Structure and activity of ChiX: a peptidoglycan hydrolase required for chitinase secretion by <i>Serratia marcescens</i>.

ABSTRACT: The Gram-negative bacterium Serratia marcescens secretes many proteins that are involved in extracellular chitin degradation. This so-called chitinolytic machinery includes three types of chitinase enzymes and a lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase. An operon has been identified in S. marcescens, chiWXYZ, that is thought to be involved in the secretion of the chitinolytic machinery. Genetic evidence points to the ChiX protein being a key player in the secretion mechanism, since deletion of the chiX gene in S. marcescens led to a mutant strain blocked for secretion of all members of the chitinolytic machinery. In this work, a detailed structural and biochemical characterisation of ChiX is presented. The high-resolution crystal structure of ChiX reveals the p

SUBMITTER: Owen RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5778951 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature