Molecular insights into the structure and function of the Staphylococcus aureus fatty acid kinase.

Gram-positive bacteria utilize a Fatty Acid Kinase (FAK) complex to harvest fatty acids from the environment. This complex consists of the fatty acid kinase, FakA, and an acyl carrier protein, FakB, and is known to impact virulence and disease outcomes. Despite some recent studies, there remain many outstanding questions as to the enzymatic mechanism and structure of FAK.

Molecular basis for the activation of the Fatty Acid Kinase complex of .

Gram-positive bacteria utilize a Fatty Acid Kinase (FAK) complex to harvest fatty acids from the environment. The complex, consisting of the fatty acid kinase, FakA, and an acyl carrier protein, FakB, is known to impact virulence and disease outcomes. However, FAK's structure and enzymatic mechanism remain poorly understood.

Fatty acids can inhibit Staphylococcus aureus SaeS activity at the membrane independent of alterations in respiration.

In Staphylococcus aureus, the two-component system SaeRS is responsible for regulating various virulence factors essential for the success of this pathogen. SaeRS can be stimulated by neutrophil-derived products but has also recently been shown to be inactivated by the presence of free fatty acids. A mechanism for how fatty acids negatively impacts SaeRS has not been described.

Exogenous Fatty Acids Remodel Staphylococcus aureus Lipid Composition through Fatty Acid Kinase.

can utilize exogenous fatty acids for phospholipid synthesis. The fatty acid kinase FakA is essential for this utilization by phosphorylating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into lipids. How FakA impacts the lipid membrane composition is unknown.

Redirection of Metabolism in Response to Fatty Acid Kinase in Staphylococcus aureus.

is capable of phosphorylating exogenous fatty acids for incorporation into the bacterium's membrane via the fatty acid kinase, FakA. Additionally, FakA plays a significant role in virulence factor regulation and skin infections. We previously showed that a mutant displays altered growth kinetics , observed during the late-exponential phase of growth.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Enteric Gram Negative Facultative Anaerobe Bacilli in Aerobic versus Anaerobic Conditions.

Antimicrobial treatments result in the host's enteric bacteria being exposed to the antimicrobials. Pharmacodynamic models can describe how this exposure affects the enteric bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance. The models utilize measurements of bacterial antimicrobial susceptibility traditionally obtained in vitro in aerobic conditions.