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Journal of Bacteriology, September 1998, p. 4814-4820, Vol. 180, No. 18
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Deletion of the Alternative Sigma Factor sigma B in Staphylococcus aureus Reveals Its Function as a Global Regulator of Virulence Genes

Ines Kullik,* Philipp Giachino, and Thomas Fuchs

Institute for Medical Microbiology, University of Zürich, 8028 Zürich, Switzerland

Received 24 April 1998/Accepted 20 July 1998

A deletion of the sigB operon was constructed in three genetically distinct Staphylococcus aureus strains, and the phenotypes of the resulting mutants were analyzed. Compared to the corresponding wild-type strains, the Delta sigB mutants showed reduced pigmentation, accelerated sedimentation, and increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide during the stationary growth phase. A cytoplasmic protein missing in the Delta sigB mutants was identified as alkaline shock protein 23, and an extracellular protein excreted at higher levels in one of the Delta sigB mutants was identified as staphylococcal thermonuclease. Interestingly, most sigB deletion phenotypes were only seen in S. aureus COL and Newman and not in 8325, which was found to contain an 11-bp deletion in the regulator gene rsbU. Taken together, our results show that sigma B is a global regulator which modulates the expression of several virulence factors in S. aureus and that laboratory strain 8325 is a sigma B-defective mutant.

* Corresponding author. Present address: Pharmacia & Upjohn AG, Lagerstr. 14, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland. Phone: 41-1-802 81 65. Fax: 41-1-802 81 49. E-mail address: ines.kullik-stax{at}eu.pnu.com.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 1998, p. 4814-4820, Vol. 180, No. 18
0021-9193/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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