title: Architects at the bacterial surface - sortases and the assembly of pili with isopeptide bonds.
abstract: The cell wall envelope of Gram-positive bacteria can be thought of as a surface organelle for the assembly of macromolecular structures that enable the unique lifestyle of each microorganism. Sortases - enzymes that cleave the sorting signals of secreted proteins to form isopeptide (amide) bonds between the secreted proteins and peptidoglycan or polypeptides - function as the principal architects of the bacterial surface. Acting alone or with other sortase enzymes, sortase construction leads to the anchoring of surface proteins at specific sites in the envelope or to the assembly of pili, which are fibrous structures formed from many protein subunits. The catalysis of intermolecular isopeptide bonds between pilin subunits is intertwined with the assembly of intramolecular isopeptide bonds within pilin subunits. Together, these isopeptide bonds endow these sortase products with adhesive properties and resistance to host proteases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: Antoni P A
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Budzik
authors.forename: So-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schneewind
mesh_terms: D019881:Aminoacyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D021382:Protein Sorting Signals; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D019881:Aminoacyltransferases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases