The biofilm adhesion protein Aap from Staphylococcus epidermidis forms zinc-dependent amyloid fibers.

ABSTRACT: The skin-colonizing commensal bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis is a leading cause of hospital-acquired and device-related infections. Its pathogenicity in humans is largely due to its propensity to form biofilms, surface-adherent bacterial accumulations that are remarkably resistant to chemical and physical stresses. Accumulation-associated protein (Aap) from S. epidermidis has been shown to be necessary and sufficient for mature biofilm formation and catheter infection. Aap contains up to 17 tandem B-repeat domains, capable of zinc-dependent assembly into twisted, rope-like intercellular filaments in the biofilm. Using microscopic and biophysical techniques, we show here that Aap B-repeat constructs assemble further into zinc-dependent functional amyloid fibers. We obser

SUBMITTER: Yarawsky AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7135985 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature