title: An essential role for the baseplate protein Gp45 in phage adsorption to Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: Despite the importance of phages in driving horizontal gene transfer (HGT) among pathogenic bacteria, the underlying molecular mechanisms mediating phage adsorption to S. aureus are still unclear. Phage ϕ11 is a siphovirus with a high transducing efficiency. Here, we show that the tail protein Gp45 localized within the ϕ11 baseplate. Phage ϕ11 was efficiently neutralized by anti-Gp45 serum, and its adsorption to host cells was inhibited by recombinant Gp45 in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that biotin-labelled Gp45 efficiently stained the wild-type S. aureus cell but not the double knockout mutant ΔtarM/S, which lacks both α- and β-O-GlcNAc residues on its wall teichoic acids (WTAs). Additionally, adsorption assays indicate that GlcNAc residues on WTAs and O-acetyl groups at the 6-position of muramic acid residues in peptidoglycan are essential components of the ϕ11 receptor. The elucidation of Gp45-involved molecular interactions not only broadens our understanding of siphovirus-mediated HGT, but also lays the groundwork for the development of sensitive affinity-based diagnostics and therapeutics for S. aureus infection.
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Xuehua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Cengiz
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koç
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kühner
authors.affiliation: Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: York-Dieter
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Stierhof
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krismer
authors.affiliation: School of Healthcare Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Enright
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Penadés
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolz
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Biochemistry, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.|Vanderbilt University, School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stehle
authors.affiliation: Architecture et Fonction des Macromolécules Biologiques, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 6098, Campus de Luminy, Case 932, 13288 Marseille Cedex 09, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cambillau
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peschel
authors.affiliation: Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.|German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Tübingen, Germany.|Institute of Inflammation &Repair, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Guoqing
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism; D000327:Adsorption; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D017906:Siphoviridae / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology*; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D013682:Teichoic Acids; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D000117:Acetylglucosamine