Discovery of a novel protein modification: alpha-glycerophosphate is a substituent of meningococcal pilin.
Pili, which are filamentous protein structures on the surface of the meningitis-causing organism Neisseria meningitidis, are known to be post-translationally modified with substituents that affect their mobility in SDS/PAGE and which might play a crucial role in adherence and bloodstream invasion. Tryptic digests of pili were analysed by fast atom bombardment and electrospray MS to identify putative modifications. Serine-93 was found to carry a novel modification of alpha-glycerophosphate. This is the first time that alpha-glycerophosphate has been observed as a substituent of a prokaryotic or eukaryotic protein.
Stimson
E
E
Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, U.K.
Virji
M
M
Barker
S
S
Panico
M
M
Blench
I
I
Saunders
J
J
Payne
G
G
Moxon
E R
ER
Dell
A
A
Morris
H R
HR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D005994:Glycerophosphates / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018933:Pili, Sex / Q000737:chemistry; D016339:Spectrometry, Mass, Fast Atom Bombardment; D014357:Trypsin
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D005994:Glycerophosphates; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; C029620:alpha-glycerophosphoric acid; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D014357:Trypsin