Amino acid usage in coagulase positive staphylococcal bacteria

Abstract

Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus (CoPS) species inhabit human and animal skin and nasal flora, posing opportunistic infection risks. This study explores amino acid preferences within CoPS, highlighting biosynthetic efficiency and functional demands in genome evolution. Leucine, isoleucine, and lysine were favored, while cysteine, methionine, proline, histidine, and tryptophan were avoided, reflecting a strategy to minimize biosynthetic costs and enhance cellular fitness. GRAVY and AROMO analyses demonstrated significant correlations between amino acid usage and protein properties like hydrophobicity and aromaticity. GRAVY scores, indicative of protein hydrophobicity, correlated positively with GC content, particularly at the third codon position (GC3s), and overall GC content. Aromaticity showed similar positive correlations with GC content and hydrophobicity, suggesting a preference for aromatic amino acids in GC-rich CoPS genomes. Species-specific findings in S. aureus revealed correlations between GC3s, hydrophobicity, and codon usage adaptation, emphasizing adaptive strategies to optimize protein stability. This study enhances understanding of CoPS evolutionary pressures and informs potential therapeutic strategies.