Inactivation of the Monofunctional Peptidoglycan Glycosyltransferase SgtB AllowsStaphylococcus aureusTo Survive in the Absence of Lipoteichoic Acid
ABSTRACTThe cell wall ofStaphylococcus aureusis composed of peptidoglycan and the anionic polymers lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and wall teichoic acid. LTA is required for growth and normal cell morphology inS. aureus. Strains lacking LTA are usually viable only when grown under osmotically stabilizing conditions or after the acquisition of compensatory mutations. LTA-negative suppressor strains with inactivating mutations ingdpP, which resulted in increased intracellular c-di-AMP levels, were described previously. Here, we sought to identify factors other than c-di-AMP that allowS. aureusto survive without LTA. LTA-negative strains able to grow in unsupplemented medium were obtained and found to contain mutations insgtB,mazE,clpX, orvraT. The growth improvement through mutations inmazEandsgtBwas confirmed by complementation analysis. We also showed that anS. aureussgtBtransposon mutant, with the monofunctional peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase SgtB inactivated, displayed a 4-fold increase in the MIC of oxacillin, suggesting that alterations in the peptidoglycan structure could help bacteria compensate for the lack of LTA. Muropeptide analysis of peptidoglycans isolated from a wild-type strain andsgtBmutant strain did not reveal any sizable alterations in the peptidoglycan structure. In contrast, the peptidoglycan isolated from an LTA-negativeltaSmutant strain showed a significant reduction in the fraction of highly cross-linked peptidoglycan, which was partially rescued in thesgtB ltaSdouble mutant suppressor strain. Taken together, these data point toward an important function of LTA in cell wall integrity through its necessity for proper peptidoglycan assembly.IMPORTANCEThe bacterial cell wall acts as a primary defense against environmental insults such as changes in osmolarity. It is also a vulnerable structure, as defects in its synthesis can lead to growth arrest or cell death. The important human pathogenStaphylococcus aureushas a typical Gram-positive cell wall, which consists of peptidoglycan and the anionic polymers LTA and wall teichoic acid. Several clinically relevant antibiotics inhibit the synthesis of peptidoglycan; therefore, it and teichoic acids are considered attractive targets for the development of new antimicrobials. We show that LTA is required for efficient peptidoglycan cross-linking inS. aureusand inactivation of a peptidoglycan glycosyltransferase can partially rescue this defect, together revealing an intimate link between peptidoglycan and LTA synthesis.