Characterization of a Type-I ABC Transporter in Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

"Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen capable of causing infections on multiple tissues, with different severities. This bacterium is a rising threat due to its capacity of quickly acquiring resistance to different antibiotics and to easily adapt to the host inflammatory responses. ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) transporters are widespread among all organisms and have been shown to possess roles in bacterial survival, virulence and antibiotic resistance. ABC importers are only present in prokaryotes and plants, and are constituted by two nucleotide binding domains (NBD), two transmembrane domains and a substrate binding protein (SBP). ABC type-I importers, involved in the uptake of sugars, have yet to be characterised in S. aureus. The goal of this thesis is the characterization of the first ABC type-I importer in S. aureus.(...)"