Human infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus present a serious therapeutic challenge due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains. Of major concern are infections with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), highly virulent microorganisms and the most common infectious disease in American hospitals. MRSA have acquired resistance mechanisms to all known antibiotics and many isolates are broadly resistant against most antiinfective agents. Future research must aim at understanding the molecular biology of MRSA pathogenesis and the development of specific vaccines that prevent MRSA infectious diseases. This proposal reveals a specialized secretion system of S. aureus that is involved in the pathogenesis of human and animal infections. The S. aureus ess (ESAT-6 secretion system) locus consists of a cluster of eight genes, three of which (esxA, esxB and esaC) encode products that are secreted by a mechanism requiring the machinery genes essABC. During infection, both murine and human hosts generate humoral immune responses to EsxA, EsxB and EsaC, suggesting that all clinical S. aureus isolates engage Ess secretion in vivo. We show that S. aureus causes persistent infections in experimental animals, similar to staphylococcal disease in humans. The Ess pathway is required for the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections, as esxB mutants are unable to form abscesses or persist in host tissues, whereas mutants that impact EsaC secretion initially replicate but then fail to persist. Animals first infected with wild-type S. aureus remain susceptible to subsequent staphylococcal infection, whereas animals infected with esxB mutants develop immunity to subsequent S. aureus infections. Here we will explore the Ess pathway of S. aureus to unravel the molecular basis of abscess formation and persistent infections. Moreover, staphylococcal esxB mutants are interrogated for the genetic requirements of generating protective immunity against S. aureus disease.

Public Health Relevance

Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of bloodstream, lower respiratory tract, skin and soft tissue infections in the United States with annual morbidity of about 3 million and annual mortality approaching 100,000 Americans lives. Our research into the development of chronic-persistent infections and the contribution of the ESAT-6 secretion system in preventing the development of protective immunity against S. aureus are designed to reveal the molecular basis of pathogenesis as well as the targets of protective immunity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AI075258-04
Application #
8197165
Study Section
Bacterial Pathogenesis Study Section (BACP)
Program Officer
Huntley, Clayton C
Project Start
2008-12-05
Project End
2013-11-30
Budget Start
2011-12-01
Budget End
2012-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2012
Total Cost
$376,970
Indirect Cost
$131,945
Name
University of Chicago
Department
Microbiology/Immun/Virology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
005421136
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60637
Ohr, Ryan Jay; Anderson, Mark; Shi, Miaomiao et al. (2017) EssD, a Nuclease Effector of the Staphylococcus aureus ESS Pathway. J Bacteriol 199:
Aly, Khaled A; Anderson, Mark; Ohr, Ryan Jay et al. (2017) Isolation of a Membrane Protein Complex for Type VII Secretion in Staphylococcus aureus. J Bacteriol 199:
Anderson, Mark; Ohr, Ryan Jay; Aly, Khaled A et al. (2017) EssE Promotes Staphylococcus aureus ESS-Dependent Protein Secretion To Modify Host Immune Responses during Infection. J Bacteriol 199:
Schneewind, Olaf; Missiakas, Dominique (2014) Sec-secretion and sortase-mediated anchoring of proteins in Gram-positive bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta 1843:1687-97
Kim, Hwan Keun; Missiakas, Dominique; Schneewind, Olaf (2014) Mouse models for infectious diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus. J Immunol Methods 410:88-99
Schneewind, Olaf; Missiakas, Dominique (2014) Genetic manipulation of Staphylococcus aureus. Curr Protoc Microbiol 32:Unit 9C.3.
Cheng, Alice G; Missiakas, Dominique; Schneewind, Olaf (2014) The giant protein Ebh is a determinant of Staphylococcus aureus cell size and complement resistance. J Bacteriol 196:971-81
Rauch, Sabine; Gough, Portia; Kim, Hwan Keun et al. (2014) Vaccine protection of leukopenic mice against Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection. Infect Immun 82:4889-98
Anderson, Mark; Aly, Khaled A; Chen, Yi-Hsing et al. (2013) Secretion of atypical protein substrates by the ESAT-6 secretion system of Staphylococcus aureus. Mol Microbiol 90:734-43
Thomer, Lena; Schneewind, Olaf; Missiakas, Dominique (2013) Multiple ligands of von Willebrand factor-binding protein (vWbp) promote Staphylococcus aureus clot formation in human plasma. J Biol Chem 288:28283-92

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