Staphylococcus aureus cell wall stress stimulon gene-lacZ fusion strains: potential for use in screening for cell wall-active antimicrobials.

lacZ fusion strains were constructed using the promoters of five cell wall stress stimulon genes: pbp2, tcaA, vraSR, sgtB, and lytR. All fusion strains were induced only in the presence of cell wall-active antibiotics, suggesting the potential of these strains for use in high-throughput screening for new cell wall-active agents.