Glycopeptidolipid acetylation affects sliding motility and biofilm formation in Mycobacterium smegmatis.

ABSTRACT: The absence of glycopeptidolipids (GPLs) abolishes the ability of mycobacteria both to slide over the surface of motility plates and to form biofilms on polyvinyl chloride. In a screen for biofilm-defective mutants of Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2)155, a new mutant was obtained that resulted in partial inhibition of both processes and also showed an intermediate rough colony morphology. The mariner transposon insertion mapped to a GPL biosynthesis gene (atf1) which encodes a putative acetyltranferase involved in the transfer of acetyl groups to the glycopeptide core. Physical characterization of the GPLs from the atf1 mutant demonstrated that they were not acetylated.

SUBMITTER: Recht J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC95464 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature