In vivo processing of Staphylococcus aureus lipase.

The Staphylococcus aureus lipase gene encodes a 76-kDa protein. Extracellular lipase purified from culture supernatants is only 45 to 46 kDa, however. We show that the lipase is secreted in vivo as an 82-kDa protein with full enzymatic activity. It is then sequentially processed, both in culture and in cell-free supernatants, to a mature, 45- to 46-kDa protein. Protein sequencing demonstrates that the N-terminal region of the 82-kDa prolipase, comprising 295 amino acids, is cleaved from the central and C-terminal moieties, which contain the active site. A metallocysteine protease is probably responsible for initiating this processing. The extremely hydrophobic, mature lipase is resistant to further protease degradation and retains the full catalytic activity of the prolipase.