Bioinformatic analysis of WxL domain proteins

The WxL domain is found on the cell surface of many bacteria, most of which are commensal gut bacteria. Its functions are generally identified as being related to virulence and/or peptidoglycan attachment, but there is so far no clear function or structure for this domain. Here, a range of bioinformatics tools were used to clarify the structure and function. These indicate that WxL domains occur in cell surface -associated gene clusters that always contain a small WxL, large WxL and DUF916 domain; and that the small and large WxL proteins have distinct structure despite sharing two conserved WxL motifs. The two WxL motifs form a hydrophobic surface buried inside the protein. The likely function of the WxL domain is to attach to bacterial peptidoglycan, forming a platform to allow associated domains in the cluster to interact with host proteins.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The WxL domain is a common feature on the cell surface of various bacteria, particularly commensal gut bacteria. Its function is not yet clear, but it is believed to be involved in virulence and/or peptidoglycan attachment. Bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the structure and function of the WxL domain, revealing its occurrence in cell surface-associated gene clusters and its role in facilitating interactions with host proteins through attachment to bacterial peptidoglycan.