The novel protein ScrA acts through the SaeRS two-component system to regulate virulence gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive commensal that can also cause a variety of infections in humans. S. aureus virulence factor gene expression is under tight control by a complex regulatory network, which includes, sigma factors, sRNAs, and two-component systems (TCS). Previous work in our laboratory demonstrated that overexpression of the sRNA tsr37 leads to an increase in bacterial aggregation. Here, we demonstrate that the clumping phenotype is dependent on a previously unannotated 88 amino acid protein encoded within the tsr37 sRNA transcript (which we named ScrA for S. aureus clumping regulator A). To investigate the mechanism of action of ScrA we performed proteomics and transcriptomics in a ScrA overexpressing strain and show that a number of surface adhesins are upregulated,

SUBMITTER: Wittekind MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9324805 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature