Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major public health concern, as it has developed resistance to our existing arsenal of antibiotics. Multiple genes have been implicated in conferring this resistance. MRSA also expresses serine-threonine kinase 1 (stk1), a eukaryotic-like kinase that is a master regulator of both antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation. We hypothesized that if cultures were treated with a novel small molecule inhibitor of Stk1, then changes in resistance genes would be observed. In order to determine if the adjuvant, antibiotic oxacillin, and/or cotreatment changed mRNA levels in MRSA, total RNA was purified from treated cultures. RT-qPCR was used to measure changes in gene expression in key genes such as such as blaI, blaZ, mecI, mecA and pbp2. We observed different gene expression levels that help explain at the transcript level why treatment of MRSA with an adjuvant is effective at preventing biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance.

Gene expression changes in MRSA upon treatment with a small molecule adjuvant

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.