The pgdA gene encodes for a peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Abstract

Analytical work on the fractionation of the glycan strands of Streptococcus pneumoniae cell wall has led to the observation that an unusually high proportion of hexosamine units (over 80% of the glucosamine and 10% of the muramic acid residues) was not N-acetylated, explaining the resistance of the peptidoglycan to the hydrolytic action of lysozyme, a muramidase that cleaves in the glycan backbone. A gene, pgdA, was identified as encoding for the peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase A with amino acid sequence similarity to fungal chitin deacetylases and rhizobial NodB chitooligosaccharide deacetylases. Pneumococci in which pgdA was inactivated by insertion duplication mutagenesis produced fully N-acetylated glycan and became hypersensitive to exogenous lysozyme in the stationary phase of growth. The pgdA gene may contribute to pneumococcal virulence by providing protection against host lysozyme, which is known to accumulate in high concentrations at infection sites.

• Authors: W Vollmer, A Tomasz
• Journal: The Journal of biological chemistry (J Biol Chem) Vol. 275 Issue 27 Pg. 20496-501 (Jul 07 2000) ISSN: 0021-9258 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10781617 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Bacterial Proteins
• Peptidoglycan
• Hydrolases
• Muramidase
• Amidohydrolases
• pgdA protein, Streptococcus pneumoniae
• chitin deacetylase
• Acetylglucosamine

Topics

• Acetylation
• Acetylglucosamine (metabolism)
• Amidohydrolases (chemistry, genetics, metabolism)
• Amino Acid Sequence
• Bacterial Proteins (chemistry, genetics)
• Cloning, Molecular
• Genes, Bacterial
• Hydrolases (chemistry, genetics)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Muramidase (metabolism)
• Mutation
• Peptidoglycan (metabolism)
• Sequence Alignment
• Streptococcus pneumoniae (enzymology, pathogenicity)
• Virulence (genetics)