| Autor: |
Li P; Department of Dermatology and Allergology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-5207 Aachen, Germany., Schulte J; Department of Dermatology and Allergology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-5207 Aachen, Germany., Wurpts G; Department of Dermatology and Allergology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-5207 Aachen, Germany., Hornef MW; Institute of Medical Microbiology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-52074 Aachen, Germany., Wolz C; Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany.; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 'Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections', University of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany., Yazdi AS; Department of Dermatology and Allergology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-5207 Aachen, Germany., Burian M; Department of Dermatology and Allergology, RWTH University Hospital Aachen, D-5207 Aachen, Germany. |
| Abstrakt: |
Staphylococcus aureus acts both as a colonizing commensal bacterium and invasive pathogen. Nasal colonization is associated with an increased risk of infection caused by the identical strain. In patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), the degree of S. aureus colonization is associated with the severity of the disease. Here, we comparatively analyzed the in vivo transcriptional profile of S. aureus colonizing the nose and non-diseased skin (non-lesional skin) as opposed to the diseased skin (lesional skin-defined here as infection) of 12 patients with AD. The transcriptional profile during the asymptomatic colonization of the nose closely resembled that of the lesional skin samples for many of the genes studied, with an elevated expression of the genes encoding adhesion-related proteins and proteases. In addition, the genes that modify and remodel the cell wall and encode proteins that facilitate immune evasion showed increased transcriptional activity. Notably, in a subgroup of patients, the global virulence regulator Agr (accessory gene regulator) and downstream target genes were inactive during nasal colonization but upregulated in the lesional and non-lesional skin samples. Taken together, our results demonstrate a colonization-like transcriptional profile on diseased skin and suggest a role for the peptide quorum sensing system Agr during the transition from asymptomatic nasal colonization to skin colonization/infection. |
