Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis W23 Make Polyribitol Wall Teichoic Acids Using Different Enzymatic Pathways
摘要:
Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are anionic polymers that play key roles in bacterial cell shape, cell division, envelope integrity, biofilm formation, and pathogenesis B subtilis W23 and S aureus both make polyribitol-phosphate (RboP) WTAs and contain similar sets of biosynthetic genes We use in vitro reconstitution combined with genetics to show that the pathways for WTA biosynthesis in B subtilis W23 and S aureus are different S aureus requires a glycerol-phosphate primase called TarF in order to make RboP-WTAs, B subtilis W23 contains a TarF homolog, but this enzyme makes glycerol-phosphate polymers and is not involved in RboP-WTA synthesis Instead, B subtilis TarK functions in place of TarF to prime the WTA intermediate for chain extension by TarL This work highlight:, the enzymatic diversity of the poorly characterized family of phosphotransferases involved in WTA biosynthesis in Gram-positive organisms