Transketolase of Staphylococcus aureus in the Control of Master Regulators of Stress Response During Infection

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of both acute and chronic infections in humans. The importance of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) during S. aureus infection is currently largely unexplored. In the current study, we focused on one key PPP enzyme, transketolase (TKT). We showed that inactivation of the unique gene encoding TKT activity in S. aureus USA300 (∆tkt) led to drastic metabolomic changes. Using time-lapse video imaging and mice infection, we observed a major defect of the ∆tkt strain compared with wild-type strain in early intracellular proliferation and in the ability to colonize kidneys. Transcriptional activity of the 2 master regulators sigma B and RpiRc was drastically reduced in the ∆tkt mutant during host cells invasion. The concomitant increased RNAIII transcription suggests that TKT—or a functional PPP—strongly influences the ability of S. aureus to proliferate within host cells by modulating key transcriptional regulators.