Multi-omics profiling reveals atypical sugar utilization and a key membrane composition regulator in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT: The human body comprises many different microenvironments, each with their own challenges for microorganisms to overcome in order to survive and possibly cause infection. The human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae is notoriously flexible in this regard, and can adapt to a wide range of host niches, including the nasopharynx, lungs, and cerebrospinal fluid. However, the molecular and genetic foundation of this ability remain largely uncharted. In this work, we demonstrate that niche adaptation imposes genome-wide changes on multiple levels, including gene essentiality, expression and membrane lipid composition, by using infection-mimicking growth conditions. In general, we show that gene expression and fitness profiling couple orthogonal sets of genes to environmental stimuli. For instance

SUBMITTER: de Bakker V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12647141 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature