Essential Two-component Systems of Gram-positive Bacteria
Hendrik Szurmant
from: Two-Component Systems in Bacteria (Edited by: Roy Gross and Dagmar Beier). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2012)
Abstract
The YycF/YycG two-component signal transduction system has become an enigma since its initial discovery as the only signal transduction system essential for viability in Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Conserved across the low G+C Gram-positives, over a decade worth of dedicated molecular investigations have identified some of the factors that control the YycG kinase activity and the genes that are regulated by the YycF transcription factor. A picture has emerged where the YycFG system is embedded in the physiology of the cell and serves to coordinate essential physiological processes such as cell wall homeostasis and cell division. Several regulatory connections with other signaling systems have been recognized. The YycFG system has surfaced as an important player in the acquisition of antibiotic resistances in clinical isolates of significant human pathogens and has become the target of dedicated antimicrobial drug screening efforts. This chapter summarizes the current state of knowledge on this and other essential two-component signaling systems in Gram-positive bacteria read more ...
