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Media type:
E-Article
Title:
β-Lactam Antibiotics Induce the SOS Response and Horizontal Transfer of Virulence Factors inStaphylococcus aureus
Contributor:
Maiques, Elisa;
Úbeda, Carles;
Campoy, Susana;
Salvador, Noelia;
Lasa, Íñigo;
Novick, Richard P.;
Barbé, Jordi;
Penadés, José R.
imprint:
American Society for Microbiology, 2006
Published in:Journal of Bacteriology
Language:
English
DOI:
10.1128/jb.188.7.2726-2729.2006
ISSN:
0021-9193;
1098-5530
Origination:
Footnote:
Description:
<jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>Antibiotics that interfere with DNA replication and cell viability activate the SOS response. In<jats:italic>Staphylococcus aureus</jats:italic>, the antibiotic-induced SOS response promotes replication and high-frequency horizontal transfer of pathogenicity island-encoded virulence factors. Here we report that β-lactams induce a bona fide SOS response in<jats:italic>S. aureus</jats:italic>, characterized by the activation of the RecA and LexA proteins, the two master regulators of the SOS response. Moreover, we show that β-lactams are capable of triggering staphylococcal prophage induction in<jats:italic>S. aureus</jats:italic>lysogens. Consequently, and as previously described for SOS induction by commonly used fluoroquinolone antibiotics, β-lactam-mediated phage induction also resulted in replication and high-frequency transfer of the staphylococcal pathogenicity islands, showing that such antibiotics may have the unintended consequence of promoting the spread of bacterial virulence factors.</jats:p>