Molecular Basis for the Attachment of S-Layer Proteins to the Cell Wall of Bacillus anthracis

Bacterial surface (S) layers are paracrystalline arrays of protein assembled on the bacterial cell wall that serve as protective barriers and scaffolds for housekeeping enzymes and virulence factors. The attachment of S-layer proteins to the cell walls of the Bacillus cereus sensu lato, which includes the pathogen Bacillus anthracis, occurs through noncovalent interactions between their S-layer homology domains and secondary cell wall polysaccharides. To promote these interactions, it is presumed that the terminal N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) residues of the secondary cell wall polysaccharides must be ketal-pyruvylated. For a few specific S-layer proteins, the O-acetylation of the penultimate N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) is also required. Herein, we present the X-ray crystal structure of the SLH domain of the major surface array protein Sap from B. anthracis in complex with 4,6- O-ketal-pyruvyl-β-ManNAc-(1,4)-β-GlcNAc-(1,6)-α-GlcN. This structure reveals for the first time that the conserved terminal SCWP unit is the direct ligand for the SLH domain. Furthermore, we identify key binding interactions that account for the requirement of 4,6- O-ketal-pyruvyl-ManNAc while revealing the insignificance of the O-acetylation on the GlcNAc residue for recognition by Sap.