Atomic force microscopy reveals a dual collagen-binding activity for the staphylococcal surface protein SdrF

Staphylococcus epidermidis causes nosocomial infections by colonizing and forming biofilms on indwelling medical devices. This process involves specific interactions between cell wall-anchored (CWA) proteins and host proteins adsorbed onto the biomaterial. Here, we have explored the molecular forces by which the S. epidermidis CWA protein serine-aspartate repeat protein F (SdrF) binds to type I collagen, by means of advanced atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Using single-cell force spectroscopy, we found that SdrF mediates bacterial adhesion to collagen-coated substrates through both weak and strong bonds. Single-molecule force spectroscopy demonstrated that these bonds involve the A and B regions of SdrF, thus revealing that the protein is capable of dual ligand-binding activity. Both weak and strong bonds showed high dissociation rates, indicating they are much less stable than those formed by the well-characterized 'dock, lock and latch' mechanism. Collectively, our results show that CWA proteins can bind to ligands by novel mechanisms. We anticipate that AFM will greatly contribute to the identification of novel binding partners and binding mechanisms in staphylococcal CWA proteins.