Staphylococcus aureus counters phosphate limitation by scavenging wall teichoic acids from other staphylococci via the teichoicase GlpQ.

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus is part of the human nasal and skin microbiomes along with other bacterial commensals and opportunistic pathogens. Nutrients are scarce in these habitats, demanding effective nutrient acquisition and competition strategies. How S. aureus copes with phosphate limitation is still unknown. Wall teichoic acid (WTA), a polyol-phosphate polymer, could serve as a phosphate source, but whether S. aureus can utilize it during phosphate starvation remains unknown. S. aureus secretes a glycerophosphodiesterase, GlpQ, that cleaves a broad variety of glycerol-3-phosphate (GroP) headgroups of deacylated phospholipids, providing this bacterium with GroP as a carbon and phosphate source. Here we demonstrate that GlpQ can also use glycerophosphoglycerol der

SUBMITTER: Jorge AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6153298 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature