scholarly journals FmhA and FmhC of Staphylococcus aureus incorporate serine residues into peptidoglycan cross-bridges

2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (39) ◽  
pp. 13664-13676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Willing ◽  
Emma Dyer ◽  
Olaf Schneewind ◽  
Dominique Missiakas
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
Daughter Cells ◽  
Cross Bridge ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Cross Bridges ◽  
Adjacent Wall

Staphylococcal peptidoglycan is characterized by pentaglycine cross-bridges that are cross-linked between adjacent wall peptides by penicillin-binding proteins to confer robustness and flexibility. In Staphylococcus aureus, pentaglycine cross-bridges are synthesized by three proteins: FemX adds the first glycine, and the homodimers FemA and FemB sequentially add two Gly-Gly dipeptides. Occasionally, serine residues are also incorporated into the cross-bridges by enzymes that have heretofore not been identified. Here, we show that the FemA/FemB homologues FmhA and FmhC pair with FemA and FemB to incorporate Gly-Ser dipeptides into cross-bridges and to confer resistance to lysostaphin, a secreted bacteriocin that cleaves the pentaglycine cross-bridge. FmhA incorporates serine residues at positions 3 and 5 of the cross-bridge. In contrast, FmhC incorporates a single serine at position 5. Serine incorporation also lowers resistance toward oxacillin, an antibiotic that targets penicillin-binding proteins, in both methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus. FmhC is encoded by a gene immediately adjacent to lytN, which specifies a hydrolase that cleaves the bond between the fifth glycine of cross-bridges and the alanine of the adjacent stem peptide. In this manner, LytN facilitates the separation of daughter cells. Cell wall damage induced upon lytN overexpression can be alleviated by overexpression of fmhC. Together, these observations suggest that FmhA and FmhC generate peptidoglycan cross-bridges with unique serine patterns that provide protection from endogenous murein hydrolases governing cell division and from bacteriocins produced by microbial competitors.

scholarly journals Kinetics of penicillin binding to penicillin-binding proteins of Staphylococcus aureus

1994 ◽  
Vol 301 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
H F Chambers ◽  
M J Sachdeva ◽  
C J Hackbarth
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Beta Lactam ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
Structural Modifications ◽  
Drug Concentrations ◽  
Lactam Antibiotic ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Kinetics Of

Reduced affinity of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) for binding penicillin has been proposed as a mechanism of beta-lactam antibiotic resistance in staphylococci. Penicillin binding by PBPs of three penicillin-susceptible and two penicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus was studied in kinetic assays to determine rate constants, drug concentrations at which PBPs were bound and the relationship between concentrations that bound PBPs and concentrations that inhibited bacterial growth. PBPs 1 and 2 of the resistant strains exhibited slower acylation and more rapid deacylation than susceptible strains. In contrast PBP 4, a naturally low-affinity PBP, was modified such that it exhibited a lower rate of deacylation. The concentrations of penicillin at which modified PBPs were bound correlated with concentrations that inhibited growth of the resistant strains. Acquisition of penicillin resistance in these strains of S. aureus results, at least in part, from structural modifications affecting binding of multiple PBPs and appears to include recruitment of a non-essential PBP, PBP 4.

scholarly journals Increased production of penicillin-binding protein 2, increased detection of other penicillin-binding proteins, and decreased coagulase activity associated with glycopeptide resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1788-1793 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Moreira ◽  
S Boyle-Vavra ◽  
B L deJonge ◽  
R S Daum
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Resistant Isolate ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Penicillin Binding Protein ◽  
Glycopeptide Resistance ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant ◽  
Resistant Mutants

The mechanism of glycopeptide resistance in the genus Staphylococcus is unknown. Since these antimicrobial compounds act by binding the peptidoglycan precursor terminus, the target of transglycosylase and transpeptidase enzymes, it was hypothesized that resistance might be mediated in Staphylococcus aureus by increased production or activity of these enzymes, commonly called penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). To evaluate this possibility, glycopeptide-resistant mutants were prepared by passage of several clinical isolates of this species in nutrient broth containing successively increasing concentrations of the glycopeptide vancomycin or teicoplanin. Decreased coagulase activity and increased resistance to lysostaphin were uniformly present in the vancomycin-resistant mutants. Peptidoglycan cross-linking increased in one resistant isolate and decreased in two resistant isolates. The amounts of radioactive penicillin that bound to each PBP in susceptible and resistant strains were compared; PBP2 production was also evaluated by Western blotting. Increased penicillin labeling and production of PBP2 were found in all resistant derivatives selected by either vancomycin or teicoplanin. Moreover, the increase in PBP2 penicillin labeling occurred early in a series of vancomycin-selected derivatives and was strongly correlated (r > 0.9) with the increase in vancomycin and teicoplanin MIC. An increase in penicillin labeling also occurred, variably, in PBP1, PBP3, and/or PBP4. These data demonstrate a strong correlation between resistance to glycopeptides and increased PBP activity and/or production in S. aureus. Such an increase could allow PBPs to better compete with glycopeptides for the peptidoglycan precursor.

scholarly journals Penicillin-Binding Proteins and Cell Wall Composition in β-Lactam-Sensitive and -Resistant Strains of Staphylococcus sciuri

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjiao Zhou ◽  
Aude Antignac ◽  
Shang Wei Wu ◽  
Alexander Tomasz
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Clinical Isolate ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Protein Product ◽  
Cell Wall Composition ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
Resistance Determinants ◽  
Oxacillin Resistance ◽  
Resistant Strains

ABSTRACT A close homologue of the acquired Staphylococcus aureus mecA gene is present as a native gene in Staphylococcus sciuri. We determined the patterns of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) and the peptidoglycan compositions of several S. sciuri strains to explore the functions of this mecA homologue, named pbpD, in its native S. sciuri environment. The protein product of pbpD was identified as PBP4 with a molecular mass of 84 kDa, one of the six PBPs present in representatives of each of three subspecies of S. sciuri examined. PBP4 had a low affinity for nafcillin, reacted with a monoclonal antibody raised against S. aureus PBP2A, and was greatly overproduced in oxacillin-resistant clinical isolate S. sciuri SS37 and to a lesser extent in resistant laboratory mutant K1M200. An additional PBP inducible by oxacillin and corresponding to S. aureus PBP2A was identified in another oxacillin-resistant clinical isolate, S. sciuri K3, which harbors an S. aureus copy of mecA. Oxacillin resistance depended on the overtranscribed S. sciuri pbpD gene in strains SS37 and K1M200, while the resistance of strain K3 depended on the S. aureus copy of mecA. Our data provide evidence that both S. aureus mecA and S. sciuri pbpD can function as resistance determinants in either an S. aureus or an S. sciuri background and that the protein products of these genes, S. aureus PBP2A and S. sciuri PBP4, can participate in the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, the muropeptide composition of which depends on the bacterium “hosting” the resistance gene.

scholarly journals The Penicillin-Binding Protein PbpP Is a Sensor of β-Lactams and Is Required for Activation of the Extracytoplasmic Function σ Factor σP in Bacillus thuringiensis

mBio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsie M. Nauta ◽  
Theresa D. Ho ◽  
Craig D. Ellermeier
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Bacillus Thuringiensis ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Penicillin Binding Protein ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
Σ Factor ◽  
The Cross

ABSTRACT β-Lactams are a class of antibiotics that target the synthesis of peptidoglycan, an essential component of the cell wall. β-Lactams inhibit the function of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), which form the cross-links between strands of peptidoglycan. Resistance to β-lactams complicates the treatment of bacterial infections. In recent years, the spread of β-lactam resistance has increased with growing intensity. Resistance is often conferred by β-lactamases, which inactivate β-lactams, or the expression of alternative β-lactam-resistant PBPs. σP is an extracytoplasmic function (ECF) σ factor that controls β-lactam resistance in the species Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus anthracis. σP is normally held inactive by the anti-σ factor RsiP. σP is activated by β-lactams that trigger the proteolytic destruction of RsiP. Here, we identify the penicillin-binding protein PbpP and demonstrate its essential role in the activation of σP. Our data show that PbpP is required for σP activation and RsiP degradation. Our data suggest that PbpP acts as a β-lactam sensor since the binding of a subset of β-lactams to PbpP is required for σP activation. We find that PbpP likely directly or indirectly controls site 1 cleavage of RsiP, which results in the degradation of RsiP and, thus, σP activation. σP activation results in increased expression of β-lactamases and, thus, increased β-lactam resistance. This work is the first report of a PBP acting as a sensor for β-lactams and controlling the activation of an ECF σ factor. IMPORTANCE The bacterial cell envelope is the target for numerous antibiotics. Many antibiotics target the synthesis of peptidoglycan, which is a central metabolic pathway essential for bacterial survival. One of the most important classes of antibiotics has been β-lactams, which inhibit the transpeptidase activity of penicillin-binding proteins to decrease the cross-linking of peptidoglycan and the strength of the cell wall. While β-lactam antibiotics have historically proven to be effective, resistance to β-lactams is a growing problem. The ECF σ factor σP is required for β-lactam resistance in B. thuringiensis and close relatives, including B. anthracis. Here, we provide insight into the mechanism of activation of σP by β-lactams.

scholarly journals Escherichia coli Mutants Lacking All Possible Combinations of Eight Penicillin Binding Proteins: Viability, Characteristics, and Implications for Peptidoglycan Synthesis

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (13) ◽  
pp. 3981-3993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia A. Denome ◽  
Pamela K. Elf ◽  
Thomas A. Henderson ◽  
David E. Nelson ◽  
Kevin D. Young
Keyword(s):  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance ◽  
Open Reading Frames ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Peptidoglycan Biosynthesis ◽  
Kanamycin Resistance Cassette ◽  
Genes Encoding

ABSTRACT The penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) synthesize and remodel peptidoglycan, the structural component of the bacterial cell wall. Much is known about the biochemistry of these proteins, but little is known about their biological roles. To better understand the contributions these proteins make to the physiology ofEscherichia coli, we constructed 192 mutants from which eight PBP genes were deleted in every possible combination. The genes encoding PBPs 1a, 1b, 4, 5, 6, and 7, AmpC, and AmpH were cloned, and from each gene an internal coding sequence was removed and replaced with a kanamycin resistance cassette flanked by two ressites from plasmid RP4. Deletion of individual genes was accomplished by transferring each interrupted gene onto the chromosome of E. coli via λ phage transduction and selecting for kanamycin-resistant recombinants. Afterwards, the kanamycin resistance cassette was removed from each mutant strain by supplying ParA resolvase in trans, yielding a strain in which a long segment of the original PBP gene was deleted and replaced by an 8-bpres site. These kanamycin-sensitive mutants were used as recipients in further rounds of replacement mutagenesis, resulting in a set of strains lacking from one to seven PBPs. In addition, thedacD gene was deleted from two septuple mutants, creating strains lacking eight genes. The only deletion combinations not produced were those lacking both PBPs 1a and 1b because such a combination is lethal. Surprisingly, all other deletion mutants were viable even though, at the extreme, 8 of the 12 known PBPs had been eliminated. Furthermore, when both PBPs 2 and 3 were inactivated by the β-lactams mecillinam and aztreonam, respectively, several mutants did not lyse but continued to grow as enlarged spheres, so that one mutant synthesized osmotically resistant peptidoglycan when only 2 of 12 PBPs (PBPs 1b and 1c) remained active. These results have important implications for current models of peptidoglycan biosynthesis, for understanding the evolution of the bacterial sacculus, and for interpreting results derived by mutating unknown open reading frames in genome projects. In addition, members of the set of PBP mutants will provide excellent starting points for answering fundamental questions about other aspects of cell wall metabolism.

scholarly journals Susceptibility of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus to Five Quinazolinone Antibacterials

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Ceballos ◽  
Choon Kim ◽  
Yuanyuan Qian ◽  
Shahriar Mobashery ◽  
Mayland Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Penicillin Binding Proteins

ABSTRACT The in vitro activities of five quinazolinone antibacterials, compounds Q1 to Q5, were tested against 210 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The MIC50/MIC90 values (in μg/ml) were as follows: Q1, 0.5/2; Q2, 1/4; Q3, 2/4; Q4, 0.06/0.25; and Q5, 0.125/0.5. Several strains with high MIC values (from 8 to >32 μg/ml) for some of these compounds exhibited amino acid changes in the penicillin-binding proteins, which are targeted by these antibacterials.

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