Staphylococcus aureus
Research ArticleNovel Functions and Signaling Specificity for the GraS Sensor Kinase of Staphylococcus aureus in Response to Acidic pHStaphylococcus aureus asymptomatically colonizes 30% of humans but is also a leading cause of infectious morbidity and mortality. Since infections are typically initiated by the same strain associated with asymptomatic colonization of the nose or skin, it is important to understand how the microbe can endure exposure to harsh conditions that successfully restrict the...
Research ArticleStaphylococcus aureus Preferentially Liberates Inorganic Phosphate from Organophosphates in Environments where This Nutrient Is LimitingFor bacteria, the preferred form of the essential nutrient phosphate is inorganic monophosphate (Pi), but phosphate can also be extracted from a variety of phosphocompounds. Pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, experience Pi limitation within the host, suggesting that the use of alternative phosphate sources is important during infection....
Research ArticlePseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 Enhances the Efficacy of Norfloxacin against Staphylococcus aureus Newman BiofilmsPseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently coisolated from multiple infection sites, including the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers. Coinfection with P. aeruginosa...
Research ArticleThe Streptococcal Protease SpeB Antagonizes the Biofilms of the Human Pathogen Staphylococcus aureus USA300 through Cleavage of the Staphylococcal SdrC ProteinStreptococcus pyogenes (GAS) causes a range of diseases in humans, ranging from mild to severe, and produces many virulence factors in order to be a successful pathogen. One factor produced by many GAS strains is the protease SpeB, which has been studied for its ability to cleave and degrade human proteins, an important factor in GAS pathogenesis. An understudied...
Research ArticleIntracellular Accumulation of Staphylopine Can Sensitize Staphylococcus aureus to Host-Imposed Zinc Starvation by Chelation-Independent ToxicityStaphylococcus aureus and many other bacterial pathogens rely on metal-binding small molecules to obtain the essential metal zinc during infection. In this study, we reveal that export of these small molecules is critical for overcoming host-imposed metal starvation during infection and prevents toxicity due to accumulation of the metal-binding molecule within the...
Research Article | SpotlightA Membrane-Bound Transcription Factor is Proteolytically Regulated by the AAA+ Protease FtsH in Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is an important pathogenic bacterium causing various diseases in humans. In the bacterium, transcription is typically regulated by the transcription factors located in the cytoplasm. In this study, we report an atypical transcription factor identified in S. aureus. Unlike most...
Research ArticleGenetic and Biochemical Analysis of CodY-Mediated Cell Aggregation in Staphylococcus aureus Reveals an Interaction between Extracellular DNA and Polysaccharide in the Extracellular MatrixStaphylococcus aureus remains a global health concern and exemplifies the ability of an opportunistic pathogen to adapt and persist within multiple environments, including host tissue. Not only does biofilm contribute to persistence and immune evasion in the host environment, it also may aid in the transition to invasive disease. Thus, understanding how biofilms form...
Research ArticleExogenous Alginate Protects Staphylococcus aureus from Killing by Pseudomonas aeruginosaCF patients are chronically infected by polymicrobial communities. The two dominant bacterial pathogens that infect the lungs of CF patients are P. aeruginosa and S. aureus, with ∼30% of patients coinfected by both species. Such coinfected individuals have worse outcomes than monoinfected patients,...
CommentaryPseudomonas aeruginosa Alginate Benefits Staphylococcus aureus?In this issue of Journal of Bacteriology, Price et al. show that the Pseudomonas aeruginosa-produced exopolysaccharide alginate protects Staphylococcus aureus by dampening the expression of P. aeruginosa virulence...
Research ArticleSubstrate Interaction with the EssC Coupling Protein of the Type VIIb Secretion SystemThe emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a rising problem in antibiotic treatment (S. Boyle-Vavra and R. S. Daum, Lab Invest 87:3–9, 2007, https://doi.org/10.1038/labinvest.3700501). We have used the multidrug-resistant S. aureus USA300_FPR3757 as a model organism to study the T7SSb. Effector proteins...