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Published on: January 8, 2014
Cell wall active antibiotics reduce chromosomal DNA fragmentation by peptidoglycan hydrolysis in Staphylococcus
María Tamayo1, Rebeca Santiso, Jaime Gosálvez
1Genetics Unit, INIBIC-Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), A Coruña, Spain.
Abstract:
Lysostaphin digestion of peptidoglycan (PG) from Staphylococcus aureus resulted in chromosomal DNA fragmentation by released DNase, as directly visualized in situ on isolated nucleoids. Nevertheless, DNA digestion was partially prevented by previous incubation with antibiotics that inhibit PG synthesis. This inhibitory effect was much more remarkable with glycopeptides vancomycin and mainly teicoplanin than with beta-lactams cloxacillin and ceftazidime. Therefore, inhibition of PG chain elongation has a more significant inhibition of DNA degradation than inhibition of PG cross-linking, possibly due to a reduction in DNase storage at the cell wall.
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