Published in:Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1128/aem.01439-19
ISSN:
0099-2240;
1098-5336
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:p>
Few studies pertaining to proteases in ruminant mycoplasmas have been reported. Here, we focus on proteases that are secreted outside the mycoplasma cell using a mass spectrometry approach. The most striking result is the identification, within the
<jats:named-content content-type="genus-species">Mycoplasma mycoides</jats:named-content>
cluster, of a serine protease that is exclusively detected outside the mycoplasma cells and is responsible for casein digestion. This protease may also be involved in the posttranslational processing of surface proteins, as suggested by analysis of mutants showing a marked reduction in the secretion of extracellular proteins. By analogy, this finding may help increase understanding of the mechanisms underlying this ectodomain shedding in other mycoplasma species. The gene encoding this protease is likely to have been acquired via horizontal gene transfer from Gram-positive bacteria and sortase-associated surface proteases. Whether this protease and the associated ectodomain shedding are related to virulence has yet to be ascertained.
</jats:p>