Klebsiella pneumoniae Reduces SUMOylation To Limit Host Defense Responses

Abstract

Klebsiella pneumoniae has been singled out as an urgent threat to human health due to the increasing isolation of strains resistant to “last-line” antimicrobials, narrowing the treatment options against Klebsiella infections. Unfortunately, at present, we cannot identify candidate compounds in late-stage development for treatment of multidrug-resistant Klebsiella infections; this pathogen is exemplary of the mismatch between unmet medical needs and the current antimicrobial research and development pipeline. Furthermore, there is still limited evidence on K. pneumoniae pathogenesis at the molecular and cellular levels in the context of the interactions between bacterial pathogens and their hosts. In this research, we have uncovered a sophisticated strategy employed by Klebsiella to subvert the activation of immune defenses by controlling the modification of proteins. Our research may open opportunities to develop new therapeutics based on counteracting this Klebsiella- controlled immune evasion strategy.