Open AccessLipid modification of prelipoproteins is dispensable for growth in vitro but essential for virulence in Streptococcus pneumoniae
Author(s) -
Petit Chantal M.,
Brown James R.,
Ingraham Karen,
Bryant Alex P.,
Holmes David J.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2001.tb10720.x
Subject(s) - microbiology and biotechnology , biology , virulence , streptococcus pneumoniae , bacteria , bacillus subtilis , escherichia coli , lipid a , mutant , strain (injury) , in vitro , enterobacteriaceae , biochemistry , gene , genetics , antibiotics , anatomy
A Δ lgt (Lgt, lipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase) isogenic mutant was obtained which indicates that lgt is not essential for cell growth in vitro, like in the Gram‐positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis , but unlike in the proteobacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium . The mutation was transduced to a virulent strain. A 5 log attenuation was observed in a respiratory tract model of infection. Metabolic labeling by [U‐ 14 C]palmitate revealed the presence of eight to ten lipoproteins in the wild‐type strain only, with molecular masses between 15 and 80 kDa. Our findings suggest a major difference in the role of lipoproteins in Gram‐positive bacteria versus the proteobacteria.