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Published on: December 27, 2016
ClpB affects biofilm formation in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Miao Yang1, Shuang Wang1, Qianwei Qu2
1School of Basic Medicine, Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
Introduction:
This study aims to explore the effects of the molecular chaperone ClpB on the biofilm formation and pathogenicity of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Methods:
The biological membrane formation was evaluated by constructing a clpB knockout strain (ΔclpB) and a complemented strain (CΔclpB) of USA300 MRSA, followed by crystal violet staining, scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and quantitative analysis of extracellular matrix components. A mouse skin infection model was subsequently employed to assess wound healing, histopathological changes, and the expression levels of inflammatory factors.
Results:
The results showed that compared with the wild strain (WT), the biomass of ΔclpB biofilm was significantly reduced (p < 0.0001), the structure was damaged and the production of extracellular matrix (eDNA, polysaccharides, proteins) decreased. CΔclpB then returned to the WT level. In the in vivo experiments, the ΔclpB infection group had faster wound healing, reduced tissue damage, and decreased expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 at both protein and mRNA levels.
Conclusion:
ClpB promotes the formation of MRSA biofilms by regulating extracellular matrix synthesis and host inflammatory responses and is a potential target for anti-biofilm therapy.
