ArticlePLoS pathogens2011
The Clostridium difficile cell wall protein CwpV is antigenically variable between strains, but exhibits conserved aggregation-promoting function.
Article in PLoS pathogens, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers.
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Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 98 citations in OpenAlex.
- From colonization to infection: Genomic evolution of Clostridioides difficile pathogenesis.Cell reports · 2026Review
- Pleiotropic roles of the MATE transporter CD20030 inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Phase variation of Clostridioides difficile colony morphology occurs via modulation of cell division.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Structural determinants of SlpA-mediated phage recognition in Clostridioides difficile.PLoS pathogens · 2025Article
- Flagellar switch inverted repeats impact heterogeneity in flagellar gene expression and thus C. difficile RT027/MLST1 virulence.Cell reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Revealing roles of S-layer protein (SlpA) inMicrobiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Environmental and Nutritional Parameters Modulating Genetic Expression for Virulence Factors ofAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Comparative genome analyses of clinical and non-clinicalFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Article
- Pathogenicity and virulence ofVirulence · 2023Review
- The RgaS-RgaR two-component system promotes Clostridioides difficile sporulation through a small RNA and the Agr1 system.PLoS genetics · 2023Article
- The RgaS-RgaR two-component system promotesbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023Article
- A network of small RNAs regulates sporulation initiation in Clostridioides difficile.The EMBO journal · 2023Article
- Host Immune Responses to Surface S-Layer Proteins (SLPs) ofMicroorganisms · 2023Review
- Review
- Identification of a Bile Acid-Binding Transcription Factor inACS chemical biology · 2022Article
- TheMicrobiology spectrum · 2022Article
- Clostridioides difficile phage biology and application.FEMS microbiology reviews · 2021Review
- Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Clostridium difficile is the main cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, leading to significant morbidity and mortality and putting considerable economic pressure on healthcare systems. Current knowledge of the molecular basis of pathogenesis is limited primarily to the activities and regulation of two major toxins. In contrast, little is known of mechanisms used in colonization of the enteric system. C. difficile expresses a proteinaceous array on its cell surface known as the S-layer, consisting primarily of the major S-layer protein SlpA and a family of SlpA homologues, the cell wall protein (CWP) family. CwpV is the largest member of this family and is expressed in a phase variable manner. Here we show CwpV promotes C. difficile aggregation, mediated by the C-terminal repetitive domain. This domain varies markedly between strains; five distinct repeat types were identified and were shown to be antigenically distinct. Other aspects of CwpV are, however, conserved. All CwpV types are expressed in a phase variable manner. Using targeted gene knock-out, we show that a single site-specific recombinase RecV is required for CwpV phase variation. CwpV is post-translationally cleaved at a conserved site leading to formation of a complex of cleavage products. The highly conserved N-terminus anchors the CwpV complex to the cell surface. Therefore CwpV function, regulation and processing are highly conserved across C. difficile strains, whilst the functional domain exists in at least five antigenically distinct forms. This hints at a complex evolutionary history for CwpV.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.