scholarly journals Roles of Minor Pilin Subunits Spy0125 and Spy0130 in the Serotype M1 Streptococcus pyogenes Strain SF370

2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (18) ◽  
pp. 4651-4659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy D. Smith ◽  
Jonathan A. Pointon ◽  
Emily Abbot ◽  
Hae Joo Kang ◽  
Edward N. Baker ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Adhesive pili on the surface of the serotype M1 Streptococcus pyogenes strain SF370 are composed of a major backbone subunit (Spy0128) and two minor subunits (Spy0125 and Spy0130), joined covalently by a pilin polymerase (Spy0129). Previous studies using recombinant proteins showed that both minor subunits bind to human pharyngeal (Detroit) cells (A. G. Manetti et al., Mol. Microbiol. 64:968-983, 2007), suggesting both may act as pilus-presented adhesins. While confirming these binding properties, studies described here indicate that Spy0125 is the pilus-presented adhesin and that Spy0130 has a distinct role as a wall linker. Pili were localized predominantly to cell wall fractions of the wild-type S. pyogenes parent strain and a spy0125 deletion mutant. In contrast, they were found almost exclusively in culture supernatants in both spy0130 and srtA deletion mutants, indicating that the housekeeping sortase (SrtA) attaches pili to the cell wall by using Spy0130 as a linker protein. Adhesion assays with antisera specific for individual subunits showed that only anti-rSpy0125 serum inhibited adhesion of wild-type S. pyogenes to human keratinocytes and tonsil epithelium to a significant extent. Spy0125 was localized to the tip of pili, based on a combination of mutant analysis and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis of purified pili. Assays comparing parent and mutant strains confirmed its role as the adhesin. Unexpectedly, apparent spontaneous cleavage of a labile, proline-rich (8 of 14 residues) sequence separating the N-terminal ∼1/3 and C-terminal ∼2/3 of Spy0125 leads to loss of the N-terminal region, but analysis of internal spy0125 deletion mutants confirmed that this has no significant effect on adhesion.

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. e2016904118
Author(s):  
Derek K. Cheng ◽  
Tobiloba E. Oni ◽  
Jennifer S. Thalappillil ◽  
Youngkyu Park ◽  
Hsiu-Chi Ting ◽  
...  

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with limited treatment options. Although activating mutations of the KRAS GTPase are the predominant dependency present in >90% of PDAC patients, targeting KRAS mutants directly has been challenging in PDAC. Similarly, strategies targeting known KRAS downstream effectors have had limited clinical success due to feedback mechanisms, alternate pathways, and dose-limiting toxicities in normal tissues. Therefore, identifying additional functionally relevant KRAS interactions in PDAC may allow for a better understanding of feedback mechanisms and unveil potential therapeutic targets. Here, we used proximity labeling to identify protein interactors of active KRAS in PDAC cells. We expressed fusions of wild-type (WT) (BirA-KRAS4B), mutant (BirA-KRAS4BG12D), and nontransforming cytosolic double mutant (BirA-KRAS4BG12D/C185S) KRAS with the BirA biotin ligase in murine PDAC cells. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that RSK1 selectively interacts with membrane-bound KRASG12D, and we demonstrate that this interaction requires NF1 and SPRED2. We find that membrane RSK1 mediates negative feedback on WT RAS signaling and impedes the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells upon the ablation of mutant KRAS. Our findings link NF1 to the membrane-localized functions of RSK1 and highlight a role for WT RAS signaling in promoting adaptive resistance to mutant KRAS-specific inhibitors in PDAC.


2010 ◽  
Vol 192 (8) ◽  
pp. 2044-2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyl S. Matson ◽  
Hyun Ju Yoo ◽  
Kristina Hakansson ◽  
Victor J. DiRita

ABSTRACTAntimicrobial peptides are critical for innate antibacterial defense. Both Gram-negative and Gram-positive microbes have mechanisms to alter their surfaces and resist killing by antimicrobial peptides. InVibrio cholerae, two natural epidemic biotypes, classical and El Tor, exhibit distinct phenotypes with respect to sensitivity to the peptide antibiotic polymyxin B: classical strains are sensitive and El Tor strains are relatively resistant. We carried out mutant screens of both biotypes, aiming to identify classicalV. choleraemutants resistant to polymyxin B and El TorV. choleraemutants sensitive to polymyxin B. Insertions in a gene annotatedmsbB(encoding a predicted lipid A secondary acyltransferase) answered both screens, implicating its activity in antimicrobial peptide resistance ofV. cholerae. Analysis of a defined mutation in the El Tor biotype demonstrated thatmsbBis required for resistance to all antimicrobial peptides tested. Mutation ofmsbBin a classical strain resulted in reduced resistance to several antimicrobial peptides but in no significant change in resistance to polymyxin B.msbBmutants of both biotypes showed decreased colonization of infant mice, with a more pronounced defect observed for the El Tor mutant. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that lipid A of themsbBmutant for both biotypes was underacylated compared to lipid A of the wild-type isolates, confirming that MsbB is a functional acyltransferase inV. cholerae.


2016 ◽  
Vol 107 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.I. Boguś ◽  
W. Wieloch ◽  
M. Ligęza-Żuber

AbstractCoronatin-2, a 14.5 kDa protein, was isolated from culture filtrates of the entomopathogenic fungus Conidiobolus coronatus (Costantin) Batko (Entomophthoramycota: Entomophthorales). After LC–MS/MS (liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry) analysis of the tryptic peptide digest of coronatin-2 and a mass spectra database search no orthologs of this protein could be found in fungi. The highest homology was observed to the partial translation elongation factor 1a from Sphaerosporium equinum (protein sequence coverage, 21%), with only one peptide sequence, suggesting that coronatin-2 is a novel fungal protein that has not yet been described. In contrast to coronatin-1, an insecticidal 36 kDa protein, which shows both elastolytic and chitinolytic activity, coronatin-2 showed no enzymatic activity. Addition of coronatin-2 into cultures of hemocytes taken from larvae of Galleria mellonella Linnaeus (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), resulted in progressive disintegration of nets formed by granulocytes and plasmatocytes due to rapid degranulation of granulocytes, extensive vacuolization of plasmatocytes accompanied by cytoplasm expulsion, and cell disintegration. Spherulocytes remained intact, while oenocytes rapidly disintegrated. Coronatin-2 produced 80% mortality when injected into G. mellonella at 5 µg larva−1. Further study is warranted to determine the relevance of the acute toxicity of coronatin-2 and its effects on hemocytes in vitro to virulence of C. coronatus against its hosts.


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