Staphylococcus aureus clumping factor A is a force-sensitive molecular switch that activates bacterial adhesion.

ABSTRACT: Clumping factor A (ClfA), a cell-wall-anchored protein from Staphylococcus aureus, is a virulence factor in various infections and facilitates the colonization of protein-coated biomaterials. ClfA promotes bacterial adhesion to the blood plasma protein fibrinogen (Fg) via molecular forces that have not been studied so far. A unique, yet poorly understood, feature of ClfA is its ability to favor adhesion to Fg at high shear stress. Unraveling the strength and dynamics of the ClfA-Fg interaction would help us better understand how S. aureus colonizes implanted devices and withstands physiological shear stress. By means of single-molecule experiments, we show that ClfA behaves as a force-sensitive molecular switch that potentiates staphylococcal adhesion under mechanical stress. The bond betw

SUBMITTER: Herman-Bausier P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003445 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature