|
 |
|
|
| The EMBO Journal
(1998) 17, 4639–4646, doi:10.1093/emboj/17.16.4639 |
|
| Targeting of muralytic enzymes to the cell division site of Gram-positive bacteria: repeat domains direct autolysin to the equatorial surface ring of Staphylococcus aureus |
|
|
| Tadashi Baba and Olaf Schneewind |
|
|
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UCLA School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA To whom correspondence should be addressed Olaf Schneewind, olafs@ucla.edu Received 18 May 1998; Revised 18 June 1998; Accepted 18 June 1998. |
|
|
|
| Abstract |
|
| Staphylococcus aureus secretes autolysin (Atl) to complete cell division by hydrolyzing its thick cell wall layer at a designated site, known as the equatorial surface ring. Secreted pro-Atl (1256 amino acids) is cleaved at residues 198 and 775 to generate a pro-peptide, amidase and glucosaminidase, respectively. Here we examined the mechanism that directs amidase and glucosaminidase to the cell division site on the staphylococcal surface. Targeting of pro-Atl to the cell surface occurred prior to its proteolytic processing. Three repeat domains (R1, R2 and R3) located at the center of pro-Atl are necessary and sufficient for the targeting of reporter proteins to the equatorial surface ring. Pro-Atl cleavage at residue 775 separates the polypeptide such that R1 and R2 are linked to the C-terminus of amidase, whereas R3 is located at the N-terminus of glucosaminidase. Thus, it appears that the repeat domains direct pro-Atl, amidase and glucosaminidase to a specific receptor at the equatorial surface ring of staphylococci, thereby allowing localized peptidoglycan hydrolysis and separation of the dividing cells. |
|
| Keywords: amidase, autolysin, equatorial surface ring, glucosaminidase, Staphylococcus aureus |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
 | Email link to a friend |
| |
 | Download PDF |
| |
 | Full text |
| |
| |
| |
 | Next article |
| |
 | Previous article |
| |
 | Table of contents |
| |
| |
 | Rights and permissions |
| |
 | Reprints |
| |
| |
| |
 Register for table of contents by email | |
| |
| |
| |
