Download MendeleyIdentification of a Molecular Latch that Regulates Staphylococcal Virulence.
Xie, Q., Zhao, A., Jeffrey, P.D., Kim, M.K., Bassler, B.L., Stone, H.A., Novick, R.P., Muir, T.W.(2019) Cell Chem Biol 26: 548-558.e4
- PubMed: 30773482
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.01.006
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
6E52, 6E95 - PubMed Abstract:
Virulence induction in the Staphylococcus aureus is under the control of a quorum sensing (QS) circuit encoded by the accessory gene regulator (agr) locus. Allelic variation within agr produces four QS specificity groups, each producing a unique secreted autoinducer peptide (AIP) and receptor histidine kinase (RHK), AgrC. Cognate AIP-AgrC interactions activate virulence through a two-component signaling cascade, whereas non-cognate pairs are generally inhibitory. Here we pinpoint a key hydrogen-bonding interaction within AgrC that acts as a switch to convert helical motions propagating from the receptor sensor domain into changes in inter-domain association within the kinase module. AgrC mutants lacking this interaction are constitutively active in vitro and in vivo, the latter leading to a pronounced attenuation of S. aureus biofilm formation. Thus, our work sheds light on the regulation of this biomedically important RHK.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Frick Chemistry Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544-0015, USA.
