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Updated: May 7, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
Antibiotic-induced autoactivation of IS256 in Staphylococcus aureus
Franziska Schreiber1, Christiane Szekat, Michaele Josten
1Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Abstract:
The 3' end of rsbU, encoding the positive regulator of the stress factor sigma B, was identified as a hot spot for spontaneous IS256 insertion in Staphylococcus aureus SA137/93G. Interestingly, subinhibitory concentrations of chloramphenicol in combination with heat stress, as well as linezolid and spectinomycin at physiological temperatures, selected for such rsbU::IS256 insertion mutants. In consequence of the inactivation of rsbU, the IS256 transposition frequency was increased 4-fold in S. aureus HG001.
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