Peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase, a putative virulence factor in Streptococcus pneumoniae. 2002

Waldemar Vollmer, and Alexander Tomasz
Laboratory of Microbiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York 10021, USA.

Many glucosamine residues of the pneumococcal peptidoglycan (PG) are not acetylated, which makes the PG resistant to lysozyme. A capsular type III mutant with an inactivated pgdA gene (encoding the peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase A) became hypersensitive to exogenous lysozyme and showed reduced virulence in the intraperitoneal mouse model.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009113 Muramidase A basic enzyme that is present in saliva, tears, egg white, and many animal fluids. It functions as an antibacterial agent. The enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of 1,4-beta-linkages between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in peptidoglycan and between N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in chitodextrin. EC 3.2.1.17. Lysozyme,Leftose,N-Acetylmuramide Glycanhydrolase,Glycanhydrolase, N-Acetylmuramide,N Acetylmuramide Glycanhydrolase
D009154 Mutation Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material that causes a change in the GENOTYPE and which is transmitted to daughter cells and to succeeding generations. Mutations
D011008 Pneumococcal Infections Infections with bacteria of the species STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE. Streptococcus pneumoniae Infections,Infections, Pneumococcal,Infections, Streptococcus pneumoniae,Pneumococcal Diseases,Disease, Pneumococcal,Diseases, Pneumococcal,Infection, Pneumococcal,Infection, Streptococcus pneumoniae,Pneumococcal Disease,Pneumococcal Infection,Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection
D004195 Disease Models, Animal Naturally-occurring or experimentally-induced animal diseases with pathological processes analogous to human diseases. Animal Disease Model,Animal Disease Models,Disease Model, Animal
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000581 Amidohydrolases Any member of the class of enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of amide bonds and result in the addition of water to the resulting molecules. Amidases,Amidohydrolase
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001426 Bacterial Proteins Proteins found in any species of bacterium. Bacterial Gene Products,Bacterial Gene Proteins,Gene Products, Bacterial,Bacterial Gene Product,Bacterial Gene Protein,Bacterial Protein,Gene Product, Bacterial,Gene Protein, Bacterial,Gene Proteins, Bacterial,Protein, Bacterial,Proteins, Bacterial
D013296 Streptococcus pneumoniae A gram-positive organism found in the upper respiratory tract, inflammatory exudates, and various body fluids of normal and/or diseased humans and, rarely, domestic animals. Diplococcus pneumoniae,Pneumococcus
D014774 Virulence The degree of pathogenicity within a group or species of microorganisms or viruses as indicated by case fatality rates and/or the ability of the organism to invade the tissues of the host. The pathogenic capacity of an organism is determined by its VIRULENCE FACTORS. Pathogenicity

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