SpoIVA and SipL are Clostridium difficile spore morphogenetic proteins

J Bacteriol. 2013 Mar;195(6):1214-25. doi: 10.1128/JB.02181-12. Epub 2013 Jan 4.

Abstract

Clostridium difficile is a major nosocomial pathogen whose infections are difficult to treat because of their frequent recurrence. The spores of C. difficile are responsible for these clinical features, as they resist common disinfectants and antibiotic treatment. Although spores are the major transmissive form of C. difficile, little is known about their composition or morphogenesis. Spore morphogenesis has been well characterized for Bacillus sp., but Bacillus sp. spore coat proteins are poorly conserved in Clostridium sp. Of the known spore morphogenetic proteins in Bacillus subtilis, SpoIVA is one of the mostly highly conserved in the Bacilli and the Clostridia. Using genetic analyses, we demonstrate that SpoIVA is required for proper spore morphogenesis in C. difficile. In particular, a spoIVA mutant exhibits defects in spore coat localization but not cortex formation. Our study also identifies SipL, a previously uncharacterized protein found in proteomic studies of C. difficile spores, as another critical spore morphogenetic protein, since a sipL mutant phenocopies a spoIVA mutant. Biochemical analyses and mutational analyses indicate that SpoIVA and SipL directly interact. This interaction depends on the Walker A ATP binding motif of SpoIVA and the LysM domain of SipL. Collectively, these results provide the first insights into spore morphogenesis in C. difficile.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Bacillus subtilis / metabolism
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Clostridioides difficile / genetics
  • Clostridioides difficile / physiology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Proteomics
  • Spores, Bacterial / genetics
  • Spores, Bacterial / growth & development

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • spore-specific proteins, Bacillus