Lif, the lysostaphin immunity factor, complements FemB in staphylococcal peptidoglycan interpeptide bridge formation.

The formation of the Staphylococcus aureus peptidoglycan pentaglycine interpeptide chain needs FemA and FemB for the incorporation of glycines Gly2-Gly3, and Gly4-Gly5, respectively. The lysostaphin immunity factor Lif was able to complement FemB, as could be shown by serine incorporation and by an increase in lysostaphin resistance in the wild-type as well as in a femB mutant. However, Lif could not substitute for FemA in femA or in femAB-null mutants. Methicillin resistance, which is dependent on functional FemA and FemB, was not complemented by Lif, suggesting that serine-substituted side chains are a lesser substrate for penicillin-binding protein PBP2' in methicillin resistance.

[1]  F. Götz,et al.  Studies on prolysostaphin processing and characterization of the lysostaphin immunity factor (Lif) of Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus , 1997, Molecular microbiology.

[2]  B. Berger-Bächi,et al.  Cell wall monoglycine cross-bridges and methicillin hypersusceptibility in a femAB null mutant of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[3]  R. Kennedy,et al.  Mode of action of a lysostaphin-like bacteriolytic agent produced by Streptococcus zooepidemicus 4881 , 1996, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[4]  O. Schneewind,et al.  Structure of the cell wall anchor of surface proteins in Staphylococcus aureus. , 1995, Science.

[5]  L. Heath,et al.  The lysostaphin endopeptidase resistance gene (epr) specifies modification of peptidoglycan cross bridges in Staphylococcus simulans and Staphylococcus aureus , 1995, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[6]  B. Berger-Bächi,et al.  Influence of femB on methicillin resistance and peptidoglycan metabolism in Staphylococcus aureus , 1993, Journal of bacteriology.

[7]  A. Tomasz,et al.  Abnormal Peptidoglycan Produced in a Methicillin-Resistant Strain of Staphylococcus aureus Grown in the Presence of Methicillin: Functional Role for Penicillin-Binding Protein 2A in Cell Wall Synthesis , 1993, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

[8]  C Thornsberry,et al.  Comparison of the E Test to agar dilution, broth microdilution, and agar diffusion susceptibility testing techniques by using a special challenge set of bacteria , 1991, Journal of clinical microbiology.

[9]  J. Strominger,et al.  Biosynthesis of the Peptidoglycan of Bacterial Cell Walls III. THE ROLE OF SOLUBLE RIBONUCLEIC ACID AND OF LIPID INTERMEDIATES IN GLYCINE INCORPORATION IN STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS , 1967 .

[10]  M. Sugai,et al.  Purification and molecular characterization of glycylglycine endopeptidase produced by Staphylococcus capitis EPK1 , 1997, Journal of bacteriology.

[11]  H. Labischinski,et al.  Staphylococcal peptidoglycan interpeptide bridge biosynthesis: a novel antistaphylococcal target? , 1996, Microbial drug resistance.

[12]  S. Unal,et al.  Cloning and characterization of femA and femB from Staphylococcus epidermidis. , 1996, Gene.

[13]  F. Götz,et al.  A promoter-screening plasmid and xylose-inducible, glucose-repressible expression vectors for Staphylococcus carnosus. , 1995, Gene.

[14]  J. Strominger,et al.  Biosynthesis of the peptidoglycan of bacterial cell walls. I. Utilization of uridine diphosphate acetylmuramyl pentapeptide and uridine diphosphate acetylglucosamine for peptidoglycan synthesis by particulate enzymes from Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus lysodeikticus. , 1966, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.