title: Molecular characterization and expression of a gene encoding a Staphylococcus aureus collagen adhesin.
abstract: Some strains of Staphylococcus aureus bind collagen with a high degree of specificity and affinity. This interaction can represent a mechanism of substrate adhesion and may be an important step in the pathogenesis of osteomyelitis and infectious arthritis. We now report on the cloning, sequencing, and expression of a gene name cna, encoding a S. aureus collagen adhesin. The cna gene was isolated from a lambda GT11 S. aureus genomic library and encodes an 1185 amino acid polypeptide. The deduced amino acid sequence reveals several structural characteristics similar to previously described Gram-positive bacterial cell surface proteins. Antibodies raised against the native collagen adhesin from S. aureus recognize the recombinant collagen adhesin. Collagen binding activity can be detected in a lysate obtained from Escherichia coli cells, which harbor the cloned cna gene on an expression plasmid. Collagen-binding proteins can be detected in the lysate when analyzed by a Western blot type assay in which the membrane-transferred proteins are probed with radioactively labeled collagen. Finally, the bacterial lysate containing the recombinant adhesin can effectively inhibit the binding of soluble collagen to cells of S. aureus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294-0005.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Patti
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guss
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Switalski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wiberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Höök
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001345:Autoradiography; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics; D038981:Receptors, Collagen; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D038981:Receptors, Collagen; C048165:adhesin, Staphylococcus aureus; D003094:Collagen