title: Zoocin A immunity factor: a femA-like gene found in a group C streptococcus.
abstract: A 6.8-kb fragment of Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus 4881 DNA containing the zoocin A gene (zooA) was cloned in Escherichia coli and sequenced. We have identified a gene we call zoocin A immunity factor (zif), which protects the producer cell from the otherwise lethal action of its own product. Transformation of Streptococcus gordonii DL1 with zooA and zif changed its phenotypic character from a non-zoocin A producing-zoocin A sensitive cell to a zoocin A producing-zoocin A resistant cell. zif has sequence homology to femA (factor essential for methicillin resistance) and lif (lysostaphin immunity factor). No differences were observed in amino acid or amino sugar compositions of peptidoglycan purified from zoocin A sensitive vs. zoocin A immune cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Beatson
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Sloan
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Simmonds
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000032:analysis; D000606:Amino Sugars / Q000032:analysis; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000737:chemistry; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D018502:Streptococcus equi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D000606:Amino Sugars; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C096686:FemA protein, Bacteria; D010457:Peptidoglycan; C106076:ZooA protein, Streptococcus equi