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Volume 154, Issue 3

Wall teichoic acids are dispensable for anchoring the PNAG exopolysaccharide to the cell surface Free

Abstract

Biofilm formation in is usually associated with the production of the poly--acetylglucosamine (PNAG) exopolysaccharide, synthesized by proteins encoded by the operon. PNAG is a linear -(1-6)-linked -acetylglucosaminoglycan that has to be partially deacetylated and consequently positively charged in order to be associated with bacterial cell surfaces. Here, we investigated whether attachment of PNAG to bacterial surfaces is mediated by ionic interactions with the negative charge of wall teichoic acids (WTAs), which represent the most abundant polyanions of the Gram-positive bacterial envelope. We generated WTA-deficient mutants by in-frame deletion of the gene in two genetically unrelated strains. The Δ mutants were more sensitive to high temperatures, showed a higher degree of cell aggregation, had reduced initial adherence to abiotic surfaces and had a reduced capacity to form biofilms under both steady-state and flow conditions. However, the levels as well as the strength of the PNAG interaction with the bacterial cell surface were similar between Δ mutants and their corresponding wild-type strains. Furthermore, double Δ Δ mutants displayed a similar aggregative phenotype to that of single Δ mutants, indicating that PNAG is not responsible for the aggregative behaviour observed in Δ mutants. Overall, the absence of WTAs in had little effect on PNAG production or anchoring to the cell surface, but did affect the biofilm-forming capacity, cell aggregative behaviour and the temperature sensitivity/stability of .

  • Received:
  • Accepted:
  • Revised:
  • Published Online:
Keyword(s): LTA, lipoteichoic acid , PIA, polysaccharide intercellular adhesin , PNAG, poly-N-acetylglucosamine , TA, teichoic acid and WTA, wall teichoic acid
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2008-03-01
2024-04-19
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Wall teichoic acids are dispensable for anchoring the PNAG exopolysaccharide to the Staphylococcus aureus cell surface
Microbiology 154, 865 (2008); https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.2007/013292-0
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.2007/013292-0
/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.2007/013292-0
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