New study could have implications on food borne S. aureus infections

CMBI researchers have discovered a new way to attack Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

In a new study published in Science Signaling this week, CMBI researchers describe the discovery of a novel c-di-AMP binding receptor in Staphylococcus aureus that could have implications on food borne S. aureus infections.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that can cause a multitude of diseases. The treatment of multi drug resistant MRSA strains is a worldwide problem today. In addition, S. aureus is also a common food borne pathogen. Many food preservation techniques use salt to make foods stay fresh and prevent growth of unwanted bacteria. S. aureus is more resistant to salt than many other organisms, and understanding this mechanism is important to develop ways to battle food borne S. aureus infections.

The described c-di-AMP receptor protein is part of a larger transporter that is responsible for the uptake of small molecules that can act as molecular sponges. Overproducing the essential second messenger c-di-AMP made the cells take up less of these molecular sponges. Molecular sponges are important for cells, as they help S. aureus to cope with osmotic stresses such as salt or sugar, which is often used in food preservation. Professor Angelika Gründling, the lead author of the study, said “Although this research is at an early stage, we hope this knowledge will someday help us to prevent food borne staphylococcal infections, as well as open new possibilities for a type of treatment that may work alongside antibiotics.”

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For more information, see the full publication: Schuster, Bellows et al., Sci. Signal. 16 Aug 2016: Vol. 9 Issue 441, pp. ra81, DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aaf7279  and the Imperial College News website http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_16-8-2016-17-16-21.