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Expression of the MtsA lipoprotein of Streptococcus agalactiae A909 is regulated by manganese and iron

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Abstract

Metal ion acquisition and homeostasis are essential for bacterial survival, growth and physiology. A family of metal ion, ABC-type import systems have been identified in Gram-positive bacteria, in which the solute-binding proteins are predicted to be membrane-anchored lipoproteins. The prediction that the MtsA protein of Streptococcus agalactiae A909 is a lipoprotein was confirmed. The expression of MtsA was co-ordinately regulated by the presence of both manganese and ferrous ions suggesting that MtsA may be involved in the uptake of both these ions. MtsA was shown to be expressed at levels of ferrous ions known to be present in amniotic fluid, a growth medium for S. agalactiae during neonatal infection.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Jamie Leigh (Institute for Animal Health, Berkshire, UK) for the anti-MtuA antiserum and Thelma Howley (University of Bradford) for preliminary experiments. Globomycin was generously supplied by Masatoshi Inukai (Sankyo Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan).

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  1. Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP, UK

    Beverley A. Bray & Dean J. Harrington

  2. Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK

    Iain C. Sutcliffe

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  1. Beverley A. Bray
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Correspondence to Dean J. Harrington.

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Bray, B.A., Sutcliffe, I.C. & Harrington, D.J. Expression of the MtsA lipoprotein of Streptococcus agalactiae A909 is regulated by manganese and iron. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 95, 101–109 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10482-008-9291-6

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