Sequence analysis of the wall-associated protein precursor of Streptococcus mutans antigen A.
The nucleotide sequence has been determined for the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A (wapA) gene from serotype c strains Ingbritt and GS5. The nucleotide sequence for each wapA gene was virtually identical, although the gene from strain GS5 contained a 24 base pair deletion. A 29 amino acid signal peptide was specified by each wapA gene with a mature protein of 424 amino acids (Mr, 45,276) for strain Ingbritt and 416 amino acids (Mr, 44,846) for strain GS5. In the C-terminal region of the wall-associated protein A, considerable sequence similarity was found with the membrane anchor region of proteins from other Gram-positive organisms such as the group A streptococcal M protein and the group G streptococcal IgG binding protein. Adjacent to the proposed membrane anchor is a highly hydrophilic region which may span the cell wall; both sequence data and experimental evidence indicate the existence of a region immediately outside the wall at which proteolytic cleavage occurs to release antigen A of Mr 29,000 into the culture supernatant. Thus, the wall-associated protein A is a precursor of the 29,000 Mr antigen A.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City 73190.
J J
JJ
Ferretti
R R
RR
Russell
M L
ML
Dao
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000032:analysis; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012703:Serotyping; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011498:Protein Precursors