title: The gene encoding the prepilin peptidase involved in biosynthesis of pilus colonization factor antigen III (CFA/III) of human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
abstract: The assembly of pilus colonization factor antigen III (CFA/III) of human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli requires the processing of CFA/III major pilin (CofA) by a peptidase, likely another type IV pilus formation system. Western blot analysis of CofA reveals that CofA is produced initially as a 26.5-kDa preform pilin (prepilin) and then processed to 20.5-kDa mature pilin by a prepilin peptidase. This processing is essential for exportation of the CofA from the cytoplasm to the periplasm. In this experiment, the structural gene, cofP, encoding CFA/III prepilin peptidase which cleavages at the Gly-30-Met-31 junction of CofA was identified, and the nucleotide sequence of the gene was determined. CofP consists of 819 bp encoding a 273-amino acid protein with a relative molecular mass of 30,533 Da. CofP is predicted to be localized in the inner membrane based on its hydropathy index. The amino acid sequence of CofP shows a high degree of homology with other prepilin peptidases which play a role in the assembly of type IV pili in several gram-negative bacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tochikubo
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D010450:Endopeptidases; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C022924:colonization factor antigens; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D010450:Endopeptidases; C067127:prepilin peptidase protein, Bacteria