Kayser Bischoff Berger-Bächi
Fakultäten » Medizinische Fakultät » Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Institut für » Prof. Dr. Brigitte Berger-Bächi » Kayser Bischoff Berger-Bächi
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Genetic and functional analysis of sigma-factor SigB in Staphylococcus aureus | ||||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Staphylococcus aureus colonizes the skin and mucous membranes of human and animals. It causes a vide variety of diseases ranging from food poisoning, superficial infections, down to life threatening diseases. Its pathogenic potential is based on a vast repertoire of virulence factors and a remarkable ability to acquire resistance determinants or to mutate to resistance. To react to changing environments, staphylococci harbour stress response systems and global regulators that coordinate the expression of cell wall-associated and excreted factors needed for survival and dissemination. Alternative transcription factors have been shown in many bacteria to be involved in virulence, pathogenicity, and the ability to survive under extreme conditions. Computational analysis of the S. aureus genome suggests only one alternative sigma factor, SigmaB, to be present in this organism. SigmaB was shown to be involved in (i) the stress response to different stimuli, (ii) the regulation of the global regulators sar, sarH1, and agr that regulate a wide array of virulence factors, (iii) biofilm formation, (iv) the ability of S. aureus to bind to various host-cell matrix proteins such as fibrinogen and fibronectin, and (v) in the development of resistance to the clinical important antibiotics methicillin and teicoplanin. Although a variety of phenomena have been associated with SigmaB activity, only little is known about the way SigmaB itself is regulated, and the genes that are controlled by this transcription factor. Investigations are ongoing to address these questions. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Giachino, P., Engelmann, S., Bischoff, M. (2001) SigmaB activity depends on RsbU in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 183: 1843-52Bischoff, M., Berger-Bächi, B. (2001) Teicoplanin stress-selected mutations increasing SigmaB activity in Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 45: 1714-1720Bischoff, M., Entenza, J., Giachino, P. (2001) Influence of a functional sigB-operon on the global regulators sar and agr in Staphylococcus aureus. J. Bacteriol. 183: 5171-5179 | ||||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Molecular Medicine, Molecular Medical Microbiology, Staphylococcus, Genetic Regulation, Virulence | ||||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
SNF (Personen- und Projektförderung) |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Sep 1997 to May 2001 |