Identification of a protein that inactivates the competence-stimulating peptide of Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Competence for genetic transformation of Streptococcus pneumoniae is a transient physiological property inducible by a competence-stimulating peptide (CSP). A 68-kDa CSP-inactivating protein was previously obtained following lithium chloride (LiCl) extraction. By the same protocol, a CSP-inactivating protein was purified and identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry as an endopeptidase, PepO. Analysis of a pepO mutant provided no support for the hypothesis that PepO participates in competence regulation. To reconcile in vitro and in vivo data, we suggest that LiCl treatment results in the release of intracellular molecules, including PepO.
Bergé
Mathieu
M
Laboratoire de Microbiologie et Génétique Moléculaire, UMR 5100 CNRS-Université Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse Cedex, France.
Langen
Hanno
H
Claverys
Jean-Pierre
JP
Martin
Bernard
B
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018021:Lithium Chloride; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014169:Transformation, Bacterial
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C423628:competence factor, Streptococcus; D010450:Endopeptidases; C445310:PepO protein, Streptococcus pneumoniae; D018021:Lithium Chloride