Essentiality of FASII pathway for Staphylococcus aureus.
Recently, Brinster et al. suggested that type II fatty-acid biosynthesis (FASII) is not a suitable antibacterial target for Gram-positive pathogens because they use fatty acids directly from host serum rather than de novo synthesis. Their findings, if confirmed, are relevant for further scientific and financial investments in the development of new drugs targeting FASII. We present here in vitro and in vivo data demonstrating that their observations do not hold for Staphylococcus aureus, a major Gram-positive pathogen causing several human infections. The observed differences among Gram-positive pathogens in FASII reflects heterogeneity either in fatty-acid synthesis or in the capacity for fatty-acid uptake from the environment.
Balemans
Wendy
W
Department of Antimicrobial Research, Tibotec BVBA, Johnson & Johnson, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium.
Lounis
Nacer
N
Gilissen
Ron
R
Guillemont
Jerome
J
Simmen
Kenny
K
Andries
Koen
K
Koul
Anil
A
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014260:Triclosan / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005227:Fatty Acids; D014260:Triclosan