Staphylococcus aureususes the bacilliredoxin (BrxAB)/ bacillithiol disulfide reductase (YpdA) redox pathway to defend against oxidative stress under infections

Abstract

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureusis a major human pathogen and has to cope with reactive oxygen and chlorine species (ROS, RCS) during infections. The low molecular weight thiol bacillithiol (BSH) is an important defense mechanism ofS. aureusfor detoxification of ROS and HOCl stress to maintain the reduced state of the cytoplasm. Under HOCl stress, BSH forms mixed disulfides with proteins, termed asS-bacillithiolations, which are reduced by bacilliredoxins (BrxA and BrxB). The NADPH-dependent flavin disulfide reductase YpdA is phylogenetically associated with the BSH synthesis and BrxA/B enzymes and was proposed to function as BSSB reductase. Here, we investigated the role of the bacilliredoxin BrxAB/BSH/YpdA pathway inS. aureusCOL under oxidative stress and macrophage infection conditionsin vivoand in biochemical assaysin vitro. Using HPLC thiol metabolomics, a strongly enhanced BSSB level and a decreased BSH/BSSB ratio were measured in theS. aureusCOLypdAdeletion mutant under control and NaOCl stress. Monitoring the BSH redox potential (EBSH) using the Brx-roGFP2 biosensor revealed that YpdA is required for regeneration of the reducedEBSHupon recovery from oxidative stress. In addition, theypdAmutant was impaired in H2O2detoxification as measured with the novel H2O2-specific Tpx-roGFP2 biosensor. Phenotype analyses further showed that BrxA and YpdA are required for survival under NaOCl and H2O2stressin vitroand inside murine J-774A.1 macrophages in infection assaysin vivo. Finally, NADPH-coupled electron transfer assays provide evidence for the function of YpdA in BSSB reduction, which depends on the conserved Cys14 residue. YpdA acts together with BrxA and BSH in de-bacillithiolation ofS-bacilithiolated GapDH. In conclusion, our results point to a major role of the BrxA/BSH/YpdA pathway in BSH redox homeostasis inS. aureusduring recovery from oxidative stress and under infections.