Extensive remodelling of the cell wall during the development of Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

ABSTRACT: The bloodstream represents a hostile environment that bacteria must overcome to cause bacteraemia. To understand how the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus manages this we have utilised a functional genomics approach to identify a number of new loci that affect the ability of the bacteria to survive exposure to serum, the critical first step in the development of bacteraemia. The expression of one of these genes, tcaA, was found to be induced upon exposure to serum, and we show that it is involved in the elaboration of a critical virulence factor, the wall teichoic acids (WTA), within the cell envelope. The activity of the TcaA protein alters the sensitivity of the bacteria to cell wall attacking agents, including antimicrobial peptides, human defence fatty acids, and

SUBMITTER: Douglas EJA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10328498 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature