Schlüter Susanne, Franz Charles M A P, Gesellchen Frank, Bertinetti Oliver, Herberg Friedrich W, Schmidt Friedrich R J
Department of Microbiology, University of Kassel, Heinrich-Plett-Strasse 40, 34132, Kassel, Germany.
Curr Microbiol. 2009 Aug;59(2):206-11. doi: 10.1007/s00284-009-9422-y. Epub 2009 May 21.
An Enterococcus faecalis mutant strain with a reduced ability for biofilm formation and primary attachment when compared to the high biofilm-forming wild-type strain was characterized by molecular biological and proteomic approaches. A point mutation in the srt-1 gene, which encodes a sortase-type enzyme and is part of the recently described bee (biofilm enhancer in Enterococcus) gene cluster, could be identified in the mutant strain. The Srt-1 deficiency resulted in a loss of the Bee-2 protein within a high molecular weight complex in cell surface protein extracts, as determined by mass spectrometry. These findings strongly suggest a specific linkage of Bee-2 to Bee-1 and Bee-3 within a complex by Srt-1. Furthermore, the identification of specific pilin motifs conserved in surface proteins of gram-positive bacteria indicated a possible involvement of the bee genes in the formation of pili structures, and may thus play a role in enhancing biofilm formation in Enterococcus faecalis.
