Inhibitors that block initiation of wall teichoic acid biosynthesis sensitize methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus to beta-lactams

ABSTRACT: Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus depends on the production of mecA, which encodes penicillin-binding protein 2A (PBP2A), an acquired peptidoglycan transpeptidase with reduced susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics. Here, we show that preventing the expression of wall teichoic acids (WTAs) genetically or with a TarO inhibitor sensitizes MRSA strains to beta-lactams although PBP2A is still expressed. Using S. aureus microarrays and array data analysis protocols (NIAID's Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center) we have characterized the transcriptomes of S. aureus COL. in order to further understand the sensitization of strain COL to methicillin by tunicamycin we determined the tunicamycin and methicillin transcriptomes alone and in combination. Methicillin treatment of

ORGANISM(S): Staphylococcus aureus

SUBMITTER: Jennifer Campbell 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-24439 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress