Pneumococcal iron acquisition A (PiaA) (PiaA)

Pneumococcal iron acquisition A (PiaA) is a surface-exposed lipoprotein in Streptococcus pneumoniae that serves as the substrate-binding protein for the PiaABCD ABC transporter system (UniProt P0A4G4). It plays a critical role in bacterial survival by facilitating the uptake of iron from host sources such as heme and hemoglobin (Brown et al., 2001, PMID: 11443083). Since iron is an essential nutrient for bacterial growth and metabolism, PiaA is a key determinant of pneumococcal virulence during systemic infections like pneumonia and meningitis (Whalan et al., 2006, PMID: 16434447). The protein is highly conserved across nearly all pneumococcal serotypes, making it an attractive target for the development of next-generation protein-based vaccines (Jomaa et al., 2005, PMID: 15659714). Immunization with PiaA has been shown to elicit protective immune responses in animal models, often working synergistically with other iron-acquisition proteins like PiuA (Romero-Steiner et al., 2003, PMID: 12644290). By targeting PiaA, therapeutic strategies aim to disrupt the pathogen's ability to scavenge iron, thereby inhibiting its proliferation and reducing its pathogenic potential. This approach is particularly relevant for addressing antibiotic-resistant strains of S. pneumoniae.

Other names

Iron-uptake ABC transporter substrate-binding protein PiaALipoprotein PiaAPiaA protein

Vaccine-induced antibody production leading to opsonophagocytosis or functional neutralization of iron transport.