Patterns of sequence conservation in the S-Layer proteins and related sequences in Clostridium difficile.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile is the etiological agent of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Among the factors that may play a role in infection are S-layer proteins (SLPs). Previous work has shown these to consist mainly of two components, resulting from the cleavage of a precursor encoded by the slpA gene. The high-molecular-weight (MW) subunit is related both to amidases from B. subtilis and to at least another 28 gene products in C. difficile strain 630. To gain insight into the functions of the SLPs and related proteins, we have further investigated the pattern of variability both at the slpA locus and at six nearby paralogs. Sequencing of the slpA gene from an S-layer group II strain and a variant S-layer group strain confirms a high degree of divergence in the low-MW SLP, which may result from

SUBMITTER: Calabi E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC135169 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature