title: SpoVG Regulates Cell Wall Metabolism and Oxacillin Resistance in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strain N315.
abstract: Increasing cases of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains in healthy individuals have raised concerns worldwide. MRSA strains are resistant to almost the entire family of β-lactam antibiotics due to the acquisition of an extra penicillin-binding protein, PBP2a. Studies have shown that spoVG is involved in oxacillin resistance, while the regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we have found that SpoVG plays a positive role in oxacillin resistance through promoting cell wall synthesis and inhibiting cell wall degradation in MRSA strain N315. Deletion of spoVG in strain N315 led to a significant decrease in oxacillin resistance and a dramatic increase in Triton X-100-induced autolytic activity simultaneously. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR revealed that the expression of 8 genes related to cell wall metabolism or oxacillin resistance was altered in the spoVG mutant. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that SpoVG can directly bind to the putative promoter regions of lytN (murein hydrolase), femA, and lytSR (the two-component system). These findings suggest a molecular mechanism in which SpoVG modulates oxacillin resistance by regulating cell wall metabolism in MRSA.
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Shijie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: CAS Key Laboratory of Innate Immunity and Chronic Disease, School of Life Sciences and Medical Center, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Hefei, Anhui, China sunb@ustc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Baolin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2896-3015
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001433:Bacteriolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D024202:Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase / Q000235:genetics*; D017830:Octoxynol / Q000494:pharmacology; D010068:Oxacillin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C096686:FemA protein, Bacteria; C093500:LytR protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C101904:LytS protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C000622553:SpoVG protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D014157:Transcription Factors; D017830:Octoxynol; D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase; D010068:Oxacillin