PerR-mediated oxidative stress response in staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a human bacterial pathogen, known to cause a variety of illnesses and infections in the hospital and community settings. It produces a large number of virulence factors used for host invasion, tissue colonization and destruction, leading to severe infections in both healthy and immunodeficient people around the world. In this paper, we studied the potential mechanisms related to methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection, analyzed the significance of oxidative stress for survival of S. aureus, and re-identified the molecular structure, regulatory boxes, and regulons of PerR (peroxide responsive repressor) gene, a key modulator responsible for MRSA. Then, we further investigated how PerR functions in response to oxidative stress and how the PerR regulon affects S. aureus virulence. As a conclusion, we postulate that the regulation of PerR and its regulon indirectly influences the expression of virulence factors by prolonging the pathogen's survival under harsh conditions that may lead to the increased risk of S. aureus transmission, infection, and spread of the disease. © 2012 Kowsar Corp.