Evidence for a modular structure of the homologous repetitive C-terminal carbohydrate-binding sites of Clostridium difficile toxins and Streptococcus mutans glucosyltransferases.

The homologous C-terminal repeats of Clostridium difficile toxins (ToxA and ToxB) and streptococcal glucosyltransferases appear to mediate protein-carbohydrate interactions at cellular binding sites with sugar moieties as substrates. A consensus sequence of 134 repeating units from gram-positive bacteria indicates that these repeats have a modular design with (i) a stretch of aromatic amino acids proposed to be involved in the primary carbohydrate-protein interaction, (ii) an amplification of this interaction by repetition of the respective sequences, and (iii) a second domain, not characterized, that is responsible for carbohydrate specificity.