Cwp84, a surface-associated cysteine protease, plays a role in the maturation of the surface layer of Clostridium difficile.

ABSTRACT: Clostridium difficile is a major and growing problem as a hospital-associated infection that can cause severe, recurrent diarrhea. The mechanism by which the bacterium colonizes the gut during infection is poorly understood but undoubtedly involves protein components within the surface layer (S-layer), which play a role in adhesion. In C. difficile, the S-layer is composed of two principal components, the high and low molecular weight S-layer proteins, which are formed from the post-translational cleavage of a single precursor, SlpA. In the present study, we demonstrate that a recently characterized cysteine protease, Cwp84 plays a role in maturation of SlpA. Using a gene knock-out approach, we show that inactivation of the Cwp84 gene in C. difficile 630DeltaErm results in a bacterial phen

SUBMITTER: Kirby JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2787329 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature