This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brunskill, E. W.
Right arrow Articles by Bayles, K. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brunskill, E. W.
Right arrow Articles by Bayles, K. W.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J. Bacteriol., 02 1996, 611-618, Vol 178, No. 3
Copyright © 1996, American Society for Microbiology

Identification and molecular characterization of a putative regulatory locus that affects autolysis in Staphylococcus aureus

EW Brunskill and KW Bayles
Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County 21228, USA.

Previously in our laboratory, a PCR-based strategy was used to isolate potential sensor gene fragments from the Staphyloccus aureus genome. One DNA fragment was isolated that shared strong sequence similarity to genes encoding bacterial sensor proteins, indicating that it originated from within a potential staphylococcal sensor protein gene. In this study, the DNA surrounding the PCR product origin was cloned and sequenced. This analysis revealed the presence of two genes, termed lytS and lytR, whose deduced amino acid sequences were similar to those of members of the two-component regulatory system family of proteins. S. aureus cells containing an insertional disruption of lytS exhibited a marked propensity to form aggregates in liquid culture, suggesting that alterations in cell surface components exist in this strain. Transmission electron microscopic examination of these cells revealed that the cell surface was rough and diffuse and that a large proportion of the cell population had lysed. The lytS mutant also exhibited increased autolysis and an altered level of murein hydrolase activity produced compared with the parental strain, NCTC 8325-4. These data suggest that the lytS and lytR gene products control the rate of autolysis in S. aureus by affecting the intrinsic murein hydrolase activity associated with the cell.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Santi, I., Grifantini, R., Jiang, S.-M., Brettoni, C., Grandi, G., Wessels, M. R., Soriani, M. (2009). CsrRS Regulates Group B Streptococcus Virulence Gene Expression in Response to Environmental pH: a New Perspective on Vaccine Development. J. Bacteriol. 191: 5387-5397 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sharma-Kuinkel, B. K., Mann, E. E., Ahn, J.-S., Kuechenmeister, L. J., Dunman, P. M., Bayles, K. W. (2009). The Staphylococcus aureus LytSR Two-Component Regulatory System Affects Biofilm Formation. J. Bacteriol. 191: 4767-4775 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Shang, F., Xue, T., Sun, H., Xing, L., Zhang, S., Yang, Z., Zhang, L., Sun, B. (2009). The Staphylococcus aureus GGDEF Domain-Containing Protein, GdpS, Influences Protein A Gene Expression in a Cyclic Diguanylic Acid-Independent Manner. Infect. Immun. 77: 2849-2856 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Donat, S., Streker, K., Schirmeister, T., Rakette, S., Stehle, T., Liebeke, M., Lalk, M., Ohlsen, K. (2009). Transcriptome and Functional Analysis of the Eukaryotic-Type Serine/Threonine Kinase PknB in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 191: 4056-4069 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rosenstein, R., Nerz, C., Biswas, L., Resch, A., Raddatz, G., Schuster, S. C., Gotz, F. (2009). Genome Analysis of the Meat Starter Culture Bacterium Staphylococcus carnosus TM300. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 811-822 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Bayles, K. W. (2008). Molecular Control of Bacterial Death and Lysis. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 72: 85-109 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Antignac, A., Sieradzki, K., Tomasz, A. (2007). Perturbation of Cell Wall Synthesis Suppresses Autolysis in Staphylococcus aureus: Evidence for Coregulation of Cell Wall Synthetic and Hydrolytic Enzymes. J. Bacteriol. 189: 7573-7580 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stapleton, M. R., Horsburgh, M. J., Hayhurst, E. J., Wright, L., Jonsson, I.-M., Tarkowski, A., Kokai-Kun, J. F., Mond, J. J., Foster, S. J. (2007). Characterization of IsaA and SceD, Two Putative Lytic Transglycosylases of Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 189: 7316-7325 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Stauff, D. L., Torres, V. J., Skaar, E. P. (2007). Signaling and DNA-binding Activities of the Staphylococcus aureus HssR-HssS Two-component System Required for Heme Sensing. J. Biol. Chem. 282: 26111-26121 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Qin, Z., Ou, Y., Yang, L., Zhu, Y., Tolker-Nielsen, T., Molin, S., Qu, D. (2007). Role of autolysin-mediated DNA release in biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis. Microbiology 153: 2083-2092 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Mann, E. E., Endres, J. L., Weiss, E. C., Cassat, J. E., Smeltzer, M. S., Bayles, K. W. (2007). The cidA murein hydrolase regulator contributes to DNA release and biofilm development in Staphylococcus aureus. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 104: 8113-8118 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Zheng, L., Yu, C., Bayles, K., Lasa, I., Ji, Y. (2007). Conditional Mutation of an Essential Putative Glycoprotease Eliminates Autolysis in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 189: 2734-2742 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Qin, Z., Yang, X., Yang, L., Jiang, J., Ou, Y., Molin, S., Qu, D. (2007). Formation and properties of in vitro biofilms of ica-negative Staphylococcus epidermidis clinical isolates. J Med Microbiol 56: 83-93 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • de Been, M., Francke, C., Moezelaar, R., Abee, T., Siezen, R. J. (2006). Comparative analysis of two-component signal transduction systems of Bacillus cereus, Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis.. Microbiology 152: 3035-3048 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Renzoni, A., Barras, C., Francois, P., Charbonnier, Y., Huggler, E., Garzoni, C., Kelley, W. L., Majcherczyk, P., Schrenzel, J., Lew, D. P., Vaudaux, P. (2006). Transcriptomic and Functional Analysis of an Autolysis-Deficient, Teicoplanin-Resistant Derivative of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 50: 3048-3061 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Graham, M. R., Virtaneva, K., Porcella, S. F., Gardner, D. J., Long, R. D., Welty, D. M., Barry, W. T., Johnson, C. A., Parkins, L. D., Wright, F. A., Musser, J. M. (2006). Analysis of the Transcriptome of Group A Streptococcus in Mouse Soft Tissue Infection. Am. J. Pathol. 169: 927-942 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Roberts, C., Anderson, K. L., Murphy, E., Projan, S. J., Mounts, W., Hurlburt, B., Smeltzer, M., Overbeek, R., Disz, T., Dunman, P. M. (2006). Characterizing the Effect of the Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Factor Regulator, SarA, on Log-Phase mRNA Half-Lives.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 2593-2603 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Luong, T. T., Dunman, P. M., Murphy, E., Projan, S. J., Lee, C. Y. (2006). Transcription Profiling of the mgrA Regulon in Staphylococcus aureus.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1899-1910 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chang, W., Small, D. A., Toghrol, F., Bentley, W. E. (2006). Global Transcriptome Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Response to Hydrogen Peroxide. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1648-1659 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • McAleese, F., Wu, S. W., Sieradzki, K., Dunman, P., Murphy, E., Projan, S., Tomasz, A. (2006). Overexpression of Genes of the Cell Wall Stimulon in Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus Exhibiting Vancomycin-Intermediate- S. aureus-Type Resistance to Vancomycin. J. Bacteriol. 188: 1120-1133 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sun, J., Zheng, L., Landwehr, C., Yang, J., Ji, Y. (2005). Identification of a Novel Essential Two-Component Signal Transduction System, YhcSR, in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 187: 7876-7880 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Toledo-Arana, A., Merino, N., Vergara-Irigaray, M., Debarbouille, M., Penades, J. R., Lasa, I. (2005). Staphylococcus aureus Develops an Alternative, ica-Independent Biofilm in the Absence of the arlRS Two-Component System. J. Bacteriol. 187: 5318-5329 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Liang, X., Zheng, L., Landwehr, C., Lunsford, D., Holmes, D., Ji, Y. (2005). Global Regulation of Gene Expression by ArlRS, a Two-Component Signal Transduction Regulatory System of Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 187: 5486-5492 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ingavale, S., van Wamel, W., Luong, T. T., Lee, C. Y., Cheung, A. L. (2005). Rat/MgrA, a Regulator of Autolysis, Is a Regulator of Virulence Genes in Staphylococcus aureus. Infect. Immun. 73: 1423-1431 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Nelson, J. B., Patton, T. G., Yang, S.-J., Bayles, K. W. (2005). Acetic Acid Induces Expression of the Staphylococcus aureus cidABC and lrgAB Murein Hydrolase Regulator Operons. J. Bacteriol. 187: 813-821 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chatfield, C. H., Koo, H., Quivey,, R. G. Jr (2005). The putative autolysin regulator LytR in Streptococcus mutans plays a role in cell division and is growth-phase regulated. Microbiology 151: 625-631 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mashburn, L. M., Jett, A. M., Akins, D. R., Whiteley, M. (2005). Staphylococcus aureus Serves as an Iron Source for Pseudomonas aeruginosa during In Vivo Coculture. J. Bacteriol. 187: 554-566 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hancock, L. E., Perego, M. (2004). Systematic Inactivation and Phenotypic Characterization of Two-Component Signal Transduction Systems of Enterococcus faecalis V583. J. Bacteriol. 186: 7951-7958 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Utaida, S., Dunman, P. M., Macapagal, D., Murphy, E., Projan, S. J., Singh, V. K., Jayaswal, R. K., Wilkinson, B. J. (2003). Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the response of Staphylococcus aureus to cell-wall-active antibiotics reveals a cell-wall-stress stimulon. Microbiology 149: 2719-2732 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Boyle-Vavra, S., Challapalli, M., Daum, R. S. (2003). Resistance to Autolysis in Vancomycin-Selected Staphylococcus aureus Isolates Precedes Vancomycin-Intermediate Resistance. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 47: 2036-2039 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rice, K. C., Firek, B. A., Nelson, J. B., Yang, S.-J., Patton, T. G., Bayles, K. W. (2003). The Staphylococcus aureus cidAB Operon: Evaluation of Its Role in Regulation of Murein Hydrolase Activity and Penicillin Tolerance. J. Bacteriol. 185: 2635-2643 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hancock, L., Perego, M. (2002). Two-Component Signal Transduction in Enterococcus faecalis. J. Bacteriol. 184: 5819-5825 [Full Text]  
  • Graham, M. R., Smoot, L. M., Migliaccio, C. A. L., Virtaneva, K., Sturdevant, D. E., Porcella, S. F., Federle, M. J., Adams, G. J., Scott, J. R., Musser, J. M. (2002). Virulence control in group A Streptococcus by a two-component gene regulatory system: Global expression profiling and in vivo infection modeling. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 13855-13860 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nikolskaya, A. N., Galperin, M. Y. (2002). A novel type of conserved DNA-binding domain in the transcriptional regulators of the AlgR/AgrA/LytR family. Nucleic Acids Res 30: 2453-2459 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wen, Z. T., Burne, R. A. (2002). Functional Genomics Approach to Identifying Genes Required for Biofilm Development by Streptococcus mutans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 1196-1203 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fujimoto, D. F., Brunskill, E. W., Bayles, K. W. (2000). Analysis of Genetic Elements Controlling Staphylococcus aureus lrgAB Expression: Potential Role of DNA Topology in SarA Regulation. J. Bacteriol. 182: 4822-4828 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fournier, B., Hooper, D. C. (2000). A New Two-Component Regulatory System Involved in Adhesion, Autolysis, and Extracellular Proteolytic Activity of Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 182: 3955-3964 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Groicher, K. H., Firek, B. A., Fujimoto, D. F., Bayles, K. W. (2000). The Staphylococcus aureus lrgAB Operon Modulates Murein Hydrolase Activity and Penicillin Tolerance. J. Bacteriol. 182: 1794-1801 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fournier, B., Aras, R., Hooper, D. C. (2000). Expression of the Multidrug Resistance Transporter NorA from Staphylococcus aureus Is Modified by a Two-Component Regulatory System. J. Bacteriol. 182: 664-671 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Navarre, W. W., Schneewind, O. (1999). Surface Proteins of Gram-Positive Bacteria and Mechanisms of Their Targeting to the Cell Wall Envelope. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 63: 174-229 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Giesbrecht, P., Kersten, T., Maidhof, H., Wecke, J. (1998). Staphylococcal Cell Wall: Morphogenesis and Fatal Variations in the Presence of Penicillin. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 1371-1414 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Fujimoto, D. F., Bayles, K. W. (1998). Opposing Roles of the Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Regulators, Agr and Sar, in Triton X-100- and Penicillin-Induced Autolysis. J. Bacteriol. 180: 3724-3726 [Abstract] [Full Text]