Staphylococcus aureus Develops an Alternative, ica- Independent Biofilm in the Absence of the arlRS Two-Component System

• DOI: 10.1128/jb.187.15.5318-5329.2005
• Publication Date: 2005-07-19T19:33:01Z
• Authors: Alejandro Toledo-...; Nekane Merino; Marta Vergara-Iri...; Michel Débarboui...; José R. Penadés; Iñigo Lasa
• Keywords: Autolysin; Transposon mutagenesis; Multidrug tolerance

The biofilm formation capacity of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates is considered an important virulence factor for the establishment chronic infections. Environmental conditions affect S. aureus, indicating existence positive and negative regulators process. majority screening procedures identifying genes involved in development have been focused on whose presence essential In this report, we used random transposon mutagenesis systematic disruption all two-component systems to identify a chemically defined medium (Hussain-Hastings-White modified [HHWm]). results both approaches coincided that they identified arlRS as repressor under steady-state flow conditions. mutant exhibited increased initial attachment well accumulation poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG). However, was not affected when icaADBC operon deleted, PNAG compound matrix produced HHWm. Disruption major autolysin gene, atl, did produce any effect phenotype mutant. Epistatic experiments with global staphylococcal-biofilm indicated sarA deletion abolished, whereas agr reinforced, promoted by mutation.