title: Influence of alanine uptake on Staphylococcus aureus surface charge and its susceptibility to two cationic antibacterial agents, nisin and low molecular weight chitosan.
abstract: Low molecular weight chitosan (LMWC) and nisin, recognized as cationic antibacterial agents (CAAs), inhibit bacterial growth by interacting with the anionically charged cell wall. In this study, alanine uptake significantly reduced the anionic cell surface charge, as determined by the zeta potential (ZP) measurements, of Staphylococcus aureus, resulting from the incorporation of d-alanine into the cell wall. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) tests and growth inhibition curves revealed that LMWC and nisin possessed inverse antibacterial activity against three strains of S. aureus, depending on the strains' net charge. A twofold reduction in the MIC value of nisin was obtained against S. aureus, inoculated in a 1.0% d- or l-alanine-augmented trypticase soy broth medium. A flocculation test demonstrated that neutralizing the anionic surface charge using d-alanine reduced the adsorption of S. aureus onto LMWC. Furthermore, the reduced surface net charge could enhance the colonization capacity of S. aureus on glass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, National Ilan University, Ilan 26047, Taiwan. ywchen@niu.edu.tw
authors.forename: Li-Chen
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen-Dee
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Wei-Chiuan
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hui-Huang
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yao-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wei-Jung
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shih-Bin
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009561:Nisin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009561:Nisin; D048271:Chitosan; D000409:Alanine