Effects of sarA inactivation on the intrinsic multidrug resistance mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus.
The sarA locus of Staphylococccus aureus regulates the synthesis of over 100 genes on the S. aureus chromosome. We now report the effects of sarA inactivation on intrinsic multidrug resistance expression by S. aureus. In a strain-dependent fashion, sarA::kan mutants of three unrelated strains of S. aureus demonstrated significantly increased susceptibility to five or more of the following substances: the antibiotics ciprofloxacin, fusidic acid, and vancomycin; the DNA-intercalating agent ethidium; and four common household cleaner formulations. In addition, all three sarA::kan mutants demonstrated significantly increased accumulation of ciprofloxacin and one sarA::kan mutant demonstrated increased ethidium accumulation. Our data therefore indicate that sarA plays a role in the intrinsic multidrug resistance mechanism expressed by S. aureus, in part by regulating drug accumulation.
Microbiology Group, Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, USA.
Jessica O
JO
O'Leary
Mark J
MJ
Langevin
Christopher T D
CT
Price
Jon S
JS
Blevins
Mark S
MS
Smeltzer
John E
JE
Gustafson
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004996:Ethidium / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014640:Vancomycin / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C088021:SarA protein, bacterial; D015534:Trans-Activators; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D014640:Vancomycin; D004996:Ethidium