Role of prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) and lipoprotein-specific signal peptidase II (LspA) in localization and physiological function of lipoprotein MsmE in Streptococcus mutans.

Introduction: To clarify the role that prolipoprotein diacylglyceryl transferase (Lgt) and lipoprotein-specific signal peptidase II (LspA) play in the physiological function of MsmE, we constructed lgt-deficient and lspA-deficient mutants of Streptococcus mutans 109c and examined the potential role of Lgt and LspA in membrane anchoring and growth in a melibiose medium of S. mutans.

Methods: The lgt-, lspA-, and msmE-deficient mutants of S. mutans 109c were constructed by double-crossover recombination of their respective genes. Localization of MsmE was demonstrated by Western blot analysis with an MsmE antiserum. The growth of S. mutans cells was examined in a Trypton medium containing melibiose or glucose.

Results: In the S. mutans lgt mutant, localization of the surface lipoprotein MsmE changed with the culture supernatant. The growth of the S. mutans lgt and lspA mutants was remarkably reduced in the melibiose medium; however, growth was recovered in the strains complemented with the lgt or the lspA gene. Therefore, lipid-modification by Lgt and subsequent signal peptide cleavage by LspA were crucial for membrane anchoring and the physiological function of MsmE in S. mutans.

Conclusion: These results demonstrate that MsmE is required for melibiose metabolism in S. mutans and that modification by Lgt and LspA are important processes for the physiological function of MsmE.