Post-translational Modification of Proteins in the Mollicutes
Steven P. Djordjevic and Jessica L. Tacchi
from: Mollicutes: Molecular Biology and Pathogenesis (Edited by: Glenn F. Browning and Christine Citti). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2014)
Abstract
The mycoplasmas are a genome-reduced, highly diverse group of bacteria. Although proteins constitute a significant proportion of mycoplasma membranes, genome sequence analyses reveal the presence of only a rudimentary general secretory pathway. Consequently, it is unclear how a wide array of proteins, including adherence and other virulence proteins, ABC transport proteins and key proteolytic enzymes, are translocated across their single bi-lipid membrane. Many species are host-specific and rely heavily on their hosts for the supply of essential metabolites. Nonetheless, different species employ remarkably diverse strategies to successfully colonise their respective hosts. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of proteins profoundly influence the structure, and consequently the functions, of proteins and play fundamental roles in cellular physiology. PTMs are an integral component of the protein secretion apparatus and influence where proteins localise in cellular compartments and how they form functional complexes via interactions with other proteins. To date, post-translational modifications to mycoplasma proteins have been described in molecules that play key roles in host colonisation, metabolism and immune evasion read more ...
