Properties of Enterococcus faecalis plasmid pAD1, a member of a widely disseminated family of pheromone-responding, conjugative, virulence elements encoding cytolysin.
The 60-kb pAD1 represents a large and widely disseminated family of conjugative, pheromone-responding, virulence plasmids commonly found in clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis. It encodes a hemolysin/bacteriocin (cytolysin) shown to contribute to virulence in animal models, and the related bacteriocin is active against a wide variety of Gram-positive bacteria. This review summarizes what is currently known about the molecular biology of pAD1, including aspects of its cytolytic, UV-resistance, replication, maintenance, and conjugative properties.
Clewell
Don B
DB
Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1078, USA. dclewell@umich.edu
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D003227:Conjugation, Genetic; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D054353:Perforin / Q000235:genetics*; D010957:Plasmids; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014774:Virulence
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D009842:Oligopeptides; D054353:Perforin; C043691:cAD1 bacterial sex hormone