title: Prepeptide sequence of epidermin, a ribosomally synthesized antibiotic with four sulphide-rings.
abstract: The genetic basis for the biosynthesis of large polypeptide antibiotics such as nisin has not been explained so far. We show here that the structural gene epiA encoding the antibiotic epidermin from Staphylococcus epidermidis is located on a 54-kilobase plasmid and codes for a 52-amino-acid prepeptide, which is processed to the tetracyclic 21-peptide amide antibiotic. The mature sequence of epidermin corresponds to the C-terminal 22-peptide segment of pre-epidermin and contains the precursor amino acids Ser, Thr and Cys, from which the unusual amino-acid constituents are derived. The more lipophilic epidermin is cleaved at a hydrophilic turn between Arg-1 and Ile+1 from the N-terminal segment-30 to -1, which probably assumes a partially amphiphilic alpha-helix conformation. We propose that the N-terminus (-30 to -1) plays a cooperative role during modification reactions and prevents toxicity of the mature epidermin to the producing strain before the antibiotic is cleaved off and secreted.
authors.affiliation: Medizinisch-Naturwissenschaftliches Forschungszentrum, University of Tübingen, FRG.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schnell
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Entian
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Götz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zähner
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kellner
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000235:genetics; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001430:Bacteriocins; D010455:Peptides; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C050558:epidermin; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes