Mutations in the Staphylococcus aureus Global Regulator CodY Confer Tolerance to an Interspecies Redox-Active Antimicrobial.

This article discusses the adaptation of Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria commonly found in wound and lung infections, to pyocyanin, an antimicrobial produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Through experimental evolution, researchers identified mutations in a global transcriptional regulator called CodY that confer tolerance to pyocyanin, enhancing the survival of S. aureus. The CodY mutant exhibited a two-pronged defensive response, suppressing metabolism and upregulating oxidative stress response pathways. The overexpression of catalase was found to be critical to pyocyanin tolerance. This research provides new insights into the mechanisms of adaptation to interbacterial antagonism. [Extracted from the article]