| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
1 Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
2 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, 7 Gronostajowa St, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
Correspondence
Simon Foster
s.foster{at}sheffield.ac.uk
Staphylococcus aureus has several extracellular proteases with proposed roles in virulence. SspA (serine protease), SspB (cysteine protease) and Aur (metalloprotease) have been characterized previously and SspA and SspB were found to be cotranscribed. The coding region for the cysteine protease ScpA has been identified and characterized. It is in a probable bi-cistronic operon with scpA located immediately upstream of a coding region for a 108 aa protein that is a specific inhibitor of ScpA. Using primer extension analysis promoters have been mapped and it was found that 
A is the only sigma factor involved in the transcription of scpA, sspABC and aur. The transcription of all the genes occurs maximally at post-exponential phase, being positively regulated by agr (accessory gene regulator) and negatively regulated by sarA (staphylococcal accessory regulator). Furthermore B represses transcription from the aur and scp operons similarly to the previously shown effect on ssp [Horsburgh, M., Aish, J., White, I., Shaw, L., Lithgow, J. & Foster, S. (2002). J Bacteriol 184, 5457–5467]. Using mutations in each protease gene the proteolytic cascade of activation has been analysed. Aur, SspA, SspB and ScpA are all produced as zymogens, activated by proteolytic cleavage. Although the metalloprotease, Aur, does catalyse activation of the SspA zymogen, it is not the sole agent capable of conducting this process. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that Aur is not capable of undergoing auto-proteolysis to achieve activation. The cysteine protease, ScpA, appears to reside outside this cascade of activation, as mature ScpA was observed in the aur, sspA and sspB mutant strains. Using a mouse abscess model, it has been shown that insertional inactivation of sspA or sspB results in significant attenuation of virulence, whilst mutations in aur or scpA do not. It is likely the attenuation observed in the sspA strain is due to polarity on the sspB gene.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  E. A. Whiston, N. Sugi, M. C. Kamradt, C. Sack, S. R. Heimer, M. Engelbert, E. F. Wawrousek, M. S. Gilmore, B. R. Ksander, and M. S. Gregory {alpha}B-Crystallin Protects Retinal Tissue during Staphylococcus aureus- Induced Endophthalmitis Infect. Immun., April 1, 2008; 76(4): 1781 - 1790. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 F. Rouzet, M. D. Hernandez, F. Hervatin, L. Sarda-Mantel, A. Lefort, X. Duval, L. Louedec, B. Fantin, D. Le Guludec, and J.-B. Michel Technetium 99m-Labeled Annexin V Scintigraphy of Platelet Activation in Vegetations of Experimental Endocarditis Circulation, February 12, 2008; 117(6): 781 - 789. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 N. N. Nickerson, L. Prasad, L. Jacob, L. T. Delbaere, and M. J. McGavin Activation of the SspA Serine Protease Zymogen of Staphylococcus aureus Proceeds through Unique Variations of a Trypsinogen-like Mechanism and Is Dependent on Both Autocatalytic and Metalloprotease-specific Processing J. Biol. Chem., November 23, 2007; 282(47): 34129 - 34138. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C. Janoir, S. Pechine, C. Grosdidier, and A. Collignon Cwp84, a Surface-Associated Protein of Clostridium difficile, Is a Cysteine Protease with Degrading Activity on Extracellular Matrix Proteins J. Bacteriol., October 15, 2007; 189(20): 7174 - 7180. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. N. Shaw, I.-M. Jonsson, V. K. Singh, A. Tarkowski, and G. C. Stewart Inactivation of traP Has No Effect on the Agr Quorum-Sensing System or Virulence of Staphylococcus aureus Infect. Immun., September 1, 2007; 75(9): 4519 - 4527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. O'Neill, C. Pozzi, P. Houston, D. Smyth, H. Humphreys, D. A. Robinson, and J. P. O'Gara Association between Methicillin Susceptibility and Biofilm Regulation in Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Device-Related Infections J. Clin. Microbiol., May 1, 2007; 45(5): 1379 - 1388. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Kulig, B. A. Zabel, G. Dubin, S. J. Allen, T. Ohyama, J. Potempa, T. M. Handel, E. C. Butcher, and J. Cichy Staphylococcus aureus-Derived Staphopain B, a Potent Cysteine Protease Activator of Plasma Chemerin J. Immunol., March 15, 2007; 178(6): 3713 - 3720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Rogasch, V. Ruhmling, J. Pane-Farre, D. Hoper, C. Weinberg, S. Fuchs, M. Schmudde, B. M. Broker, C. Wolz, M. Hecker, et al. Influence of the Two-Component System SaeRS on Global Gene Expression in Two Different Staphylococcus aureus Strains. J. Bacteriol., November 1, 2006; 188(22): 7742 - 7758. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. N. Shaw, J. Aish, J. E. Davenport, M. C. Brown, J. K. Lithgow, K. Simmonite, H. Crossley, J. Travis, J. Potempa, and S. J. Foster Investigations into {sigma}B-Modulated Regulatory Pathways Governing Extracellular Virulence Determinant Production in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol., September 1, 2006; 188(17): 6070 - 6080. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
T. L. Campbell, J. Henderson, D. E. Heinrichs, and E. D. Brown The yjeQ Gene Is Required for Virulence of Staphylococcus aureus. Infect. Immun., August 1, 2006; 74(8): 4918 - 4921. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Korem, Y. Gov, M. D. Kiran, and N. Balaban Transcriptional Profiling of Target of RNAIII-Activating Protein, a Master Regulator of Staphylococcal Virulence Infect. Immun., October 1, 2005; 73(10): 6220 - 6228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Resch, R. Rosenstein, C. Nerz, and F. Gotz Differential Gene Expression Profiling of Staphylococcus aureus Cultivated under Biofilm and Planktonic Conditions Appl. Envir. Microbiol., May 1, 2005; 71(5): 2663 - 2676. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. A. Tormo, M. Marti, J. Valle, A. C. Manna, A. L. Cheung, I. Lasa, and J. R. Penades SarA Is an Essential Positive Regulator of Staphylococcus epidermidis Biofilm Development J. Bacteriol., April 1, 2005; 187(7): 2348 - 2356. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. N. Shaw, E. Golonka, G. Szmyd, S. J. Foster, J. Travis, and J. Potempa Cytoplasmic Control of Premature Activation of a Secreted Protease Zymogen: Deletion of Staphostatin B (SspC) in Staphylococcus aureus 8325-4 Yields a Profound Pleiotropic Phenotype J. Bacteriol., March 1, 2005; 187(5): 1751 - 1762. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. H. Park, S. J. Lee, S. G. Lee, W. S. Lee, and S. M. Byun Hetero- and Autoprocessing of the Extracellular Metalloprotease (Mpr) in Bacillus subtilis J. Bacteriol., October 1, 2004; 186(19): 6457 - 6464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| INT J SYST EVOL MICROBIOL | MICROBIOLOGY | J GEN VIROL |
| J MED MICROBIOL | ALL SGM JOURNALS | |
