The Staphylococcus aureus Methicillin Resistance Factor FmtA Is a d-Amino Esterase That Acts on Teichoic Acids.

Unlabelled: The methicillin resistance factor encoded by fmtA is a core member of the Staphylococcus aureus cell wall stimulon, but its function has remained elusive for the past two decades. First identified as a factor that affects methicillin resistance in S. aureus strains, FmtA was later shown to interact with teichoic acids and to localize to the cell division septum.

Staphylococcus aureus methicillin-resistance factor fmtA is regulated by the global regulator SarA.

fmtA encodes a low-affinity penicillin binding protein in Staphylococcus aureus. It is part of the core cell wall stimulon and is involved in methicillin resistance in S. aureus.

Delay in virus accumulation and low virus transmission from transgenic rice plants expressing Rice tungro spherical virus RNA.

Rice tungro, a devastating viral disease of rice in South and Southeast Asia, is caused by the joint infection of a DNA virus, Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) and an RNA virus Rice tungro spherical virus (RTSV). RTBV and RTSV are transmitted exclusively by the insect vector Green leafhopper (GLH). RTSV is necessary for the transmission of RTBV.

Roles of DNA sequence and sigma A factor in transcription of the vraSR operon.

Cell wall damage in Staphylococcus aureus induces a rapid genome-wide response, referred to as the cell wall stress stimulon. This response is mediated by a two-component system, the vancomycin resistance-associated sensor/regulator (VraSR). The response regulator protein VraR is a transcription factor.

Hydrolytic mechanism of OXA-58 enzyme, a carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamase from Acinetobacter baumannii.

Carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamases (CHDLs) represent an emerging antibiotic resistance mechanism encountered among the most opportunistic Gram-negative bacterial pathogens. We report here the substrate kinetics and mechanistic characterization of a prominent CHDL, the OXA-58 enzyme, from Acinetobacter baumannii. OXA-58 uses a carbamylated lysine to activate the nucleophilic serine used for β-lactam hydrolysis.

Virus-induced gene silencing in rice using a vector derived from a DNA virus.

Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) is a method of rapid and transient gene silencing in plants using viral vectors. A VIGS vector for gene silencing in rice has been developed from Rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV), a rice-infecting virus containing DNA as the genetic material. A full-length RTBV DNA cloned as a partial dimer in a binary plasmid accumulated in rice plants when inoculated through Agrobacterium (agroinoculation) within 2 weeks and produced detectable levels of RTBV coat protein.

PHOTOSYNTHETIC INORGANIC CARBON ACQUISITION IN AN ACID-TOLERANT, FREE-LIVING SPECIES OF COCCOMYXA (CHLOROPHYTA)(1).

The processes of CO2 acquisition were characterized for the acid-tolerant, free-living chlorophyte alga, CPCC 508. rDNA data indicate an affiliation to the genus Coccomyxa, but distinct from other known members of the genus. The alga grows over a wide range of pH from 3.

DNA-binding activity of the vancomycin resistance associated regulator protein VraR and the role of phosphorylation in transcriptional regulation of the vraSR operon.

In Staphylococcus aureus the VraSR two-component system acts as a sentinel that can rapidly sense cell wall peptidoglycan damage and coordinate a response to enhance the resistance phenotype. VraR is a transcription factor and its cognate kinase, VraS, modulates the DNA-binding activity of VraR by regulating its phosphorylation state and hence its dimerization state. Here we provide the first report on the VraR transcriptional activity by investigating the interaction with the vraSR operon control region.