Urease is an Essential Component of the Acid Response Network of Staphylococcus Aureus and is Required for a Persistent Murine Kidney Infection

Authors

Chunyi Zhou, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Fatema Bhinderwala, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
McKenzie K. Lehman, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Vinai Chittezham Thomas, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Sujata S. Chaudhari, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Kelsey J. Yamada, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Kirk W. Foster, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Robert Powers, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Tammy Kielian, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow
Paul D. Fey, University of Nebraska Medical CenterFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal Title

PLoS Pathogens

Publication Date

2019

Volume

15

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus causes acute and chronic infections resulting in significant morbidity. Urease, an enzyme that generates NH3 and CO2 from urea, is key to pH homeostasis in bacterial pathogens under acidic stress and nitrogen limitation. However, the function of urease in S. aureus niche colonization and nitrogen metabolism has not been extensively studied. We discovered that urease is essential for pH homeostasis and viability in urea-rich environments under weak acid stress. The regulation of urease transcription by CcpA, Agr, and CodY was identified in this study, implying a complex network that controls urease expression in response to changes in metabolic flux. In addition, it was determined that the endogenous urea derived from arginine is not a significant contributor to the intracellular nitrogen pool in non-acidic conditions. Furthermore, we found that during a murine chronic renal infection, urease facilitates S. aureus persistence by promoting bacterial fitness in the low-pH, urea-rich kidney. Overall, our study establishes that urease in S. aureus is not only a primary component of the acid response network but also an important factor required for persistent murine renal infections.

DOI Link

10.1371/journal.ppat.1007538

ISSN

1553-7374

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Zhou, Chunyi; Bhinderwala, Fatema; Lehman, McKenzie K.; Chittezham Thomas, Vinai; Chaudhari, Sujata S.; Yamada, Kelsey J.; Foster, Kirk W.; Powers, Robert; Kielian, Tammy; and Fey, Paul D., "Urease is an Essential Component of the Acid Response Network of Staphylococcus Aureus and is Required for a Persistent Murine Kidney Infection" (2019). Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology. 63.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/com_pathmicro_articles/63