σB Inhibits Poly-N-Acetylglucosamine Exopolysaccharide Synthesis and Biofilm Formation in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains are able to produce at least two distinct types of biofilm matrixes: biofilm matrixes made of the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) or poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), whose synthesis is mediated by the icaADBC locus, and biofilm matrixes built of prot...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Valle Turrillas, Jaione, Echeverz, Maite, Lasa, Íñigo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/191825
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/191825
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Biofilms
PNAG
SigB
Staphylococcus aureus
Ica operon
Descripción
Sumario:Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains are able to produce at least two distinct types of biofilm matrixes: biofilm matrixes made of the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA) or poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), whose synthesis is mediated by the icaADBC locus, and biofilm matrixes built of proteins (polysaccharide independent). σB is a conserved alternative sigma factor that regulates the expression of more than 100 genes in response to changes in environmental conditions. While numerous studies agree that σB is required for polysaccharide-independent biofilms, controversy persists over the role of σB in the regulation of PIA/PNAG-dependent biofilm development. Here, we show that genetically unrelated S. aureus σB-deficient strains produced stronger biofilms under both static and flow conditions and accumulated higher levels of PIA/PNAG exopolysaccharide than their corresponding wild-type strains. The increased accumulation of PIA/PNAG in the σB mutants correlated with a greater accumulation of the IcaC protein showed that it was not due to adjustments in icaADBC operon transcription and/or icaADBC mRNA stability. Overall, our results reveal that in the presence of active σB, the turnover of Ica proteins is accelerated, reducing the synthesis of PIA/PNAG exopolysaccharide and consequently the PIA/PNAG-dependent biofilm formation capacity.