Disease relevance of wapA

• The nucleotide sequence has been determined for the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A (wapA) gene from serotype c strains Ingbritt and GS5 [1].

High impact information on wapA

• The nucleotide sequence for each wapA gene was virtually identical, although the gene from strain GS5 contained a 24 base pair deletion [1].
• Inactivation of the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A gene (wapA) results in a decrease in sucrose-dependent adherence and aggregation [2].
• Directed mutagenesis of the wapA gene by plasmid insertion through homologous recombination was demonstrated by Southern blot hybridization with the wapA and pVA891 probes [2].
• Real-time RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that sucrose strongly repressed wapA gene expression in both planktonic and biofilm cells [3].
• Previously, in our laboratory, an S. mutans genomic library was prepared, and the wapA gene was cloned into the shuttle vector, pSA4/4B2 [4].

Biological context of wapA

• A 0.8-kb HindIII-BamHI internal fragment of the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A gene (wapA) was ligated to the 5.1-kb HindIII-BamHI fragment of the chimeric Streptococcus-Escherichia coli plasmid pVA891 (Emr Cmr) [2].
• The PCR and colony hybridisation procedures were based on amplification and detection of two genes: the wapA gene which encodes a surface protein found in all S. mutans strains and the gtfA gene which lies within the msm operon [5].

Associations of wapA with chemical compounds

• Stable mutants were obtained, and the alteration of the wapA gene by insertional inactivation was associated with a significant decrease in S. mutans sucrose-dependent aggregation and binding to smooth surfaces [2].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of wapA

• In order to answer questions regarding the optimization of solubility and expression based on gene size or the hydrophobicity of the protein product, 12 truncated constructs of the wapA gene were prepared using PCR [4].

References