Activation and transcriptional interaction between agr RNAII and RNAIII in Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in an experimental endocarditis model.
This study compared the promoter activation profiles of the 2 major transcripts of the Staphylococcus aureus global regulon, agr (RNAII and RNAIII). In vitro, RNAIII activation temporally followed RNAII activation and was absent in agr mutants. In experimental endocarditis, maximal RNAII activation in vegetations occurred early, followed by progressive increases in RNAIII activation (P<.05; 2 vs. 48 h); this paralleled significant increases in vegetation bacterial densities over time (P<.05; 2 and 6 vs. 48 h). At 48 h of infection, S. aureus densities in vegetations were significantly higher than those in kidney or spleen tissue (P<.05), paralleling a significantly greater RNAIII activation profile in vegetations than in the latter tissues (P<.05). Of importance, RNAIII activation was observed in vegetations in 2 agr mutants. These data demonstrate that RNAIII activation in vivo is time and cell density dependent, may be tissue specific, and can occur through RNAII-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Harbor-University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Yan-Qiong
YQ
Xiong
William
W
Van Wamel
Cynthia C
CC
Nast
Michael R
MR
Yeaman
Ambrose L
AL
Cheung
Arnold S
AS
Bayer
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015533:Transcriptional Activation
C095698:Agr protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D015534:Trans-Activators