Sortases and the art of anchoring proteins to the envelopes of gram-positive bacteria.

ABSTRACT: The cell wall envelopes of gram-positive bacteria represent a surface organelle that not only functions as a cytoskeletal element but also promotes interactions between bacteria and their environment. Cell wall peptidoglycan is covalently and noncovalently decorated with teichoic acids, polysaccharides, and proteins. The sum of these molecular decorations provides bacterial envelopes with species- and strain-specific properties that are ultimately responsible for bacterial virulence, interactions with host immune systems, and the development of disease symptoms or successful outcomes of infections. Surface proteins typically carry two topogenic sequences, i.e., N-terminal signal peptides and C-terminal sorting signals. Sortases catalyze a transpeptidation reaction by first cleaving a surfa

SUBMITTER: Marraffini LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1393253 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature