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Author Spotlight: Development and Evaluation of a Compound Acne Rodent Model Using C. acnes and Oleic Acid
Published on: November 1, 2024
A Cutibacterium acnes antibiotic modulates human skin microbiota composition in hair follicles
Jan Claesen1, Jennifer B Spagnolo2,3, Stephany Flores Ramos2
1Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Abstract:
The composition of the skin microbiota varies widely among individuals when sampled at the same body site. A key question is which molecular factors determine strain-level variability within sub-ecosystems of the skin microbiota. Here, we used a genomics-guided approach to identify an antibacterial biosynthetic gene cluster in Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes), a human skin commensal bacterium that is widely distributed across individuals and skin sites. Experimental characterization of this biosynthetic gene cluster resulted in identification of a new thiopeptide antibiotic, cutimycin. Analysis of individual human skin hair follicles revealed that cutimycin contributed to the ecology of the skin hair follicle microbiota and helped to reduce colonization of skin hair follicles by Staphylococcus species.
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