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Updated: Jul 13, 2025

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
The two-component system WalKR provides an essential link between cell wall homeostasis and DNA replication in
Liam K R Sharkey1, Romain Guerillot1, Calum J Walsh1
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Importance:
The opportunistic human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus uses an array of protein sensing systems called two-component systems (TCS) to sense environmental signals and adapt its physiology in response by regulating different genes. This sensory network is key to S. aureus versatility and success as a pathogen. Here, we reveal for the first time the full extent of the regulatory network of WalKR, the only staphylococcal TCS that is indispensable for survival under laboratory conditions. We found that WalKR is a master regulator of cell growth, coordinating the expression of genes from multiple, fundamental S. aureus cellular processes, including those involved in maintaining cell wall metabolism, protein biosynthesis, nucleotide metabolism, and the initiation of DNA replication.
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