| Type: | Family | Name: | Streptothricin acetyltransferase |
| Description: | A small number of bacterial pathogens are implicated in urinary tract infections (UTIs), amongst the most frequent infections in the developedworld. The commonest bacterium isolated from UTI is Escherichia coli, with streptococcal and staphylococcal species coming a close second []. Virulent microbes that colonise the human urinary tract usually possess sets of virulence factors specific to the host environment []. The most common are adhesins, molecules that allow an infection to become established; well-characterised E. coli type I pili are a good example.Aside from adhesins, other UTI-specific virulence moieties include: toxins, such as Cnf1 and haemolysin, and host biocides that act against othermicrobes competing for the same niche []. Streptothricin, an antibiotic synthesised and secreted by some Gram-negative pathogens, is an example of the latter []; the antibiotic also has a toxic effect on host cells. The biocide is synthesised in a five-step process in the bacterial cytoplasm, and secreted to the cell exterior via the general secretory pathway [].The last step in the synthesis process is the acetyl co-enzyme A-dependent acetylation of the streptothricin molecule to the mature antibiotic. This is catalysed by the streptothricin acetyltransferase protein, located adjacent to the inner face of the cytoplasmic membrane []. Homologues of the original gene found in Streptomyces spp. have been found in Bacillus subtilisand Staphylococcus spp., as well as E. coli []. More recently, the streptothricin biosynthesis enzymes were shown to be related to those that carry out non-ribosomal peptide bond formation. | Short Name: | Streptothricin_AcTrfase |
