Phenol-soluble modulins PSMα3 and PSMβ2 form nanotubes that are cross-α amyloids.

ABSTRACT: Phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) are peptide-based virulence factors that play significant roles in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal strains in community-associated and hospital-associated infections. In addition to cytotoxicity, PSMs display the propensity to self-assemble into fibrillar species, which may be mediated through the formation of amphipathic conformations. Here, we analyze the self-assembly behavior of two PSMs, PSMα3 and PSMβ2, which are derived from peptides expressed by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a significant human pathogen. In both cases, we observed the formation of a mixture of self-assembled species including twisted filaments, helical ribbons, and nanotubes, which can reversibly interconvert in vitro. Cryo–electron microscopy structural analy

SUBMITTER: Kreutzberger MAB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9171771 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature