MpsAB is important for Staphylococcus aureus virulence and growth at atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31399577.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11547-5 and PMC identifier 6689103.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The mechanisms behind carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) dependency in non-autotrophic bacterial isolates are unclear. Here we show that the Staphylococcus aureus mpsAB operon, known to play a role in membrane potential generation, is crucial for growth at atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> levels. The genes mpsAB can complement an Escherichia coli carbonic anhydrase (CA) mutant, and CA from E. coli can complement the S. aureus delta-mpsABC mutant. In comparison with the wild type, S. aureus mps mutants produce less hemolytic toxin and are less virulent in animal models of infection. Homologs of mpsA and mpsB are widespread among bacteria and are often found adjacent to each other on the genome. We propose that MpsAB represents a dissolved inorganic carbon transporter, or bicarbonate concentrating system, possibly acting as a sodium bicarbonate cotransporter.
Medical subject headings
- Bacterial Proteins
- Carbon Dioxide
- Carbonic Anhydrases
- NADH Dehydrogenase
- Staphylococcus aureus