scholarly journals Loss of Antibiotic Tolerance in Sod-Deficient Mutants Is Dependent on the Energy Source and Arginine Catabolism in Enterococci

2015 ◽  
Vol 197 (20) ◽  
pp. 3283-3293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rabia Ladjouzi ◽  
Alain Bizzini ◽  
Willem van Schaik ◽  
Xinglin Zhang ◽  
Alain Rincé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Arginine Deiminase ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arginine Catabolism

ABSTRACTEnterococci are naturally tolerant to typically bactericidal cell wall-active antibiotics, meaning that their growth is inhibited but they are not killed even when exposed to a high concentration of the drug. The molecular reasons for this extraordinary tolerance are still incompletely understood. Previous work showed that resistance to killing collapsed specifically in mutants affected in superoxide dismutase (Sod) activity, arguing that bactericidal antibiotic treatment led to induction of a superoxide burst. In the present work, we show that loss of antibiotic tolerance in ΔsodAmutants of pathogenic enterococci is dependent on the energy source present during antibiotic treatment. Hexoses induce greater killing than the pentose ribose, and no killing was observed with glycerol as the energy source. These results point to glycolytic reactions as crucial for antibiotic-mediated killing of ΔsodAmutants. A transposon mutant library was constructed inEnterococcus faecalis ΔsodAmutants and screened for restored tolerance of vancomycin. Partially restored tolerance was observed in mutants with transposon integrations into intergenic regions upstream of regulators implicated in arginine catabolism. In these mutants, the arginine deiminase operon was highly upregulated. A model for the action of cell wall-active antibiotics in tolerant and nontolerant bacteria is proposed.IMPORTANCEAntibiotic tolerance is a serious clinical concern, since tolerant bacteria have considerably increased abilities to resist killing by bactericidal drugs. Using enterococci as models for highly antibiotic-tolerant pathogens, we showed that tolerance of these bacteria is linked to their superoxide dismutase (Sod), arguing that bactericidal antibiotics induce generation of reactive oxygen species inside cells. Wild-type strains are tolerant because they detoxify these deleterious molecules by the activity of Sod, whereas Sod-deficient strains are killed. This study showed that killing depends on the energy source present during treatment and that an increase in arginine catabolism partially restored tolerance of the Sod mutants. These results are used to propose a mode-of-action model of cell wall-active antibiotics in tolerant and nontolerant bacteria.

scholarly journals The Arginine Deiminase Pathway Impacts Antibiotic Tolerance during Biofilm-Mediated Streptococcus pyogenes Infections

mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Freiberg ◽  
Yoann Le Breton ◽  
Janette M. Harro ◽  
Devon L. Allison ◽  
Kevin S. McIver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Failure ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Streptococcus Pyogenes ◽  
Bacterial Infections ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Arginine Deiminase ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
Human Pathogen ◽  
Biofilm Growth ◽  
Content Type

ABSTRACT Bacterial biofilms are responsible for a variety of serious human infections and are notoriously difficult to treat due to their recalcitrance to antibiotics. Further work is necessary to elicit a full understanding of the mechanism of this antibiotic tolerance. The arginine deiminase (ADI) pathway is responsible for bacterial pH maintenance and is highly expressed during biofilm growth in multiple bacterial species. Using the group A Streptococcus (GAS) as a model human pathogen, the ADI pathway was demonstrated to contribute to biofilm growth. The inability of antibiotics to reduce GAS populations when in a biofilm was demonstrated by in vitro studies and a novel animal model of nasopharyngeal infection. However, disruption of the ADI pathway returned GAS biofilms to planktonic levels of antibiotic sensitivity, suggesting the ADI pathway is influential in biofilm-related antibiotic treatment failure and provides a new strategic target for the treatment of biofilm infections in GAS and potentially numerous other bacterial species. IMPORTANCE Biofilm-mediated bacterial infections are a major threat to human health because of their recalcitrance to antibiotic treatment. Through the study of Streptococcus pyogenes, a significant human pathogen that is known to form antibiotic-tolerant biofilms, we demonstrated the role that a bacterial pathway known for responding to acid stress plays in biofilm growth and antibiotic tolerance. This not only provides some insight into antibiotic treatment failure in S. pyogenes infections but also, given the widespread nature of this pathway, provides a potentially broad target for antibiofilm therapies. This discovery has the potential to impact the treatment of many different types of recalcitrant biofilm infections.

scholarly journals Glucanase-Induced Stipe Wall Extension Shows Distinct Differences from Chitinase-Induced Stipe Wall Extension of Coprinopsis cinerea

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liqin Kang ◽  
Jiangsheng Zhou ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Xingwei Zhang ◽  
Cuicui Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Elongation Growth ◽  
Extension Rate ◽  
Coprinopsis Cinerea ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Concentration ◽  
Cell Wall Extension ◽  
Stipe Elongation ◽  
Extension Activity

ABSTRACT This study reports that a high concentration of the endo-β-1,3-glucanase ENG (200 μg ml−1) induced heat-inactivated stipe wall extension of Coprinopsis cinerea, whereas a high concentration of the extracellular β-glucosidase BGL2 (1,000 μg ml−1) did not; however, in combination, low concentrations of ENG (25 μg ml−1) and BGL2 (260 μg ml−1) induced heat-inactivated stipe cell wall extension. In contrast to the previously reported chitinase-reconstituted stipe wall extension, β-1,3-glucanase-reconstituted heat-inactivated stipe cell wall extension initially exhibited a fast extension rate that quickly decreased to zero after approximately 60 min; the stipe cell wall extension induced by a high concentration of β-1,3-glucanase did not result in stipe breakage during measurement, and the inner surfaces of glucanase-reconstituted extended cell walls still remained as amorphous matrices that did not appear to have been damaged. These distinctive features of the β-1,3-glucanase-reconstituted wall extension may be because chitin chains are cross-linked not only to the nonreducing termini of the side chains and the backbones of β-1,6 branched β-1,3-glucans but also to other polysaccharides. Remarkably, a low concentration of either the β-1,3-glucanase ENG or of chitinase ChiE1 did not induce heat-inactivated stipe wall extension, but a combination of these two enzymes, each at a low concentration, showed stipe cell wall extension activity that exhibited a steady and continuous wall extension profile. Therefore, we concluded that the stipe cell wall extension is the result of the synergistic actions of glucanases and chitinases. IMPORTANCE We previously reported that the chitinase could induce stipe wall extension and was involved in stipe elongation growth of the mushroom Coprinopsis cinerea. In this study, we explored that β-1,3-glucanase also induced stipe cell wall extension. Interestingly, the extension profile and extended ultra-architecture of β-1,3-glucanase-reconstituted stipe wall were different from those of chitinase-reconstituted stipe wall. However, β-1,3-glucanase cooperated with chitinase to induce stipe cell wall extension. The significance of this synergy between glucanases and chitinases is that it enables a low concentration of active enzymes to induce wall extension, and the involvement of β-1,3-glucanases is necessary for the cell wall remodeling and the addition of new β-glucans during stipe elongation growth.

scholarly journals Superoxide dismutase activity confers (p)ppGpp-mediated antibiotic tolerance to stationary-phasePseudomonas aeruginosa

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (39) ◽  
pp. 9797-9802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorival Martins ◽  
Geoffrey McKay ◽  
Gowthami Sampathkumar ◽  
Malika Khakimova ◽  
Ann M. English ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
Stationary Phase ◽  
Growth Arrest ◽  
Stringent Response ◽  
Antioxidant Defenses ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
Downstream Effectors ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Multidrug Tolerance

Metabolically quiescent bacteria represent a large proportion of those in natural and host environments, and they are often refractory to antibiotic treatment. Such drug tolerance is also observed in the laboratory during stationary phase, when bacteria face stress and starvation-induced growth arrest. Tolerance requires (p)ppGpp signaling, which mediates the stress and starvation stringent response (SR), but the downstream effectors that confer tolerance are unclear. We previously demonstrated that the SR is linked to increased antioxidant defenses inPseudomonas aeruginosa. We now demonstrate that superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity is a key factor in SR-mediated multidrug tolerance in stationary-phaseP. aeruginosa. Inactivation of the SR leads to loss of SOD activity and decreased multidrug tolerance during stationary phase. Genetic or chemical complementation of SOD activity of theΔrelA spoTmutant (ΔSR) is sufficient to restore antibiotic tolerance to WT levels. Remarkably, we observe high membrane permeability and increased drug internalization upon ablation of SOD activity. Combined, our results highlight an unprecedented mode of SR-mediated multidrug tolerance in stationary-phaseP. aeruginosaand suggest that inhibition of SOD activity may potentiate current antibiotics.

scholarly journals Deletion ofarcDin Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 Impairs Its Capsule and Attenuates Virulence

2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 3903-3911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radha Gupta ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Yimin Dong ◽  
Edwin Swiatlo ◽  
Jing-Ren Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Transmembrane Protein ◽  
Arginine Deiminase ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Colonization ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Arginine Catabolism ◽  
Middle Ear Infection ◽  
Genome Wide

ABSTRACTThe arginine deiminase system (ADS) is associated with arginine catabolism and plays a role in virulence of several pathogenic bacteria. InStreptococcus pneumoniae, the ADS genes exist as a locus consisting ofarcABCDT. A recent genome-wide mutagenesis approach revealed that botharcDandarcTare potentially essential in a chinchilla otitis media (OM) model. In the present study, we generated ΔarcD, ΔarcT, and ΔarcDTmutants by homologous recombination and evaluated their infectivity. Our results showed that onlyarcD, and notarcT, of an OM isolate is required during chinchilla middle ear infection. Additionally, D39 ΔarcDexhibited enhanced nasopharyngeal colonization and was attenuated in both mouse pneumonia and bacteremia models.In vitro, D39 ΔarcDdisplayed enhanced adherence to A549 epithelial cells and increased phagocytosis by J774A.1 macrophages compared to those with the parental strain. This mutant also exhibited an impaired capsule, as detected using electron microscopy, immunofluorescence, and a capsule assay. We demonstrated that the capsule defect in the D39 ΔarcDmutant may not be associated with a deficiency in arginine but rather is likely caused by a loss of interaction between the capsule and the transmembrane protein ArcD.

scholarly journals A Genetic Determinant of Persister Cell Formation in Bacterial Pathogens

2018 ◽  
Vol 200 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Cameron ◽  
Yue Shan ◽  
Eliza A. Zalis ◽  
Vincent Isabella ◽  
Kim Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Antibiotic Treatment ◽  
Bacterial Pathogens ◽  
Large Subunit ◽  
General Mechanism ◽  
Antibiotic Tolerance ◽  
Carbamoyl Phosphate Synthetase ◽  
Carbamoyl Phosphate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Intracellular Atp

ABSTRACTPersisters represent a small subpopulation of cells within a bacterial culture that are tolerant to killing by antibiotics. Persisters have been linked to recalcitrant infections caused by numerous bacterial pathogens, includingPseudomonas aeruginosa. A classic example is the incurable infection of the airways for patients with cystic fibrosis. The genetic mediators of persister formation forP. aeruginosaare poorly understood. We generated a high-density transposon insertion library ofP. aeruginosaPAO1 and determined the relative frequency of each insertion following fluoroquinolone treatment using transposon sequencing (Tn-seq). Of the 4,411 disrupted genes included in the screen, 137 had a ≥10-fold impact on survival. The gene disruption that resulted in the lowest survival rate was disruption ofcarB, which codes for the large subunit of carbamoyl phosphate synthetase (CPSase). CPSase is a metabolic enzyme that is involved in pyrimidine and arginine synthesis. Disruption ofcarBresulted in survival rates that were reduced by up to 2,500-fold following antibiotic treatment, and this phenotype was abolished by the addition of uracil, highlighting the importance ofde novopyrimidine biosynthesis for persister formation. Disruption ofcarBresulted in intracellular ATP accumulation, and lowering ATP levels using arsenate restored the antibiotic tolerance profile of the mutant to levels similar to those seen with the wild type. A decrease in ATP would lead to reduced antibiotic target activity and increased survival.IMPORTANCEAntibiotic treatment ofP. aeruginosaresiding in the lung of cystic fibrosis patients is ineffective. Treatment failure is attributed in part to antibiotic-tolerant phenotypic variants known as persister cells. Understanding how these cells emerge will likely inform future therapeutic strategies. In the current study, we identifiedcarB, which codes for the large subunit of carbamoyl-phosphate synthetase, as a persister gene that contributes to multidrug tolerance inP. aeruginosa. Disruption ofcarBresulted in a metabolic perturbation that increased cellular ATP and reduced persister formation. Conversely, lowering ATP in the mutant restored antibiotic tolerance. Our data support the hypothesis that a drop in intracellular ATP is a general mechanism of persister formation in bacteria.

scholarly journals Preventive Effect of Liupao Tea Polyphenols on HCl/Ethanol-Induced Gastric Injury in Mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Kai Zhu ◽  
Peng Peng ◽  
Ning Wu ◽  
Xianrong Zhou ◽  
Jianfei Mu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Juice ◽  
Tea Polyphenols ◽  
Gastric Injury ◽  
Mouse Serum ◽  
Gastric Tissue ◽  
Preventive Effect ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
Bioactive Substances ◽  
Gastric Mucosal Lesions

Liupao tea is a traditional Chinese tea drink. The preventive effect of crude polyphenols in Liupao tea on HCl/ethanol-induced gastric injury was investigated in this study. After a model of gastric injury in mice was established, mouse serum and tissues were analyzed by biochemical and molecular biological methods. The results showed that Liupao tea polyphenols (LTPs) could effectively reduce the area of gastric mucosal lesions, decrease the volume of gastric juice, and increase the pH of gastric juice in mice with gastric injury. Observations of the pathology revealed that LTPs could alleviate cell necrosis and gastric mucosal injury in mice with gastric injury. The SOD activity and GSH level were decreased in mice after gastric injury, while the level of MDA was increased. LTPs could inhibit the changes caused by gastric injury and make the SOD activity, GSH, and MDA levels close to the normal levels. In addition, LTPs could upregulate the mRNA expression of Cu/Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, CAT, nNOS, and eNOS and downregulate the expression of iNOS in the gastric tissue of mice with gastric injury. Therefore, LTPs can effectively prevent HCl/ethanol-induced gastric injury. HPLC analysis showed that LTP contains six bioactive substances of gallic acid, catechin, caffeine, epicatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, and epicatechin gallate, so the effect of LTP might mainly come from these six components. The effect of a high concentration of LTP is similar to that of ranitidine. LTPs represent a kind of active substance with a protective effect on gastric tissue.

10-gingerol induces oxidative stress through HTR1A in cumulus cells: in-vitro and in-silico studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiptiyah Kiptiyah ◽  
Widodo Widodo ◽  
Gatot Ciptadi ◽  
Aulanni’am Aulanni’Am ◽  
Mohammad A. Widodo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cell Culture ◽  
Superoxide Dismutase ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Cumulus Cell ◽  
Cumulus Cells ◽  
Sod Activity ◽  
In Silico Studies ◽  
Incubation Periods

AbstractBackgroundWe investigated whether 10-gingerol is able to induce oxidative stress in cumulus cells.MethodsFor the in-vitro research, we used a cumulus cell culture in M199, containing 10-gingerol in various concentrations (0, 12, 16, and 20 µM), and detected oxidative stress through superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, with incubation periods of 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. The obtained results were confirmed by in-silico studies.ResultsThe in-vitro data revealed that SOD activity and MDA concentration increased with increasing incubation periods: SOD activity at 0 µM (1.39 ± 0.24i), 12 µM (16.42 ± 0.35ab), 16 µM (17.28 ± 0.55ab), 20 µM (17.81 ± 0.12a), with a contribution of 71.1%. MDA concentration at 0 µM (17.82 ± 1.39 l), 12 µM (72.99 ± 0.31c), 16 µM (79.77 ± 4.19b), 20 µM (85.07 ± 2.57a), with a contribution of 73.1%. Based on this, the in-silico data uncovered that 10˗gingerol induces oxidative stress in cumulus cells by inhibiting HTR1A functions and inactivating GSK3B and AKT˗1.Conclusions10-gingerol induces oxidative stress in cumulus cells through enhancing SOD activity and MDA concentration by inhibiting HTR1A functions and inactivating GSK3B and AKT˗1.

scholarly journals Characterization of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 5 Proteins in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 1650-1660 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Dueñas-Santero ◽  
Ana Belén Martín-Cuadrado ◽  
Thierry Fontaine ◽  
Jean-Paul Latgé ◽  
Francisco del Rey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Schizosaccharomyces Pombe ◽  
Protein Characterization ◽  
Wall Material ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolase Family ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hydrolysis Of ◽  
Controlled Hydrolysis ◽  
Hydrolase Family

ABSTRACT In yeast, enzymes with β-glucanase activity are thought to be necessary in morphogenetic events that require controlled hydrolysis of the cell wall. Comparison of the sequence of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae exo-β(1,3)-glucanase Exg1 with the Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome allowed the identification of three genes that were named exg1 + (locus SPBC1105.05), exg2 + (SPAC12B10.11), and exg3 + (SPBC2D10.05). The three proteins have different localizations: Exg1 is secreted to the periplasmic space, Exg2 is a membrane protein, and Exg3 is a cytoplasmic protein. Characterization of the biochemical activity of the proteins indicated that Exg1 and Exg3 are active only against β(1,6)-glucans while no activity was detected for Exg2. Interestingly, Exg1 cleaves the glucans with an endohydrolytic mode of action. exg1 + showed periodic expression during the cell cycle, with a maximum coinciding with the septation process, and its expression was dependent on the transcription factor Sep1. The Exg1 protein localizes to the septum region in a pattern that was different from that of the endo-β(1,3)-glucanase Eng1. Overexpression of Exg2 resulted in an increase in cell wall material at the poles and in the septum, but the putative catalytic activity of the protein was not required for this effect.

scholarly journals In VivoStudies Suggest that Induction of VanS-Dependent Vancomycin Resistance Requires Binding of the Drug to d-Ala-d-Ala Termini in the Peptidoglycan Cell Wall

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 4470-4480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Min Jung Kwun ◽  
Gabriela Novotna ◽  
Andrew R. Hesketh ◽  
Lionel Hill ◽  
Hee-Jeon Hong
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Streptomyces Coelicolor ◽  
Constitutive Expression ◽  
Transcriptional Response ◽  
Vancomycin Resistance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Peptidoglycan Cell Wall

ABSTRACTVanRS two-component regulatory systems are key elements required for the transcriptional activation of inducible vancomycin resistance genes in bacteria, but the precise nature of the ligand signal that activates these systems has remained undefined. Using the resistance system inStreptomyces coelicoloras a model, we have undertaken a series ofin vivostudies which indicate that the VanS sensor kinase in VanB-type resistance systems is activated by vancomycin in complex with thed-alanyl-d-alanine (d-Ala-d-Ala) termini of cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) precursors. Complementation of an essentiald-Ala-d-Ala ligase activity by constitutive expression ofvanAencoding a bifunctionald-Ala-d-Ala andd-alanyl-d-lactate (d-Ala-d-Lac) ligase activity allowed construction of strains that synthesized variable amounts of PG precursors containingd-Ala-d-Ala. Assays quantifying the expression of genes under VanRS control showed that the response to vancomycin in these strains correlated with the abundance ofd-Ala-d-Ala-containing PG precursors; strains producing a lower proportion of PG precursors terminating ind-Ala-d-Ala consistently exhibited a lower response to vancomycin. Pretreatment of wild-type cells with vancomycin or teicoplanin to saturate and mask thed-Ala-d-Ala binding sites in nascent PG also blocked the transcriptional response to subsequent vancomycin exposure, and desleucyl vancomycin, a vancomycin analogue incapable of interacting withd-Ala-d-Ala residues, failed to inducevangene expression. Activation of resistance by a vancomycin–d-Ala-d-Ala PG complex predicts a limit to the proportion of PG that can be derived from precursors terminating ind-Ala-d-Lac, a restriction also enforced by the bifunctional activity of the VanA ligase.

scholarly journals Structural and Functional Insights into Peptidoglycan Access for the Lytic Amidase LytA of Streptococcus pneumoniae

mBio ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Mellroth ◽  
Tatyana Sandalova ◽  
Alexey Kikhney ◽  
Francisco Vilaplana ◽  
Dusan Hesek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Solution Structure ◽  
Substrate Binding ◽  
Substrate Recognition ◽  
Lytic Activity ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Binding Motif ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peptidoglycan Synthesis

ABSTRACT The cytosolic N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase LytA protein of Streptococcus pneumoniae, which is released by bacterial lysis, associates with the cell wall via its choline-binding motif. During exponential growth, LytA accesses its peptidoglycan substrate to cause lysis only when nascent peptidoglycan synthesis is stalled by nutrient starvation or β-lactam antibiotics. Here we present three-dimensional structures of LytA and establish the requirements for substrate binding and catalytic activity. The solution structure of the full-length LytA dimer reveals a peculiar fold, with the choline-binding domains forming a rigid V-shaped scaffold and the relatively more flexible amidase domains attached in a trans position. The 1.05-Å crystal structure of the amidase domain reveals a prominent Y-shaped binding crevice composed of three contiguous subregions, with a zinc-containing active site localized at the bottom of the branch point. Site-directed mutagenesis was employed to identify catalytic residues and to investigate the relative impact of potential substrate-interacting residues lining the binding crevice for the lytic activity of LytA. In vitro activity assays using defined muropeptide substrates reveal that LytA utilizes a large substrate recognition interface and requires large muropeptide substrates with several connected saccharides that interact with all subregions of the binding crevice for catalysis. We hypothesize that the substrate requirements restrict LytA to the sites on the cell wall where nascent peptidoglycan synthesis occurs. IMPORTANCE Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human respiratory tract pathogen responsible for millions of deaths annually. Its major pneumococcal autolysin, LytA, is required for autolysis and fratricidal lysis and functions as a virulence factor that facilitates the spread of toxins and factors involved in immune evasion. LytA is also activated by penicillin and vancomycin and is responsible for the lysis induced by these antibiotics. The factors that regulate the lytic activity of LytA are unclear, but it was recently demonstrated that control is at the level of substrate recognition and that LytA required access to the nascent peptidoglycan. The present study was undertaken to structurally and functionally investigate LytA and its substrate-interacting interface and to determine the requirements for substrate recognition and catalysis. Our results reveal that the amidase domain comprises a complex substrate-binding crevice and needs to interact with a large-motif epitope of peptidoglycan for catalysis.

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