Inhibition of Sortase,a Bacterial Surface Protein Anchoring Transpeptidase,by β-Sitosterol-3-O-glucopyranoside from Fritillaria verticillata

A glucosylsterol, β-sitosterol-3-O-glucopyranoside, has been isolated as an active principle with sortase inhibitory effect from the bulbs of Fritillaria verticillata by bioassay-guided chromatographic fractionation. The isolate was a potent inhibitor of sortase, with an IC₅₀ value of 18.3 μg/ml and had antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Micrococcus leuteus with MIC values of 50, 200, and 400 μg/ml, respectively, indicating that this compound is a possible candidate for the development of a bacterial sortase inhibitor. In addition, sitosterol was found to be inactive upon sortase and bacterial cell growth. These results suggest that the inhibitory potency of β-sitosterol-3-O-glucopyranoside is sensitively dependent upon the glucopyranoside side chain moiety.     

Design of Ca2+‐independent Staphylococcus aureus sortase A mutants

The catalytic activity of Staphylococcus aureus sortase A (SaSrtA) is dependent on Ca²⁺, because binding of Ca²⁺ to Glu residues distal to the active site stabilizes the substrate binding site. To obtain Ca²⁺‐independent SaSrtA, we substituted two Glu residues in the Ca²⁺‐binding pocket (Glu¹⁰⁵ and Glu¹⁰⁸). Although single mutations decreased SaSrtA activity, mutations of both Glu¹⁰⁵ and Glu¹⁰⁸ resulted in Ca²⁺‐independent activity. Kinetic analysis suggested that the double mutations affect the substrate binding site, without affecting substrate specificity. This approach will allow us to develop SaSrtA variants suitable for various applications, including in vivo site‐specific protein modification and labeling. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 2955–2961. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Validation of potential inhibitors for SrtA against Bacillus anthracis by combined approach of ligand-based and molecular dynamics simulation

The development of SrtA inhibitors targeting the biothreat organism namely Bacillus anthracis was achieved by the combined approach of pharmacophore modeling, binding interactions, electron transferring capacity, ADME, and Molecular dynamics studies. In this study, experimentally reported Ba-SrtA inhibitors (pyridazinone and pyrazolethione derivatives) were considered for the development of enhanced pharmacophoric model. The obtained AAAHR hypothesis was a pure theoretical concept that accounts for common molecular interaction network present in experimentally active pyridazinone and pyrazolethione derivatives. Pharmacophore-based screening of AAAHR hypothesis provides several new compounds, and those compounds were treated with four phases of docking protocols with combined Glide-QPLD docking approach. In this approach, scoring and charge accuracy variations were seen to be dominated by QM/MM approach through the allocation of partial charges. Finally, we reported the best compounds from binding db, Chembridge db, and Toslab based on scoring values, energy parameters, electron transfer reaction, ADME, and cell adhesion inhibition activity. The dynamic state of interaction and binding energy assess that new compounds are more active inside the binding pocket and these compounds on experimental validations will survive as better inhibitors for targeting the cell adhesion mechanism of Ba-SrtA.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Finegoldia magna, an Anaerobic Opportunistic Pathogen

Finegoldia magna (formerly Peptostreptococcus magnus), a memberof the Gram-positive anaerobic cocci (GPAC), is a commensalbacterium colonizing human skin and mucous membranes. Moreover,it is also recognized as an opportunistic pathogen responsiblefor various infectious diseases. Here, we report the completegenome sequence of F. magna ATCC 29328. The genome consistsof a 1 797 577 bp circular chromosome and an 189 163bp plasmid (pPEP1). The metabolic maps constructed based onthe genome information confirmed that most F. magna strainscannot ferment most sugars, except fructose, and have variousaminopeptidase activities. Three homologs of albumin-bindingprotein, a known virulence factor useful for antiphagocytosis,are encoded on the chromosome, and one albumin-binding proteinhomolog is encoded on the plasmid. A unique feature of the genomeis that F. magna encodes many sortase genes, of which substratesmay be involved in bacterial pathogenesis, such as antiphagocytosisand adherence to the host cell. The plasmid pPEP1 encodes sevensortase and seven substrate genes, whereas the chromosome encodesfour sortase and 19 substrate genes. These plasmid-encoded sortasesmay play important roles in the pathogenesis of F. magna byenriching the variety of cell wall anchored surface proteins.     

Two Crystal Structures of Pneumococcal Pilus Sortase C Provide Novel Insights into Catalysis and Substrate Specificity

The respiratory tract pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Pili enhance initial adhesion as well as the capacity of pneumococci to cause pneumonia and bacteremia. Pilus-associated sortases (SrtB, SrtC, and SrtD) are involved in the biogenesis of pneumococcal pili, composed of repeating units of RrgB that create the stalk to which the RrgA adhesin and the preferential pilus tip subunit RrgC are covalently associated. Using single sortase-expressing strains, we demonstrate that both pilin-polymerizing sortases SrtB and SrtC can covalently link pili to the peptidoglycan cell wall, a property shared with the non-pilus-polymerizing enzyme SrtD and the housekeeping sortase SrtA. Comparative analysis of the crystal structures of S. pneumoniae SrtC and SrtB revealed structural differences explaining the incapacity of SrtC, but not of SrtB, to incorporate RrgC into the pilus. Accordingly, site-directed mutagenesis of Thr¹⁶⁰ in SrtB to an arginine as in SrtC (Arg¹⁶⁰) partially converted its substrate specificity into that of SrtC. Solving two crystal structures for SrtC suggests that an opening of a flexible lid and a concomitant cysteine rotation are important for catalysis and the activation of the catalytic cysteine of pilus-associated sortases.     

猪链球菌2型srtF基因敲除突变株的构建及其毒力

利用同源重组基因敲除方法构建猪链球菌2型强毒株05ZYH33 srtF同源突变体。组合PCR、交叉酶切、RT-PCR结果均显示srtF突变体构建成功。突变株与强毒株的菌落形态、生长速率以及对小鼠的致病力均无显著性差异。小鼠竞争实验结果提示,突变株在心脏的定殖及感染能力显著减弱。成功构建的srtF突变株为进一步研究srtF的生物学功能奠定了基础。     

新抗菌靶点分选酶基因（srtA）在两种原核载体中的克隆表达

【目的】革兰氏阳性菌的表面蛋白在病原菌致病性方面具有重要作用,表面蛋白锚定到细胞壁过程的关键酶—分选酶成为抗感染的新靶点。【方法】本文利用GenBank中的分选酶A基因（srtA）序列设计特异性引物,以金黄色葡萄球菌基因组DNA为模板进行PCR扩增,获得618 bp的DNA片段。按照常规分子克隆操作成功构建两种原核表达载体pet22-srtA和pTRX-srtA,转入大肠杆菌感受态BL21（DE3）中,在1 mmol/LIPTG诱导下进行表达。利用SDS-PAGE和western blot进行鉴定和分析,【结果】结果显示：(1)重组载体pet22-srtA和pTRX-srtA分别表达出相对分子量为约45 kDa和39 kDa的外源蛋白;【结论】（2）分子伴侣硫氧还蛋白（Trx）有利于分选酶A基因的可溶性表达。该实验为后续的分选酶酶学性质研究特别是抑制剂筛选研究奠定良好基础。