Cleavage of OmpX by protealysin can regulate Serratia proteamaculans invasion

AbstractProtealysin is a thermolysin ‐like protease ofSerratia proteamaculans capable of specifically cleaving actin, which correlates with the invasive activity of these bacteria. Here, we show that inactivation of the protealysin gene does not inhibit invasion but, in contrast, leads to a twofold increase in theS. proteamaculans invasive activity. By mass spectrometry, we identified the outer membrane protein OmpX as a substrate of protealysin. RecombinantE. coli carrying the OmpX gene truncated by 40 N ‐terminal residues or both the OmpX and protealysin genes, in contrast to the full‐length OmpX, do not increase adhesion of these bacteria, indicating that the 40 N‐terminal residues of OmpX are indispensable forS. proteamaculans invasion. Our results show that both protealysin and its substrates can stimulateSerratia invasion.

Source: FEBS Letters - August 3, 2020 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Olga Tsaplina, Ilya Demidyuk, Tatiana Artamonova, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Sofia Khaitlina Tags: RESEARCH ARTICLE Source Type: research