title: Mechanisms of resistance to antimicrobial peptides in staphylococci.
abstract: Staphylococci are commensal bacteria living on the epithelial surfaces of humans and other mammals. Many staphylococci, including the dangerous pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, can cause severe disease when they breach the epithelial barrier. Both during their commensal life and during infection, staphylococci need to evade mechanisms of innate host defense, of which antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play a key role in particular on the skin. Mechanisms that staphylococci have developed to evade the bactericidal activity of AMPs are manifold, comprising repulsion of AMPs via alteration of cell wall and membrane surface charges, proteolytic inactivation, sequestration, and secretion. Furthermore, many staphylococci form biofilms, which represents an additional way of protection from antimicrobial agents, including AMPs. Finally, staphylococci can sense the presence of AMPs by sensor/regulator systems that control many of those resistance mechanisms. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Bacterial Resistance to Antimicrobial Peptides.
authors.affiliation: Pathogen Molecular Genetics Section, Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Hwang-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.affiliation: Pathogen Molecular Genetics Section, Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA. Electronic address: motto@niaid.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018441:Biofilms / Q000254:growth & development; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D057131:Immune Evasion; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D050296:Microbial Viability; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins
keywords: Antimicrobial peptides; Bacterial resistance; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus epidermidis