Project description:S. aureus response to exogenous fatty acid (oleic acid) Gene expression profiles were generated by microarray analysis of S. aureus cells grown in media without or with oleic aicd Comparison of expression profiles after growth of S. aureus in exogenous fatty acid S. aureus was grown in media with and without oleic acid to an OD600nm of 0.5, and RNA was extracted to look at the gobal gene expression.
Project description:S. aureus response to exogenous fatty acid (oleic acid) Gene expression profiles were generated by microarray analysis of S. aureus cells grown in media without or with oleic aicd
Project description:Lignin is an aromatic plant cell wall polymer that facilitates water transport through the vasculature of plants. Although lignin’s ability to reduce bacterial growth been previously reported, it’s hydrophobicity complicates the ability to examine its biological effects on living cells in aqueous growth media. We recently described the ability to solvate lignin in Good’s buffers with neutral pH, a breakthrough that has allowed examination of lignin’s antimicrobial effects against the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. We previously showed that lignin damages the S. aureus cell membrane, causes increased cell clustering, and inhibits growth synergistically with tunicamycin, a teichoic acid synthesis inhibitor. In this current study, additional experiments were performed to better understand the physiological and transcriptomic responses of S. aureus to lignin. Intriguingly, lignin restored the susceptibility of genetically resistant S. aureus isolates to β-lactam antibiotics, dysregulated intracellular pH, and impaired normal cell division. Additionally, RNAseq analysis of lignin-treated cultures revealed a number of gene expression changes related to cell envelope, cell wall physiology, fatty acid metabolism and stress resistance. Altogether, these results represent the first comprehensive analysis of lignin’s antibacterial activity against S. aureus that provide clarity in deciphering the mechanisms of lignin’s antibacterial activity, while supporting the notion that lignin has potential to be repurposed for biomedical applications.