title: The surface of Bacillus anthracis.
abstract: Bacillus anthracis is a Gram positive organism possessing a complex parietal structure. An S-layer, a bi-dimensional crystalline layer, and a peptidic capsule surround the thick peptidoglycan of bacilli harvested during infection. A review of the current literature indicates that elements from each of these three structures, as well as membrane components, have been studied. So-called cell-wall secondary polymers, be they attached to the cell-wall or to the membrane play important functions, either per se or because they permit the anchoring of proteins. Some surface proteins, whichever compartment they are attached to, play, as had been hypothesized, key roles in virulence. Others, of yet unknown function, are nevertheless expressed in vivo. This review will focus on well-studied polymers or proteins and indicate, when appropriate, the mechanisms by which they are targeted to their respective locations.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Unité Toxines et Pathogénie Bactérienne, CNRS, URA2172, F-75015 Paris, France. agnes.fouet@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: Agnès
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fouet
mesh_terms: D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016667:Bacterial Capsules / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010457:Peptidoglycan