Mapping of the fibrinogen-binding site on the staphylocoagulase C-terminal repeat region

The N-terminus of S. aureus staphylocoagulase (SC) triggers activation of host prothrombin (ProT), and the SCProT* complex cleaves host fibrinogen (Fbg) to form fibrin (Fbn) deposits, a hallmark of SC-positive endocarditis. The C-terminal domain of the prototypical Newman D2 Tager 104 SC contains 1 pseudo-repeat (PR) and 7 repeats (R1R7) that bind Fbg/Fbn Fragment D (Frag D). This work defines affinities and stoichiometries of Frag D binding to single- and multi-repeat C-terminal constructs, using fluorescence equilibrium binding, NMR titration, Ala scanning, and native PAGE. Constructs containing PR and each single repeat bound Frag D with KD ~50 130 nM and a 1:1 stoichiometry, indicating a conserved binding site shared between PR and each repeat. NMR titration of PR-R7 with Frag D revealed that residues 22-49, bridging PR and R7, constituted the minimal peptide (MP) required for binding, corroborated by Ala scanning, and binding of labeled MP to Frag D. MP alignment with the PR-repeat and inter-repeat junctions identified conserved residues critical for binding. Labeled PR-(R1R7) bound Frag D with KD ~7 32 nM and stoichiometry of 1:5; and PR-R1R2R3, PR-R1R6R7, PR-R3R4R7, and PR-R3R6R7 competed with PR-(R1R7) for Frag D binding, with a 1:3 stoichiometry and KD ~7 42 nM. These findings are consistent with binding at the PR-R junctions with modest inter-repeat sequence variability. Circular dichroism of PR-R7 and PR-(R1R7) suggested a largely disordered structure and conformational flexibility, allowing binding of multiple fibrin(ogen) molecules. This property facilitates pathogen localization on host fibrin networks.