Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 7 December 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5856, pp. 1625 - 1628
DOI: 10.1126/science.1145806
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Stabilizing Isopeptide Bonds Revealed in Gram-Positive Bacterial Pilus Structure

Hae Joo Kang,1,2 Fasséli Coulibaly,1,2 Fiona Clow,1,3 Thomas Proft,1,3* Edward N. Baker1,2*

Many bacterial pathogens have long, slender pili through which they adhere to host cells. The crystal structure of the major pilin subunit from the Gram-positive human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes at 2.2 angstroms resolution reveals an extended structure comprising two all-β domains. The molecules associate in columns through the crystal, with each carboxyl terminus adjacent to a conserved lysine of the next molecule. This lysine forms the isopeptide bonds that link the subunits in native pili, validating the relevance of the crystal assembly. Each subunit contains two lysine-asparagine isopeptide bonds generated by an intramolecular reaction, and we find evidence for similar isopeptide bonds in other cell surface proteins of Gram-positive bacteria. The present structure explains the strength and stability of such Gram-positive pili and could facilitate vaccine development.

1 Maurice Wilkins Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
2 School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
3 School of Medical Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ted.baker{at}auckland.ac.nz (E.N.B.); t.proft{at}auckland.ac.nz (T.P.)

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
A Collagen-Binding Adhesin, Acb, and Ten Other Putative MSCRAMM and Pilus Family Proteins of Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (Streptococcus bovis Group, Biotype I).
J. Sillanpaa, S. R. Nallapareddy, X. Qin, K. V. Singh, D. M. Muzny, C. L. Kovar, L. V. Nazareth, R. A. Gibbs, M. J. Ferraro, J. M. Steckelberg, et al. (2009)
J. Bacteriol. 191, 6643-6653
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Comparative genomic analysis of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG reveals pili containing a human- mucus binding protein.
M. Kankainen, L. Paulin, S. Tynkkynen, I. von Ossowski, J. Reunanen, P. Partanen, R. Satokari, S. Vesterlund, A. P. A. Hendrickx, S. Lebeer, et al. (2009)
PNAS 106, 17193-17198
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Corynebacterium diphtheriae shaft pilin SpaA is built of tandem Ig-like modules with stabilizing isopeptide and disulfide bonds.
H. J. Kang, N. G. Paterson, A. H. Gaspar, H. Ton-That, and E. N. Baker (2009)
PNAS 106, 16967-16971
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Calcium Is Essential for the Major Pseudopilin in the Type 2 Secretion System.
K. V. Korotkov, M. D. Gray, A. Kreger, S. Turley, M. Sandkvist, and W. G. J. Hol (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 25466-25470
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Acyl Enzyme Intermediates in Sortase-Catalyzed Pilus Morphogenesis in Gram-Positive Bacteria.
I. K. Guttilla, A. H. Gaspar, A. Swierczynski, A. Swaminathan, P. Dwivedi, A. Das, and H. Ton-That (2009)
J. Bacteriol. 191, 5603-5612
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Streptococcus Adherence and Colonization.
A. H. Nobbs, R. J. Lamont, and H. F. Jenkinson (2009)
Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 73, 407-450
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Intramolecular Isopeptide Bonds Give Thermodynamic and Proteolytic Stability to the Major Pilin Protein of Streptococcus pyogenes.
H. J. Kang and E. N. Baker (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 20729-20737
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Surfome Analysis as a Fast Track to Vaccine Discovery: IDENTIFICATION OF A NOVEL PROTECTIVE ANTIGEN FOR GROUP B STREPTOCOCCUS HYPERVIRULENT STRAIN COH1.
F. Doro, S. Liberatori, M. J. Rodriguez-Ortega, C. D. Rinaudo, R. Rosini, M. Mora, M. Scarselli, E. Altindis, R. D'Aurizio, M. Stella, et al. (2009)
Mol. Cell. Proteomics 8, 1728-1737
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Sortase D Forms the Covalent Bond That Links BcpB to the Tip of Bacillus cereus Pili.
J. M. Budzik, S.-Y. Oh, and O. Schneewind (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 12989-12997
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
LOCP--locating pilus operons in Gram-positive bacteria.
I. Plyusnin, L. Holm, and M. Kankainen (2009)
Bioinformatics 25, 1187-1188
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Mutational Analysis of a Conserved Glutamic Acid Required for Self-Catalyzed Cross-Linking of Bacteriophage HK97 Capsids.
L. E. Dierkes, C. L. Peebles, B. A. Firek, R. W. Hendrix, and R. L. Duda (2009)
J. Virol. 83, 2088-2098
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Crystal Structure of FadA Adhesin from Fusobacterium nucleatum Reveals a Novel Oligomerization Motif, the Leucine Chain.
S. Nithianantham, M. Xu, M. Yamada, A. Ikegami, M. Shoham, and Y. W. Han (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 3865-3872
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Mode of Expression and Functional Characterization of FCT-3 Pilus Region-Encoded Proteins in Streptococcus pyogenes Serotype M49.
M. Nakata, T. Koller, K. Moritz, D. Ribardo, L. Jonas, K. S. McIver, T. Sumitomo, Y. Terao, S. Kawabata, A. Podbielski, et al. (2009)
Infect. Immun. 77, 32-44
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Identification and phenotypic characterization of a second collagen adhesin, Scm, and genome-based identification and analysis of 13 other predicted MSCRAMMs, including four distinct pilus loci, in Enterococcus faecium.
J. Sillanpaa, S. R. Nallapareddy, V. P. Prakash, X. Qin, M. Hook, G. M. Weinstock, and B. E. Murray (2008)
Microbiology 154, 3199-3211
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
From the Cover: The molecular switch that activates the cell wall anchoring step of pilus assembly in gram-positive bacteria.
A. Mandlik, A. Das, and H. Ton-That (2008)
PNAS 105, 14147-14152
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Sortases make pili from three ingredients.
S.-Y. Oh, J. M. Budzik, and O. Schneewind (2008)
PNAS 105, 13703-13704
   Full Text »    PDF »
Roles of the Sortases of Streptococcus pneumoniae in Assembly of the RlrA Pilus.
J. LeMieux, S. Woody, and A. Camilli (2008)
J. Bacteriol. 190, 6002-6013
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Bacterial species exhibit diversity in their mechanisms and capacity for protein disulfide bond formation.
R. J. Dutton, D. Boyd, M. Berkmen, and J. Beckwith (2008)
PNAS 105, 11933-11938
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Amide bonds assemble pili on the surface of bacilli.
J. M. Budzik, L. A. Marraffini, P. Souda, J. P. Whitelegge, K. F. Faull, and O. Schneewind (2008)
PNAS 105, 10215-10220
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Borrelia burgdorferi Uniquely Regulates Its Motility Genes and Has an Intricate Flagellar Hook-Basal Body Structure.
M. S. Sal, C. Li, M. A. Motalab, S. Shibata, S.-I. Aizawa, and N. W. Charon (2008)
J. Bacteriol. 190, 1912-1921
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)