Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Lead resistance and sensitivity in Staphylococcus aureus

H S Levinson1, I Mahler, P Blackwelder

  • 1Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02254, USA.

FEMS Microbiology Letters
|December 15, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Lead-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains tolerate 600x higher lead concentrations. Resistant strains accumulate lead as intracellular lead-phosphate, unlike sensitive strains, revealing a key metal tolerance mechanism.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

An Audit on VTE Thromboprophylaxis and Incidence of Hospital Acquired Thrombosis.

Irish medical journal·2025
Same author

Field studies in bacillary dysentery in U.S. military personnel and civilians in North Africa and Italy; distribution of dysentery bacilli types in U.S. troops before, during and after the assault on the Gothic Line.

The Journal of infectious diseases·2010
Same author

Phosphatase activity and lead resistance in Citrobacter freundii and Staphylococcus aureus.

FEMS microbiology letters·1998
Same author

Degradation of meta-trifluoromethylbenzoate by sequential microbial and photochemical treatments.

FEMS microbiology letters·1993
Same author

Altered excitatory and inhibitory amino acid receptor binding in hippocampus of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

Annals of neurology·1991
Same author

The saving of an Alabama hospital.

Healthcare Alabama·1991

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Environmental Science
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus can develop resistance to heavy metals, impacting its survival and pathogenicity.
  • Understanding the mechanisms of metal resistance in bacteria is crucial for environmental remediation and clinical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanisms of lead resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.
  • To compare lead tolerance and accumulation between resistant and sensitive strains of Staphylococcus aureus.

Main Methods:

  • Isolation of lead-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains.
  • Obtaining plasmid-free, lead-sensitive variants from plasmid-bearing strains.
  • Quantification of lead tolerance and assessment of lead binding and accumulation.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Five lead-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated.
  • Lead-resistant strains exhibited approximately 600-fold higher tolerance to lead nitrate (Pb(NO3)2) compared to sensitive variants.
  • Both resistant and sensitive strains bound lead, but only resistant strains accumulated lead as intracellular lead-phosphate.

Conclusions:

  • Plasmid-bearing Staphylococcus aureus strains can confer significant lead resistance.
  • Intracellular lead-phosphate precipitation is a key mechanism for lead accumulation and tolerance in resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
  • This study elucidates a specific detoxification strategy employed by Staphylococcus aureus against lead toxicity.