title: Toxin-mediated gene regulatory mechanism inStaphylococcus aureus.
abstract: The dangerous human pathogenStaphylococcus aureusrelies heavily on toxins to cause disease, but toxin production can put a strong burden on the bacteria's energy balance. Thus, controlling the synthesis of proteins solely needed in times of toxin production represents a way for the bacteria to avoid wasting energy. One hypothetical manner to accomplish this sort of regulation is by gene regulatory functions of the toxins themselves. There have been several reports about gene regulation by toxins inS. aureus, but these were never verified on the molecular level. In our study published in MBio [Jooet al., 7(5). pii: e01579-16], we show that phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs), important peptide toxins ofS. aureus, release a repressor from the promoter of the operon encoding the toxin export system, thereby enabling toxin secretion. This study describes the first molecular regulatory mechanism exerted by anS. aureustoxin, setting a paradigmatic example of howS. aureustoxins may influence cell functions to adjust them to times of toxin production.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Hwang-Soo
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otto
keywords: GntR; Staphylococcus aureus; YtrA; gene regulation; phenol-soluble modulins; toxin