Abstract: A collagen-binding MSCRAMM entitled Ace from enterococcal bacteria is provided which was homologous to the ligand-binding region of Cna, the collagen-binding MSCRAMM from Staphylococcus aureus, and which can be utilized to inhibit adhesion of enterococcal bacteria to extracellular matrix proteins. The N-terminal region of Ace contained a region (residues 174-319), or A domain, contains several 47-residue tandem repeat units between the collagen-binding site and cell wall-associated regions. The Ace protein can be utilized in methods of preventing and/or treating enterococcal infection, and in addition, antibodies raised against Ace, or its A domain, can be used to effectively inhibit the adhesion of enterococcal cells to a collagen substrate.

Abstract: A collagen-binding MSCRAMM entitled Ace from enterococcal bacteria is provided which was homologous to the ligand-binding region of Cna, the collagen-binding MSCRAMM from Staphylococcus aureus, and which can be utilized in a similar manner as other collagen-binding MSCRAMMs to inhibit adhesion of enterococcal bacteria to extracellular matrix proteins. The N-terminal region of Ace contained a region (residues 174-319), or A domain, which appears to be equivalent to the minimal ligand-binding region of the collagen-binding protein Cna (Cna 151-318), and contains several 47-residue tandem repeat units, called B domain repeat units, between the collagen-binding site and cell wall-associated regions. The Ace protein of the invention can thus be utilized in methods of preventing and/or treating enterococcal infection, and in addition, antibodies raised against Ace, or its A domain, can be used to effectively inhibit the adhesion of enterococcal cells to a collagen substrate.