title: Role of the hprT-ftsH locus in Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: The roles of two adjacent genes in the Staphylococcus aureus chromosome with functions in starvation survival and the response to stressful conditions have been characterized. One of these, hprT, encoding a hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase homologue, was initially identified in a transposon mutagenesis screen. Mutation of hprT affects starvation survival in amino-acid-limiting conditions and the ability of S. aureus to grow in high-salt concentrations. Downstream of hprT is ftsH, which encodes a membrane-bound, ATP- and Zn(2+)-dependent 'AAA'-type protease. Mutation of ftsH in S. aureus leads to pleiotropic defects including slower growth, sensitivity to salt, acid, methyl viologen and potassium tellurite stresses, and reduced survival in amino-acid- or phosphate-limiting conditions. Both hprT-lacZ and ftsH-lacZ gene fusions are expressed maximally in the post-exponential phase of growth. Although secretion of exoproteins is not affected, an ftsH mutant is attenuated in a murine skin lesion model of pathogenicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lithgow
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Eileen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ingham
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Foster
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002876:Chromosomes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005838:Genotype; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000235:genetics*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D007041:Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases