Affiliation:
1. Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Oeiras, Portugal
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus
is a Gram-positive clinical pathogen, which is currently the second cause of death by antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide. For decades,
S. aureus
cells were thought to be spherical and lack the ability to undergo elongation. However, super-resolution microscopy techniques allowed us to observe the minor morphological changes that occur during the cell cycle of this pathogen, including cell elongation.
S. aureus
elongation is not required for normal growth in laboratory conditions. However, it seems to be essential in the context of some infections, such as osteomyelitis, during which
S. aureus
cells apparently elongate to invade small channels in the bones. In this work, we uncovered new determinants required for
S. aureus
cell elongation. In particular, we show that GpsB has an important role in the spatio-temporal regulation of PBP2 and PBP4, two proteins involved in peptidoglycan synthesis, contributing to the maintenance of the correct cell morphology in
S. aureus
.
Funder
EC | European Research Council
MEC | Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology