Subinhibitory clindamycin differentially inhibits transcription of exoprotein genes in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: It has long been known that certain antibiotics, at subinhibitory concentrations, differentially inhibit the synthesis of alpha-hemolysin and other staphylococcal virulence factors. In this report, we show that subinhibitory clindamycin (SBCL) eliminates production of nearly all exoproteins by Staphylococcus aureus but has virtually no effect on cytoplasmic proteins. The effect was abolished by a gene conferring resistance to macrolides-lincosamides-streptogramin B, showing that differential inhibition of protein synthesis is responsible; remarkably, however, subinhibitory clindamycin blocked production of several of the individual exoprotein genes, including spa (encoding protein A), hla (encoding alpha-hemolysin), and spr (encoding serine protease), at the level of transcription, suggest

SUBMITTER: Herbert S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC98253 | biostudies-literature | 2001 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature