Characterisation of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Strains and Their Prophages That Carry Horse-Specific Leukocidin Genes <i>lukP/Q</i>
Leukocidins of <i>Staphylococcus</i> (<i>S</i>.) <i>aureus</i> are bicomponent toxins that form polymeric pores in host leukocyte membranes, leading to cell death and/or triggering apoptosis. Some of these toxin genes are located on prophages and are associated wi...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Toxins |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6651/17/1/20 |
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| Summary: | Leukocidins of <i>Staphylococcus</i> (<i>S</i>.) <i>aureus</i> are bicomponent toxins that form polymeric pores in host leukocyte membranes, leading to cell death and/or triggering apoptosis. Some of these toxin genes are located on prophages and are associated with specific hosts. The genes <i>lukP/Q</i> have been described from equine <i>S. aureus</i> isolates. We examined the genomes, including the <i>lukP/Q</i> prophages, of <i>S. aureus</i> strains belonging to clonal complexes CC1, CC350, CC816, and CC8115. In addition to sequencing, phages were characterised by mitomycin C induction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). All <i>lukP/Q</i> prophages integrated into the <i>lip2</i>=<i>geh</i> gene, and all included also the gene <i>scn-eq</i> encoding an equine staphylococcal complement inhibitor. The <i>lukP/Q</i> prophages clustered, based on gene content and allelic variants, into three groups. One was found in CC1 and CC97 sequences; one was present mainly in CC350 but also in other lineages (CC1, CC97, CC133, CC398); and a third one was exclusively observed in CC816 and CC8115. Prophages of the latter group additionally included a rare enterotoxin A allele (<i>sea</i><sub>320E</sub>). Moreover, a prophage from a CC522 goat isolate was found to harbour <i>lukP</i>. Its <i>lukF</i> component could be regarded as chimaera comprising parts of <i>lukQ</i> and of <i>lukF-P83</i>. A putative kinase gene of 1095 basepairs was found to be associated with equine strains of <i>S. aureus</i>. It was also localised on prophages. However, these prophages were different from the ones that carried <i>lukP/Q</i>, and three different integration sites of kinase-carrying phages were identified. These observations confirmed the presence of prophage-located important virulence-associated genes in equine <i>S. aureus</i> and that certain prophages might determine the host specificity of the staphylococcal strains they reside in. |
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| ISSN: | 2072-6651 |