The incongruent gelatinase genotype and phenotype in Enterococcus faecalis are due to shutting off the ability to respond to the gelatinase biosynthesis-activating pheromone (GBAP) quorum-sensing signal.

ABSTRACT: The concomitant presence of a complete fsr quorum-sensing system and gelE-sprE operons in Enterococcus faecalis is known to be essential for the detection of gelatinase activity. However, there are reports of the absence of gelatinase activity despite the presence of complete fsr and gelE loci. In order to understand this incongruence between genotype and phenotype we sequenced fsr and gelE loci of the E. faecalis LN68 strain, which was previously found to carry both operons but to lack gelatinase activity. Of the 59 nucleotide differences detected compared with the gelatinase-positive V583 strain, we found a nonsense mutation (a premature STOP codon) predicted to truncate the ATPase sensor domain of the FsrC protein, responsible for sensing and transducing the signal from the quorum-sensi

SUBMITTER: Teixeira N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4083509 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature