A different path: Revealing the function of staphylococcal proteins in biofilm formation.

Kate Elizabeth Atkin; Sandy MacDonald; Andrew Stephen Brentnall; Jennifer Robyn Potts; Gavin Hugh Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.002

A different path: Revealing the function of staphylococcal proteins in biofilm formation.

Kate Elizabeth Atkin, Sandy MacDonald, Andrew Stephen Brentnall, Jennifer Robyn Potts, Gavin Hugh Thomas

Biology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis cause dangerous and difficult to treat medical device-related infections through their ability to form biofilms. Extracellular poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) facilitates biofilm formation and is a vaccination target, yet details of its biosynthesis by the icaADBC gene products is limited. IcaC is the proposed transporter for PNAG export, however a comparison of the Ica proteins to homologous exo-polysaccharide synthases suggests that the common IcaAD protein components both synthesise and transport the PNAG. The limited distribution of icaC to the Staphylococcaceae and its membership of a family of membrane-bound acyltransferases, leads us to suggest that IcaC is responsible for the known O-succinylation of PNAG that occurs in staphylococci, identifying a potentially new therapeutic target specific for these bacteria.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1869-1872
Number of pages	4
Journal	FEBS Letters
Volume	588
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.002
Publication status	Published - 21 May 2014

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10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.002

Cite this

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title = "A different path: Revealing the function of staphylococcal proteins in biofilm formation.",

abstract = "Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis cause dangerous and difficult to treat medical device-related infections through their ability to form biofilms. Extracellular poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) facilitates biofilm formation and is a vaccination target, yet details of its biosynthesis by the icaADBC gene products is limited. IcaC is the proposed transporter for PNAG export, however a comparison of the Ica proteins to homologous exo-polysaccharide synthases suggests that the common IcaAD protein components both synthesise and transport the PNAG. The limited distribution of icaC to the Staphylococcaceae and its membership of a family of membrane-bound acyltransferases, leads us to suggest that IcaC is responsible for the known O-succinylation of PNAG that occurs in staphylococci, identifying a potentially new therapeutic target specific for these bacteria.",

author = "Atkin, {Kate Elizabeth} and Sandy MacDonald and Brentnall, {Andrew Stephen} and Potts, {Jennifer Robyn} and Thomas, {Gavin Hugh}",

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T2 - Revealing the function of staphylococcal proteins in biofilm formation.

AU - Atkin, Kate Elizabeth

AU - MacDonald, Sandy

AU - Brentnall, Andrew Stephen

AU - Potts, Jennifer Robyn

AU - Thomas, Gavin Hugh

PY - 2014/5/21

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AB - Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis cause dangerous and difficult to treat medical device-related infections through their ability to form biofilms. Extracellular poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG) facilitates biofilm formation and is a vaccination target, yet details of its biosynthesis by the icaADBC gene products is limited. IcaC is the proposed transporter for PNAG export, however a comparison of the Ica proteins to homologous exo-polysaccharide synthases suggests that the common IcaAD protein components both synthesise and transport the PNAG. The limited distribution of icaC to the Staphylococcaceae and its membership of a family of membrane-bound acyltransferases, leads us to suggest that IcaC is responsible for the known O-succinylation of PNAG that occurs in staphylococci, identifying a potentially new therapeutic target specific for these bacteria.

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DO - 10.1016/j.febslet.2014.04.002

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