Abstract
The Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent skin colonizer that often causes severe skin infections. It has been reported that neutralizing the negatively charged bacterial surface through the incorporation of d-alanine in its teichoic acids confers reduced susceptibility of S.aureus towards cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Using a S.aureus strain deficient in d-alanylated teichoic acids (dltA mutant), we demonstrate that d-alanylation of its surface reduces the susceptibility of S.aureus to skin-derived AMPs such as RNase 7 and human beta-defensins. This is accompanied by a higher killing activity of skin extracts towards the S.aureus dltA mutant as well as towards clinical isolates expressing lower levels of dltA. We conclude that modulation of cell envelope d-alanylation may help S.aureus to persist on human skin through evasion of cutaneous innate defense provided by cationic skin-derived AMPs.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
