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Journal of Bacteriology, January 1999, p. 501-507, Vol. 181, No. 2
Department of Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, United
Kingdom
Received 9 September 1998/Accepted 28 October 1998
A Staphylococcus aureus mutant (SPW3) apparently unable
to survive long-term starvation was shown to have a transposon
insertion within a gene homologous to ctaA of
Bacillus subtilis which encodes a heme A synthase. Analysis
of the cytochrome profiles of SPW3 revealed the absence of heme
A-containing cytochromes compared to the parental 8325-4 strain. SPW3
demonstrated a 100-fold reduction in the ability to survive starvation
induced by glucose limitation, under aerated conditions, compared to
8325-4. Analysis of starved cultures revealed that greater than 90% of
the cells which demonstrated metabolism (as shown by rhodamine 123 accumulation) were unable to recover and form colonies on agar.
Analysis of the lag phase and initial growth kinetics of those cells
which could recover also showed a defect. This recovery defect could be
partially alleviated by the inclusion of catalase in the recovery
medium, indicating the probable involvement of oxidative stress. SPW3 also exhibited reduced colony size similar to that of a small-colony variant, increased resistance to aminoglycoside antibiotics, and reduced hemolysin and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 production, but no
alteration in the ability to form lesions in a subcutaneous mouse
infection model.
0021-9193/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
CtaA of Staphylococcus aureus Is
Required for Starvation Survival, Recovery, and Cytochrome
Biosynthesis
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Firth
Court, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 114 2224411. Fax: 44 114 2728697. E-mail:
s.foster{at}sheffield.ac.uk.
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