title: Sequence analysis of Enterococcus faecalis aggregation substance encoded by the sex pheromone plasmid pAD1.
abstract: The location of the structural gene for aggregation substance on the sex pheromone plasmid pAD1 of Enterococcus faecalis was determined using an oligonucleotide deduced from the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified protein. The nucleotide sequence was determined for the corresponding region and two open reading frames (ORFs) could be identified. ORF1 codes for a small (Mr 13,160) acidic protein of unknown function. The gene for aggregation substance (named asa1) was found to code for a protein of 1296 amino acids (Mr 142,248). The protein has a signal peptide of 43 amino acids (the resulting Mr for mature aggregation substance is 137,429) and contains in its C-terminal region a proline-rich sequence, previously characterized as being involved in cell wall association, which is followed by a membrane anchor. The membrane anchor showed significant similarity to that of other Gram-positive organisms, but no other similarities to surface proteins from Gram-positive bacteria were found. In particular, no repeats on the DNA or protein level could be detected for pAD1-specific aggregation substance. The protein contains the amino acid motifs Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser and Arg-Gly-Asp-Val (once each), which, it is proposed, play a crucial role in adherence to eukaryotic cells.
authors.affiliation: Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie der Universität München, FRG.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lottspeich
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wirth
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D012724:Sex Attractants; C065937:aggregation substance, Enterococcus faecalis