Cell wall of Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1: isolation of its components and attachment of the xylanase XynA

Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 has a gram-positive type cell wall completely covered by a surface layer (S-layer) with hexagonal lattice symmetry. The components of the cell envelope were isolated, and the S-layer protein was purified and characterized. S-layer monomers assembled in vitro into sheets with the same hexagonal symmetry as in vivo. Monosaccharide analysis revealed that the S-layer is associated with fucose, rhamnose, mannosamine, glucosamine, galactose, and glucose. The N-terminal 31 amino acid residues of the S-layer protein showed significant similarity to SLH (S-layer homology) domains found in S-layer proteins of different bacteria and in the exocellular enzymes pullulanase, polygalacturonate hydrolase, and xylanase of T. thermosulfurigenes EM1. The xylanase from T. thermosulfurigenes EM1 was copurified with the S-layer protein during isolation of cell wall components. Since SLH domains of some structural proteins have been shown to anchor these proteins noncovalently to the cell envelope, we propose a common anchoring mechanism for the S-layer protein and exocellular enzymes via their SLH domains in the peptidoglycan-containing layer of T. thermosulfurigenes EM1. Received: 23 October 1998 / Accepted: 21 December 1998     

Cell-surface binding domains from Clostridium cellulovorans can be used for surface display of cellulosomal scaffoldins in Lactococcus lactis

Engineering microbial strains combining efficient lignocellulose metabolization and high-value chemical production is a cutting-edge strategy towards cost-sustainable 2^nd generation biorefining. Here, protein components of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulosome were introduced in Lactococcus lactis IL1403, one of the most efficient lactic acid producers but unable to directly ferment cellulose. Cellulosomes are protein complexes with high cellulose depolymerization activity whose synergistic action is supported by scaffolding protein(s) (i.e., scaffoldins). Scaffoldins are involved in bringing enzymes close to each other and often anchor the cellulosome to the cell surface. In this study, three synthetic scaffoldins were engineered by using domains derived from the main scaffoldin CbpA and the Endoglucanase E (EngE) of the C. cellulovorans cellulosome. Special focus was on CbpA X2 and EngE S-layer homology (SLH) domains possibly involved in cell-surface anchoring. The recombinant scaffoldins were successfully introduced in and secreted by L. lactis. Among them, only that carrying the three EngE SLH modules was able to bind to the L. lactis surface although these domains lack the conserved TRAE motif thought to mediate binding with secondary cell wall polysaccharides. The synthetic scaffoldins engineered in this study could serve for assembly of secreted or surface-displayed designer cellulosomes in L. lactis.     

Characterization of genes fromThermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 that encode two glycosyl hydrolases with conserved S-layer-like domains

Two genes fromThermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 were identified which are predicted to encode a xylanase (XynA) and a polygalacturonate hydrolase (PglA). ThexynA gene has the potential to encode a 1234-amino acid product consisting of a signal peptide followed by a repeated domain, a xylanase family F domain, two cellulose-binding domains and a triplicated sequence at its C-terminus. The genepglA is predicted to encode a product of 1148 amino acids consisting of a signal sequence followed by a fibronectin type III-like domain (Fn3 domain), the catalytic domain, a Gly/Thr/Ser/Asn-rich segment and a triplicated domain. The triplicated segments at the C-termini of deduced XynA and PglA are about 95% identical to each other and to the S-layer-like domains of the previously characterized pullulanase (AmyB) from the same organism. In contrast, sequence comparisons revealed only distant amino acid sequence similarities between the fibronectin type III-like domains of PglA and AmyB fromT. thermosulfurigenes EM1.     

Different Binding Specificities of S-Layer Homology Modules from Clostridium thermocellum AncA,Slp1, and Slp2

S-layer homology (SLH) module polypeptides were derived from Clostridium thermocellum S-layer proteins Slp1 and Slp2 and cellulosome anchoring protein AncA as rSlp1-SLH, rSlp2-SLH, and rAncA-SLH respectively. Their binding specificities were investigated using C. thermocellum cell-wall preparations. rAncA-SLH associated with native peptidoglycan-containing sacculi from C. thermocellum, including both peptidoglycan and secondary cell wall polymers (SCWP), but not to hydrofluoric acid-extracted peptidoglycan-containing sacculi (HF-EPCS) lacking SCWPs, suggesting that SCWPs are responsible for binding with SLH modules of AncA. On the other hand, rSlp1-SLH and rSlp2-SLH associated with HF-EPCS, suggesting that these polypeptides had an affinity for peptidoglycan. A binding assay using a peptidoglycan fraction prepared from Escherichia coli cells definitely confirmed that rSlp1-SLH and rSlp2-SLH specifically interacted with peptidoglycan but not with SCWP.     

The three S-layer-like homology motifs of the S-layer protein SbpA of Bacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 are not sufficient for binding to the pyruvylated secondary cell wall polymer

The S-layer protein SbpA of Bacillus sphaericus CCM 2177 recognizes a pyruvylated secondary cell wall polymer (SCWP) as anchoring structure to the peptidoglycan-containing layer. Data analysis from surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy revealed the existence of three different binding sites with high, medium and low affinity for rSbpA on SCWP immobilized to the sensor chip. The shortest C-terminal truncation with specific affinity to SCWP was rSbpA(31-318). Surprisingly, rSbpA(31-202) comprising the three S-layer-like homology (SLH) motifs did not bind at all. Analysis of the SbpA sequence revealed a 58-amino-acid-long SLH-like motif starting 11 amino acids after the third SLH motif. The importance of this motif for reconstituting the functional SCWP-binding domain was further demonstrated by construction of a chimaeric protein consisting of the SLH domain of SbsB, the S-layer protein of Geobacillus stearothermophilus PV72/p2 and the C-terminal part of SbpA. In contrast to SbsB or its SLH domain which did not recognize SCWP of B. sphaericus CCM 2177 as binding site, the chimaeric protein showed specific affinity. Deletion of 213 C-terminal amino acids of SbpA had no impact on the square (p4) lattice structure, whereas deletion of 350 amino acids was linked to a change in lattice type from square to oblique (p1).     

In Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 S-Layer Homology Domains Do Not Attach to Peptidoglycan

Three exocellular enzymes of Thermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 possess a C-terminal triplicated sequence related to a domain of bacterial cell surface proteins (S-layer proteins). At least one copy of this sequence, named the SLH (for S-layer homology) domain, is also present at the N terminus of the S-layer protein of this bacterium. The hypothesis that SLH domains serve to anchor proteins to the cell surface was investigated by using the SLH domain-containing xylanase. This enzyme was isolated from T. thermosulfurigenes EM1, and different forms with and without SLH domains were synthesized in Escherichia coli. The interaction of these proteins with isolated components of the cell envelope was determined to identify the attachment site in the cell wall. In addition, a polypeptide consisting of three SLH domains and the N terminus of the S-layer protein of T. thermosulfurigenes EM1 were included in these studies. The results indicate that SLH domains are necessary for the attachment of these proteins to peptidoglycan-containing sacculi. Extraction of the native sacculi with hydrofluoric acid led to the conclusion that not peptidoglycan but accessory cell wall polymers function as the adhesion component in the cell wall. Our results provide further evidence that attachment of proteins via their SLH domains represents an additional mode to display polypeptides on the cell surfaces of bacteria.     

Characterization of genes fromThermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 that encode two glycosyl hydrolases with conserved S-layer-like domains

Two genes fromThermoanaerobacterium thermosulfurigenes EM1 were identified which are predicted to encode a xylanase (XynA) and a polygalacturonate hydrolase (PglA). ThexynA gene has the potential to encode a 1234-amino acid product consisting of a signal peptide followed by a repeated domain, a xylanase family F domain, two cellulose-binding domains and a triplicated sequence at its C-terminus. The genepglA is predicted to encode a product of 1148 amino acids consisting of a signal sequence followed by a fibronectin type III-like domain (Fn3 domain), the catalytic domain, a Gly/Thr/Ser/Asn-rich segment and a triplicated domain. The triplicated segments at the C-termini of deduced XynA and PglA are about 95% identical to each other and to the S-layer-like domains of the previously characterized pullulanase (AmyB) from the same organism. In contrast, sequence comparisons revealed only distant amino acid sequence similarities between the fibronectin type III-like domains of PglA and AmyB fromT. thermosulfurigenes EM1.     

Cloning,Sequencing, and Expression of the Gene Encoding a Cell-bound Multi-domain Xylanase from Clostridium josui,and Characterization of the Translated Product

The nucleotide sequence of the Clostridium josui FERM P-9684 xyn10A gene, encoding a xylanase Xyn10A, consists of 3,150 bp and encodes 1,050 amino acids with a molecular weight of 115,564. Xyn10A is a multidomain enzyme composed of an N-terminal signal peptide and six domains in the following order: two thermostabilizing domains, a family 10 xylanase domain, a family 9 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), and two S-layer homologous (SLH) domains. Immunological analysis indicated the presence of Xyn10A in the culture supernatant of C. josui FERM P-9684 and on the cell surface. The full-length Xyn10A expressed in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain bound to ball-milled cellulose (BMC) and the cell wall fragments of C. josui, indicating that both the CBM and the SLH domains are fully functional in the recombinant enzyme. An 85-kDa xylanase species derived from Xyn10A by partial proteolysis at the C-terminal side, most likely at the internal region of the CBM, retained the ability to bind to BMC. This observation suggests that the catalytic domain or the thermostabilizing domains are responsible for binding of the enzyme to BMC. Xyn10A-II, the 100-kDa derivative of Xyn10A, was purified from the recombinant E. coli strain and characterized. The enzyme was highly active toward xylan but not toward p-nitrophenyl-β-D-xylopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-β-D-cellobioside, or carboxymethylcellulose.     

Species-Specific Cell Wall Binding Affinity of the S-Layer Proteins of Mosquitocidal Bacterium Bacillus sphaericus C3-41

The binding affinities and specificities of six truncated S-layer homology domain (SLH) polypeptides of mosquitocidal Bacillus sphaericus strain C3-41 with the purified cell wall sacculi have been assayed. The results indicated that the SLH polypeptide comprised of amino acids 31 to 210 was responsible for anchoring the S-layer subunits to the rigid cell wall layer via a distinct type of secondary cell wall polymer and that a motif of the recombinant SLH polypeptide comprising amino acids 152 to 210 (rSLH_152-210) was essential for the stable binding of the S-layer with the bacterial cell walls. The quantitative assays revealed that the K_D (equilibrium dissociation constant) values of rSLH_152-210 and rSLH_31-210 with purified cell wall sacculi were 1.11 × 10⁻⁶ M and 1.40 × 10⁻⁶ M, respectively. The qualitative assays demonstrated that the SLH domain of strain C3-41 could bind only to the cell walls or the cells treated with 5 M guanidinium hydrochloride of both toxic and nontoxic B. sphaericus strains but not to those from other bacteria, indicating the species-specific binding of the SLH polypeptide of B. sphaericus with bacterial cell walls.Crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) cover the cell surfaces of many bacteria and archaea during all stages of growth and division. S-layers are composed of identical protein or glycoprotein subunits, which can assemble into two-dimensional crystalline arrays and exhibit oblique, square, or hexagonal symmetry (27, 28, 30). S-layers play key roles in the interaction between bacterial cells and environment as protective coats, molecular sieves, ion traps, cell adhesion mediators, and attachment structures (4, 21, 26, 29). Many S-layer proteins possess an N-terminal region with highly conserved amino acid sequences, which is called an S-layer homology (SLH) domain. An SLH domain contains one, two, or three repeating SLH motifs (6, 16). Each SLH motif is composed of about 55 amino acids containing 10 to 15 conserved residues (6, 17). It is suggested that the SLH domain of S-layer proteins is responsible for the binding of the S-layer subunits to the rigid cell wall layer (6, 15, 17, 19, 25), while the middle and C-terminal parts include the domains which are involved in the self-assembly process (27). In the case of Bacillaceae, secondary cell wall polymers (SCWP) are responsible for binding with SLH domains (13, 18, 19), but the SLH domains of some other bacteria have an affinity for peptidoglycan (33).Bacillus sphaericus is a gram-positive soil bacterium that represents a strictly aerobic group of mesophilic endospore-forming bacteria. Due to its specific toxicity to target mosquito larvae and the limited environment impact, some strains of this bacterium have been successfully used worldwide in integrated mosquito control programs. Previous studies revealed that some nontoxic strains of B. sphaericus contained S-layer proteins, and the S-layer proteins of B. sphaericus NCTC 9602, JG-A12, P1, and CCM 2177 have been studied in detail elsewhere (3, 7-9, 12, 22).B. sphaericus C3-41, a highly active strain isolated from a mosquito-breeding site in China in 1987, has different levels of toxicity against Culex spp., Anopheles spp., and Aedes spp. This strain belongs to the flagella serotype H5a5b, like strains 2362 and 1593 (32), and it has been developed as a commercial larvicide (JianBao) for mosquito larva control in China during the last decade (31). The genomic analysis of strain C3-41 revealed that an S-layer protein gene (slpC) (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"EF535606","term_id":"145975949","term_text":"EF535606"}}EF535606) exists on the chromosomal genome and its sequence is identical to the S-layer protein of B. sphaericus 2362 (1, 10), composed of 3,531 bp encoding a protein of 1,176 amino acids with a molecular size of 125 kDa. Although the binding function of S-layers has been identified in some nontoxic B. sphaericus strains (6, 11), it is not well documented in mosquitocidal B. sphaericus strains, and there are few reports on the binding function of each SLH motif and the binding specificity.In this study, the binding affinities and specificities of each SLH motif of S-layer protein from mosquitocidal B. sphaericus C3-41 alone and in combination with the different cell wall preparations have been investigated, and the species-specific binding of SLH polypeptide with bacterial cell walls has been demonstrated.     

Binding of S-layer homology modules from Clostridium thermocellum SdbA to peptidoglycans

S-layer homology (SLH) module polypeptides were derived from Clostridium josui xylanase Xyn10A, Clostridium stercorarium xylanase Xyn10B, and Clostridium thermocellum scafoldin dockerin binding protein SdbA as rXyn10A-SLH, rXyn10B-SLH, and rSdbA-SLH, respectively. Their binding specificities were investigated using various cell wall preparations. rXyn10A-SLH and rXyn10B-SLH bound to native peptidoglycan-containing sacculi consisting of peptidoglycan and secondary cell wall polymers (SCWP) prepared from these bacteria but not to hydrofluoric acid-extracted peptidoglycan-containing sacculi (HF-EPCS) lacking SCWP, suggesting that SCWP are responsible for binding with SLH modules. In contrast, rSdbA-SLH interacted with HF-EPCS, suggesting that this polypeptide had an affinity for peptidoglycans but not for SCWP. The affinity of rSdbA-SLH for peptidoglycans was confirmed by a binding assay using a peptidoglycan fraction prepared from Escherichia coli cells. The SLH modules of SdbA must be useful for cell surface engineering in bacteria that do not contain SCWP.     

Structure of surface layer homology (SLH) domains from Bacillus anthracis surface array protein

Surface (S)-layers, para-crystalline arrays of protein, are deposited in the envelope of most bacterial species. These surface organelles are retained in the bacterial envelope through the non-covalent association of proteins with cell wall carbohydrates. Bacillus anthracis, a Gram-positive pathogen, produces S-layers of the protein Sap, which uses three consecutive repeats of the surface-layer homology (SLH) domain to engage secondary cell wall polysaccharides (SCWP). Using x-ray crystallography, we reveal here the structure of these SLH domains, which assume the shape of a three-prong spindle. Each SLH domain contributes to a three-helical bundle at the spindle base, whereas another α-helix and its connecting loops generate the three prongs. The inter-prong grooves contain conserved cationic and anionic residues, which are necessary for SLH domains to bind the B. anthracis SCWP. Modeling experiments suggest that the SLH domains of other S-layer proteins also fold into three-prong spindles and capture bacterial envelope carbohydrates by a similar mechanism.     

Cell-Surface-Anchoring Role of N-Terminal Surface Layer Homology Domains of Clostridium cellulovorans EngE

engE, coding for endoglucanase E, one of the three major subunits of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulosome, has been cloned and sequenced (Y. Tamaru and R. H. Doi, J. Bacteriol. 181:3270-3276, 1999). The N-terminal-half region of EngE possesses three repeated surface layer homology (SLH) domains, which are homologous to those of some bacterial S-layer proteins. Also, the C-terminal-half region consists of a catalytic domain of glycosyl hydrolase family 5 and a duplicated sequence (dockerin) for binding EngE to scaffolding protein CbpA. Our hypothesis is that the SLH domains serve in the role of anchoring to the cell surface. This model was investigated by using recombinant EngEs (rEngE) with and without SLH domains that were synthesized in Escherichia coli and cell wall preparations from C. cellulovorans. When rEngE and SLH polypeptides of EngE were incubated with cell wall fragments prepared by sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment, these proteins bound strongly to the cell wall. However, rEngEs without SLH domains lost their ability to bind to cell walls. When rEngE was incubated with mini-CbpA, consisting of two cohesin domains, and cell wall fragments, the mini-CbpA was able to bind to the cell wall with rEngE. However, the binding of mini-CbpA was dramatically inhibited by addition of a chelating reagent, such as EDTA, which prevents cohesin-dockerin interactions. These results suggest not only that the SLH domains of EngE can bind to the cell surface but also that EngE plays an anchoring role for cellulosomes through the interaction of its dockerin domain with a CbpA cohesin.     

Distinct affinity of binding sites for S-layer homologous domains in Clostridium thermocellum and Bacillus anthracis cell envelopes

Binding parameters were determined for the SLH (S-layer homologous) domains from the Clostridium thermocellum outer layer protein OlpB, from the C. thermocellum S-layer protein SlpA, and from the Bacillus anthracis S-layer proteins EA1 and Sap, using cell walls from C. thermocellum and B. anthracis. Each SLH domain bound to C. thermocellum and B. anthracis cell walls with a different KD, ranging between 7.1 x 10(-7) and 1.8 x 10(-8) M. Cell wall binding sites for SLH domains displayed different binding specificities in C. thermocellum and B. anthracis. SLH-binding sites were not detected in cell walls of Bacillus subtilis. Cell walls of C. thermocellum lost their affinity for SLH domains after treatment with 48% hydrofluoric acid but not after treatment with formamide or dilute acid. A soluble component, extracted from C. thermocellum cells by sodium dodecyl sulfate treatment, bound the SLH domains from C. thermocellum but not those from B. anthracis proteins. A corresponding component was not found in B. anthracis.     

Molecular analysis of three major wall-associated proteins of Bacillus subtilis 168: evidence for processing of the product of a gene encoding a 258 kDa precursor two-domain ligand-binding protein

Antisera raised to a 109 kDa wall-associated protein (WAP) of Bacillus subtilis 168 cross-reacts with two other WAPs of 220 and 58 kDa. The structural gene for the 109 kDa WAP (designated wapA) was cloned, sequenced, mapped at around 340° on the B. subtilis 168 chromosome and found to encode a precursor of all three wall-bound forms (2334 amino acids and 258 329 Da). The protein has two ligand-binding domains; the N-terminal domain has three direct repeats of 102 residues with 40% identity, which are responsible for wall binding. The C-terminal domain consists of two blocks of residues with a conserved motif repeated a total of 31 times. The motif consensus sequence GXXXX(Y,F)XYDXXG is almost identical to that of the Escherichia coli rearrangement hot spot family and shows similarity to a carbohydrate-binding motif of a number of Gram-positive secreted proteins. A mutant insertionally inactivated in the wapA gene had no distinguishable phenotype apart from lacking the three WAPs. The possible role of WAPA and its two-domain relationship with other ligand-binding proteins is discussed.     

Structural insights into the binding and catalytic mechanisms of the Listeria monocytogenes bacteriophage glycosyl hydrolase PlyP40

Endolysins are bacteriophage‐encoded peptidoglycan hydrolases that specifically degrade the bacterial cell wall at the end of the phage lytic cycle. They feature a distinct modular architecture, consisting of enzymatically active domains (EADs) and cell wall‐binding domains (CBDs). Structural analysis of the complete enzymes or individual domains is required for better understanding the mechanisms of peptidoglycan degradation and provides guidelines for the rational design of chimeric enzymes. We here report the crystal structure of the EAD of PlyP40, a member of the GH‐25 family of glycosyl hydrolases, and the first muramidase reported for Listeria phages. Site‐directed mutagenesis confirmed key amino acids (Glu98 and Trp10) involved in catalysis and substrate stabilization. In addition, we found that PlyP40 contains two heterogeneous CBD modules with homology to SH3 and LysM domains. Truncation analysis revealed that both domains are required for full activity but contribute to cell wall recognition and lysis differently. Replacement of CBDP40 with a corresponding domain from a different Listeria phage endolysin yielded an enzyme with a significant shift in pH optimum. Finally, domain swapping between PlyP40 and the streptococcal endolysin Cpl‐1 produced an intergeneric chimera with activity against Listeria cells, indicating that structural similarity of individual domains determines enzyme function.     

Production and cell surface anchoring of functional fusions between the SLH motifs of the Bacillus anthracis S-layer proteins and the Bacillus subtilis levansucrase

Many surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria contain motifs, about 50 amino acids long, called S-layer homology (SLH) motifs. Bacillus anthracis, the causal agent of anthrax, synthesizes two S-layer proteins, each with three SLH motifs towards the amino-terminus. We used biochemical and genetic approaches to investigate the involvement of these motifs in cell surface anchoring. Proteinase K digestion produced polypeptides lacking these motifs, and stable three-motif polypeptides were produced in Escherichia coli that were able to bind the B. anthracis cell walls in vitro, demonstrating that the three SLH motifs were organized into a cell surface anchoring domain. We also determined the function of these SLH domains by constructing chimeric genes encoding the SLH domains fused to the normally secreted levansucrase of Bacillus subtilis. Cell fractionation and electron microscopy studies showed that each three-motif domain was sufficient for the efficient anchoring of levansucrase onto the cell surface. Proteins consisting of truncated SLH domains fused to levansucrase were unstable and associated poorly with the cell surface. Surface-exposed levansucrase retained its enzymatic and antigenic properties.     

Cloning, sequencing, and expression of the gene encoding a cell-bound multi-domain xylanase from Clostridium josui, and characterization of the translated product

The nucleotide sequence of the Clostridium josui FERM P-9684 xyn10A gene, encoding a xylanase Xyn10A, consists of 3,150 bp and encodes 1,050 amino acids with a molecular weight of 115,564. Xyn10A is a multidomain enzyme composed of an N-terminal signal peptide and six domains in the following order: two thermostabilizing domains, a family 10 xylanase domain, a family 9 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM), and two S-layer homologous (SLH) domains. Immunological analysis indicated the presence of Xyn10A in the culture supernatant of C. josui FERM P-9684 and on the cell surface. The full-length Xyn10A expressed in a recombinant Escherichia coli strain bound to ball-milled cellulose (BMC) and the cell wall fragments of C. josui, indicating that both the CBM and the SLH domains are fully functional in the recombinant enzyme. An 85-kDa xylanase species derived from Xyn10A by partial proteolysis at the C-terminal side, most likely at the internal region of the CBM, retained the ability to bind to BMC. This observation suggests that the catalytic domain or the thermostabilizing domains are responsible for binding of the enzyme to BMC. Xyn10A-II, the 100-kDa derivative of Xyn10A, was purified from the recombinant E. coli strain and characterized. The enzyme was highly active toward xylan but not toward p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-xylopyranoside, p-nitrophenyl-beta-D-cellobioside, or carboxymethylcellulose.     

Binding to pyruvylated compounds as an ancestral mechanism to anchor the outer envelope in primitive bacteria

Electron microscopy of isolated cell walls of the ancient bacterium Thermus thermophilus revealed that most of the peptidoglycan (PG) surface, apart from the septal region, was shielded against specific alphaPG antibodies. On the other hand, an antiserum raised against S-layer-attached cell wall fragments (alphaSAC) bound to most of the surface except for the septal regions. Treatments with alpha-amylase and pronase E made the entire cell wall surface uniformly accessible to alphaPG and severely decreased the binding of alphaSAC. We concluded that a layer of strongly bound secondary cell wall polymers (SCWPs) covers most of the cell wall surface in this ancient bacterium. A preliminary analysis revealed that such SCWPs constitute 14% of the cell wall and are essentially composed of sugars. Enzyme treatments of the cell walls revealed that SCWP was required in vitro for the binding of the S-layer protein through the S-layer homology (SLH) motif. The csaB gene was necessary for the attachment of the S-layer-outer membrane (OM) complex to the cell wall in growing cells of T. thermophilus. In vitro experiments confirmed that cell walls from a csaB mutant bound to the S-layer with a much lower affinity ( approximately 1/10) than that of the wild type. CsaB was found to be required for pyruvylation of components of the SCWP and for immunodetection with alpha-SAC antiserum. Therefore, the S-layer-OM complex of T. thermophilus binds to the cell wall through the SLH motif of the S-layer protein via a strong interaction with a highly immunogenic pyruvylated component of the SCWP. Immuno-cross-reactive compounds were detected with alphaSAC on cell walls of other Thermus spp. and in the phylogenetically related microorganism Deinococcus radiodurans. These results imply that the interaction between the SLH motif and pyruvylated components of the cell wall arose early during bacterial evolution as an ancestral mechanism for anchoring proteins and outer membranes to the cell walls of primitive bacteria.     

Staphylococcus aureus Sortase A-Mediated Incorporation of Peptides: Effect of Peptide Modification on Incorporation

The endogenous Staphylococcus aureus sortase A (SrtA) transpeptidase covalently anchors cell wall-anchored (CWA) proteins equipped with a specific recognition motif (LPXTG) into the peptidoglycan layer of the staphylococcal cell wall. Previous in situ experiments have shown that SrtA is also able to incorporate exogenous, fluorescently labelled, synthetic substrates equipped with the LPXTG motif (K(FITC)LPETG-amide) into the bacterial cell wall, albeit at high concentrations of 500 μM to 1 mM. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of substrate modification on the incorporation efficiency. This revealed that (i) by elongation of LPETG-amide with a sequence of positively charged amino acids, derived from the C-terminal domain of physiological SrtA substrates, the incorporation efficiency was increased by 20-fold at 10 μM, 100 μM and 250 μM; (ii) Substituting aspartic acid (E) for methionine increased the incorporation of the resulting K(FITC)LPMTG-amide approximately three times at all concentrations tested; (iii) conjugation of the lipid II binding antibiotic vancomycin to K(FITC)LPMTG-amide resulted in the same incorporation levels as K(FITC)LPETG-amide, but much more efficient at an impressive 500-fold lower substrate concentration. These newly developed synthetic substrates can potentially find broad applications in for example the in situ imaging of bacteria; the incorporation of antibody recruiting moieties; the targeted delivery and covalent incorporation of antimicrobial compounds into the bacterial cell wall.