E mtlABFD operon encodes the Mtl-specific PTS (MtlAB) and the operon transcriptional repressor (MtlF); Mtl-1-P 5-dehydrogenase, encoded by mtlD, catalyses the conversion of Mtl-1-P to fructose-6-P which enters into the Embden-Meyerhoff and hexosemonophosphate glycolytic pathways. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.SIS-3 chemical information 0067698.gS. aureus Mannitol Utilisation and SurvivalFigure 2. Comparative Teriparatide cost survival of S. aureus strains. Growth of dilutions from overnight cultures on BHI agar in the presence and absence of 1 mM linoleic acid. SuvB24 (SH1000 mtlD::Tn917) and Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) displayed .500-fold reduced survival on linoleic acid relative to wild type (SH1000), Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) and the complemented mutant strain Liv1098 (SH1000 mtlD::tet pMJH71). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067698.gCulture Phenotypes of mtl MutantsTo investigate the role of the mtlD gene product in host cell physiology and to help explain the mechanism for reduced linoleic acid agar survival, growth of the suvB24 mutant was compared with its isogenic parental strain using a Biolog phenotype array (Biolog Inc. California, USA). Comparative growth arrays in the presence of various carbon, nitrogen, phophorous and sulphur compounds and a variety of amino acids, peptide nitrogen sources, osmolytes and pH ranges [28] identified that reduced Mtl metabolism was the only significantly altered phenotype (data not shown). To confirm the role of the Mtl PTS operon in S. aureus cell survival, allelic replacement mutants were generated for mtlD, Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) and for the entire mtlABFD operon, Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) (Figure 3), using methods described previously [34,35,36]. Two complementation vectors were also 1315463 generated by cloning the mtlD gene and the mtlABFD operon into the low copy shuttle vector pSK5632, producing plasmids pMJH70 and pMJH71, respectively. Cloning of the mtlABFD operon was achieved by transforming ligation products into strain Liv1021 (RN4220 mtlD::tet) selecting for fermentation on mannitol salt agar (MSA), since cloning of the operon in E. coli TOP10 was not successful, potentially due to toxicity. Complementation with mtlD alone did not restore Mtl fermentation on MSA due to the absence of a promoter for this distal gene; consequently complementation experiments were performed using pMJH71. Culture of Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) and Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) on MSA at 37uC demonstrated the inability of these mutants to ferment Mtl to produce acid (Figure 4). Weak growth was observed for Liv1023 on MSA agar in contrast to Liv1024, which grew similarly to the wild-type SH1000 strain. Metabolismwas restored in the complemented strains Liv1097 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet pMJH71) and LIV1098 (SH1000 mtlD::tet pMJH71) (Figure 4). Transduction of the mtlD and mtlABFD inactivations into S. aureus Newman (Liv1027 and Liv1028, respectively) confirmed the absence of Mtl fermentation in both mutants (data not shown). Comparative growth assays of the allelic replacement mutants on linoleic acid agar confirmed that Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) had an AFA growth defect similar to suvB24 (SH1000 mtlD::Tn917) with greater than 3-log reduction in survival (Figure 5). Similarly reduced levels of survival were observed following growth on agar supplemented with millimolar concentrations of oleic acid (C18:1D9) or sapienic acid (C16:1D6) (data not shown) demonstrating that inactivation of mtlD caused reduced survival to multiple AFAs. Allelic replacement of the.E mtlABFD operon encodes the Mtl-specific PTS (MtlAB) and the operon transcriptional repressor (MtlF); Mtl-1-P 5-dehydrogenase, encoded by mtlD, catalyses the conversion of Mtl-1-P to fructose-6-P which enters into the Embden-Meyerhoff and hexosemonophosphate glycolytic pathways. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067698.gS. aureus Mannitol Utilisation and SurvivalFigure 2. Comparative survival of S. aureus strains. Growth of dilutions from overnight cultures on BHI agar in the presence and absence of 1 mM linoleic acid. SuvB24 (SH1000 mtlD::Tn917) and Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) displayed .500-fold reduced survival on linoleic acid relative to wild type (SH1000), Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) and the complemented mutant strain Liv1098 (SH1000 mtlD::tet pMJH71). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0067698.gCulture Phenotypes of mtl MutantsTo investigate the role of the mtlD gene product in host cell physiology and to help explain the mechanism for reduced linoleic acid agar survival, growth of the suvB24 mutant was compared with its isogenic parental strain using a Biolog phenotype array (Biolog Inc. California, USA). Comparative growth arrays in the presence of various carbon, nitrogen, phophorous and sulphur compounds and a variety of amino acids, peptide nitrogen sources, osmolytes and pH ranges [28] identified that reduced Mtl metabolism was the only significantly altered phenotype (data not shown). To confirm the role of the Mtl PTS operon in S. aureus cell survival, allelic replacement mutants were generated for mtlD, Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) and for the entire mtlABFD operon, Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) (Figure 3), using methods described previously [34,35,36]. Two complementation vectors were also 1315463 generated by cloning the mtlD gene and the mtlABFD operon into the low copy shuttle vector pSK5632, producing plasmids pMJH70 and pMJH71, respectively. Cloning of the mtlABFD operon was achieved by transforming ligation products into strain Liv1021 (RN4220 mtlD::tet) selecting for fermentation on mannitol salt agar (MSA), since cloning of the operon in E. coli TOP10 was not successful, potentially due to toxicity. Complementation with mtlD alone did not restore Mtl fermentation on MSA due to the absence of a promoter for this distal gene; consequently complementation experiments were performed using pMJH71. Culture of Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) and Liv1024 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet) on MSA at 37uC demonstrated the inability of these mutants to ferment Mtl to produce acid (Figure 4). Weak growth was observed for Liv1023 on MSA agar in contrast to Liv1024, which grew similarly to the wild-type SH1000 strain. Metabolismwas restored in the complemented strains Liv1097 (SH1000 mtlABFD::tet pMJH71) and LIV1098 (SH1000 mtlD::tet pMJH71) (Figure 4). Transduction of the mtlD and mtlABFD inactivations into S. aureus Newman (Liv1027 and Liv1028, respectively) confirmed the absence of Mtl fermentation in both mutants (data not shown). Comparative growth assays of the allelic replacement mutants on linoleic acid agar confirmed that Liv1023 (SH1000 mtlD::tet) had an AFA growth defect similar to suvB24 (SH1000 mtlD::Tn917) with greater than 3-log reduction in survival (Figure 5). Similarly reduced levels of survival were observed following growth on agar supplemented with millimolar concentrations of oleic acid (C18:1D9) or sapienic acid (C16:1D6) (data not shown) demonstrating that inactivation of mtlD caused reduced survival to multiple AFAs. Allelic replacement of the.
