Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus Perturbs the Host Cell Ca Homeostasis To Promote Cell Death.

The opportunistic human pathogen causes serious infectious diseases that range from superficial skin and soft tissue infections to necrotizing pneumonia and sepsis. While classically regarded as an extracellular pathogen, is able to invade and survive within human cells. Host cell exit is associated with cell death, tissue destruction, and the spread of infection. The exact molecular mechanism employed by to escape the host cell is still unclear. In this study, we performed a genome-wide small hairpin RNA (shRNA) screen and identified the calcium signaling pathway as being involved in intracellular infection. induced a massive cytosolic Ca increase in epithelial host cells after invasion and intracellular replication of the pathogen. This was paralleled by a decrease in endoplasmic reticulum Ca concentration. Additionally, calcium ions from the extracellular space contributed to the cytosolic Ca increase. As a consequence, we observed that the cytoplasmic Ca rise led to an increase in mitochondrial Ca concentration, the activation of calpains and caspases, and eventually to cell lysis of -infected cells. Our study therefore suggests that intracellular disturbs the host cell Ca homeostasis and induces cytoplasmic Ca overload, which results in both apoptotic and necrotic cell death in parallel or succession. Despite being regarded as an extracellular bacterium, the pathogen can invade and survive within human cells. The intracellular niche is considered a hideout from the host immune system and antibiotic treatment and allows bacterial proliferation. Subsequently, the intracellular bacterium induces host cell death, which may facilitate the spread of infection and tissue destruction. So far, host cell factors exploited by intracellular to promote cell death are only poorly characterized. We performed a genome-wide screen and found the calcium signaling pathway to play a role in invasion and cytotoxicity. The intracellular bacterium induces a cytoplasmic and mitochondrial Ca overload, which results in host cell death. Thus, this study first showed how an intracellular bacterium perturbs the host cell Ca homeostasis.