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Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host for Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis.
Costi D Sifri1, Jakob Begun, Frederick M Ausubel
1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Infection and Immunity
|March 26, 2003
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus kills the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with bacterial accumulation in the gut. Key S. aureus virulence factors and C. elegans immune genes influence this host-pathogen interaction.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Pathogenesis
- Nematology
Background:
- Staphylococcus aureus is a significant human pathogen.
- S. aureus can also infect and kill the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
- Understanding host-pathogen interactions in C. elegans can reveal conserved mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms by which S. aureus kills C. elegans.
- To identify S. aureus virulence factors important for nematode killing.
- To explore C. elegans host factors that influence susceptibility to S. aureus infection.
Main Methods:
- Feeding C. elegans with S. aureus and observing mortality.
- Assessing the role of S. aureus virulence genes (agr, sarA, sigma(B), alpha-hemolysin, V8 protease) in nematode killing.
- Testing C. elegans mutants (esp-2/sek-1, esp-8/nsy-1) for altered susceptibility to S. aureus.
Main Results:
- S. aureus feeding leads to nematode death correlated with bacterial gut accumulation.
- S. aureus virulence factors agr, sarA, sigma(B), alpha-hemolysin, and V8 protease are required for full pathogenicity in C. elegans.
- Mutations in C. elegans genes esp-2/sek-1 and esp-8/nsy-1, part of a p38 MAP kinase pathway, enhance susceptibility to S. aureus.
Conclusions:
- Conserved aspects of S. aureus pathogenesis exist across different hosts.
- C. elegans provides a model to study S. aureus virulence.
- Specific C. elegans immune pathways, like the p38 MAP kinase pathway, play a role in defense against S. aureus.