A nasal epithelial receptor for Staphylococcus aureus WTA governs adhesion to epithelial cells and modulates nasal colonization.

Nasal colonization is a major risk factor for S. aureus infections. The mechanisms responsible for colonization are still not well understood and involve several factors on the host and the bacterial side.

Correlation of daptomycin resistance in a clinical Staphylococcus aureus strain with increased cell wall teichoic acid production and D-alanylation.

Cell wall thickening is a common feature among daptomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. However, the mechanism(s) leading to this phenotype is unknown. We examined a number of cell wall synthesis pathway parameters in an isogenic strain set of S.

Synthesis of CDP-activated ribitol for teichoic acid precursors in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae has unusually complex cell wall teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid, both of which contain a ribitol phosphate moiety. The lic region of the pneumococcal genome contains genes for the uptake and activation of choline, the attachment of phosphorylcholine to teichoic acid precursors, and the transport of these precursors across the cytoplasmic membrane. The role of two other, so far uncharacterized, genes, spr1148 and spr1149, in the lic region was determined.

Fluostatins C-E, novel members of the fluostatin family produced by Streptomyces strain Acta 1383.

Three new members of the fluostatin family, fluostatins C-E, were discovered in a culture filtrate extract of strain Acta 1383 during an HPLC screening program. The producing strain belongs to the genus Streptomyces and is closely related to type strains classified in the Streptomyces lavendulae 16S rRNA subclade. Fluostatins are named by their characteristic fluorenone chromophore.