Molecular Insights into Streptococcus pneumoniae

Dear Colleagues,

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a human respiratory pathogen that kills ≈900,000 people annually. Understanding the molecular biology of pneumococcus is of utmost importance because it will inform drug and vaccine development. Pneumococcus produces numerous virulence factors for colonization and to protect itself from the host's immune system. Additionally, S. pneumoniae emerges as a promising system for studying gene function and the cell biology of ovococci because of its genetic tractability, relatively fast doubling time and distinctions from other rod-shaped models.

This Special Issue will cover all aspects of pneumococcal biology. We welcome submissions on topics such as host–pathogen interactions, superinfection with other microbiome members, vaccination, carbohydrate utilization, cell envelope synthesis and genome evolution. Studies that involve discovering a new biological process and reviews that summarize an emerging field are particularly welcomed. Our goal is to conglomerate the recent advancements in the field to stimulate new thoughts and ideas.

Dr. Lok-To Sham
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• respiratory pathogen
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• host–pathogen interactions
• gene function