emm簇分组系统在A族链球菌相关研究中的应用

Application of the emm cluster typing system in related studies of Group A Streptococcus

A族链球菌(GAS)是造成全球儿童死亡的重要病原之一。细菌分型是研究病原微生物流行特征最常用的手段,emm分型是研究GAS常用的分型方法。近些年新提出的emm簇分组系统是基于M蛋白氨基酸序列同源性和与宿主血清蛋白结合能力进行分型,在国外已被广泛用于流行病学调查、菌株选择及疫苗开发等,但在国内目前尚未被应用。emm分型是基于emm基因的一个小的可变区域,而emm簇分组系统根据emm基因的几乎完整序列定义GAS类型,且emm簇分组系统可直接由emm分型比对获得,简单易行。因此,emm簇分组系统可提供有关GAS不同emm型中M蛋白的功能和结构特性的更多信息,现就emm簇分组系统的方法、原理及目前在GAS相关研究中的应用等作一综述,以便于在国内推广应用。

Group A Streptococcus(GAS)is one of the most important pathogens leading to children deaths all over the world.Bacterial typing is the commonest approach to analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of pathogenic microorganisms.The emm typing is frequently adopted to study GAS.The emm cluster typing is a recently proposed typing method based on the amino acid sequence homology of M proteins and the ability to bind to the host serum protein.This typing system has been extensively used for epidemiological investigation,strain selection and vaccine deve-lopment in foreign countries.However,it has not been applied in China yet.emm typing is based on a small variable region of emm genes,while the emm cluster typing system defines GAS types according to nearly intact sequences of emm genes.Besides,the emm cluster grouping system is acquired directly by emm typing comparison,so it is simple and feasible.Furthermore,the emm cluster typing can provide more information regarding the functional and structural properties of M proteins in different emm types of GAS.In this review,the methods,principles and applications of the emm cluster typing system in GAS research were summarized,in order to promote its application in China.