Using a combined metabolomics and transcriptomics approach, a new study reports that Staphylococcus aureus is highly dependent on de novo methionine biosynthesis to efficiently colonize the human nose. Accordingly, growth of S. aureus in a synthetic medium that mimicked the nasal environment was dependent on the methionine biosynthesis enzyme cysteine-γ-synthase (MetI), and metI mutants showed a decreased ability to colonize the noses of cotton rats. S. aureus colonization of the human nose is a major risk factor for invasive infections, but the authors report that a MetI inhibitor blocks bacterial growth, which suggests that this biosynthetic pathway could be a new antibacterial target.
References
Krismer, B. et al. Nutrient limitation governs Staphylococcus aureus metabolism and niche adaptation in the human nose. PLoS Pathog. 10, e1003862 (2014)
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Kåhrström, C. Adapting to a nasal lifestyle. Nat Rev Microbiol 12, 151 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3226
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3226