RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Matsuo, Miki A1 Oogai, Yuichi A1 Kato, Fuminori A1 Sugai, Motoyuki A1 Komatsuzawa, HitoshiYR 2011 T1 Growth-phase dependence of susceptibility to antimicrobial peptides in Staphylococcus aureus JF Microbiology, VO 157 IS 6 SP 1786 OP 1797 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.044727-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2080, AB Bacterial cell surface charge is responsible for susceptibility to cationic antimicrobial peptides. Previously, Staphylococcus aureus dlt and mprF were identified as factors conferring a positive charge upon cell surfaces. In this study, we investigated the regulation of cell surface charge during growth. Using a group of S. aureus MW2 mutants, which are gene-inactivated in 15 types of two-component systems (TCSs), we tested dltC and mprF expression and found that two TCSs, aps and agr, were associated with dltC and mprF expression in a growth phase-dependent manner. The first of these, aps, which had already been identified as a sensor of antimicrobial peptides and a positive regulator of dlt and mprF expression, was expressed strongly in the exponential phase, while its expression was significantly suppressed by agr in the stationary phase, resulting in higher expression of dltC and mprF in the exponential phase and lower expression in the stationary phase. Since both types of expression affected the cell surface charge, the susceptibility to antimicrobial peptides and cationic antibiotics was changed during growth. Furthermore, we found that the ability to sense antimicrobial peptides only functioned in the exponential phase. These results suggest that cell surface charge is tightly regulated during growth in S. aureus., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/mic.0.044727-0