Discovery of genes required for lipoteichoic acid glycosylation predicts two distinct mechanism for wall teichoic acid glycosylation
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Published version
Author(s)
Rismondo, J
Percy, MG
Grundling, A
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The bacterial cell wall is an important and highly complex structure that is essential for bacterial growth because it protects bacteria from cell lysis and environmental insults. A typical Gram-positive bacterial cell wall is composed of peptidoglycan and the secondary cell wall polymers, wall teichoic acid (WTA) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). In many Gram-positive bacteria, LTA is a polyglycerol-phosphate chain that is decorated with D-alanine and sugar residues. However, the function of and proteins responsible for the glycosylation of LTA are either unknown or not well-characterized. Here, using bioinformatics, genetic, and NMR spectroscopy approaches, we found that the Bacillus subtilis csbB and yfhO genes are essential for LTA glycosylation. Interestingly, the Listeria monocytogenes gene lmo1079, which encodes a YfhO ortholog, was not required for LTA glycosylation, but instead was essential for WTA glycosylation. LTA is polymerized on the outside of the cell and hence can only be glycosylated extracellularly. Based on the similarity of the genes coding for YfhO orthologs that are required in B. subtilis for LTA glycosylation or in L. monocytogenes for WTA glycosylation, we hypothesize that WTA glycosylation might also occur extracellularly in Listeria species. Finally, we discovered that in L. monocytogenes lmo0626 (gtlB) was required for LTA glycosylation, indicating that the encoded protein has a similar function to YfhO, even though the proteins are not homologous. Together, our results enable us to propose an updated model for LTA glycosylation and also indicate that glycosylation of WTA might occur through two different mechanisms in Gram-positive bacteria.
Date Issued
2018-01-17
Date Acceptance
2018-01-17
Citation
Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2018, 293, pp.3293-3306
ISSN
0021-9258
Publisher
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Start Page
3293
End Page
3306
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume
293
Copyright Statement
© 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. Author's Choice—Final version free via Creative Commons CC-BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/0)
Sponsor
Wellcome Trust
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Commission of the European Communities
Wellcome Trust
Grant Number
087732/Z/08/Z
G0800777
G0800777
260371
100289/Z/12/Z
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
GRAM-POSITIVE BACTERIA
STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS
LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES
BACILLUS-SUBTILIS
CELL-WALL
ESCHERICHIA-COLI
CORYNEBACTERIUM-GLUTAMICUM
MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS
BIOSYNTHESIS
IDENTIFICATION
Bacillus
Gram-positive bacteria
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)
bacterial glycobiology
cell wall
glycosylation
glycosyltransferase
lipoteichoic acid
teichoic acid
wall teichoic acid
06 Biological Sciences
11 Medical And Health Sciences
03 Chemical Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2018-01-17