This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lis, M. Articles by Kuramitsu, H. K. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lis, M. Articles by Kuramitsu, H. K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, April 2003, p. 1938-1943, Vol. 71, No. 4
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.4.1938-1943.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Stress-Responsive dgk Gene from Streptococcus mutans Encodes a Putative Undecaprenol Kinase Activity

Maciej Lis and Howard K. Kuramitsu^*

Department of Oral Biology, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14214

Received 18 June 2002/ Returned for modification 3 September 2002/ Accepted 7 January 2003

We analyzed a previously constructed stress-sensitive Streptococcus mutans mutant Tn-1 strain resulting from disruption by transposon Tn916 of a gene encoding a protein exhibiting amino acid sequence similarity to the Escherichia coli diacylglycerol kinase. It was confirmed that the mutation led to significantly reduced lipid kinase activity, while expression of the intact gene on a plasmid restored both kinase activity and the wild-type phenotype. Further analysis revealed that the product of the dgk gene in S. mutans predominantly recognizes a lipid substrate other than diacylglycerol, most likely undecaprenol, as demonstrated by its efficient phosphorylation and the resistance of the product of the reaction to saponification. The physiological role of the product of the dgk gene as a putative undecaprenol kinase was further supported by a significantly higher sensitivity of the mutant to bacitracin compared with that of the parental strain.

Editor: V. J. DiRita

Present address: Department of Biochemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14214.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Jerga, A., Lu, Y.-J., Schujman, G. E., de Mendoza, D., Rock, C. O. (2007). Identification of a Soluble Diacylglycerol Kinase Required for Lipoteichoic Acid Production in Bacillus subtilis. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 21738-21745 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Manson, J. M., Keis, S., Smith, J. M. B., Cook, G. M. (2004). Acquired Bacitracin Resistance in Enterococcus faecalis Is Mediated by an ABC Transporter and a Novel Regulatory Protein, BcrR. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 48: 3743-3748 [Abstract] [Full Text]