persistent Mycoplasma penetrans infection. PLOS ONE. 12. 7. e0180514. 10.1371/journal.pone.0180514. 28692662. 5503272. 2017PLoSO..1280514C. 1932-6203. free.
9. Ljubin-Sternak. Suncanica. Mestrovic. Tomislav. Review: Chlamydia trachonmatis and Genital Mycoplasmias: Pathogens with an Impact on Human Reproductive Health. Journal of Pathogens. 2014. 2014. 183167. 183167. 10.1155/2014/183167. 25614838. 4295611. free.