title: Substrate recognition of a structure motif for phosphorylcholine post-translational modification in Neisseria meningitidis.
abstract: Neisseria meningitidis is a human pathogen that can cause life threatening meningitis and sepsis. Pili of Neisseria are one of the major virulence factors in host-pathogen interaction. Pilin of N.meningitidis is post-translationally modified by a glycan and two phosphorylcholines (ChoP). ChoP modifications have been found to have an important role in bacterial colonisation and invasion. Unlike N. gonorrhoeae, ChoP modifications on pili seem to be restricted to the C-terminus of pilin protein in N. meningitidis. In this study, we investigate the substrate recognition of phosphorylcholine transferase. We found that a single sequence of D-A-S after the disulphide bond of pilin protein is able to form a motif for ChoP modifications and the charge residue in this motif and the local structure are essential for the substrate recognition.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD 4222, Australia.
authors.forename: Freda E-C
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Jen
authors.forename: Christopher E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Benjamin L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D017855:Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups) / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C077531:aniA protein, Neisseria gonorrhoeae; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; C480222:PptA protein, Neisseria meningitidis; D017855:Transferases (Other Substituted Phosphate Groups); D003545:Cysteine