title: Exploring the transcriptome of Staphylococcus aureus in its natural niche.
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen and commensal, where the human nose is the predominant reservoir. To better understand its behavior in this environmental niche, RNA was extracted from the anterior nares of three documented S. aureus carriers and the metatranscriptome analyzed by RNAseq. In addition, the in vivo transcriptomes were compared to previously published transcriptomes of two in vitro grown S. aureus strains. None of the in vitro conditions, even growth in medium resembling the anterior nares environment, mimicked in vivo conditions. Survival in the nose was strongly controlled by the limitation of iron and evident by the expression of iron acquisition systems. S. aureus populations in different individuals clearly experience different environmental stresses, which they attempt to overcome by the expression of compatible solute biosynthetic pathways, changes in their cell wall composition and synthesis of general stress proteins. Moreover, the expression of adhesins was also important for colonization of the anterior nares. However, different S. aureus strains also showed different in vivo behavior. The assessment of general in vivo expression patterns and commonalities between different S. aureus strains will in the future result in new knowledge based strategies for controlling colonization.
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chaves-Moreno
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wos-Oxley
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Ruy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jáuregui
authors.affiliation: Infection and Immunology Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrew Pa
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Oxley
authors.affiliation: Microbial Interactions and Processes Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Dietmar H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Pieper
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007501:Iron