Functional and structural analysis of the major amidase (Atl) in Staphylococcus.
The cytoplasmic membrane of most bacteria is surrounded by a more or less thick murein layer (peptidoglycan) that protects the protoplast from mechanical damage, osmotic rupture and lysis. When bacteria are dividing processes are initiated stepwise that involve DNA replication, constriction of the membranes, cell growth, biosynthesis of new murein, and finally the generation of two daughter cells. As the daughter cells are still covalently interlinked by the murein network they must be separated by specific peptidoglycan hydrolases, also referred to as autolysins. In staphylococci, the major autolysin (Atl) and its processed products N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase (AM) and endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (GL) have been in the research focus for long time. This review addresses phenotypic consequences of atl mutants, impact of Atl in virulence, the mechanism of targeting to the septum region, regulation of atl, the structure of the amidase and the repeat regions, as well as the phylogeny of Atl and its use in Staphylococcus genus and species typing.
Microbial Genetics, Interfaculty Institute for Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT), University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. Electronic address: friedrich.goetz@uni-tuebingen.de.
Friedrich
F
Götz
Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Münster, Domagkstrasse 10, 48149 Münster, Germany.
Christine
C
Heilmann
Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 4, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Thilo
T
Stehle
D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005838:Genotype; D008958:Models, Molecular; D058889:Molecular Typing; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D037521:Virulence Factors; D000581:Amidohydrolases; C019665:amidase
Activity; Function; Major autolysin; Staphylococcus; Structure