title: Deletion of a putative NlpC/P60 endopeptidase BAS1812 affects germination, long-term survival and endospore formation in Bacillus anthracis.
abstract: Bacillus anthracis, an aetiologic agent of the zoonotic disease anthrax, encodes a putative NlpC/P60 endopeptidase BAS1812. It harbours a signal peptide, three bacterial SH3 domains and an NlpC/P60 family domain. Previous studies showed that BAS1812 is immunogenic in infected hosts and is a potential biomarker for anthrax treatment. To date, however, little information is known about its function and involvement in anthrax pathogenesis. Here we describe the phenotypic effect of BAS1812 deletion in B. anthracis Sterne strain. Transcriptional analysis showed that BAS1812 expression in a host-like environment was enhanced at the end of log phase, started to diminish after entry to stationary phase and increased again late in stationary phase. The constructed BAS1812 mutant showed impaired long-term survival in the stationary growth phase, less resilience to detergent, lesser endospore formation and delayed germination. The mutant also showed diminished ability to degrade peptidoglycan, but its ability to produce anthrax exotoxins was not affected. We hypothesize that BAS1812 is a cell wall hydrolase involved in biological activities related to maintaining cell wall integrity, sporulation and spore germination.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Life Science, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Se Kye
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Life Science, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yun Min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Life Science, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Hwa
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: Department of Bionanotechnology, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea.|Department of Molecular and Life Science, Hanyang University, 55 Hanyangdaehak-ro, Sangnok-gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-do 15588, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Gyu
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Chai
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000881:Anthrax / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D001408:Bacillus anthracis / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000378:metabolism*; D013171:Spores, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D008074:Lipoproteins; C116063:P60 protein, bacteria; D010457:Peptidoglycan; C000622712:BAS1812 protein, Bacillus anthracis; D010450:Endopeptidases