Synthesis of glycerol phosphate lipoteichoic acid in Staphylococcus aureus
Year: 2007
Type: article
Abstract: Lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a glycerol phosphate surface polymer, is a component of the envelope of Gram-positive bacteria. However, the molecular basis for its synthesis or function is not known. Here we report that Staphylococcus aureus LtaS synthesizes glycerol phosphate LTA. Construction of a mutant S. aureus strain with inducible ltaS expression revealed that LTA synthesis is required for bacterial growth and cell division. An ltaS homologue of Bacillus subtilis restored LTA synthesis and the growth of ltaS mutant staphylococci. Thus, LtaS inhibition can be used as a target to treat human infections caused by antibiotic-resistant S. aureus or other bacterial pathogens.
Authors: Angelika Gründling, Olaf Schneewind
Institutions: University of Chicago, Rockefeller University
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Great Lakes Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research, University of Chicago, U.S. Public Health Service, School of Medicine, Indiana University, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
OpenAlex ID: W2005518049