Targeting the stringent response alters gene expression and extracellular vesicle RNA in Staphylococcus aureus
Publication Date
Publication Journal
Author(s)
Sarah C. Mansour, Samuel J. T. Wardell, Arjun S. Baghela, Travis Blimkie, Erin Gill, Susana K. Straus, Reza Falsafi, Daniel Pletzer, and Robert E. W. Hancock
To adapt to nutrient limitation and other forms of environmental stress, the infectious bacterium Staphylococcus aureus synthesizes a nucleotide second messenger compound known as (p)ppGpp to initiate cellular reprogramming. In this study, the authors report that disrupting this pathway, known as the stringent stress response, substantially influences gene expression in S. aureus and alters the RNA cargo inside extracellular vesicles produced by the bacterium. This work reveals that targeting the stringent response impairs both internal gene regulation and external signalling in S. aureus and represents a promising strategy to boost efficacy against drug-resistant infections.