Do surface-associated MUC5B mucins promote protease activity in Lactobacillus fermentum biofilms?
Adhesion to mucin-coated surfaces leads to a shift towards a more protease-active phenotype within L. fermentum biofilms and proteases produced within the biofilms can degrade MUC5B mucins. The enhanced proteolytic activity was associated with an increase in O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase on the cell surface. We propose that the upregulation of chaperone proteins in the mucin environment may contribute to the protease-active phenotype through activation of the glycopeptidase. This would represent one way for commensal lactobacilli e.g. L. fermentum to exploit complex substrates in their local environment in order to survive on mucosal surfaces.
TEE findings might be more relevant predictors of ischemic stroke than the CHADS(2) score in patients with NVAF. The stroke risk was more than 8-fold higher in patients aged ≥75 years with TEE risk.