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Analysis of institutional authors

Marín C.Author

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May 8, 2025
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Identification of the methionine transporter MetQ in Streptococcus suis and its contribution to virulence and biofilm formation

Publicated to: VETERINARY RESEARCH. 56 (1): 99- - 2025-05-08, DOI: 10.1186/s13567-025-01522-y

Authors:

Bosch, C; García, C; Saralegui, L; van Beek, L; de Jonge, MI; Marín, C; Arenas, J
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Affiliations

Agrofood Res & Technol Ctr Aragon CITA, Dept Anim Sci - Author
Departamento de Ciencia Animal. Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón - Author
Radboud Univ Nijmegen, Radboud Inst Mol Life Sci, Med Ctr, Lab Med Immunol - Author
Univ Saragossa, Agrofood Res Univ Inst Aragon IA2, CITA - Author
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Abstract

Streptococcus suis is a Gram-positive bacterium responsible for various infections in both pigs and humans. This study investigates the role of methionine acquisition in the growth and virulence of S. suis. The putative methionine transport system is organised as an operon comprising the metQ gene and genes encoding a transposase and an ATPase, forming a typical tripartite ABC transporter. This operon is conserved across multiple streptococcal species, including both animal and human pathogens. We examined whether MetQ functions as a methionine-binding protein and its role in bacterial infection. Using Western blotting and flow cytometry with a specific antiserum, we demonstrated that MetQ is produced in vitro by the S. suis reference strain P1/7 under methionine-limited conditions and is located on the bacterial cell surface. Growth assays in chemically defined media revealed that a metQ deletion mutant (P1/7 triangle metQ) exhibited impaired growth under methionine-restricted conditions but grew normally in a nutrient-rich medium, suggesting that MetQ primarily transports methionine. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry demonstrated that MetQ binds L-methionine with a dissociation constant (KD) of 7.1 mu M. In a murine infection model, the metQ mutant showed reduced dissemination to internal organs compared to the wild type. Furthermore, the mutant showed decreased intracellular survival in murine macrophages and increased sensitivity to oxidative stress, while exhibited enhanced biofilm formation compared to the wild type. Our findings indicate that MetQ is essential for methionine uptake under methionine-restricted conditions, which is critical for bacterial nutrition, immune evasion, and pathogenicity during infection.
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Keywords

Abc transport systemBiofilm formationEstrés oxidativoFagocitosisGenesInfectionLocusMethionine transporterMetioninaPathogenesisPhagocytic activitySerotype-2Streptococcus suisVivo

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal VETERINARY RESEARCH due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position 11/171, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Veterinary Sciences. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2026-11-15:

  • WoS: 3
  • Scopus: 1
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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-11-15:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 3 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

    • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
    • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: http://hdl.handle.net/10532/7605
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    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Netherlands.

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